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

flynnrd
Switching to tube amplification. Distortion? Maybe. But it sure sounds good to me.

blindjim>
plus 1 for sure!

chuck92914 posts
07-19-2019 2:03pm
While inquiring about another component, dealer suggested PS Audio Directstream JR DAC. I bought it, And Everything Changed. It was like listening to Dark Side of the Moon for the first time. Have since upgraded to SR and DMP.
Second was at the Florida Audio show to listen to speakers. Many good ones there, but the Spendor A7s just sang to me. They are now singing in my listening room.

blindjim>
wasn't that room the one that also was showing with VA Listz?

I only heard that rig with the Listz... I felt that demo had nothing to write home about. admittedly, the choice of music during my attendance was well, not striking. old 007 LP tracks.

glad you enjoyed the Spendors though.. I would have liked to been able to hear them myself.

jszei
1. First without question it is the impact high quality power can have on sound.

2. Second is a properly treated room.


blindjim>
on both counts, its like making significant component upgrades.


bluetone
in reality, this is a humidity issue in the room. I

blindjim>
humidity affects walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, furnishings, speakers, drivers, pianos, guitars our sinuses, and our hearing too.

certainly Humidity is something to address. .


guskund
The music sounded like real instruments !

thus the rabbit hole appears ........


blindjim>
ain't it the truth!

always avoid the 'big room"!


stvgray
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.


blindjim>
I believe to this day, had I stumbled onto or had any faith in upgrading power line conditioning or merely adding dedicated power lines sooner, I could have lived with the first substantial upgrades I made in power via Krell KAV 250 & BW speaks.

the cables as it turned out were really substandard too. too bad. even adding the mate preamp to that amp was a premature move given nothing had been done to improve the power or signal wires

live and learn the hard way or keep an open mind!! .


Steve
mrvordo
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.


blindjim>
it seems these two things are garnering a strong concensus for their bang for the buck!
I know I'm sold.


@jdl>
Lampizator DACs. First a Big 6, followed by a Big 7. Lampizator DACs are indeed different. All of the analog stage is tubed. My Big 7, I loved the Big 6 but I wanted DSD capability, uses an R2R ladder DAC (not a chip) for the PCM decoding, and a separate filter (not a DAC chip) for the DSD decoding. It also uses a tube rectifier and directly heated triode tubes in the output. You can roll the tubes, my preference is for the 300b. There are no chips or op-amps in the signal path. They have turned digital into my preferred source, especially DSD.


blindjim>
Lampy has snatched and stolen my attention lately for sure.

I flatly missed an opportunity to hear their Flag some months back and kick myself for it.

have you heard the GG or Pacifica?


@jandewitt>
I remember. 35 years ago my audioshop lent me a set of loudspeaker cables. “Here, try this. Let me know what you think”. It made me listen to my cd collection in a whole new way.


blindJim>
30 to 40 years ago a wire upgrade was cutting off the ends of extension cables and using them for speaker wires.
sheessh!


@cd3>
The so-called upgrade ladder whilst promising much actually delivered precious little, especially after my upgrade to reasonably full bandwidth loudspeakers.


blindjim>
there is indeed wisdom in those lines. chasing that last 5 to 15% gets terribly costly, and after some extensive reflection on it, its just not worth it.

optomizing the rig and room once quality pieces are on board is the real ticket.

if curiosity still rages, IMO its time to simply put together a different design, or topology outfit elsewhere, rather than to drop tons into new amps, line stages, sources, etc.

speakers as you say are key though. their mating to the amps is pretty much the whole make it or break it deal. room acoustics not with standing.

speakers have to fit both room and amps or your gonna be chasing your tail.

killer speakers too big for a room is asking for trouble.

in fact, I've always seem or proven very good speakers with all else in front of them being great to outstanding is better than the other way around.


@johnsonwu>
Getting a pair of Technics SB-C700 and comparing them with my YG Hailey and Avalon Eidolon Diamond.


blindjim>
OK... I'll bite. What happend then?
who won?
1. Tube Pre-Amp
2. Martin-Logan speakers
3. How easy it is to fool your ears. Listen to lots of stuff, carefully!
Early 90's hearing the Sonus Faber Electa Amators backed by Classe electronics. The speakers disappeared and the soundstage was past the walls. The salesman played Mickey Hart's Planet Drum. Never forget it.
The first time this wild man (Noel Lee) waltzed in to the “stereo store” where I was working and proceeded to proclaim his 12 gauge wire sounded better than the 18 gauge zip cord that we gave away every day with system/speaker sales.

I would call it an ear opener more than an eye opener.