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My rant; we don't know what we don't know

Please don’t read this unless you are both bored and getting frustrated with the upgrade merry-go-round. Please don’t flame me if you think I am full of crap. Just stop reading. I am going to post this here in amps/preamps because I think it applies here just a bit more than in any of the other forums, though it still applies to all of them. I don’t pretend to know all that much about amps and preamps when it comes to circuit variations and designs. But one thing I do know after forty years in this hobby is that there is so much utterly painful hogwash bullsh*t owner-biased flotsam/diatribe/detritus utterly spewed out by mostly well-intentioned enthusiasts that it has to make any of the wiser folks in the industry cringe. My message to all of you-98% of what you read in this forum about the qualities of an amp or preamp in this forum will not help you obtain better sound. If you have a good amp or preamp and you feel the itch to upgrade, chances are, again, 98%, that the amp or preamp you presently have is not the impediment to your achievement of great sound. It sounds cliche’ as hell and most of you don’t to hear it or accept it, but the devil is in the details-room, component matching, speaker positioning, grounding, resonance control, room treatments, and it goes on and on. I am not in the industry and I have no affiliation of any type with anyone in the industry but I know from experience that 25 years ago I thought I had it all figured out; I posted on forums about my enthusiasm for this amp or that preamp and today I would cringe at all that misguided pablum that I mostly regurgitated from things that I had read but did not really understand and things that I thought I knew that I now know I do not. If you post here because you have nothing else better to do and it adds to your enjoyment of the hobby, fine. But if you rely upon others’ posts for finding just the right piece of gear that will suddenly part the Red Sea, spread the clouds and open up rays of sunlit audio-nirvana to suddenly shine it’s grace on your head and ears, you’re deluded. This is why Audio Note gear can sound amazing when set up properly in one room and gear from Sugden and Harbeth (just randomly for example) can sound amazing in another and on and on. This why those who have read Jim Smith’s book and re-read it and implemented as many of his tips have nothing but great things to say and those that have had him "tune their room" are amazed. We have a cultural abyss amongst us and it is the internet. Find a REAL person over the age of 50 who has been in the business for 30 years or so and talk face to face with a REAL PERSON! Listen with your own ears. If it means a five-six hour drive, pick a weekend on your calendar, make an appointment, and get off your couch and into your car to go visit a REAL PERSON. Thanks I feel better now. Those that want to claim that one amp is better than another or that one preamp is the answer to the search for great sound will, obviously, continue to post here with their unequivocal and yet baseless opinions and I will continue to skim and skip 98%, check that, 99%, of the posts here. And to those who might respond with the question, "why do you spend time here and ignore your own advice to interact with real people?", my response is that I am trying and succeeding at walking the walk.
128x128fsonicsmith
jon2020's avatar
jon2020
988 posts
 
This is a valid rant.
There is only one principle to abide by - system synergy is all important.
So, listen to the component at home before committing to any purchase.
whart's avatar
whart
3,047 posts
 
I think you are dealing with a fairly sophisticated, and somewhat skeptical, if not cynical, lot here; sure, there are postings proclaiming X is a life-changer, but I doubt that many here buy based on a posting. The anecdotal experience of many, though, can prove beneficial in sorting out synergies, and in better understanding a product, its support and its owner experience (read in context, not just in isolation that X is "the best.") I will often look at anecdotal comments on various record pressings, and the most helpful ones are those that compare the merits and weaknesses, side by side.
One can get off the merry-go-round at any time. My system is fairly mature, and I spend more money on records than on gear at this point. It’s a personal choice. Others may wish to continue pursuing an elusive "best" but I’m at a point where it’s different flavors, different strengths and weaknesses. I’ve heard a lot of systems over the years, some great, and am very happy with what I currently have, though I can appreciate and respect why others are still striving to obtain something better for themselves.
inna
7,296 posts
 
Tell me what speakers you choose and why and I'll tell you who you are. You might not want to listen, though.
Achieving synergy, whatever creates it, is not difficult. Finding the perfect match is on the other hand probably impossible. So when it is more than good enough it is better to just stop and take a break. Later, when you are ready for other speakers, for whatever reasons, start it all over again.
And I do listen to what others here say, I just rarely take it at the face value only. Some people are more open than most, what they post is usually more helpful. I don't think any of us has a bad sounding system and I do think that we envy those who can go very high.
I envy Bill's Lamm amps but not his front end and speakers because this would not be my choice, but Lamms could.

inna
7,296 posts
 
Others’ posts also often help to figure out what you are unlikely to like. At any price level above $10k used I can construct in my mind a few systems that I am certain enough I would like. Starting with speakers. Unless it is a masterpiece, but maybe even then, I know that I don’t want horn or panel speakers. I would want, whatever it is, deal with engineering driven companies. Usually, it is in essense a one man enterprise. So I will try to sufficiently figure out the man before even listening to the equipment. This narrows it down considerably. Sure, I can make a mistake both ways, so what ? Either I will later correct the mistake or will end up with something else. For me there is no irreplaceable equipment, perhaps only Studer decks have no real substitute. Well, Ampex perhaps.
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