All you old Geezers here are making some great points. My Audiophile Journey is almost over after dipping my feet back into it 3 years ago. For twenty years I’ve been more into 5.1 including upmixing my 2ch stuff via Dolby Pro Logic II and now the “new” Dolby Surround on my Sony STR-DN1080 and all the wonderful variations on 2ch upmixing on my Onkyo PR-SC5530AV Preamp feeding an Orchard Audio Ultra Amplifier and BAT VK50-SE Preamp. My Speakers have always been hombrew except for my Bose 901’s and my loaner KEF R3’s.
It doesn’t matter if it was 36 years ago in my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario buying my Dual CS515 w/ the ever crappy Ortofon OM10. 23 years later and 6 different Carts, I’m done with Vinyl.
20 years ago, in Phillipsburg, NJ, I traded in my beloved Adcom GFP-345 and GFA-545II that I purchased 8 years earlier at a Dealer in my Hometown for a Denon AVR-1802 and a used Adcom GFA-555II. That Hometown Dealer also had a pair of Mirage M3si’s that were gonna be mine but my layaway payments only covered the Amp/Preamp. My post college purchase only would cover so much. I burned the Dealer on the Mirages and am not proud of it to this day. I built a pair of Homebrews instead and saved some money there.
Fast forward to now and Scottsdale/Phoenix AZ. Plenty of Dealers here but none are to my budget.
My entire rig currently is bought online without an audition used or new. PS Audio gives you 30 days trial and TMR Audio gives you two weeks trial on their used stuff. So going to an intimidating Dealer by appointment only is a non starter for me.
I honestly feel for these Dealers who no longer can afford to cater to us budget Audiophiles and can only survive on the high ticket crap that I’ll never be able to afford and even if I could, wouldn’t on my twisted principles.
I’m that 16 year old High School kid that bought a TT/cart in 1985, went on to buy an Amp/Preamp after college, and then went 5.1 after marriage and a mortgage. As Newlyweds back then, we enjoyed watching Movies together while I fell asleep listening to two channel music late at night on the 5.1 rig 😂. Our newborn also enjoyed watching his Cartoons on that rig.
Now that I’m a non upmixing 2ch Audiophool and slowly revamping my 5.1 rig in the same room with the same Speakers (currently a blend of homebrew and consumer). I’ll never buy from a Dealer ever again. You’ve lost us Budget folks. To those in my 50+ age group that can finally afford all the high ticket stuff.
May God Bless You….but I’m out !