@vette5451- I guess I’d ask what you are looking for-- what do you think your present system lacks and what do you want to accomplish by upgrading and improving it?
In this post-Covid world, it may not be as easy to get seat time, but unless you’ve heard what really good systems are capable of reproducing, you have no reference (other than real music, but that’s been in short supply until recently for the same reason). If you aren’t in a city which is rich in audio at retail, that puts you into the realm of travel, and I gather air travel these days is suboptimal.
My point is to get your ears around some systems- usually the best way is other people’s homes where somebody has taken the time and care to put together a very good system. There are some known usual suspects here who are usually glad to accommodate.
There is a balance in working with a dealer- since they can range from awful to superb, but there’s a lot to be said for a dealer that delivers service, making the experience fun and not frustrating (providing loaners, helping troubleshoot, etc.).
It’s kind of hard to describe the sonic experience in words without sounding either overly simplistic or too effusive. The real deal is you in the room, listening to recordings-- as many different kinds as possible and not just audiophile spectaculars.
The other part of the equation is the room. Room treatment is often put into the same category as cables and other tweaks- not saying it isn’t necessary (I use bass traps in strategic places in my room), but you can get oversold on so many things. I’d start with the basic system and worry less about acoustic treatments and more about getting the system situated in the room to optimize performance, something that is part science and part art.
It took me some years to dial in my current system (core was revamped 2006-7 with upgrades along the way) but when I moved states (and in a different room and house), I was able to dial it in faster because I knew what the core system could and should do.
This is a fun thing. I would not get caught up in brand name battles right now-- the key, in my estimation, is exposure. Hear what some top dynamic speaker systems can do with big power; I use horns and SET amps which is a totally different path; and dipoles or planars are also a way to your goal.
I think one tends to focus on speaker first and that’s fine- as long as you are matching with appropriate amp that "synergizes" with the speaker. I’m in a place where if I upgrade at this point, I want to keep the amps I’ve been using in place and they are relatively low power (18watt) pieces, so I’m constrained to a degree by that--
Take your time and leave your wallet at home. Online sales are great, as is the ability to buy direct, but that puts you in the driver’s seat in terms of choices-- so long as you have the ability to return for a refund (possibly less a repack fee, but in any event from a reputable dealer).
I’ll stop now. :)
In this post-Covid world, it may not be as easy to get seat time, but unless you’ve heard what really good systems are capable of reproducing, you have no reference (other than real music, but that’s been in short supply until recently for the same reason). If you aren’t in a city which is rich in audio at retail, that puts you into the realm of travel, and I gather air travel these days is suboptimal.
My point is to get your ears around some systems- usually the best way is other people’s homes where somebody has taken the time and care to put together a very good system. There are some known usual suspects here who are usually glad to accommodate.
There is a balance in working with a dealer- since they can range from awful to superb, but there’s a lot to be said for a dealer that delivers service, making the experience fun and not frustrating (providing loaners, helping troubleshoot, etc.).
It’s kind of hard to describe the sonic experience in words without sounding either overly simplistic or too effusive. The real deal is you in the room, listening to recordings-- as many different kinds as possible and not just audiophile spectaculars.
The other part of the equation is the room. Room treatment is often put into the same category as cables and other tweaks- not saying it isn’t necessary (I use bass traps in strategic places in my room), but you can get oversold on so many things. I’d start with the basic system and worry less about acoustic treatments and more about getting the system situated in the room to optimize performance, something that is part science and part art.
It took me some years to dial in my current system (core was revamped 2006-7 with upgrades along the way) but when I moved states (and in a different room and house), I was able to dial it in faster because I knew what the core system could and should do.
This is a fun thing. I would not get caught up in brand name battles right now-- the key, in my estimation, is exposure. Hear what some top dynamic speaker systems can do with big power; I use horns and SET amps which is a totally different path; and dipoles or planars are also a way to your goal.
I think one tends to focus on speaker first and that’s fine- as long as you are matching with appropriate amp that "synergizes" with the speaker. I’m in a place where if I upgrade at this point, I want to keep the amps I’ve been using in place and they are relatively low power (18watt) pieces, so I’m constrained to a degree by that--
Take your time and leave your wallet at home. Online sales are great, as is the ability to buy direct, but that puts you in the driver’s seat in terms of choices-- so long as you have the ability to return for a refund (possibly less a repack fee, but in any event from a reputable dealer).
I’ll stop now. :)
