Am I Getting Soft Here?


I’ve just been loving my stereo lately, this despite the fact everything is far from bank-breakingly expensive and is, well, at least a few years old. Right now I’m streaming CD quality music from Idagio and the sound is just glorious. Timbres are lovely. Sure, I’m listening to a modest. perhaps a ten person Baroque chamber ensemble, but there’s a convincing sense of image, dynamics and space. I’m not in the first row of the venue but I’m far from the nosebleed section or hidden in a corner. Hoping I’m not cursing things with this post!

NOLA Boxer Speakers. Primaluna Integrated amp. Cambridge Audio streamer. Interconnects, etc., at a similar quality level. But yeah, I was able to build my listening room pretty much to audiophile precepts, and everything is painstakingly positioned.

edcyn

Congratulations.
 

You do not need astronomically expensive equipment to achieve outstanding sound or really satisfying sound. +@Millercarbon. Sounds like you have synergy between your components and room and the sound meets is of a character that satisfy your values. Just enjoy… forget all about equipment.

 

A word of caution. If the upgrade bug bites at some time in the future. Proceed with caution. It can be easy to upgrade one component and improve the level of details, good, but throw off the tonal balance… while it may sound better… it might not be as satisfying any more. Then change something else, and else and end up far from where you started.

If the bug bites, I’m not saying you should never upgrade, but well, choose wisely… take your time.

If you love what you have, then that's not "soft"... it's very good news.

The softness would come if you give in to upgrade-itis when there is no need to.  

You're not getting soft edcyn. You're just being real. My whole system cost about $7500 in 1990. Though I recently had everything refurbished, I'm still enjoying it. It's mine, it was the best I could afford at the time, it sounds great to me and I'm used to it. The only thing I've actually changed is the interconnects. They were all original until recently. I spent about $300 for a bunch of Mogami's and it sounds as good as new, if not better.

But what about the not subtle, night and day, gobsmacked and profound differences a better power cord will make?

If you love it, you’ve succeeded as far as I’m concerned. 😎 Cost and sound quality isn’t necessarily directly correlated.