What was your first big eye opener with regard to audio?



Hello friends,

what was the most fascinating thing you did with the compilation or optimization of your system in terms of SQ or performance, that really got your attention in either a good or bad way?


what was it that actually impressed or surprized you once it was in place?


or what DIY project was it that once done really gave your audio system a big shot in the arm SQ-wise?


maybe it was simply finding out just how much some items could cost


something always seems to take place that changes our philosophies or understandings and maybe even our approach to arranging a fine audio system.


what was your’s?

 

Perhaps it was buying a quality rack, platform, or maybe a pr. of amp stands?


rolling tubes? adding iso footers?


biting the bullet and bringing in a decidedly  more expensive or merely a different electronic component? DAC? Line stage? Mono blocks? Speakers?


what amazing things could be done with as little as 8wpc?


for example, my ‘eye opening’ events came two  fold. adding power line conditioning and using upscale wires/cables, or power cords.


which of these came first I’m not sure but all of them  came with a huge amount of prejudice on my part as to them doing anything positive to the quality of the sound, but indeed they did!


other things came along with nearly the impact or mind altering impact but those were the initial items that paved the way for me to keep an open mind with respect to building an audio system and preserving its synergy.


what was or has been your epiphany? your most surprising  ‘move’ in audio land?


blindjim
Back in 1981 heard of a Linn dealer and how good their systems were. I had a kenwood ingratiated amp at the time. Took my amp down and heard a small naim nait ....
The music sounded like real instruments ! 
before then I never though of connecting the two 
thus the rabbit hole appears ........ 
Incrementally adding room treatments and hearing the improvement with each change.
The first jaw-dropping and unforgettable moment -- which launched my 40-plus years of audiophile adventuring -- was hearing the clock bells ringing on then-new Dark Side of the Moon at Tech Hi-Fi in Ann Arbor in 1973. I never dreamed playback of music could sound so real. Probably was on a lowly pair of EPI Model 100s.

Forty years later, the most jaw-dropping single change I ever made in my many systems was installing a direct AC line from our breaker box to new four-plug boxes in my listening room. WAY more difference than any of the many multi-thousand-dollar changes I had ever made in my various systems up until then.

And it cost just $1,200 -- would be even less in most homes.

Steve
Probably my "first" was realizing that the pre amp was the heart of any system. There is no way to tell what is going on in your system until the pre amp is of sufficient quality.But my first "Oh My Gosh" moment, was when I started trying power cords and power outlets. I couldn't believe the difference that they made.