Have you "lied" to yourself?

Once apon a time, in a world since forgotten, I lent a power amp to my brother. His stuff at the time was nothing much to talk about, but his little int. amp had clips to separate the pre and power. The amp we inserted was nothing to get worked up about either, but it was much more powerful.
My brother was, in a word, underwhelmed. Where was the huge improvement, the next great level of musical satisfaction? Sure it could play a little louder, but whats the big deal?
The lesson did not reveal itself until months later, when I had to take the amp back. It wasnt long before he called to tell me that he NEEDED to upgrade his amp.
It was suddenly clear that the amp made a much bigger impact on his system than he had ever realized. He said that his system HAD sounded better, even at lower listening levels. The amp was gone and his music was missing something he had never been aware of.
That is when I learned how first impressions can be deceiving, and if you want to know if a change was for the better, you have to live with it for a while. And then live without it.
Dont it always seem to go...

I'm enjoying the posts, but I think most everyone has gotten off topic. In typical audiophile form, folks are telling stories about how THEY can tell the difference in upgrades, how they appreciate subtle changes, etc. Can’t people get off the golden-ear high horse and expose a past disappointment after dropping some cash?

I was asking for postings from those of you that have added something, heard no difference, but wished you did. Those who are above this need not post condescending messages. I'm not claiming that this phenomenon happens to everyone, but I was hoping to hear from those honest folks who have experienced this.

Analogy: you buy a very expensive bottle of highly regarded wine from a great vintage. The reviews have given the bottle scores of 99 points. You open it up and you don’t like it, but you search for characteristics in it that make it great.

Howdy gang - long time lurker, first time poster. Before this bug bit(and he takes BIG bites) I would have laughed if somebody told me they gave 4 beans for a power cord. Well, just plugged in my first Black Mamba yesterday, and in my book, that puppy really flows the juice! Added clarity is amazing - a simple bell "ring" made me a believer. System presence also is definitely improved - and, hey, even if it's all just an illusion - it's only money, right? (And if all else failed, I coulda' gotten by with only the physical "WOW" factor).

Provided the above offering suffices, may I now ask for help? I want to run a dedicated circuit to the system - are there any particular brands of wire/breakers any better than the standard fare, and should the ground be separate from the house. All thoughts appreciated! Best regards...Tburn
P.S. Sorry Felthove, just read your latest and I failed to produce. But in all honesty, every additional purchase (so far) has made a positive contribution. Course, I ain't no audiophile w/ the golden ears, and I'm sure the guys w/ the big rigs will no doubt reach the point of diminishing returns. But I'm having a helluva good time trying to get there! Rock on (the wife doesn't get my new love of Krall, Sara K, et al :-) but Bob Seger is only a button away)

Short story. Way back in 86, boys and girls a small local Halifax dealer had the most gorgeous stand mounted pair of Angstrom Reference speakers. They were to be my first "Hi-fi" speakers. Two-way front-ported bass-reflex they were a piece of furniture, at least to me, and I couldn't wait to buy them and get them home....I had them proudly setting in the living-roon when my nephew came in, set down and we started to listen. "Where's the tweeter"? He asked and walked over, put his ear to the speaker, and said, boy are these dull....I lived with them for about 4 months and finally sold them. The tweeter rolled off way too much....but, gosh, were they pretty...ya, my first big lie, and I had to admit I made a big goof. These were very univolving duds....cheers, Bluenose

If you can not try before you buy.Don't buy.
if you buy before you try Don't cry.
Use your ears man.Listen to people,try out for yourself.Then you decide.
The enjoyments of stereo equiptments stuff are learning from people, searching,trying ,listenning for improvent of your system with less money.Fun Fun Fun ...Lot of fun...:)
Good luck,