I decluttered the signal path. Tube amp with a very simple signal path. No signal processing, no preamp, simple, high quality interconnects and cables. Volume control via transformer.
Jerry
Audiophiles and De-cluttering -- your journey toward both psychic and sonic improvement
Every audiophile knows that we want more signal and less noise. We seek it in our systems and our rooms. We want the power, elegance, and simplicity needed to produce immersive listening.
I'm now at the point where I want less -- fewer options, less clutter, more openness. And that means re-considering assumptions about audio.
For me, this is going to start with power cords. I simply don't hear much difference from the special cords I got and they're awkward to use. I'm thinking of beginning my de-cluttering path with them. Next, the back up equipment -- older DAC's, extra speaker cables, etc. And, most controversially, I expect to get rid of my home theater speakers in lieu of a high-performance soundbar.
Anyway, those are just my ideas.
What have YOU done to de-clutter your audio life?
What did you give up and how did it help or hurt your pursuit of audio satisfaction?
Did peace of mind make listening more enjoyable?
For what it's worth, here's are some excerpts from a recent article on decluttering from the NYT. I found it helpful.
Ms. Yamashita and Ms. Kondo approach decluttering in different ways. In Ms. Kondo’s books and Netflix series, she offers easy-to-follow techniques for organizing, wrapped in her signature cheer and positivity. Keep items that make you happy and thank those that do not before tossing them away, she instructs.
Ms. Yamashita is more abstract, philosophical and probing — less approachable, converts of the Marie Kondo school argue. When sorting through what to keep or toss away, Ms. Yamashita pushes her clients to think about why they are attached to certain items, and to examine what overabundance and obsession do to their emotional states.
“For me, danshari is not about tidying up, organizing or tossing away things that don’t spark joy,” Ms. Yamashita said, slurping soba noodles out of sesame broth at a restaurant in Tokyo. “It is about returning people to a state in which parting with things feels natural.”
“When people’s homes and minds get clogged up with too many things, they begin to fester,” she continued. “It’s like how you eat and then release — it is a normal part of our existence.”
“Danshari is about creating an exit and getting that flow back,” she added.
From a session with a client:
“You’re noticing there are too many things out in the open, but we need to probe deeper into the fact that you have so much stuff,” Ms. Yamashita said midway through their cleaning.
“I think my mind is cluttered,” Ms. Kojima replied, from work and elsewhere. “I have so many things constantly being jammed into my head,” she said.
Ms. Yamashita pressed: “Obviously, no one can see inside your head, but it’s visible, in this space.” She then gestured at the living room. “Can you see how the challenges you’re dealing with in your head are physically manifested here?” she asked.
“I think the problem is that I can’t even recognize when there’s too much,” Ms. Kojima said.
SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/business/hideko-yamashita-decluttering-danshari.html
43 responses Add your response
I retired about five years ago and immediately began simplification and decluttering. I have gone through and gotten rid of an old turntable, bass equalizer, receiver, speaker cables, interconnects. Took boxes and boxes of excess clothing, kitchen utensils that I never used. Gave away an old bicycle. I removed the two of the three 32" monitors and huge tower PC in my office and switched to Apple... maintenance went down, simplicity up and integration between all my iPads, iPhone and MacBook is now flawless. Most lights controlled by Alexa. Replaced garage door with iPhone controlled doors. My heating and cooling is controlled by my phone as is my security system. I have five Roomba that clean the house automatically. I hired a lawn guy to maintain the yard and roof. Then I doubled the investment in each component of my stereo system (including speakers and got rid of my subwoofers), upgraded my interconnects, power cords, and speaker wires to Transparent Generation 6 and finally added the second direct line and swapped for audiophile grade outlets. Now when I sit down to listen... I am each time swept away by the incredible music. My system represents one of lifetime achievements. In our bedroom I swapped out the top of the line 14 year old sound bar for best today, the Sennheiser Ambeo. What an improvement! My home theater will get upgraded if anything fails. So, yeah. But the sound quality of my audio system(s) always go up. |
When I first got serious in early 2000s I adhered to the theory about simplifying the signal path. I was running push/pull and instead went SET. I now have an amp with Kohzmo attenuator, a switch box for my two sources, a phono stage, SUT. I DIY my ICs so they are minimum length, as I did my speaker cables. |
“For me, this is going to start with power cords. I simply don’t hear much difference from the special cords I got and they’re awkward to use. I’m thinking of beginning my de-cluttering path with them.” @hilde45 What is a de-clutter power cord looks like? “I expect to get rid of my home theater speakers in lieu of a high-performance soundbar.” I switched to SONOS surround bar + Sub 15 years ago, never regretted my decision to this day! |
My main methods of decluttering: 1. If it isn't plugged in and doing something, sell it, pass it to a family member, donate it. 2. I have finite space to store LP's and listen to my turntable about two hours a month. I find out of necessity that I pretty much have to sell a couple of LP's to make space for new. I have not missed one LP I have sold for the ones I'm keeping forever.
