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What I wish I knew before starting my audiophile journey

I’ve considered myself an audiophile for over 3 years now. In those 3 years I’ve owned over 12 pairs of speakers, 10 amplifiers, 4 pre amplifiers, 7 DACs all in search for the perfect sound. What I’ve come to learn is I knew nothing when I started and now have some, not all of an understanding of how this works. Im passing this on to anyone that’s getting into this hobby to help fast track them to a better sound and learn from my experience. If I were to do this all over again, here is where I would start and invest my money.

1. Clean power- I wasted a lot of time and probably sold very good gear thinking it wasn’t good enough because I didn’t have clean power. I installed a dedicated 8 gauge power line with 20 amp breaker and hospital grade plugs for approximately $800. This was hands down the single biggest upgrade. You really have no idea what your gear is capable of delivering until you have fed it with clean power.

2. Speakers-this is where I would spend the a big chunk of my budget. I could make tweaks all day to my system but until I had speaker resolved enough to hear them, it all seems a waste of time. I discounted many things like cables because I couldn’t hear the difference until I had speakers that could actually produce the differences. Keep in mind the room size. I believed that bigger was better. I actually now run a pair of very good bookshelves that have no problem energizing the room. 

3. Amplifier power. Having enough power to drive the speakers is crucial in being able to hear what those speakers are capable of delivering. Yes different amp make different presentations but if there’s enough power then I believe it’s less of an issue and the source determines the sound quality more.

4. Now that I have the power and resolution to hear the difference between sources, cables, pre amplifier, streamer, DACs ect. This is where the real journey begins. 
 

On a side note, my room played a huge roll in how my system sounded but not a deal breaker. I learned that it’s possible to tweak the system to the room by experimenting with different gear. I learned that speaker size based on room size is pretty important. Have good rug!!

For reference my set up

Dedicated power

Lumin U1 mini

Denafrips Venus 2

Simaudio 340i

Sonus Faber Minima Amator 2

cables, AQ full bloom. NRG Z3, Earth XLR, Diamond USB, Meteor Speaker cables.

dman1974
akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,350 posts
 

Your post said “ Speakers -this is where I would spend the a big chunk of my budget….” at exclusion of any reference to comparable quantum to the rest of your system. Hence the metaphor of “lion’s share” from an implied inference that your speakers were still your largest percentage outlay . Is that correct?

Without prejudice to the above, In my 50 years in the crazy hobby, I’ve followed both good and crap advice in my trek down the Yellow Brick Road to Audio OZ. The one basic tenet that has been a constant valuable one, is that overspending a percentage on speakers as the magic silver bullet fix to most audio performance warts is a mirage .

I have four 2-channel audio systems ranging from $1500 up to $50,000 in my “A” system, The philosophy is consistent in all regardless of pricepoint strata. By way of example, my upstream electronics in my “A” system comprise say 60%, my cables are 15%, and quality speakers for the rest.

Choose wisely, sir.

dweller's avatar
dweller
3,836 posts
 

Best advice for Newbies: Find an honest, reputable dealer in your area (someone who can make house calls).

There is something to say for doing it all yourself, but will usually be more expensive in the long run.

"In those 3 years I’ve owned over 12 pairs of speakers, 10 amplifiers, 4 pre amplifiers, 7 DACs all in search for the perfect sound.".

dman1974's avatar
dman1974 OP
33 posts
 

Find right dealer for sure. Hard to know who to trust when you’re starting out. I’ve had dealers recommend crappy gear based on their profit margins. I have a friend that found a good dealer and has had 100% success. 

akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,350 posts
 

@dweller 

 

Nailed it .,,, point set and match in tennis jargon!

churning over that much gear in a very short period of time  as highlighted in the OP begs a better 3rd party intercedence … ergo reputable dealer guidance 

dman1974's avatar
dman1974 OP
33 posts
 

AKG_CA

 

Since there's no hard and fast rules to this hobby its only your opinion which you are entitled to. I've also gone down many rabbit holes based on peoples "opinions". Going through tons of gear has its advantages and disadvantages. One being you learn a lot, the other is it's expensive unless you buy and sell used and understand the maket price and demand. Finding a trustworthy dealer is no easy task. Almost every dealer is in this to make money. Unless they're prepared to come to my house and see my room/set up i'm not taking anyone seriously. My buddy had the dealer come to his house. He also bought everything new and spent over 35 k. Not many dealers will come to your house unless you're droping some serious coin, my experience anyway. 

I actually did my breakdown of my gear cost. It's not as extreme as you might have thought. My next upgrade would be the amp. I'm probably a bit overweight on cables lol.

Amp integrated 19%
speaker 26%
cables 23%
dac 19%
streamer 13%
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