Artemus_5: Thanks for such a lengthy and insightful post. I have owned several dual turntables. Model number 1229Q comes to mind. This was back in 1968 in Germany. My first system consisted on a Sansui 150A receiver (15wpc), German PE turntable and a pair of wharfedale bookshelf speakers.
I gave a friend $450 dollars and asked him to purchase me a 'stereo system' at the audio club in Wiesbaden. And that is what he brought back. I was in heaven. What a light show the Sansui put on in dim light. My friend was an audiophile. He bought himself a tonearm for $90, and I thought he was nuts, esp since he didn't even own a turntable. So we both come from humble audio orgins. :)
I am not part of any backlash against high end or the people who own it. Normally the people at the cutting edge of any hobby benefit the entire group. They pay for the innovations. However, the extent to which this is true in audio is open to debate. There does not seem to be any 'trickle down' in audio. Marantz, Parasound, Polk and NAD are the well known exceptions. They seem to cover all price points. Actually the thing that most impresses me concerning the deep pockets crowd, are the rooms in which a lot of these systems are located. I think the rooms add much more to the sound than all the high end electronics. As I mentioned before, using components or manufacturing techniques that add to the cost, does not necessarily add to the SOUND.
As far as the used gear listed here. It is often very old. MY oldest item is 8 years old. A lot of the high end stuff for sale is as much as 20 or more years old. Is a 20 year old high end amp 'better' than a new Harman Kardon amp? I am thinking of the HK 990. And if the item has moving parts?
I sit here now with money buring a hole in my pocket and I can't think of a thing that would improve my sound, save a new room. So I buy good music instead.
Finally, before I bore you to death, ALL THINGS are not relative to the final product(sound) nor does EVERYTHING impact that sound. I am going to Austin after the first of the year to a high end store and listen to a system. They always have maggies set up. I will report.
Merry Christmas
I gave a friend $450 dollars and asked him to purchase me a 'stereo system' at the audio club in Wiesbaden. And that is what he brought back. I was in heaven. What a light show the Sansui put on in dim light. My friend was an audiophile. He bought himself a tonearm for $90, and I thought he was nuts, esp since he didn't even own a turntable. So we both come from humble audio orgins. :)
I am not part of any backlash against high end or the people who own it. Normally the people at the cutting edge of any hobby benefit the entire group. They pay for the innovations. However, the extent to which this is true in audio is open to debate. There does not seem to be any 'trickle down' in audio. Marantz, Parasound, Polk and NAD are the well known exceptions. They seem to cover all price points. Actually the thing that most impresses me concerning the deep pockets crowd, are the rooms in which a lot of these systems are located. I think the rooms add much more to the sound than all the high end electronics. As I mentioned before, using components or manufacturing techniques that add to the cost, does not necessarily add to the SOUND.
As far as the used gear listed here. It is often very old. MY oldest item is 8 years old. A lot of the high end stuff for sale is as much as 20 or more years old. Is a 20 year old high end amp 'better' than a new Harman Kardon amp? I am thinking of the HK 990. And if the item has moving parts?
I sit here now with money buring a hole in my pocket and I can't think of a thing that would improve my sound, save a new room. So I buy good music instead.
Finally, before I bore you to death, ALL THINGS are not relative to the final product(sound) nor does EVERYTHING impact that sound. I am going to Austin after the first of the year to a high end store and listen to a system. They always have maggies set up. I will report.
Merry Christmas