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It looks like not having more power cords than components with which to use them. I like the ideas here! I'm also thinking of going from 5.1 to 2.1 for HT. As with @ghdprentice I want to get rid of lots of stuff I'm not using while keeping the level of the audio going up. That's why this is not a thread about "simplifying the signal path." It's much more pedestrian than that. It's about getting rid of stuff not currently in the system but in a drawer or closet. Like extra power cables. |
I realized keeping back-up stuff was a mistake. I sold or listed it. If something fails, I'll buy something then. Then, the stuff I liked but couldn't part with (a good turntable or tonearm, a set of speakers, a phono amp I liked but wasn't using), all things I might swap in for fun--and do sometimes--I put in a large steel cabinet with doors. 5' wide, 8' high, 2' deep. As I filled it, I wound up getting rid of even more stuff. Power cables I make to size. Speaker cables as well. So a roll of each is in the cabinet. The few extra interconnects are in there too. As well as a little cabinet in the big one for small parts. Less clutter, even of other stuff in the listening spaces so sight lines are clear of notebooks or coffee cups or sweatshirts thrown over chairs, make it all seem better. |
@hilde45 I totally support going from 5.1 to 2.1 for home theater. Less processing = cleaner sound. A pair of quality speakers instead of 5 lessor ones. |
+1, @carlsbad2 I guess, it comes down to each person’s priorities. It’s surprising to see some people believe that downgrading from a 5.1 setup to 2.1 improves two-channel audio performance. Home theater (HT) and two-channel systems serve different purposes and should ideally remain separate. Reducing a 5.1 system to 2.1 sacrifices a lot of what makes HT immersive—like surround effects and spatial dynamics. |
@lalitk - The last great music and HT preamp I owned was the Theta Casanova. The older generation Anthem’s were not terrible. I _am_ going to simplify but I must choose within my budget and features. I need a long term loan of a Theta or Datasat unit. :D Part of my simplification is going to fully active, custom made speakers for my 3 mains. This should greatly reduce the amplifier and cable sprawl. Hopefully I can trade my integrated for a decent HT processor. I was thinking that I could trade my Luxman integrated for a Luxman preamp but I just saw their retail prices!! Ouch. No, I can't do that. From a budget, affordability and decluttering perspective I think I may be forced to go with something like an advanced Marantz processor + active fronts. With Roon support I get rid of my integrated, DAC, streamer all at once, but must add an amp for surrounds. |
My de-cluttering journey: 1. Sold all analog gear 2. Upgraded digital - went with a nice streamer and outboard DAC; sold network filter, removed switch and FMC modules 3. Sold mono block amps and a two chassis preamp 4. Bought a nice integrated - less boxes, less cables 5. Sold a component rack and got a few amp stands to put the components on to lower the skyline between the speakers Next step - need to get rid of vinyl records that don’t represent any sentimental or collectible value; |
@erik_squires I think you were on sabatical from the forum when I got my Marantz cinema 40. I didn't get to properly thank you for the recommendation. I know it isn't as high end as my 2 channel system but I find it an excellent and very easy to use, not to mention great soundsing, HT option. thank you. |
@carlsbad2 So glad to know I could steer someone in a good direction! You are most welcome |
@carlsbad2 None of my 5.1 components are in the playback chain when I do two channel listening. They have zero impact on sound quality. It does take up some space, but I bought a rack large enough to hold everything. Movies would not be the same in 2.1, imo. |
Yeah, like one that doesn’t suck, is even decent. The performance is measured by the job it has to do. TV, Movies. So, "high performance" would be doing those things well.
They are two systems for me. Sorry, that was not clear.
