What I wish I knew before starting my audiophile journey

@bigtwin I struggle with the amount of equipment you have NOW :)

@dman1974  I struggle with the amount of equipment you have gone through in a very short period of time.  By my math you have swapped speakers every 3 - months, and amps almost as often.  Thats hardly past the break-in period for a lot of equipment.  Sounds like an intervention is in order.  🤣  

"No perfect sound can be achieved"

Some of us pursue the most pleasing / most beautiful sound. Imperfection is part of it. 

Path OP followed is legit path, lots of churn, but with internet marketplaces this is much easier than path I had to follow pre internet.

My pathway was first determining sound quality I was trying to replicate at home, for this I listened to a wide variety of home, dealer and audio show systems, this over many years. I'd pursue systems rather than concentrating on individual components, in other words research individual components I thought would be sympathetic to rest of system. I'd gradually build up systems to a conclusion, at which point I'd sell off virtually all components and start anew when negative conclusions were reached. Negative conclusions fell into one of two categories, excessively analytical or romantic, conclusions were drawn by a slowly dawning truth that only  certain types of recordings were being played over and over. I'd play recordings that sounded poorly and blame the recordings, over time not being able to play a wide variety of recordings was untenable, back to drawing board. Once I got past excesses on both ends, neutrality was adhered to in component purchases, this has been much more pleasant experience. Can be difficult to achieve this, but tweaking and tuning can play large role if one starts with neutral components to begin with. Tuning and tweaking is steep learning curve, but much research and experience helps one get there. Listening is key to both, learn WHO to listen to, comparative reviews from experienced reviewers, context in the sense of knowing the reviewer's  components and their implementation into a whole system will help to determine if the items under review will work in your system. And then we need to learn HOW to listen, WHAT to listen for, experience listening to wide variety of systems helpful here.

Over time if there's  one thing I learned, it was to start off  building systems with sympathetic partnering of amp and speakers, getting this wrong will ensure you'll never get to positive conclusion. This assuming one has AC and room in order, those two are prerequisites.

@dman1974 cool, thanks for explaining. You did good not losing much money, the only way I can do it is if I lose my credit card :)

OP,

‘Thanks. Great post. While I have been in this pursuit for fifty years and am still learning… a lot. Great advice.

I churned a lot in my first few years as well… not as much as you perhaps… but quite a bit. At first unless you have experience with different components it is hard to know what kind of variation there is on performance of solid state vs tube, mid-fi vs high-fi, speaker types… it goes on and on. You can read all the audiophile magazines you want, but unless you have heard some of the reviewed components you can’t possibly understand how big a difference they are taking about on any parameter.

So, some churning I think needs to happen, but some of the rules of thumb and observations are useful for someone starting off or it is easy to go down a number of blind alleys and just decide the whole thing is just hocum.

@jayctoy

Terrific suggestion to attend audio expos. I’ve attended numerous ones over the recent decade and learned a lot from the exhibitors and dealers in attendance.

mostly, it serves as a better filter for all the marketing hyperbole in mag reviews and ads,

It is also a filter for the vast plethora of personal heavily biased suggestions pushing their personal faves in this audio forum ( and others) that have no assurance of actually working in your system..

it’s an easy hands-on audition with other reputable dealers

= Invaluable knowledge expansion …. AND FUN .

I agree with @dweller ​​​​​, a newbie should trust a good dealer, and with @decooney about patience, though this will come with more experience.

On the other hand the op learned some things the hard way which is part of the journey.

I think the OP did not have time to be familiar on all the gear he brought Home.Also I agree , No perfect sound can be achieved. This hobby takes times to really learn what sounds produces musicality on your own preferences.If you can find a honest audiophile who is willing to mentor you that would help.I usually bring new audiophile in my house to listen to my system, I will ask them what they heard and think? Many times I will explain what they should hear and feel on the cd I played.Its important to hear different system as well.Axpona is coming be a good idea to attend. OP I admired your passion on this hobby. I did not realize it takes time to really learn this hobby.But it’s fun to do the audio journey.

Grisly,

Everything I bought was used. Some components I bought the same 2-3 times. The reason for this was I had a cap on my budget. In order to buy something else I needed to sell another piece. Through the whole process I only lost money 2 times and made money (not a ton) on almost every other piece. There would be these ah ha moments and I would realize the speakers I had weren’t the problem so I’d buy back the same speakers to validate or amp, DAC ect.. Crazy process I know but it was COVID and I had a 1 year old. Wasn’t a whole heck of anything else to do.

