what percentage of us really knows sound

This isn't exactly earth shattering news. Spending money on audio equipment does not validate one's musical knowledge anymore than spending money on an education validates one's intelligence. I've heard very expensive systems that did not sound very good and I know folks with many degrees who aren't very bright. I know some who have fancy cars who aren't good drivers and some (like me) with expensive golf clubs that suck at golf.

So what's the point? If someone buys something that makes them happy, who are you or I to rain on their parade? Live and let live.

Cheers,
John

many of you make excellent points.i to have listened to systems that i thought sounded terrible but the owners thought was audio nirvana.and i agree the simpler a system is kept, the more oportunity for a better sound.i dont think it is that audiophiles dont know how to listen.it is how they go about setting up their systems.some like home theatre systems.some like me are two channel analog freaks.when setting up my current system my 1st priority was stereo separation.i wanted most of my lower frequencies on the left side ,most of the highs on the right.all recordings and formats we have are two channel.note all recordings are not equal so perfection is out the window.sonic clarity was next priority.last was sources and tweaks.i picked my speakers 1st.then my amps.then my sources.most recently i chose the replacements for my stock power cords.AS FOR PAYING ATTETION TO REVIEWS I DONT.NOR DO I BELEIVE SPENDING 5000.00FOR A SET OF CABLES IS NECESSARY. LET YOUR EARS LISTEN , LET YOUR SPIRIT ENJOY. AND LET YOU COMMON SENSE GUIDE YOU.AND I THINK TOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS.

Well, this is fun.

I would pay for someone to come to my home to tell me what is wrong with my system.

Rtn1, my only questions are how much$, and where do you live?

To me, Raks has it right...

I’m guessing I’m one of those that can’t tell a good sounding system from a clock radio… but I really don’t care because I’m thrilled with the way my system sounds.

The only person who has to be satisfied is you. However, anyone who assembles a $50K system without spending time listening to a wide mix of components is either wealthy with little time for the hobby part of this, or insecure in making their own decisions.

I admit, I was there with a pair of speakers I owned for several years, solely because they were "highly rated." Every review I read of those speakers said they were outstanding at their price range and the reviewers told me those speakers had all the qualities I was looking for. My only problem is that I couldn't listen to the reviews, only the speakers - which always sounded sort of crappy to me, even compared to the less expensive "middle of the road" speakers I "traded up" from.

My preferences lean toward a slightly warm, full, clean, dynamic sound, but others like a precise, detailed, clear, extended sound. The main thing to me, is to assemble a system that "you" like, whatever your listening preferences and price range.

Therefore, Juancgenao, I may not disagree with your assessment of the systems you have heard, but I don't understand why you care, or why those system owners should care what you or I think about their rigs or their life priorities. However, it makes a fun discussion so thanks for the thread.

Juan is right. It's their money, but some folks are just irresponsible with money. I owned 1 Mustang Cobra and 3 GT's bought new over a 9 year period. Now I have a mini van and my watch (Rolex) costs more than my vehicle. I wanted Wilson Sophia II's and had the money, but bought Gold @ 400.00 an oz. and will eventually own a pair for free (if) when gold goes higher. If you're careful you can have your cake and eat it too. It just takes patients.

Interesting that the OP focuses on insufficient bass.

The funny thing is that I find the opposite of Juan - many high end systems have too much bass. (For the record, so does many an Aiwa Boom Box.) A lot of speaker systems substitute quantity (of output) in the mid/upper bass for true deep bass extension.

On top of that, room interactions usually create a hump in the mid/upper bass that drives me nuts. You don't get this effect in a performance space, but listening rooms are almost always small enough to create this problem. It's why I moved to room corrected subwoofers. Since relatively few people correct for this (digital correction or hemholtz devices - like a bass buster), it's curious that Juan's issue is the opposite of mine.

Also curious - I, too, spend about an hour a day with a guitar (usually an acoutic archtop for jazz and western swing), so my reference is quite similar. It really points to the original question:

What % of us really knows sound?

The answer is that all of us are sensitive to something or another and many of us disagree as to what is "right". Personally, I hold Harry Pearson responsible. There is no "Absolute Sound" out of a stereo system, only a rough approximation limited by - in addition to the character of the system - the room and the recordings. In the end, there is only an illusion that is convincing (to one extent or another) in one way or another.

Just MHO.

Marty