Think twice before concluding some thing sounds better

bharralson7740, I like your post dated 1/13/17 it is refreshing, apparently you must be fairly new to audiogon to make this much sense. Anyway you are correct, music is like a time machine taking one back to a time and place. On the other side of the coin coming home to a good sounding system is like finding the proverbial oasis in a vast desert.

tomcy6, I think you said a lot in regards to wanting recording engineers to try and get better sound. The difference in playing a high quality recording compared to that of poor quality is like day and night, at least on my system.  But also look at how this generation is listening to music, would not give recording engineers any incentive to improve sound quality and audiophiles represent a small segment of society.

phd, I am new to Audiogon with regard to posting, but I get the weekly review and read many threads and I finally needed to hopefully provide some perspective.

I do agree with you about a good sounding system, just don't obsess about making it perfect. Stay within a reasonable budget for your means. And whatever you do, don't feel bad when you listen.

tomcy6, when I was able to listen at very high volume, I would often have to RUN to my volume control when a song that I downloaded would pop up to make sure no damage came to my speakers because I could hear the distortion.  And there are some albums (or sometimes just single tracks on an album) that no matter what you are listening to them on, they sound bad.  Not sure why the artist or the record company let that happen, but it's just the way it is.  Poor engineering for sure.  And then there are other albums that are the exact opposite and sound perfect on everything. I guess it goes to professionalism. 

I have had instances where something new is immediately evident, but I also have grounding cables that if moved take time to get back to their best. I don't think any conclusion holds for everything.

I also know that being at the edge of realism is very fragile. I moved Star Sound AP2s once on my crossovers and thought the sound realism was lost. Then I noticed the location was different.

I now also know that higher sampling rates that move the filter to much higher frequencies mean that there is much music that is not evident on cds. I also know that vinyl doesn't have it all either but that may be screwed up RIAA adjustments.

I wish we were still in the '60s and '70s when dealers could do demonstration, but alas, the internet has killed that. And shows usually have awful sound given the rooms, lack of breakin on components, etc. I'm glad that I have audio friends throughout the country and even in Europe or HK. But I know some of them cannot hear. Life is tough now days.

We all fuss over our systems and listen for the finest detail that may add to the overall presentation. Auditioning cables, swapping out speakers like old girlfriends. On the quest for the best sound we can afford. 

But I am amazed at how i can go to a friend's house, or the salon, or a show, and hear different systems. And at first listen you notice that this stereo sounds nothing like yours. The balance is all different, the way the air moves in the room is completely different! One has horn loaded speakers with a tiny tube amp. The other has Goliath speakers with monster SS amps. But! If you settle in and listen to a few songs, you will soon get acclimated and it sounds great! Every one of them sounds great! How could they all sound so different and still all sound so good? Isn't sounding like live music the holy grail? How can this be?

 I used to sweat over tiny details, worry about rubber feet and room treatments, but no more. Concentrate on the big things and get the overal sound right, tiny differences may add up over time, but if they are that hard to notice, perhaps they aren't as important as previously thought? Thinking about it too hard was interfering with my enjoyment of the music. I do have tweaks and fancy cables, but I choose what sounded nice at the time and I stick with it, once I have sat there for many ours, it all blends in. If my buddy's stereo can sound so different, and still be fantastic! Makes me wonder.