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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.

128x128dman1974
vthokie83
848 posts
 

A few additional things that have helped me greatly in my journey:

(1) Be open minded to information and experiences of others on these threads, and not dismiss things because I am unfamiliar with it. Same with reviewers, but with a grain of salt. I never would have considered room treatments, dedicated power lines, value of cables, speaker placement, vibration control, etc. on my own

(2) Find friends that are also in the hobby that are knowledgeable and will be open to lending you equipment to audition. I have been able to join a golf league that has quite a few audiophiles in it. I’ve been lucky enough to test gear from Denafrips, Musician, Holo Audio, Chord, Schitt, Buchadt, Phiharmonic BMRs, Ascend speakers, DDCs, Supra cables, Zavfino cables, Cullen cables, Audiolab, and a bunch more as a result.

(3) Be honest about your budget, and stick to it. I have a mid-fi budget, and can afford mid-fi components…..hopefully those that punch above their cost.

(4) Be happy with what you have now, even if you lust after other products. I love my Bluesound Node 130 with upgraded PSU and LPS, Denafrips DDC, upgraded cables…..but am saving up for an Aurender unit. Would love a pair of Tannoy GR series of speakers, but in the meantime adore my Buchardt S400 Mk II speakers.

tonywinga's avatar
tonywinga
844 posts
 

A lot of cable bashing here lately.  I know cables aren’t appealing like a shiny new DAC, amp or speakers; but they are just as important. Good cables and clean power are needed to realize the full potential of your system. 
I understand how difficult it is to lay down serious cash for something that will be nearly hidden in the back. You kind of want to pull people to the back of your system and show them your cables.  “See how great they look?”  “Dude, it’s a power cord”. It won’t go well.  If you are devoted to great Hifi you will take the hit on upgraded cables and power cords.  Otherwise it’s all show and no go.  
Just like a hot rod, no one will see nor appreciate the work and care you put into the engine build.  They will see only the resulting performance.  Or the athlete who trains alone at high altitude for a few months in order to excel in the games. 

jgandy
28 posts
 

Some  thrive on and need to show their incredible “attention to detail” in setting up their systems, the need to show off how intelligent their considerations when they fall for the marketeers siren call.   Oh, the irony.

tonywinga's avatar
tonywinga
844 posts
 

Works for me.  Now if only I could find someone who would be impressed…

curtdr
348 posts
 

@synthesianguy +1

yes, diminishing returns + self delusion that there is some sort of ultimately attainable "perfection" somewhere out there "over the rainbow" are both powerful forces that can drive discontent and damage actual enjoyment ... 

covetousness of bling prestige is also a powerful negative force

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