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Am I Getting Soft Here?

I’ve just been loving my stereo lately, this despite the fact everything is far from bank-breakingly expensive and is, well, at least a few years old. Right now I’m streaming CD quality music from Idagio and the sound is just glorious. Timbres are lovely. Sure, I’m listening to a modest. perhaps a ten person Baroque chamber ensemble, but there’s a convincing sense of image, dynamics and space. I’m not in the first row of the venue but I’m far from the nosebleed section or hidden in a corner. Hoping I’m not cursing things with this post!

NOLA Boxer Speakers. Primaluna Integrated amp. Cambridge Audio streamer. Interconnects, etc., at a similar quality level. But yeah, I was able to build my listening room pretty much to audiophile precepts, and everything is painstakingly positioned.

edcyn

Showing 3 responses by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
6,381 posts
 

Congratulations.
 

You do not need astronomically expensive equipment to achieve outstanding sound or really satisfying sound. +@Millercarbon. Sounds like you have synergy between your components and room and the sound meets is of a character that satisfy your values. Just enjoy… forget all about equipment.

 

A word of caution. If the upgrade bug bites at some time in the future. Proceed with caution. It can be easy to upgrade one component and improve the level of details, good, but throw off the tonal balance… while it may sound better… it might not be as satisfying any more. Then change something else, and else and end up far from where you started.

If the bug bites, I’m not saying you should never upgrade, but well, choose wisely… take your time.

ghdprentice
6,381 posts
 

@daledeee1

Yep, I keep saying I am done as well. Then I realize I hadn’t optimized this power cord or Ethernet thing or venue adjustment, and then, wow… another notable improvement. All being additive… it is amazing at the amount of improvements I have gotten for so little money (a good thing after buying my components a couple years ago).

On the other hand this is what I have done after every upgrade cycle over the decades with the same result. But each time I do it I am surprised at the magnitude of the improvement.

ghdprentice
6,381 posts
 

@sns

That happened to me as well.
 

After my last upgrade I didn’t touch anything for nearly a year I was so entranced with my system… even though I knew little was optimized. Then finally getting curious I did one little thing and the result was so important, it motivated me to do another… and another. After each I just drop back into the music as my system is even more seductive and just enjoy the music for another month.

 

When I was much younger I was constantly switched to the “analytical mode”… and spent way to much time there… work kept me away from my system so the small amount of time with it was spent in the analytical mode. I don’t do that anymore… not even after tweaks… if I don’t enjoy the music more, I undo the tweak.

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