Miracles in Audio, by luck, by good choices,by design or by tweaking...

The last question is how my system sound is, being compared to others?

To answer that I will say that my actual system is mid-fi at most...

But at this level, favorably compare probably because of this implementation of his actual potential...I had listen to other system I like less that are slightly better theorically... But they are too many factors to compute to fairly compare many systems, essentially the particularities of these 4 factors: vibrations controls and resonance including the cables, electrical grids of rooms and houses, and acoustical atmosphere of the room, plus the embeddings particular to each link of the audio system with the others...


If I dream about my ideal  affordable system  and compare with my actual one  in price :


 Sansui Au 7700 amplifier versus Berning ZOTL integrated amplifier ( 150 dollars versus  6 thousand dollars for the 20 watts integrated)


Dac Nos tda 1543 of C. Mariac ( paid 25 dollars new bought on ebay versus the Denafrips terminator for 4 thousands dollars)


 My Speakers  Mission Cyrus 781 paid 50 dollars versus Tannoy Harbeth M30  4 thousand dollars....


My actual system cost was so low I dont want to add the numbers versus  14 thousand dollars...

I am sure this  will be  an upgrade...
But think about it, I would reinstall almost all my actual tweaks and controls methods, not exactly in the same location... But the room , the house and the connectors, the resonators, the Shumann generators, the vibrations controls, the homemade room treatment, even the grid of stones  with modifications linked to the particular sound quality of  this system would go on...

For those fond of explanation turning around the "placebo effect",
I can assure you that the placebo effect is not enough potent to explain my experience...

We can call that "super placebo effect"...

I just make a test, taking off only one stone which is under one of the 6 Shumann generator, a beautiful oval chunk of Hetian Jade, the imaging was instantaeously modified, a slightly but very audible change, linked to the power of Jade or nephrite to add some more differentiated velvety atmosphere between each instrument in a musical piece...


For those of you that think that  this is a degradation of sound, perceived like an added  "color"... I will say that this is the IMAGING which is affected here, not the naturalness of the timbre of the instrument... The "imaging" is a complex quality concept that exist only if you had a great amount of clarity in your system, the less noise sources possible, and the more natural is the rendering of timbre the better you will distinguish the aural timbre and location of 2 violin, an alto, and a cello in a quatuor, instead of a pudding of confusing strings...


Perhaps the drug in my coffe also explained a bit that (I added some almond milk to it) .... :)

I just wrote a post this morning in an another thread but for the benefit of my few readers I will keep it also here because it represent my experience better perhaps than my other posts... I apologize for this copy/ paste post of mine and my excuse is also some corrections were added for clarity ...

«Contrary to the popular faith that because hearing decrease with age, (which is true off course), the opinion that the capacity and the power to discriminating listenings by self education of the ears with music must decrease also, is false... The perception of sound is complex and only simple mind think that it is only function of frequencies direct perception...

On the contrary at any age man can educate his own ears...

Creating your own audio system without discriminating ears is difficult in fact impossible,then the only one solution is using money to buy reputation and high quality ready made at high cost...

Without money, if you learn to listen, creating a great hi-fi for peanuts is possible... I made it...

Rule number 1:

Almost all electronic gear are on these 3 levels of quality...Be it 3 levels in S.Q./ price ratio: low-fi, mid-fi, high-fi...Inside each level the difference are way less linked to the product " per se" and way more linked to his particular implementation, his qualitative embedding in your audio system, and room and electrical house grid , way more than any upgrade on the same level with a different piece of gear...
You must buy after searching for the best possible something in one of these 3 categories of gear and you keep it, this is the first rule (no upgrade ).
When I say that almost all gear on a same level are on par approximatively for quality compared to a higher level or to a lower one, I only affirm that nevermind the difference which exist on the same level, a good amplifier being a good one, changing it will cost you big money, but tweaking it toward his improving potential will cost you way less and will be more rational and more fun... I can say that most people indeed dont know the true quality level of the gear they already owns. The reason is simple, controls of vibration, treatment of the room, cleaning the noise in the electrical grid gives you most of the times an S.Q. out of this world compared to an upgrade with an hyped new product, especially if you buy it in the same level of quality among the 3 possible...

Rule number 2

You treat the electric grid of your house

Rule number 3

You controls with different experiments the vibration-resonance in the gear and room

Rule number 4

You use your ears and a small step at a time you treat your room for sound

Rule number 5

You read and inform yourself about tweaks that you replicate or invent yourself after listening session in your system and after 2 or 3 years your system will be top level at the least cost...


My best to all and each of you...»

mahgister 

I read your list of equipment that you bought for little money and was nodding my head in agreement with you. 

I've taken great care to reduce noise and vibration from the system to an amazing extent and results. 

When my $10,000 CD player went kaput, I happened to be in a thrift store looking for used CDs, when my eye caught a Kenwood CD player. The clerk let me test it out, and I thought ... what the heck, its only ten dollars, so why not give it a try.

Well, I took it home, took the lid off and treated everything inside, including the entire underside of the lid with PPT's Total Contact. Then, I placed it on some PPT Omega mats. Then, the VPI brick went on top of the unit.

To say that I was shocked, would be an understatement. For ten dollars, the sound I got was close to the 10k unit it replaced. Not as extended in the extremes, but entirely enjoyable none the less.

At the present time, I'm using a used Pioneer Elite DVD player that has been modified with upgraded caps and the PPT Total Contact treatment. This has resulted in a real giant killer and in many ways, it outperforms the 10k player that still sits on the "reserve" shelf waiting for repairs. Once repaired, it will be sold, and I will keep the Pioneer Elite DVD player.

Total investment in the Pioneer Elite DVD player, modifications included? $300.00. 

Take care ...

Frank

Thanks for the nod and my salutations to you Oregonpapa...

One day I will try the Omega technology for sure...But I must wait for the money I dont have because I am retired of active life...In the meantime try "my golden plate", cost : 10 dollars each... A few minute of work to make them (copper tape on one side of a shungite plate around 250 grams) 5 of those on the breaker box improve the sound amazingly and you can use cell phone golden shungite plate on interconnects etc( few grams)... I am curious to compare with your experience of many tweaks and products...My idea are free, the only obligation is to report the results...Honestly I think I have designed some Omega tech. for the poor, not equivalent but certainly not too far away in S.Q. from your product of choice, but this I dont know and cannot know, I am only supposing that waiting for reports......


For the time being nobody has try these golden plates except me and my wife say that I am completely nuts even if the sound of my system seems to her amazing...I dont know what to do for the divorce papers...:)


My best to you....