If it sounds good it is good.
Is it possible to really know what you're doing?
Somehow I managed to select components that are getting along and feel comfortable with how things are sounding after many upgrades. I rely on others to advise along the way. I'm very good at asking questions.
Every facet of a set up is quite complicated. Even power cord's can be challenging. Name recognition is very important and there are so many names.
The technical aspects of everything involved is clearly overwhelming and requires a lot to barely understand. I've learned enough to know that I really don't understand a lot. At least I'm able to appreciate what I'm listening to which is all that really matters, and know if something sounds good.
Just my thoughts for what they are worth.
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@cleeds Easy on the common sense, bud. |
You can "train" yourself how to listen, and gain enough experience with systems and components until you become adept at recognizing what sounds "wrong" versus "right", versus what you like. Some people ramp up faster than others, just like everything. Then you pile on basic literacy in electronics and acoustics - more specifically for hifi audio - plus some diagnostics ability, and the right mix of skepticism plus open-mindedness (good luck) - and voila, you sort of know what you're doing! Just like in my career, asking questions has been completely useless and ineffective 99% of the time for me, lol. A.I. won't help with that. Focusing on what I'm doing, plus sum of experiences over time time, is what does it for me. My listening "skills" were also a damn mess for a long time because I was drinking too much (quit 4 years ago now). |
I remember when cd players were all the rage. I read an article about the Micromega stage two. I managed to get one and behold best sound player I’ve ever heard. It was so musical. Unfortunately it was not reliable. Thus began my frustration. It took 25 different players before I found The sound. Ended up with a Meridian 508.24. Not sure it was as musical as my Micromega, but it was as close asI could get. So my point here is, this hobby can be frustrating if you are looking for that particular sound. For me it seems no matter what equipment you have at some point I think you get bored. So to counter that, I have 6 amps and 12 pairs of speakers. So when I get bored I switch out something. As been said, at some point you just have to enjoy the music. The journey ends when You end it.
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Learning what sounds good to you is a huge step, and that can actually take quite a while. I remember being frustrated early on because I didn't know what it was supposed to sound like. Developing a real reference from listening to natural acoustic music and vocals can help too. If you’re fortunate enough to get good exposure to a true top performing system(s), and talented mentor(s) can only help in your recognition of what a great system can sound like. In the end it’s really every man (or woman) for himself. It’s YOUR journey, and you’re the one that needs to be satisfied. Enjoy it!
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It’s a total potshot and potential waste of lots of money whenever one does not know what they are doing. Options: 1) live and learn and pay the price along the way 2) go with gear that someone who knows what they are doing integrated for you. Kef ls60s are a good example. In any case unless you hire someone who knows what they are doing it is still always up to you to integrate a system into your listening room well. Trial and error and live and learn works well always there. |
I know what you mean. When I started about fifty years ago, no question I was stumbling around in the dark. With lots of listening, research and a couple bad choices I learned some very basic rules and kinda had some clue of what I wanted. I spent a lot of time in dealers, trying to figure out how you hear the speaker vs the amp, vs the preamp... etc. Over the next couple decades, I researched and upgraded every five years or so... as my finances allowed. I traveled extensively, so was able to stop by an audio store here and there around the country. I became good friends with a couple audio dealers. Most importantly, I did extensive testing... borrowing a few different components. Also I did hundreds of hours testing interconnects and cables. I wanted to understand what they could do. I did detailed comparisons on variables which I had to figure out. So, from this I understood what mattered and how much. Then I set out to get my ears tuned to the real thing. Listened to lots of live music, acoustic where I could, then ten years 7th row center symphony season tickets. Also, as I traveled during all that time (a lot) I listened to music constantly on the best available portable rigs... changing technology as it improved, always at the cutting edge. Finally when forty years had gone by, I was really comfortable. I could walk in an assess the sonic characteristics of a system. I could detect distortion that is not directly heard... determine noise floor. I would understand how I would change it. I can imagine what components that I am familiar with will sound like. Most importantly the last two upgrades, I knew exactly which components I needed to get exactly the sound I was looking for, and each step along the way fell into place, exactly like I had envisioned. I do not, by a long shot know everything. But I am really comfortable in building and assessing sound systems and acoustic spaces. It took forty years of dedication and experience. This is one of the reasons I like to forum. Questions are posed that I have never thought about, and it makes me think through things I haven't before. I learn a lot through these questions and some of the other experienced audiophiles that post here. Reminds me somewhat of my career as well. By the end, I could walk into a huge project and with a minimum of meetings and observations assess where it was, if was it on schedule and if it was going to be successful (NO) and figure out exactly how to fix it. |
There you go. You are on the right track. This is what matters. A time will come when you grow tired of messing with different components and just enjoy listening to the music again. Listening to and comparing different components as a primary focus most of the time can get to be rather tiring and boring after a while. Take breaks, go back to listening to music to help learn to enjoy your system all over again. I just took a 90 day break from my system leading into summer. Listening a little early this morning, the system is enjoyable to listen to again. Best of Luck. |
