Proof of improvements in audio system sound quality....

...for Vals’ Day I lucked into an early reservation at spouses’ fav eatery, had a leisurely delish meal and had a good time for our 45th....which astounds some but not us....which Is the Point. ;)

@digitalviper ....’k, to cut to your issue, what are your intents? What are you looking to improve upon?

Room treatments? Curtains, rugs or no, ’art’ that acts like diffusers, placement with the given space...call it ’redecoration’ and enlist Her (not doing so is at your detriment, obviously...) in the event....

Speakers on stands, or not....most SO’s have their issues over the boxes that ’have to be Just So... although mine likes the small Maggies’, despite their ’feeding habits’...*shrug* Go figure...

Room eq can do wonders or blunders, a room correcting unit could be an answer without K$ in the pursuit....

There’s a lot of approaches to ’improvements’, but a better statement of What Bugs You would help in an audioRx...

@frogman ...*L* yeah, a little can go a long way but depends upon what state one is in, who you know, and the aroma left behind to the curiosity of ones’ kids....age dependent, of course...

...it’s all ’between the ears’, after all...😏👍

Happy Weekend, J

.....been doing the improbable for so long with so little.....

Doing the impossible with Nothing?

Rabbits still need a hat....or being able to reach around back Just So.....*L*

The opening of this post cracked me up, I’m picturing my wife in audio stores not looking at anything, just patiently waiting to leave. As for a cheap system sounding good, I think that’s very possible, my first system was cheap and I was in love with it - Marantz PM6003 and Monitor Audio Bronze BX2 bookshelf speakers. I used a Mac mini and just went headphone Jack out to RCA using iTunes and downloaded music. While some of the music was in WAV I didn’t have the software to play it native resolution so I’m sure it all came out mp3.

Why was this system so good, because it was my first system coming from computer speakers and I had no experience with anything higher end. If you start your journey listening to expensive equipment and get your ear to enjoy that sound, then buy something way less capable you’ll never be happy. If you start at the bottom though it will sound so much better than everything else and you’ll love it for that. Get off the forums and just enjoy that system, set it up as well as you can with some space around the speakers and just buy music. The day you’re genuinely ready to spend more, then go and listen to equipment AT THAT price range, this has been my experience and it’s been a great hobby to me. 
I will say, the more expensive the equipment the more you expect from it, and this can lead to frustration if it’s not PERFECT. It takes more work and more money and can eventually lead to more reward, but not always. So, to close, enjoy your system, give your speakers some room, and stop listening to anything you can’t currently afford. When you can afford it, then begin searching, I appreciate this takes willpower…

@digitalviper, your love is fake ...........................................

@digitalviper

My first foray into a high end audio store introduced me to GoldenEar speakers and Parasound electronics.  It sounded great and introduced me to 3D soundstaging.  The second audio store the salesman pushed for a budget, so when I reluctantly gave him some number he tried selling me a meh sounding system.  Although I complained to management, I lost trust in audio dealers.  So until very lately (I finally found a dealer I can trust), I did my own research online, audio magazines, audio stores, and audio conventions.      

Audiophile tweaks are a personal choice - some avoid them while some embrace them.  Some work, some not so much.  The salesman was likely trying to steer you into a sale for his benefit which is not an unusual motivation.  It's not wise to automatically trust a salesman.

This is a high-end audio forum.  It's a head scratcher that you go on this forum saying that

i get premium sound quality with my earbuds and smartphone

which is not high-end at all.  If you are satisfied with the sound quality then your done and can save on spending for a system.  But as most of us here know, there is much better sonics to be had for a price.  Some may chase a "fool you it's real sound', while others may favor tube warmth midrange magic.  Your settling for earbuds/smartphone leads me to believe you haven't heard many great sounding audio chains.

Being in love has nothing to do with shared interest, especially when it comes to hobbies.  From many forum comments, seems like most spouses "tolerate" our hobby rather than support/participate in it.