Words From the Wise

1- establish a baseline of what you like and don't like
2- establish a baseline of what is more important and less important
3- never audition gear with unfamiliar music
4- trust your ears above all else
5- if possible, try to find and buy gently used gear

I've found these rules work well for me

I don't like hyper-detailed- it just sounds bright to me
I'll always choose solid bass over spectacular 3D imaging
I've used Graceland to audition gear since the 1980's
I once listened to a very costly (5 figure) Pre which I thought was a dog, though it garnered raves - I prefered the same manufactuers other Pre which was 1/3 the price
Half my system was bought used. Now it's all used.

Tell you what and this i learned many yrs ago. Find a girl fall in love and one day you will come to realize even a clock radio can sound magical. It's all about the music and how you relate to at a given moment in time. The magic is IN you!

Find music you love and listen to it till it makes you cry. the gear doesn't matter. If you can feel the emotion from the music, you are there.

Those are some of the wisest words in this hobby of ours from Rdiirio and Cerrot. Thanks.

Consider looking at DIY speaker sites. Some members use active crossover’s with multiple amps with carefully "matched to spec" high-end drivers. Stereo active crossovers are a very convenient DIY audiophile tool to own. You can upgrade cabinet drivers easily. If you like tone controls to correct poor recordings in a particular room, the active crossover’s separate bass, midrange, and treble volume controllers for the independent drivers is very clean and hard to beat.