Seek advice on forums but always listen to your own ears!

You can only trust your ears if you have good ears and know what to listen for. Otherwise it can really be helpful to take advice and direction from others.

100% agree. The advice that one has to "listen for themself" is true enough, but as with a lot of other things in life, one can get better at listening. And there are better listeners out there than me -- by seeking them out, I've gotten better at doing something which seems simple, but it's not. That why this is a hobby and not just a place where people come to just blurt out that something "sounds good to them." There are criteria, specific things to listen for and notice, judgments to be made. In the end "it's up to each listener" is true, but it's a simplistic truth, which barely needs saying.

@everyone there was also another reason for this post. Without saying actual names we had poster here that for years came on to shill and to destroy threads of people he didn’t agree with. He was consistently abrasive and disrespectful. He isn’t on here now but we have to be careful who we take advice from. What equipment do they actually have. What experience do they actually have. Are they who they say they are. Do they have experiences with the stuff they say they do. Some have accused me of being a shill because I work for a company. But the truth is the real danger of these forums is people flat out being dishonest to validate themselves in the hobby. A lot of us are OCD in audio. But there are folks that want to come on our platforms to destroy healthy debate. We must be careful. I travel to audio shows so I have actually met a few of you in person. I want to meet more of you if I’m in a show in your area. Just be careful with who you get advice from they may not be who you think they are.

good post @calvinj what wares will you be offering in your room at Axpona.  Hope to connect with you.

@woots infigo audio cabling. Infigo audio method 3 amplifiers. The latest edition.  Method 7 pre amp with phono stage.  Method 4 Dac. And the new Alta Audio Aphrodite 50k speakers. Room 476. We will also have a turntable.