Words From the Wise

Great input already but I suggest buying lots of mucic that you want to listen to and keep looking for new material. My system changed over time becasue my musical tastes changed with age and exposure to new material. It also changed as my career changed and I had more disposable income. There are plenty of systems that sound great without the high price and plenty of high priced gear that is now available to you via the net that was unavailable when I was growing up. Take advantage of others who are searching for the ultimate. And always remember it is all about the music not the equipment.

Oh Yeah, the single most important thing to remember is, NEVER, I mean NEVER, tell your wife what you are paying for this stuff! Got It!!! Tell her you traded something else for it. Works for me.

Happy Listening!

1. Store all of CD tracks that you like as WAV files on a 60GB computer hard drive. Write information about the track in a data base for sorting purposes. Make a backup hard copy of the CD using a CD burner. Sell the CD on amazon.com, half.com, etc. The above steps will allow you to make compilations of the music that you like, and provide extra money for the equipment that you need.
2. Buy the best high efficiency speakers you can afford. This will allow you to put all your money into an excellent low watt amplifier. Low watt high-end amplifiers cost half as much as their high watt brothers, but have the same quality of sound.
3. High efficiency speakers will also allow you to use a less expensive passive linestage preamplifier instead of the typical powered active preamplifier. High-end passive preamplifiers using Vishay resistors, are as good as the best active preamplifiers, but cost thousands of dollars less. Search for this preamp on the internet, stores don't sell them.
4. Be creative. You don't have to follow patterns set in stone by audio stores, magazines, and other audiophiles. Items 1-3 above are examples. Here is another example: Klipschorn speakers can only be positioned in corners, right? This won't work in a square room. A solution would be to build a baffle out of two 4 by 4 foot dense particle boards (use two or more layers glued together if you like).
The only thing that matters is that you get the SOUND that YOU want.
5. What you hear in your system should simulate a live presentation. Listen to your system for hours on end. If your ears are ringing, you are playing your system too loud. In the long run, you will enjoy music more at natural levels. If you become fatiqued listening to your system even at normal listening levels, then it's time to upgrade your weakest link. If you find that your systm has the bass slam, carity, and detail that you always wanted, it's time to start enjoying the music and (may God strike me dead) stop upgrading.

- For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

- Everything is relative, only some things are more relative
than others.

- Never trust the kindnest of strangers.

- Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar...

- Unless your latest tweak actually works and you're smoking
it.

1. Speakers do not make more difference than any other component.

2. Speakers make more difference than ALL the other components COMBINED.

3. Item #2 can be proved in less than 15 minutes to anyone willing to sit and listen.

4. Don't be an ass about your own system or anyone elses.

5. Have fun.

1) The most important thing in your system is your source. Regardless of whether you use CDs, LPs or tapes.
2) The second most important thing is what you use to retieve the music. On a LP system it would be A) Cartridge B) Tonearm C) Turntable. In a digital system it would be your A) transport and then B) converter.
3) Everything from there through the speaker goes in descending order of priority. Which obviously isn't to say speakers are not important, but they will never ad what your TT or CD player did not retrieve!
4) The most important part of your anatomy in listening is your imagination. No system sounds as good as live music so let your mind fill in what's missing so you can enjoy rather than nitpick what's missing.
5 The seond most important part of your anatomy is your ears, take care of them.
Bishopwill was right in his conclusion HAVE FUN!!!