Well said. It’s an observation, an advice and a philosophy in one simple sentence. The problem is, like Al Pacino in The Godfather part 4, every time we get out, they pull us right back in. The siren never stop singing. We got to plug our ears.
My first ten years or do were 1). Then a couple years of tweaking. Then 2). Over the decades I became much more orderly with 7 - 10 years of enjoyment, Then 1) as I could afford (on not afford as my partner would say) tweaking and enjoy for another 7 - 10 years. This has resulted in long, wonderful periods of audio bliss and maniacal upgrade cycles. Now retired with a better sounding and looking system than I though I could ever afford, I am very happy.
Acoustic controls and treatment are not "tweaks"....
Tweaks are secondary facultative additions to improve a system...
Acoustic treatment and controls are fundamental, not secondary, and exceed in potential positive improvement almost any gear upgrade even the speakers sometimes...
I spoke here only of the most important embeddings controls the acoustical one.... It will help also using the other 2....
2. Listen and create the necessary acoustic controls for the room to accomodate your speakers ...
There is no step 3 here...
Step 3 exist for obsessed gear people with no knowledge of acoustic....
You dont need the BEST gear in the world and you dont want it at all, because it cost way too much... You need the optimal price /sound quality ratio for your money...
And guess what? your system could be nearer than anything else very high cost that you could ever imagine...Thanks to acoustic science....
Listening his " gear" qualities is good and necessary in the beginnings,,,,
But most never quit the beginings...They upgrade and go on listening to their gear new qualities in the SAME UNCHANGED room for the sake of comparison for sure.... Not always improvement tough but different each time...
Ad infinitum.....
Now some acoustically treat their room and control it the right way...( learn how to control also the mechanical and electrical embeddings)
After that, if the job is well done they never listen sounds so much than they listen to music....
Audiophilia become mostly a necessary past stage.... I dream myself to upgrade one day but without no more real urgency at all...Too busy with the new music....
Obsession to sounds is transformed in musical obsession...( After 7 years of sound quality obsession and listenings experiments each day almost)
If it is possible for me with an under 500 bucks system it is possible for all at any price....
I only repeat here the OP initial motive with my own experience....
My best to all....
« Acoustic is the sleeping princess, anything else are the working dwarves, now be the prince, kiss the sleeping princess» -Anonymus Me
Pretty condensed list. (1) requires (2). Is your point that the "audiophilia" means that (1) must yield permanently and completely to (2) or it's not audiophilia?
@rvpiano -- Yeah, you've pegged me. I shopped like crazy and spent as much as I could get away with. I listen to the system all the time and enjoy the heck out of it. I'd rather read about all the stuff I should be obsessed with than actually fork over more bucks.
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