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top ten things you learned about HiFi on Agon

Here's my list in some semblance of order:

1. how to more critically listen to music and determine what my system is doing right and what areas could stand some improvement
2. room shape and speaker position matter a lot
3. about other websites where I can get more detailed information on a particular subject
4. importance of the source
5. importance of good power cables
6. importance of a solid foundation for your equipment
7. importance of tonearm and cartridge matching and setup
8. about silver fuses
9. concepts related to amp and speaker matching
10. the concept of overall system balance and working towards a particular system sound.

I have really learned quite a bit by coming on this site. I generally used to think I knew my way around HiFi gear, having built speakers and owned various systems over the years, some that worked "pretty good" (put together by budget, market research, ear and accident), and some... well, not-so-much. I have a much better idea of where my understanding is now (thus the screen name), and feel like I am only scratching the surface.

With that said, every time I listen to my system these days I am aware of how much better it sounds compared to only a few years ago - due in large part to advice based on your writings and rantings on here. And this accomplished by adding many tweaks, a few key accessories and without adding or swapping very many major parts over that time span (except three turntables and four cartridges [but no microphone!]). Thanks Agoners for all the great information!!!
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tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,101 posts
 

oh how I do so miss @almarg 

 

cd318
2,636 posts
 

@mitch2

1. Audio is a fun hobby; just don’t take it too seriously,
2. music trumps equipment,
3.hype should be treated with a proportional amount of caution,
4. many excellent products never make the Stereophile Recommended Products list,
5. for best results trust your own ears,
6. carefully match equipment for system synergy, and don’t neglect support, damping and room treatment,
7. deals that look too good to be true usually are,
8. doing your homework on equipment and checking seller feedback may keep you from being burned, but probably not from being occasionally singed,
9. enjoy the music reviews and threads here, and most importantly,
10. the time you spend on audio is nowhere near as valuable as the time you spend with the people in your life.

 


Well said! That was an impressively well thought out response.

As you suggest, your final point, number 10, cannot be overstated.

willyht
64 posts
 

I was out of the game for 30 years and Audiogon was a great place to get back up to speed. I basically put a system together based on the forums and it turned out better than I could have hoped for.

One shame is that I was ignored by the first seller who I reached out to. I was going to buy an pre-amp and amp from him, but he ignored me because I was a newbie on the site. The $13k got spent elsewhere.

mitch2
4,123 posts
 

Wow, @cd318 nailed it for me.

I wouldn’t change a single item on his list -nice job!
I would however move No.10 to No.1 - as the most important and maybe hardest learned lesson for me.

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,525 posts
 

Reeling in the years….

 

I learned how to have a better perspective on things overall.

Frankly I also learned there is a lot of BS tossed around regularly and how to just ignore it. Very valuable!

Also helped me get over an infatuation with tube gear. Just not my cup of tea I’ve learned over time. But they are still way cool!

I learned a lot of useful things from the incomparable Almarg, who was in a league of his own as a  voice of reason and as a communicator of useful technical nuggets, which is the key to making good decisions. Miss that guy! A class act all around!

Many useful tidbits from others too numerous to list. Way more than 10.

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