How good is good enough?

Last year, I audited a dude’s 600k-ish priced rig. He was playing some of the typical, "safe" crappy audiophile tracks to show off his rig, as one might expect. The minute my playlist intervened, his rig started to sink and reveal that it was lierally another lousy rig filled with audio jewelry fluff (looks good, of course). I have a few different rigs at different price tags but, even one of my rigs that cost 20 times less beats it sonically.

So, if you audit different cost no object or very competently setup rigs and realize that a) your rig can keep up or b) give other rigs the beatdown, you know it is "good enough". On the same note....only knowledge (and some cash, of course) can save you from being robbed constantly, set you free.

If you don’t have a endless wallet, only buy gear made by very very smart dudes. Never buy gear made by dumb dudes. Only smart dude can give you things even at affordable prices that a dumb dude can never achieve at endless cost.

Your post is so true... I concur totally...😁😊

Dumb people value price tags over knowledge ... Well said...

I did not distinguish now between system on the basis of price tags because i experimented heavily with acoustics for one year full time ...( i am retired for sure) ...

I distinguish for very lost cost well embedded system ( optimal balance between all acoustic perceived factors at play) minimal acoustical balance and satisfaction threshold, and for very high cost system the maximal acoustical balance and satisfaction threshold... But minimal as maximal threshold are, the two of them, so different they can be, they are  satisfying in their own way ...

Nevermind the price , acoustic , electrical and mechanical working controls and synergy between pieces matter the most ...

My own 1000 bucks well embedded system made me smile at " better one" certainly at astronomical higher price but at the condition that they are well embedded to begin with ...

Acoustics principles rules the gear not the reverse...

I wish you a merry christmas for you and your familiy ...🎄

Last year, I audited a dude’s 600k-ish priced rig. He was playing some of the typical, "safe" crappy audiophile tracks to show off his rig, as one might expect. The minute my playlist intervened, his rig started to sink and reveal that it was lierally another lousy rig filled with audio jewelry fluff (looks good, of course). I have a few different rigs at different price tags but, even one of my rigs that cost 20 times less beats it sonically.

So, if you audit different cost no object or very competently setup rigs and realize that a) your rig can keep up or b) give other rigs the beatdown, you know it is "good enough". On the same note....only knowledge (and some cash, of course) can save you from being robbed constantly, set you free.

If you don’t have a endless wallet, only buy gear made by very very smart dudes. Never buy gear from dumb dudes. Only smart dude can give you things even at affordable prices that a dumb dude can never achieve at endless cost.

its "good enough" when I can simply sit, listen to music, and enjoy it.  

When I was in the gear-hunt phase, over a few decades and more, I think my objective then was more about trying and comparing different components. And I realize today - this phase was less involved in listening to music, and more more about new learning around how different level of qualities of gear can sound. 

Kinda depends on what headspace you are in at the moment too. Eventually got burned out and learned to enjoy more than a few components that sound "good enough".  After this point, any new change just became "different" and not necessarily better. Had to kinda stop there.  Back to listening to music now :)  

If you want to spend your time listening and in fact actually do then it’s good enough. 

I think "good enough" has to have some connection with gear quality and also with gear prices. While there's a good reason to be somewhat skeptical over price tags, I believe there is a correlation between price and performance. Everything matters -- parts, design, etc. Gear matters -- gear creates sound and so the notion that it's somehow opposed to acoustics creates a false dichotomy. The fact that there are some who are into very expensive gear or into audio jewelry does not prevent the simultaneous acknowledgement that better gear sounds better if also accompanied by appropriate room acoustics, etc.