Nice, I was thinking of posting something like this a while back.
My main contribution from first hand experience would be somewhere between #2 and #8.
"When an 'upgraded' piece of equipment creates more problems than it solves get rid of it immediately and stay happy."
I'm sure at some point we have all had that upgrade that led to several other upgrades to fix things. If you are just starting out, save your money and upgrade in sets or do a ton of research into equipment matching. That brand new super component with the great reviews may just ruin your system and cause you to 'upgrade' around it.
My simple recommendations for newbie system matching:
1. Match the speaker to the room size, shape, and sonic character.(Bright speakers in a bright room are bad news.)
2. Match your speakers to an appropriate amp.
3. Match your your source and preamp to your amp / speaker combo.
4. Use inexpensive cables known to be near neutral until you have a system you are going to keep for a while, then buy a set of cables that works well with your system.
5. Don't waste time on tweeks that make your system sound different not clearly better. (see #4)
6. Don't be afraid to start over.
My main contribution from first hand experience would be somewhere between #2 and #8.
"When an 'upgraded' piece of equipment creates more problems than it solves get rid of it immediately and stay happy."
I'm sure at some point we have all had that upgrade that led to several other upgrades to fix things. If you are just starting out, save your money and upgrade in sets or do a ton of research into equipment matching. That brand new super component with the great reviews may just ruin your system and cause you to 'upgrade' around it.
My simple recommendations for newbie system matching:
1. Match the speaker to the room size, shape, and sonic character.(Bright speakers in a bright room are bad news.)
2. Match your speakers to an appropriate amp.
3. Match your your source and preamp to your amp / speaker combo.
4. Use inexpensive cables known to be near neutral until you have a system you are going to keep for a while, then buy a set of cables that works well with your system.
5. Don't waste time on tweeks that make your system sound different not clearly better. (see #4)
6. Don't be afraid to start over.