Disappointing audition after great review

All lovers of well reproduced music should make it mandatory to seek out the mega-buck and mega-raved about items. That way THEY get to hear with THEIR OWN EARS what others are either raving about or just what level of attainment comes with spending sometimes absurd amounts of money.

I will guarantee that in a fair proportion of those auditions, whether through the utter incompetence of the dealer( in setting-up/ combinations of equipment/ lousy rooms) or even when all of those variable are properly attended to, you will be disappointed by the resulting sound/ music reproduction quality.

I like auditioning equipment totally because it reveals that most of the high-end is 'The Emperor's New Clothes'. I usually put the end result down to poor combinations of equipment and dealers who have tin ears and wouldn't know good sound if it ran them over.

Not all auditions result in that, but you will find for yourself that the bad ones do outweigh the great ones.

Theophile, nice post, but isn't there some subjectivity involved? I know from checking out fine musical instruments that some might be obviously superior quality but just not my cup of tea while another is right up my alley.

Less we forget, how the various gear + speakers will sound in our own listening spaces (rooms). This is the ultimate deciding factor. Better than any advice nor review.

Keep me posted & Happy Listening!