What I wish I knew before starting my audiophile journey

dman, thanks for your post. It made me think and appreciate the journey...my journey! I began my second journey after the kids left the comfortable confines of mom & dad's house and went on their own. The "before" kids group had decent equipment like a Luxman R117, Yamaha NS 1000 speakers, and an Akai Reel to Reel, to name a few. But when my wife said, "You owe it to yourself, Go for it", I started again. 

My point to this is first and primary, is research. Read, ask questions and listen. Call the company headquarters of the equipment your interested in and ask questions. Then, before you buy anything, find the right, knowable dealers. We all know that once the journey begins, there will be a lot of upgrades. Having a dealer who participates in your journey with you and gives you reasonable "Trade Up" opportunities is tantamount! Allow me to give two shout outs to 2 of those dealers - Eric at Salon 1 Audio and Taylor at Gold Print Audio. They do it right!

Then I agree, Clean Power is a must. Including proper wiring, upgraded outlets and a power conditioner. All a must.

After that, enjoy the swapping, the trading up, the tube rolling, the cable changes and the new equipment. BUT, take the time to listen and enjoy each new tweak before you do another one. Discern if, and what, should be the next move so you don't have regrets. 

I have no idea if I'm done on my journey. As we all know, can I get any better? Of course, you can always spend more money, but are you getting the increase in benefits, or are you just spending more money? Don't go on an equipment journey...partake in a listening appreciation journey. Listen to your collections whatever format they may be and appreciate the sound you've created. Enjoy a good bourbon and get lost for a few hours before life interrupts. Enjoy the journey but enjoy the music escape first and foremost!

In my 54 years in this hobby, I’ve owned …. 5 pairs of speakers.

Your philosophy ain’t too far off. I don’t waste money on cables: they are at best 2% of my budget. I don’t even bother to mention them in the link below  

theaudioatticvinylsundays.com

I found that Audiogon is where people go when their claims about clean power and high priced speaker wire get roasted on AVSForum.

My interest with hifi gear goes back 60 years with my first system consisting of AR3a speakers, AR turntable, Shure V15, and Dynaco St-70.  In the last few years I have come to appreciate the importance of the actual recording and mastering of the performance.  This is tops on my priority list.  Next, would be the speaker/room interface stressing the importance of an accurate speaker meticulously positioned in a room with well thought out acoustical treatment.  The speaker should be capable of great dynamic range and have superior off axis frequency response.  The system also should have a very ample amount of power driving the speakers.    For me, that’s it.

I have never unduly concerned myself with wires of any type, or power conditioning.  Instead, I invest in other types of improvement that do make a real audible difference. For example, I recently added a couple of JL Audio f112v2 subs with a JL Audio crossover to assist my Revel Salon 2’s which are driven by a pair of Parasound JC1+ monoblocks in turn served by DCS Bartok and Classe preamp.  

This addition has brought this system up to approach my reference system which is in a dedicated room in which speaker placement and acoustical treatment have been well thought out.  This system consisting of JBL M2’s, JBL sub18, and three Crown ITech 5000 amps is capable of significant dynamic range and clean high SPL.

I have always been audiophile atheist regarding wires, power conditioning, audiophile magazines (although I have subscribed to both since their inception), and  most of the myriad other ancillary devices marketed to the audiophile.

"First off are Audiophiles ever happy with their components?"

I'm ecstatic.