true. but you can definitely find reasonable/value for money things.
you recommended Megasound kampung subang earlier, I won't say its cheap, but damn good value for money man.

the thing about ICE.. IMHO.. the installer/tuner is key.. gotta be passionate about music. with the right skill & equipment in tuning/EQ.. normal system also can sound very good.

i won't choose the cheapest guy, and neither would i choose the guy who tells you that nobody else can do wiring like his, to bring out good music because he got art of wiring, or the guy who ask you to buy his super directional cables dipped in nitrogen or his magneto amp with super op-amps. the good installer/tuner, is the one who bring the best out of your system.

best system in the world + crap installer/tuner = crap output
normal system + great installer/tuner = good sound to your ears

and its important for the owner to communicate with the tuner, and tuner to understand what the owner wants.

i haven't found such a tuner yet, so my car sounds like crap..hahaha