Happen to you? Gear chasing because the fundamentals were wrong.

I have dirty power in my area and it took some time to find this out and clean it up.

I bought an amp because I had read many times that it was a “musical’ amp, and other nice talk.

It was junk, a 3 out of 10; I still have it and would be embarrassed to sell it and inflict it on someone else.

The mistake was that I had not been careful enough in discerning who had actual experience with that amplifier vs who was simply repeating comments they had heard.

Since then, I value only testimony from direct experience.

In a word. Room. 

@hilde45 - I don't disagree with your observations- the amp-speaker synergy, the acoustics of the room and effective placement of the gear (I don't rely heavily on room treatment) and noise- both ambient and inter-component as well as the quality of power feeding the system.

I guess I played it safe- I was a long time Quad listener who focused mainly on midrange- I did add ribbons and a sub or two, but sometimes, that was like three good systems playing simultaneously. Cheap Hafler and later analog surround added a 3d quality to some LPs but not all for a brief period in the late '80s.

I switched to horns and SETS back in 2006 and over the years, and two dedicated rooms later, got it to a level I'm satisfied with. This took time with room set-up, careful attention to power, starting at the meter, and the "right" combination of associated components to bring out the best in what I have- adding more woofers with DSP, changing to the seductive Koetsu- midrange here was always good but the elusive Stones add a gravitas to the bass I never had- along with tone, texture and more harmonics.

I don't know that there are too many shortcuts, but making costly mistakes is no fun either. Which is why, if there is a short-cut answer to the "magic" we believe we hear (and it is an illusion), seat time, lots of it, is essential. As is home trial to the extent possible. There are differences in equipment, so much so that it is amazing we can get it right. 

PS: for me, it is still a knife edge- if I put a different tube in certain places, the voicing changes. The same would be true of a change of cartridge or simply a bad adjustment of a tonearm. 

I guess I believe in a little luck, too. 

@whart I'm still curious about horns/sets as a combo.

I have since discovered that small peaks (around 3 db) at certain frequencies, in the mid’s and low mid’s can add a richness to vocals and that certain dips in the mid’s can remove a hollowness from vocals that can show up from time to time.

The assumption of a flat response is a fundamental mistake I made, too. Your post reminded me that in addition to measuring a room and *not* worshipping a flat curve, it was also helpful to measure my hearing -- with an audiologist. I don't believe that measurement is the last word, but knowing the curve of one's hearing can help guide anyone adjusting the curve of their room.