My 2.1 set up is pretty immersive. But I am different than a lot of folks in this regard. If I want immersion and all that feely stuff, I go to the movies. At home, it’s immersive enough for me with a large screen and good sound. I’m more interested in story, dialogue, characters. Dune was great on my 2.1. Nice and loud, fast action with left-right movement quite clear. I don’t need something behind me to have a sufficient effect. But that’s me. Others need to feel their skin tingle. That’s cool. |
IME some speakers may do OK in both HT and 2-ch situations, or they may excel at one and suck at the other. The very attributes that make a speaker good at HT usually disqualify it for serious 2-ch listening, and vice versa. Again, IME. And by that token, HT and 2-ch systems probably don't even belong in the same room. But I only know so much, so I was interested in whether any speakers out there might be truly universal, hence my question. |
Speakers reproduce sound. They either do it well or they don't. I have both a HT setup and a two channel setup in my condo and both work fabulously because of the HT bypass setup. The only thing they share are the two main speakers. I have 5 subwoofers. One for the HT and four in a distributed bass array which handles the low frequencies under 80dB. I would be interested if you explain what specific attributes make a good home theatre speaker, as opposed to a good two channel speaker. The only attribute I can think of is perhaps using a ported sub for the HT, but maybe you know something I don't. |
I moved from a 7.2 home theater System in my man cave I didn’t use much to a music only system. It started simple but I’ve moved to separate components so I have more equipment but I’m using it and enjoying it. In the family rooms the family didn’t like the loudness of my surround sound setup and they wanted it to be easy to use. I got rid of the old systems and went to Sonos Beam 2 soundbars each with a minisub. They sounded better to me than the Bose and Samsung bars I tried. The family is happy and I can live with the sound watching TV and movies and occasionally streaming music. It’s also great to control the music in 4 different rooms from the app (yes it had issues but never my TV sound). I appreciate the simplicity and ease of use. When I want critical listening or to crank up my music I’ve got my listening room. |
To me, the ideal speakers for home theatre would be three identical speakers for fronts and center. Not real practical if your mains are towers. My center channel isn't the same model or brand, but it actually blends well tonally with my mains. I've had center channel speakers that didn't blend well and it was quite noticeable. Being able to do HT with my system in no way compromises two channel. The compromises were made on the HT side because it's a lower priority. |
@Carlsbad2 - I'd love to know more about your experience with the Cinema 40 and its operating quirks if any. I am considering this as an option for one location as we rebuild from last April's fire. The price is relatively affordable and in today's receiver landscape, if it operates smoothly and with no quirky behavior, it could be classified as a bargain if it holds up sonically. Since it supports external amplification via preamp outputs I could consider that as a foundation for a very solid long term system. But without getting the nitty gritty info on what it is actually like to live with, I am slow to jump in with both feet. Would very much appreciate your insights |
@devinplombier I wonder if you could expand on your post concerning the suitability of full range music speakers for home theater and why a good music speaker is NOT good for HT. Please understand, I am not being contentious, I am curious as to why this could possibly be so. Nearly every home theater system I have owned has been also used effectively for music and I never saw the inclusion of full range tower speakers for FL and FR to be anything but a plus whether it was for movies or music. When left to my own preferences and with enough money to exercise those preferences I have always preferred a true full range 20-20k speaker system for the mains and a more theater focused speaker for other positions with the mandatory subwoofer(s) picking up the slack in the low end for the smaller theater speakers. This combo has always worked splendidly and spendidly too :) Help me to understand why this is not a preferred approach or why in your judgement it would not provide satisfactory results for both music and HT. |
For my own part, last April's house fire took a large chunk out of the decluttering that was an ongoing process. I had all my junk, my wifes junk, and my parents junk crammed into one house...yeah it was a lot. But because nearly all of it has gone into a dumpster, the rather steep mountain to climb is the rebuilding of the house, the music and movie zones and their associated equipment. Pretty much a clean slate, with essentially all new equipment. As painful as losing old vintage gear that I truly liked is, there is a certain sense of adventure that goes with starting over. I have a chance to do it better than it was before in terms of possibly more intelligent design based on what is available today. One part of the plan is a modern media center lowboy equipment rack with ventilated doors and back panels with ample space inside for all the required electronics save for the TV, center channel speaker and turntable should I elect to replace the ones I lost in the fire. This will give a more decluttered look to the space and make spending time in that room much more pleasant. All new speakers to go with the new electronics will augment the over-all experience if I do my job correctly. I am giving serious thought to avoiding spending money on physical media unless it is a special edition release, be it movie or music. Currently I can count the physical media that I can actually use on nearly both hands and feet, a far cry from what I owned before. I don't see myself trying to replace hundreds of records, CDs and Video tapes as well as cassettes that were lost in the fire. Streaming media is so much more convenient and while having physical media is useful when the internet decides to take a vacation, which it does with alarming frequency in my rural location, the time, energy, effort and money involved in rebuilding that collection of media is beyond daunting. probably will be a few pieces bought but nothing like what I had before. Cannot even imagine going there. |
