Hi Steverw,
Welcome! I think you'll find that music well reproduced does good things for the soul, and I think you'll find your fellow audiophiles to be a very good bunch of people.
In my opinion, the worst deal in the world may well be to to fall for a great deal on the wrong thing. It's not the deal that matters, it's the end result. Unless your hobby is "getting a great deal". Of course you can always sell it if you don't like it, but a little groundwork can improve your chances.
The first step is to "know yourself". That is, to know what you want, know what you can live without in order to get what you want, and know what you definitely don't want. The best place to start is with a dealer. Go listen and see what you like. And then if that dealer educates you and you learn what you like and he has it, reward him by offering him your business.
This place probaly isn't the best place to start learning about which speakers you like, as the cost of getting first-hand knowledge is way too high. Those for whom Audiogon works well already have a pretty good idea of what they want (in speakers at least, as that's the most variable component). Knowledge really is worth more than a getting a great discount is.
Even at ten grand used, you'll have to juggle tradeoffs. That's why knowing what really matters TO YOU (not to me or to anyone else) is so important. Glance over this list and see what stands out to you:
1. Accurate timbre (the natural sound of voice & instruments).
2. Clarity & nuance (you can hear all the details).
3. Dynamic contrast (liveliness).
4. Superb imaging for a single listener.
5. Good soundstaging over a wide listening area.
6. Natural-sounding bass.
7. Extreme deep bass extension.
8. Unobtrusive size and visual appeal.
9. Sounds great at low volumes.
10. Sounds great at medium volumes.
11. Sounds great at high volumes.
12. Forgiving of less-than-ideal recordings and sources.
13. Ruthlessly accurate and revealing.
14. Freedom from little colorations that remind you you're listening to boxes, not live music.
15. Works well with your favorite amplifier.
16. Works well in less-than-optimum room or location.
17. Non-fatiguing over long listening sessions.
18. Laid-back, middle-of-the-concert-hall presentation.
19. Immediate, front-of-the-concert-hall presentation.
20. Especially well suited to a particularly demanding type of music (you specify).
Some of these are mutually exclusive, so you can't have 'em all. Which ones do you think you'd most want?
Best of luck to you!
Duke
Welcome! I think you'll find that music well reproduced does good things for the soul, and I think you'll find your fellow audiophiles to be a very good bunch of people.
In my opinion, the worst deal in the world may well be to to fall for a great deal on the wrong thing. It's not the deal that matters, it's the end result. Unless your hobby is "getting a great deal". Of course you can always sell it if you don't like it, but a little groundwork can improve your chances.
The first step is to "know yourself". That is, to know what you want, know what you can live without in order to get what you want, and know what you definitely don't want. The best place to start is with a dealer. Go listen and see what you like. And then if that dealer educates you and you learn what you like and he has it, reward him by offering him your business.
This place probaly isn't the best place to start learning about which speakers you like, as the cost of getting first-hand knowledge is way too high. Those for whom Audiogon works well already have a pretty good idea of what they want (in speakers at least, as that's the most variable component). Knowledge really is worth more than a getting a great discount is.
Even at ten grand used, you'll have to juggle tradeoffs. That's why knowing what really matters TO YOU (not to me or to anyone else) is so important. Glance over this list and see what stands out to you:
1. Accurate timbre (the natural sound of voice & instruments).
2. Clarity & nuance (you can hear all the details).
3. Dynamic contrast (liveliness).
4. Superb imaging for a single listener.
5. Good soundstaging over a wide listening area.
6. Natural-sounding bass.
7. Extreme deep bass extension.
8. Unobtrusive size and visual appeal.
9. Sounds great at low volumes.
10. Sounds great at medium volumes.
11. Sounds great at high volumes.
12. Forgiving of less-than-ideal recordings and sources.
13. Ruthlessly accurate and revealing.
14. Freedom from little colorations that remind you you're listening to boxes, not live music.
15. Works well with your favorite amplifier.
16. Works well in less-than-optimum room or location.
17. Non-fatiguing over long listening sessions.
18. Laid-back, middle-of-the-concert-hall presentation.
19. Immediate, front-of-the-concert-hall presentation.
20. Especially well suited to a particularly demanding type of music (you specify).
Some of these are mutually exclusive, so you can't have 'em all. Which ones do you think you'd most want?
Best of luck to you!
Duke