Words From the Wise

Some great stuff here! Brings both laughter and tears (and in the case of the stupid stuff, as Curly would say ... "heyyy ... i resemble that remark!")

Incrementalism is the enemy ... buy something you LOVE. You'll never be sorry buying quality over compromise, even if you have to space out your purchases more.

Beyond a certain point, the room and the recording are MUCH more significant than the playback equipment. Have some fun with what will be very inexpensive (relative to the sonic improvement) tweaking and treatment of your environment.

If your toes ain't tappin, it ain't happenin. Take a break once in a while from the hardware, and just listen to the music, both at home and live. Regain perspective. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!!!

I CERTAINLY AGREE with the comment "If your toes ain't tappin, it ain't happenin.".

Holiday Wishes

1. We all hear a little differently. If you're building a system for your ears, don't let someone else's ears make your decision for you. That doesn't mean you can't have an expert pointing out things you may not be trained to listen for (like air between the instruments), it just means the final decision should be yours.

2. If you're building a serious system, start at the wall and work out. The difference can be astounding and an awful lot of otherwise good components get sold on A'gon, when a power cord of conditioner could have made them sing.

3. Never make any decisions about equipment or cables until they've burned-in fully. This usually takes about twice as long as your patience. Most high quality gear improves for a couple hundred hours (or more). If you aren't willing to wait that long, you're selling stuff before you've given it a chance. Worse, you can easily repeat the cycle and make the same mistake with the new stuff you buy. Cable companies may love this, but it's very frustrating for novice audiophiles. Be patient before you run a classified ad, just leave your equipment alone and let it play (don't mess with it every day hooking and unhooking cables etc.).

4. Buy more music and less new equipment- enjoy.

Enjoy the music. Thats what its all about.

If you're on a tight budget, remember that there were some great components built pre-1985 that can be had relatively cheap - look around on ebay or better yet go to garage/estate sales in your area, that way you can try the stuff maybe before you buy - then upgrade as you can afford to do so. I bought a Marantz 2245 receiver with my second paycheck in 1974 and never regretted it, and have worked my way up almost 30 years later to a vintage McIntosh system.