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Coming out of the blackhole called work...retirement

Hello All

I have just retired and emerged from the mud of work that encompasses everything and acts light a blackhole for hobbies and enjoyment. Now that I am seeing some light I want to upgrade my 70's something stereo to something I can really enjoy. I read in a post from long ago about a preamplifier called a George Lightspeed. It was Australian, quality sound according to the posts and cheap. Is this something I want to consider or must I look at products in the thousands or 10's of? 

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hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,826 posts
 
Congrats on your retirement.  Retirement is not as good as people say... it is much better than that.  You have a great opportunity here to put together a very satisfying system.  As others have said; a combination of audio show attendance and visiting audio salons with some of your favorite recordings in hand should help you begin to discover what direction to go in crafting a system.

As others have said, it is not about the money invested but rather the care in assembling components that play nicely together!  In the end, the system has to satisfy you. Go with what sounds like "music" to you.

Enjoy the journey!
goose
673 posts
 

This can be a bit daunting if you have been out of the audio world for a while.  I would start with your room first and make sure it is well designed.  You can avoid a lot of problems by spending some time and money there. 

As others have said you have an opportunity to put a "system" together instead of piecing components into a whole.

Trust your ears.  Specifications are rather meaningless. 

Consider the support of the dealer and the company that manufactures the gear.  If you have a problem can you really get something fixed?

If you are careful, you can put a really nice system together so visit as many dealers and shows as possible.

stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,279 posts
 
Congratulations on your retirement.  I retired 7 months ago and I have been upgrading both my systems.  Have fun and do not forget to listen, listen.
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,826 posts
 
@goose   +1  Good point about getting gear that can be repaired when necessary.
bobheinatz
706 posts
 
I just retired too 1/1/18.  You have been given good advice but with 400 albums I would also focus on your vinyl collection.  Is your turntable in good shape? Cartridge? You also need a high quality phono stage to get the most out of your records.  There are some quality integrated amps that have built in DAC’s, & phono stages.  Your speaker selection will also dicate the power needed to drive them.  Solid state or tube?  If it was my money I would listen to as much gear as possible before buying.  I would also select my speakers first and then figure out what to drive them with. 
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