How do you know when a stereo sounds good?


When do you know your system is pleasing to listen to? How do you conclusively prove to yourself that your system sounds good to you? How do you determine that you enjoy listening to music through your stereo? Do you have a suite of measurements that removes all shadow of a doubt that you are getting good sound, sound that you enjoy? Please share.

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Read Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy and discover that the physics/abstraction  dichotomy is first dramatized as early as the fifth century BC. Collateral reading: The Bacchae by Euripides. The conclusion I draw is that BOTH the Apollonian electricians and the Dionysian aesthetes are necessary contributors to our chosen hobby (indeed, lifestyle) as evidenced in this discussion.

We would have no hobby without the electricians. What we would have might  sound like a can of nails without the influence of the aesthetes. As an admitted and accepted (in my orbit) aesthete, I honor those whose talents allow them to plumb the depths of physics in order to improve the audiophile's lot. Their work is essential and many of their tools are used by all of us in our everyday life.

Problem is the electricians continually fail to produce the perfect system. Someday they will do it and we'll gladly give it a listen and critique.

Meanwhile, is there anything to be done but enjoy what we have as we slip into the abyss?

How do you know when it sounds "bad" ? And if it sounds "good" do you worry about whether it could sound better?  And then what?

 

If your stereo sounds bad, it may have permanent damage should you have been playing anything by Adele.

You won’t need to worry about it ever being able to sound better on account of the criminal negligence you have inflicted upon it and possibly yourself.  Seek professional help.

How do you know when it sounds "bad" ? And if it sounds "good" do you worry about whether it could sound better? And then what?

No matter how good you think your rig might sound, if you don't have the right fuses.... well, that's a whole other discussion.