I agree on chasing our tails. I did that for years and years as I learned. The more I learned, the less I chased. When I decided to change my system a few years ago, after keeping it in tact for well over 18 years, I knew I wanted to buy a system that worked best together. I learned that not all outstanding components work good together.
I decided to find a dealer I trusted as they know what products go best together. That's when I met johnny Rutan at Audio Connection. He too said to not chase my tail in my quest to upgrade. I knew that I was limited on budget to what I was selling off (I had a lot of old systems that I have moved. I only have a few pieces left, lol). I didn't want to listen to the Vandersteen's. I had a couple of listening sessions with them in the 90's at two dealers who didn't have them set up properly at all and weren't interested in moving them.
He just requested that I sit with my late father and brother (we were in NJ for a family wedding) and just listen to the Treo's. I was hooked within minutes. I was in shock at how great they sounded in his open front room. I could only imagine how good they'd sound at home. He ran Ayre amps and source. No special power cords or anything else. Then I auditioned the Quatro and after that I went down to his store again (nearly 3 hour drive) and auditioned the 5CT and 7's. Wow, was I hooked on the Vandersteen sound. Mind you, at this point I was out listening to Wilsons, Magicos, Maggies, ML, Salks, AudioZen, Focal....you get it. I was out trying to figure out WHAT price point would give me the best bang for the buck. I didn't like much of what I was hearing. There were a couple of speaker lines that I really liked a lot and Ayre gear was prevalent at so many shops or friends homes. I noticed that the Vandersteen Treo and Quatro's sounded best for me. I knew I eventually wanted a pair of Quatro's, but I didn't want to wait to get them, so I sold off some gear and bought the Treo's. I ended up with the Ayre AX-5/Twenty as well as the Ayre QX-5/Twenty and a rebuilt Mac Mini server with Paul Hynes power supply that I'm selling as I want the top of the line Melco.
As I have stated, I'm selling my cherry Treo's and once sold, I'll bring in the Quatro's. If they don't sell, I won't be upset as i love the sound of the Treo's.
The reason for the long post is because I had the time, but the point is, it's best for many of us to set a price point and figure out where we want to be in a year or so. Then we can take our time to get there. I personally love working through a dealer I trust. I have a few whom I like, but I go to Johnny over local dealers because he understands my needs and he won't let me go over budget.
I decided to find a dealer I trusted as they know what products go best together. That's when I met johnny Rutan at Audio Connection. He too said to not chase my tail in my quest to upgrade. I knew that I was limited on budget to what I was selling off (I had a lot of old systems that I have moved. I only have a few pieces left, lol). I didn't want to listen to the Vandersteen's. I had a couple of listening sessions with them in the 90's at two dealers who didn't have them set up properly at all and weren't interested in moving them.
He just requested that I sit with my late father and brother (we were in NJ for a family wedding) and just listen to the Treo's. I was hooked within minutes. I was in shock at how great they sounded in his open front room. I could only imagine how good they'd sound at home. He ran Ayre amps and source. No special power cords or anything else. Then I auditioned the Quatro and after that I went down to his store again (nearly 3 hour drive) and auditioned the 5CT and 7's. Wow, was I hooked on the Vandersteen sound. Mind you, at this point I was out listening to Wilsons, Magicos, Maggies, ML, Salks, AudioZen, Focal....you get it. I was out trying to figure out WHAT price point would give me the best bang for the buck. I didn't like much of what I was hearing. There were a couple of speaker lines that I really liked a lot and Ayre gear was prevalent at so many shops or friends homes. I noticed that the Vandersteen Treo and Quatro's sounded best for me. I knew I eventually wanted a pair of Quatro's, but I didn't want to wait to get them, so I sold off some gear and bought the Treo's. I ended up with the Ayre AX-5/Twenty as well as the Ayre QX-5/Twenty and a rebuilt Mac Mini server with Paul Hynes power supply that I'm selling as I want the top of the line Melco.
As I have stated, I'm selling my cherry Treo's and once sold, I'll bring in the Quatro's. If they don't sell, I won't be upset as i love the sound of the Treo's.
The reason for the long post is because I had the time, but the point is, it's best for many of us to set a price point and figure out where we want to be in a year or so. Then we can take our time to get there. I personally love working through a dealer I trust. I have a few whom I like, but I go to Johnny over local dealers because he understands my needs and he won't let me go over budget.