Some people love music. Some people love gear...at any cost, low or high.
For some people, audio is just another way for them to experience (and express) their money.
You can pretty easily tell who is who on these forums.
Are there other people like me ? Amazed by their low cost system :)
Are there other people so much amazed by a relatively low cost system , they consider that is not a stopgap but instead a minimally satisfying ectasy... Each day i am amazed by my speakers and headphone... Am i deaf? Am i ignorant of high end ? Be assured that i know better system with higher acoustic experience and more refined exist ...
My point is an experienced and felt minimal threshold of acoustic qualities and well done and well realized and well manifested acoustic factors exist for me and are at play, for the price invested; so much so , i consider any upgrade way less tempting and if possible would be more, way more , costlier to appear as a real upgrade in quality... For sure an upgrade of part at low cost unbeknowst to me is possible but i must live with what i have for now but i feel no frustration at all. 😊
Am i the only one deluded in this way or enlightened in this way ? Pick your choice of word.... 😎
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😊 I concur with the three posters above ... Thanks... But it will be interesting to read their more detailed experience with their relatively low cost system versus a more costlier part or more costlier system... It is sure that acoustics knowledge teach us how to separate straw and grain in audio marketing... No need to many showroom visits if you had learned how to make your system- room better and even magical... Your ears will taught you so... This thread is one of the rare claiming that less may be more ...If knowledge is acquired and creativity developed a bit ... The more we learn the less upgrades we may need... 😁😊😉 |
OK, if you really want to know. So I am dedicated to buying almost everything second hand - yesterday’s upper end. I don’t mind having to wait to live in luxury. I buy off of Craigslist, from Saturday Audio Exchange (Andy is the best), occasionally Audiogon and Ebay. So the retail cost equivalent of the system I listen to is about $20K-25K. Paid about $6500. That’s not to say that is all I spent to get there because it IS a journey and what I like about my approach is auditions are very long term, in my listening room, with my gear. Things I don’t use are traded in, traded, or sold for near or at the price I paid. [Numbers assume I’m listening to digital front end. I also have an analog setup that would increase the above numbers, but still bought used other than the cartridge, and the boys over at Music Direct did me a huge favor when they got me their demo Avid phono preamp on the extra cheap] Plus I have a lot of alternative gear of equivalent quality and I shuffle the deck pretty often. That’s helpful when auditioning a recent acquisition since I can try different combinations to see what sounds best with it. There is a lot of work in that - I don’t have the space to do all the acoustical stuff that Mahgister has been able to do, but I do have thick carpet and a vaulted ceiling with decent natural acoustics. I do move gear around, swap connections, angle and toe, use a swarm of subs, etc., and that all takes work to configure well and also keep running. Plus you have to be glued to all the used markets and be opportunistic on purchase - buy what’s available rather than some targeted piece. I enjoy the sound tremendously. It is magic to me. And one of my favorite things to do is test synergy among components by shuffling the deck - I have a NOS DAC and a SABRE-based DAC and they have different qualities. Levinson SS pre sounds different from the BAT tube pre. 5.1 SACD or DVDA adds another dimension (literally!). Sure, I could combine all that value and have components with 2x-3x the retail price but IMHO it’s more about synergy and learning and I am happy with what I’ve got (not that I wouldn’t jump at a $10K piece I saw sitting at Goodwill or something). I almost hesitated to put in numbers because I think it’s obnoxious to talk about spend, but did in order to provide some context. Please forgive me if I broke my own rule...at least I’m not talking about my 6 figure system and how it enhances my manhood... |
Thanks... Interesting read and very useful post ... jji666For sure when i spoke about low cost system being acoustically "magical" the exact price scale level had not much importance... We are all different, with different needs, different possibilities(room) and different budget... my point is about "relatively low cost system".... From 1,000 bucks to 50,000 bucks if Bill Gates discover downsizing and the joy of experimenting with less and more creativity ( he has no time for that i guess 😊 If i was him i will buy the best plug it and call it a day in audio) ... High end is not synonymus with audiophile experience, knowledge and creativity are... Acoustics beat price tags very often ...Synergy is starting point ... The goal is listening music at the minimal acoustical satisfaction threshold with the best S.Q. for the least money invested ... |
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