What I wish I knew before starting my audiophile journey

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.

I’ve been in this great hobby for nearly 50 years. In the early 1990s I was fortunate enough to be able to join Walt Bender’s (Rest In Peace Walt) subscription by invitation (Audiomart biweekly magazine) which included hundreds of used pieces of hifi gear.

Here I was able to try many different pieces of used hi end gear from companies such as Krell, Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Classe Audio, Sequerra etc. that I could never have afforded new. I was always able to break even, so shipping costs when I would purchase the gear and the $25 subscription fee twice a year were the only downsides.

Today, there are Websites like Audiogon and US Audiomart that function in a similar way, allowing those of us who don’t have the astrobucks to purchase hi end gear new, to do so used.

Ironically, after all these years my hearing is not what it used to be and I listen less critically now, and simply enjoy the music itself. The high end gear is long gone, yet I have settled with some nice components that faithfully honor the music without breaking the bank. 😊

You forgot your wish to invest in a quality turntable.