The hunt is over

Thanks, zavato...

Let's not confuse "endgame" with an extended honeymoon.  I prefer to think of this passionate hobby as a process.  There are times, like now, that amazement and wonder fill the emotions.  Instead of going TO the music event, the event is happening here, in this space.  And, heaven knows, I can pick nits with the best of us.  TAS Editor-in-Chief Robert Harley in Issue Jan 2022 discusses: "Noise, The Final Frontier."  My guess is, he'll live to regret those words.  It IS nice to see that the hi-end is finally addressing noise generated by the electric components themselves (Harley uses Shunyata products.)  20+ ago, my audio friend Rick Taylor The Audiophile Voice | MARIGO AUDIO LAB was deeply experimenting with electrically generated noises, gear isolation & coupling approaches.  His Audiophile Voice article is dated, but no less valid.  My contention is that after your best possible system is chosen and well-positioned (laser-ruler mandatory,) the real work begins!  If at all possible, it begins at the street, the incoming electricity.  Then, getting that purity to the boxes...grounding, house dedicated wiring, outlet upgrades, plug upgrades, cables and power conditioning, when necessary.  Our friend, Art Dudley, not a tweaker, was keen on using similar surfaces for system components.  Absolute level of the boxes can also assist some gear.  A free tweak is flipping the circuit breakers, including the main(s) every so often.  Longevity = cool running...elevate and ventilate. 

As to "Final Frontier" from Harley, audio will continue to undergo many wonderful changes.  Expertly applied Digital Sound Processing is only scratching the surface of what is possible, both in design and application.  My longtime Sound Engineer Tech friend Mike in San Jose works in the 1/100dB realms of DSP, using a variety of top amplifiers with modern JBL horns and larger Maggies.  For you purists, there are very, very few recordings such as Water Lily Acoustic that benefit from being "left alone."  Self-powered loudspeaker designs are coming strong.  Flex and stretch. 

It's forever enticing and exciting!  Think positive, test negative.  More Peace, Pin

I'm certain I'm almost there. I just need one more improvement. If I upgrade my DAC to an R2R I'm certain I'll be done...at least I'm almost certain....some what certain....kinda certain........

Any vinylista can never be done as styluses wear out and you have to decide whether or not to have it serviced or replaced. Once you start with that you start thinking about other things. Wish I could only think about the music, but it is impossible.

I guess if you owned lots of cartridges you really like which would in total wear out long after you're gone, you could be done, but then you'd have to decide which one to use next....at least you wouldn't be buying anything.

It's an interesting question. Ends have to do with the length of the journey. I felt at a certain point I had found something special, but trying new things with help of a dealer allowed me to hone a sound that worked across a huge variety of recordings. It then helps me focus on listening to more new music, which is why I'm here. I see such a variety of equipment people own, I actually came to all the amplification, preamp, dac coming from one company. Is that unusual? It feels right that a company would voice their pieces together. Also magnepans and my room are a big part, if I moved or had a different space, or somehow a TV involved I think would start over again. 

sns :

Excepting for a new room in 2018, my system is essentially unchanged since 1985, and my system approach is unchanged since 1968.

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