@dweller …. Best advice !

here is an example of what a dealer can do vis a vis auditions and experiences:

(1) Have him parrot my recent gig. I went down to navelgaze new bookshelf speakers on sale for my “C” system. These were regular $800+ ish units on clearance.
First he drove them with a budget $1900-ish system. The audio performance was OK without complaint but not inspiring . My buddy’s comment was “Meh?” At first we both thought it was a pass on the speakers.

He then drove them with a $10,000 integrated amp and $5,000 cdp. In short…”… WOW…WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?…”

I bought the speakers knowing that my home “C” system was better than his budget system and I was not disappointed. I also farced around by driving them at home with my “A” system …. Yep …. Just like in the store…the degree of audio improvements with lesser speakers with a much better build and quality upstream components is not subtle.

(2) Building a relationship with a dealer fosters trust and education . Rotating through 7 DACs in a short timeframe until you progressed to the LUMIN U1 MINI is arguably an avoidable heavy cost in time and money. A dealer would graphically highlight that it’s somewhere around a rough $3000 pricepoint and going northward that the DAC contenders start to differentiate themselves from the pretenders at a lower strata. (… Think quality build and audio improvements from linear power supplies as one example …,)

TAKEAWAYS

- System synergy (.. or lack of it..) matters, big time…Cobbling together a system in an ad hoc random basis is a big challenge …”One size does not fit all” arises in too many biased suggestions in this forum and mag reviews.. The audio performance results being incomplete and lacking at a minimum is a frequent hurdle without a better approach.

- Ignoring the audio performance warts present in your bespoke listening arena characteristics that somehow also need to be tamed, , intuitively there is no ‘perfect system”. This hobby enjoyment and frustration is a journey and not a destination.

- Dealer experience and advice helps …full,stop. They will reaffirm that an arbitrary $$ price shelled out for hopeful better audio performance is no assurance of actual better audio nirvana, Conversely, arbitrary price cap thresholds may be a bespoke budget strains on your wallet, but this is only a user generated arbitrary very limiting factor. Why?

”Price is what you pay…. Value is what you get.”

- WARREN BUFFETT.

Carry on and choose wisely.

you could have also added: throwing 10s of thousands of dollars at it is must. 

It's weird you have owned so many speakers and amps in such a shorti time. and I would have been more curious about why? Did you sell them all used?

It’s been 46 years since I bought my first stereo receiver and a pair of 2 way speakers.  Since then I have maintained a two channel system and owned just 5 different pairs of speakers, 6 amps, 5 preamps, 6 turntables, and 5 CD and or DAC/Transport combos.  I’ve been through many more cable brands than anything through the years.  It takes me months to really settle into a new component and determine how I like it.  I’m not judging.  Back in the day I would visit stereo shops on weekends and business trips to hear different systems and components.  I also had some work buddies in the hobby which allowed all of us to hear various set ups.  These days all of that is hard to do.  So perhaps buying/selling is a pragmatic way to audition a component these days.  

Another way to build a system is through planning.  Stereo gear performance can be broken down into tiers.  Those tiers roughly correlate to price.  I know, everyone has their giant killer bargain sound component or tweaks that help get the most out of a component.  I was big into that in the late 80s to the early 2000s.  It can be very rewarding and while raising a family, pretty much the only option- in my case at least.  Anyway, I found that stretching a bit for a higher tier component when possible, if you know that’s what you want paves the way to upgrades in other areas at a later time.  It requires some planning and sometimes things don’t work out.  I had one preamp, for example for less than a year.  I also had an amp once for less than 2 years.  

When I retired recently I indulged myself and revamped my entire system.  Living the dream.  The best part was since I didn’t have to go to work I could spend nearly every day listening and planning out my system.  I visited a couple of stereo stores which were several hours away.  I also went to Axpona.  Good times.  In the end I sort of did things backwards.  I bought my new speakers last.  I knew what speakers I wanted so I planned everything around them.  They were my single biggest purchase so it took me some time to work up the nerve to spend the money.  It worked out ok.  I did end up changing out my speaker cables and all of my power cords to get the sound just right.  I haven’t thought of this until now but here is a breakdown in percentage of my components to total system cost.  I will leave out room treatments and dedicated outlet costs.  Btw- I started using dedicated outlets in 1988.  It was such an improvement that I have added them to every house that I have owned since.  Don’t hesitate to do it.

Speakers 28%

Amps 11%

Preamps (both line and phono) 18%

DAC, Transport 11%

Music Server/streamer (ROON) 2%

TT/Tonearm/Phono cartridge 9%

Tweaks such as footers, linear power supplies, etc 2%

Cables 15%

Power conditioner 5%

I think OP did an excellent job in articulating his journey. Like many have said, multiple paths up the mountain to nirvana. I’m still learning about this hobby, and to some extent, still consider myself a newbie.
 

