Words From the Wise

Be honest with yourself and know your limitations. If you have a odd or small room which must be shared with the family you may be limited as your setup might be less than optimal. We all make compromises daily, but with highly revealing gear setup and matching is key. I had a pair of rear firing bipolar speakers in the 90's and lived in a rental with plaster walls with little or no room treatment, what an echo chamber. To say the least it was awful, but it wasn't the gear but the application. Many say brand X or Y is the best or maybe they tried and it sucked. Honestly I don't think you can buy crappy gear as it all can shine if properly implemented. Ever hear a bad review, not very often because the reviewers know how to optimize IMO YMMV.

1. Tune your ears: attend acoustic (unamplified) music concerts -- This will forever be your sound reference.

2. Your first purchases: speakers and a compatible amplifier. I bought good speakers and a compatible amp 24 years ago, and they have kept pace with all the upgrades and changes I've made to the front end. This year I finally upgraded my amplifier (went tube). You never want your speakers to be the limiting factor in your system -- they are very expensive to replace!

3. When you make a change, listen to it for at least a month before deciding whether the change is good or bad. You will always hear a difference when you change something, but determining whether the change is for better or worst takes time.

If the day ever comes when you stop thinking about your equipment, and just want to listen to music, you've hit the jackpot!!

Gshepardbuster, I have always wondered given the time I take to optimize new components, how reviewers can do so, in the short time they have the gear. Of course, some reviewers get the manufacturer to set up their gear for them. I also know that I have one very good room and one very small room in the two houses I live in. You hear very little about reviewers rooms.

Tbg, I'm with ya, as I changed out my cdp and preamp last summer/fall and my heads still spinning. I even needed to reposition my speakers, further treat the room and outgrew my cabling, as crazy as it sounds! Before the changes my cheapo Monster power conditioner was adequate or unnecessary. Now with the much higher resolution gear all things were reassessed and a decent power conditioner was added. Then my room was further addressed. My cabling which was good, became another bottle neck and dealt with. The deeper I've delved into this, the more EVERYTHING MATTERS. If one area is weak all things can suffer. This is like algebra as one or more change can alter the whole equation.

I concur with having the wife audition with you before buying-my wife can be in the next room with the washing machine going and she can hear a difference when i change inter connects_ I kid u not---and she sure looks better than my buddies sitting on the couch listening to music--lol---seriously-women hear more than we do-----great music and a pretty gal--doesnt get better than that my friend