Enough is Enough

Sorry for any misunderstanding, but I didn’t ask for the dealers opinion about my system. I let my wife’s ears(she hears better than me and is honest about what she hears), my ears, and how much I want to spend determine what to purchase. I usually listen to components in my system, but the dealer I usually buy from only carries DCS and Chord. DCS doesn’t work in my system, based on my preference. A friend recommended I try to get a home audition for the Ideon ION DAC. That’s why I reached out to this particular dealer.

I won’t post the dealers name, because there’s no value in it to me. I honestly posted my experience to highlight how some dealers behave. My hope is "we" all learn to use our own ears to decide what to purchase and not be shamed for not owning what some dealer says we should own.

Slightly off topic, but related. I had a tv calibrator who I had used twice before refuse to calibrate my projector because I was using a Yamaha surround processor and amp. Related to that, I was in the market to replace my front main speakers and another dealer told me that my Yamaha gear was garbage and that I needed to change out my hardware.

Man, that is pure insanity.

I’ve been a record store owner for a very long time, and have on again, off again, been an audio dealer, and we are currently making a strong play to get very heavy into Hi-Fi. 
 

I have VERY often told people the exact opposite. Get to know your system, and upgrade slowly. Then, each change you make will be just as impactful as swapping an entire rig out. 
 

You know that feeling you get when you get a new piece of kit and you get to rediscover your entire record collection all over again? 
 

Why wouldn’t you want to do that over and over again? Isn’t that part of the fun? 
 

Morrison @ Hardcore Hi-Fi
 

As stated by @rbstehno 

I will never ask a dealer for their recommendation because I know what they will say. You need to trust your own ears and audition a component in your system in your room.

Simply that.  If you must visit a dealer, look, listen, and then arrange an audition in your system.  Some dealers are knowledgeable and may share interesting observations but, at the end of the day, your opinion is the only one that counts. 

deep_333,

You can’t see my other sub, but I have two subs. The subs were set-up by the dealer using a mic/REW and several hours of listening,

@ricred1 , Well, considering where everything’s at with your 2 channel gear you are pretty much stuck there..

unless, you get a li’l more adventurous and get a BACCH processor from Theortica Applied Physics. You may never know what it feels like to get launched inside a recording until you have something like BACCH in the chain (for 2 channel audio, that is, multichannel’s a different story).

Otherwise, you could keep swapping dacs, amps, cables, etc forever... with no quantum leap, it is just another case of being stuck in the same watering hole comparing notes with the same ol’ guys who are stuck there as well...(thinking y’all heard this or that).

Further, If you need to know about the kind of room treatment that gets you notches further in a dedicated room like yours (something you could strive towards in the longer term), it isn’t cheap or easy to do...(a bit cheaper if you’re diy savvy though).

Here’s one if you’re NOT a diy kinda guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-ydC9IB0G8

Here’s another if you are a diy kinda guy.

https://youtu.be/tKWAI21G0bc?si=Q7GARnEkHvC26dJ7

Hope that helps.