I don't think you can call the best monitors in the world expensive.
Like a gift that they even exist.
I hear you. I owned close to 30K Magnepan 20.7 speakers and another 30K 5x Benchmark AHB2. When by miracle, the mall in my place had a Genelec booth. After I heard them, I was floored. Every album I played was a revolution. I instantly bought the Genelecs, and it took me nearly a year to sell the Magnepans. The Benchmarks were gone immediately. The demand was high.
The funny thing is, I used to hear Genelec (1031 etc.) for half of my life when I grew up in various recording studios, but as a foolish audiophile, I wasn’t ready yet for that.
It’s funny on my side too I was an audiofool too.
I was student and I could afford only the NHT M-00. My first “active” (rather powered as it has a passive crossover) speaker.
I bought it as theoretically it makes sense to have the manufacturer mate the amp to the drivers. It was great.
So we were about to graduate and my buddy was about to marry this PhD in engineering. She definitely looked down on my audiofool ways. I was now hooked on the concept of active speakers but I was looking only at audiofool type manufacturers.
She convinced my buddy to buy Genelec. So he went and bought 1031s and subs.
I heard them at his house but I was not even slightly impressed. I went pro audio and bought a pair of Focal Solo 6be. I really liked those a lot. But the 1031 did my impress me.
Still I had Genelec on my radar. At some point I got the 8010. Loved them. They are limited but they were still amazing. But they had the issue that you can’t turn your head without the sonic character changing.
Then years later after having a pair of LSX and then LS50w finally I wanted a proper 3-way coaxial design.
So I ordered the 8341s. In 2020 they could not make enough of them. I had a 3 month wait for delivery.
In the meantime, however, I had to fly to a city with a Genelec experience center (at least that time it was branded so).
The first evening I made sure to go and listen. They had both 8341 and 8351 but the 8351 was set up.
They played some slower, older music.
My lord. OMG.
You can’t unhear it. You can’t ever forget that moment.
Like an IV direct into your amygdala. Straight into uncontrollable emotion. I tear up just remembering that moment.
I came back and after a few weeks the 8341 came.
Within 1 year I ended up with my current setup. There was nothing more important to me than to just go the all way with Genelec.
I guess it’s not “all the way” anymore but it’s enough.
I’ve burned so much money over the years buying all kinds of stuff. But this is worth every penny - the best value in audio. Performance I was not even capable of dreaming of.