PRICEY OR PRICELESS?(stereo prices)

What if your passion for music is so strong that only the best sound equipment can make you happy? As long as your finances adequately support your taste, you have no problem. But even adamant perfectionists may balk at sheer profligacy. After all, there is a distinction between pricey and priceless, between cost and value. So, in scanning the current crop of top-rank gear, we shall stop short of those rarefied regions where no costs are counted in pursuit of perfection. Instead, we shall focus on designs that combine superior performance with exceptional value.

Just what is it that sets these paragons apart from lesser breeds? In musical terms, the margin of superiority of costlier sound components is instantly apparent to the ear. They attain an added sweetness of sound, a subtler transparency of sonic texture, an extra measure of weight in the low bass and an effortless authority in projecting the more massive utterances of the orchestra.

These virtues stem largely from the fact that such equipment springs from the drawing board unhampered by the compromises typical of products for which shaving costs is a prime design consideration. This category includes amplifiers so stable that they ride out the stormiest music without audible signs of distress, and at the same time do justice to the subtlest vocal or instrumental nuance. As for loudspeakers, this brief survey focuses only on those models that withhold nothing from the total musical range, respect the true timbre of voices and instruments and create an aura of airy spaciousness.

Some speakers sell for as much as a modest house. For example, the Wilson WAMM lists for $156,000. Luckily, it is possible to obtain superb performance for far less. At $8,000 per pair, the British B&W Model N802 is right up there with the ultimate, and at $4,500 per pair the BP 3000 TL by Definitive Technology and the NHT Model 3.3 (same price) rank penultimate or better.

The price of these speakers reflects their ability to fill even a baronial hall with pristine sound, at full concert level, without a hint of strain. In a more modest setting -- say, a large living room -- you may obtain similar sonic opulence and veracity for $2,600/pair from the Stratus Gold by PSB (a Canadian company bearing the initials of Paul S. Barton, its renowned chief engineer) or from Dynaudio's Contour 1.8 mk II ($3,495/pair) or the Thiel CS3.6 ($4,300/pair). These speakers can lend conviction to the collapse of Valhalla or capture the subtlest detail of a Haydn quartet.

To do their splendid best, speakers of this caliber benefit from hefty amplifiers that can supply them with a clean, undistorted signal of at least 100 watts per channel. NAD's Model S300 ($2,199) or the Rotel 1070 ($1,199) will do the job nicely.

To round out a top-notch stereo rig, you might consider CD players of commensurate merit, such as NAD's Model C541 ($499) or the Rotel RCD-971 ($700). Both feature advanced digital-to-analog converters to assure accurate translation of the digital signal into the analog waveforms that spell out the musical sound. In terms of the listening experience, this means natural sound without the harsh, grainy timbre that so often mars the music on inferior equipment.