In many ways, and despite the loss of so many traditional brick-and-mortar audio shops, these are the best of times in this hobby. There are enormous choices of product from manufacturers who bring exceptional value for money. Having started out when vinyl was the main medium in recorded music and tape for duplication there were popular mass market brands and the stuff sold at the high end shops (I couldn't afford nor would have wanted R2R as a poor university student, being quite happy enough to have a low powered Technics receiver, a turntable and a pair of "bookshelf" speakers.) Now exceptional performance doesn't require an exceptional spend.
Are there other people like me ? Amazed by their low cost system :)
Are there other people so much amazed by a relatively low cost system , they consider that is not a stopgap but instead a minimally satisfying ectasy... Each day i am amazed by my speakers and headphone... Am i deaf? Am i ignorant of high end ? Be assured that i know better system with higher acoustic experience and more refined exist ...
My point is an experienced and felt minimal threshold of acoustic qualities and well done and well realized and well manifested acoustic factors exist for me and are at play, for the price invested; so much so , i consider any upgrade way less tempting and if possible would be more, way more , costlier to appear as a real upgrade in quality... For sure an upgrade of part at low cost unbeknowst to me is possible but i must live with what i have for now but i feel no frustration at all. 😊
Am i the only one deluded in this way or enlightened in this way ? Pick your choice of word.... 😎