@livinon2wheels Movie audio is a highly processed mixture of dialogue, soundtrack music and special effects that tolerates, if not favors, turned-up-to-eleven-type gear, especially speakers and subs. Whereas music is, well... music. Different folks enjoy different genres, and they use diverse styles of gear to achieve the quality of sound they desire. Adding HT compatibility to their list of system requirements is one step too far for many. It’s easier to maintain separate systems; JBLs in one room, Harbeths in the other, if you will. In a pinch, some "good music speakers" like perhaps Revel Salon 2s might do a fine job reproducing explosions and the lifelike shrieks of victims. But why? The compromises involved make little sense unless living in a place where dedicated rooms might be prohibitive, like New York City or London. Quoting your earlier post (and I am sorry for the disaster you and your family went through):
Noted the plural. Seems you yourself might not disagree 🙂
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@mahler123 wrote:
+1 @tony1954 wrote:
This is grossly incorrect. Obviously the bar is pretty low among some here with regard to Home Theater sound reproduction, certainly when it comes to the core, meat and potatoes 2-channel sound (which is vastly preferred in my book vs. a malnourished 5.1 or more setup). Even streaming a movie would be able to expose the difference a good pair of fairly full-range, resolving and dynamically capable speakers would do, but with Blu-ray/4K UHD physical format discs you'll be treated with the full frequency spectrum, dynamic range and resolution that would see many if not most of the music oriented, typically size and sensitivity restricted hifi speakers meeting their limits at ref. volume, and that in more than one way when being tasked with reproducing the complex and often very demanding soundtracks of movies. Put bluntly: if you had heard what a proper, full-range speaker setup could do reproducing movie tracks you'd know the difference full well, but the question seems to be whether it really matters to audiophiles at large and whatever priorities they have. Still, compared to such, a sound bar - indeed any sound bar - will fall short in ways that, to put it mildly, aren't subtle. The best of them may be impressive for their size, easy to install-factor and if one is used to the sound coming from the TV itself, but in the bigger scheme of things can't escape the fact they are merely a convenient and aesthetically pleasing solution. If that's enough for whoever chooses sound bars, peace, but it goes to show the criteria for what passes as good movie sound reproduction varies a lot, also with regard to how many channels are required for this. If anything most hifi speakers are unqualified for a fuller realization of the core 2-channel sound of movie soundtracks; they compress too easily - meaning they'll also distort more, they're LF-frequency range limited, and being mostly direct radiating speakers their directivity pattern isn't suitable either. My contention is however that mainspeakers meeting these criteria will benefit in regards to what serves music reproduction as well; the two areas of sound reproduction here aren't mutually exclusive, but rather complement each other. My 2-channel music and movie speaker system is a fully active, 3-way setup (4-way with the passively integrated tweeters), with the main speakers actually being professional cinema speakers intended for large auditorium coverage (but which sum well at the LP in a domestic environment) and augmented with a pair of tapped horn subs that extend down to 20-25Hz at full tilt (~125dB's). Contrary to what some may believe this system is dialed in for music first and foremost at average SPL's around 75-80dB's (with peaks higher than that), while being naturally and uninhibitedly at home with movie soundtrack reproduction to boot. This is also where the decluttering part and chosen compromise of mine comes in: where I fail to realize the full intent of the filmmakers and their sound design is omitting the surround and center channels, and while adding more channels for a full surround setup + center channel (which for my needs would require an extra main speaker similar to the ones I use) would make a worthwhile difference, I wouldn't want to do it half-hearted. Not to mention that the physical presence of surround and center channels with passive, vibrating cones in the same listening room isn't ideal when it comes to 2-channel music reproduction only. As such, yes, music and movie sound systems would be better off in each their separate spacings, but kept as a 2-channel approach aren't in the least incompatible, au contraire. |
“The” most important decluttering change I made is a hard rule I now follow with each new purchase. “For every component/item I buy I must sell one”.
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