At an even more basic level, I think there’s a lot of value in experience, being open-minded, and questioning absolutes when multiple variables are at play. What really helped me navigate was recognizing the type of sound I was trying to capture.  

Patience is #1. Doing more in-depth research is #2 if you place a value on your time, money, and energy. Then speakers, power, source components, preamp, amplification, cables, room/treatment sooner if possible. Or, simply moving speakers around in the room a little if you can, even as a temporary test.

@dman1974 That’s a lot of gear to rotate in 3 years, barely enough time to find a good synergy between 33 different components mentioned. Matching proper amplification to your speakers can help save valuable time. I like to buy 2nd hand gear at a savings from people when it gets rotated out too quickly. ;)

Developing a listening ear became my #1 over many decades. This can be achieved by listening to other people’s systems whenever you can. Savor the moments with your gear, listening to "components" gets old in time, most importantly remember to listen to the music along the way. Best of luck on the rest of your audiophile journey.

@dman1974

Nice post! I agree with your priorities when you start with power. I like starting from the wall outlet and work backward to the source in terms of doing a build or an upgrade. In my setup I bundled speakers and amps together by going with active speakers. When you have clean power feeding an amp coupled to the driver with an active crossover it is like turbocharging the music.

It would be great if you could post your system and some pics.

I would make one change, to setup your room, measure it and acoustically treat it before auditioning speakers and getting any spendy electronics.

AKG_CA

Since there's no hard and fast rules to this hobby its only your opinion which you are entitled to. I've also gone down many rabbit holes based on peoples "opinions". Going through tons of gear has its advantages and disadvantages. One being you learn a lot, the other is it's expensive unless you buy and sell used and understand the maket price and demand. Finding a trustworthy dealer is no easy task. Almost every dealer is in this to make money. Unless they're prepared to come to my house and see my room/set up i'm not taking anyone seriously. My buddy had the dealer come to his house. He also bought everything new and spent over 35 k. Not many dealers will come to your house unless you're droping some serious coin, my experience anyway. 

I actually did my breakdown of my gear cost. It's not as extreme as you might have thought. My next upgrade would be the amp. I'm probably a bit overweight on cables lol.

@dweller 

Nailed it .,,, point set and match in tennis jargon!

churning over that much gear in a very short period of time  as highlighted in the OP begs a better 3rd party intercedence … ergo reputable dealer guidance 

Find right dealer for sure. Hard to know who to trust when you’re starting out. I’ve had dealers recommend crappy gear based on their profit margins. I have a friend that found a good dealer and has had 100% success. 

Best advice for Newbies: Find an honest, reputable dealer in your area (someone who can make house calls).

There is something to say for doing it all yourself, but will usually be more expensive in the long run.

"In those 3 years I’ve owned over 12 pairs of speakers, 10 amplifiers, 4 pre amplifiers, 7 DACs all in search for the perfect sound.".

Your post said “ Speakers -this is where I would spend the a big chunk of my budget….” at exclusion of any reference to comparable quantum to the rest of your system. Hence the metaphor of “lion’s share” from an implied inference that your speakers were still your largest percentage outlay . Is that correct?

Without prejudice to the above, In my 50 years in the crazy hobby, I’ve followed both good and crap advice in my trek down the Yellow Brick Road to Audio OZ. The one basic tenet that has been a constant valuable one, is that overspending a percentage on speakers as the magic silver bullet fix to most audio performance warts is a mirage .

I have four 2-channel audio systems ranging from $1500 up to $50,000 in my “A” system, The philosophy is consistent in all regardless of pricepoint strata. By way of example, my upstream electronics in my “A” system comprise say 60%, my cables are 15%, and quality speakers for the rest.

Choose wisely, sir.

I should have been more clear, not lion share of budget but a good chuck of budget on speakers. I actually don’t believe I said lion share. That’s my opinion anyway. This is the upgrade path I would start with before experimenting with other gear. Not to discount the importance of streamers, cables, DACS ect. 

Dedicated clean power was, is, and always will be, a prime key upgrade …no quarrel here..

But, having re-read your post, I may suggest you rethink your mantra that you spend the lion’s share of your budget on speakers, The usual tag line in the extreme is “garbage in = garbage out”.

The philosophy is clear. An affordable speaker with high-end amplification and source makes more sense in audio performance, than an expensive speaker matched up with a cheap amp and source.

100% agreement with #1, installing a dedicated line with 10 gauge Romax and upgraded outlets was a huge improvement in my former home.