Hi, I grew up with with mid Fi in the 70’s. When I stopped I had a Sansui 9090 and JBL’s , Pioneer TT and a mediocre cassette deck. Years later I got the bug and did a mid Fi surround system , Yamaha , Klipsch, Oppo. About 10 years ago I wanted to get back into stereo. The first issue is the lack of audio shops. I’m near Fresno and the county population is over a million and we have a single Magnolia at Best Buy. So at first I went back to the stuff I left off with in the 70’s and early 80’s. I found out that gear didn’t sound as good as I remembered it. I tried to revisit the Dynaco stuff I had as a kid and was not satisfied. Given the lack of any ability to audition locally , I did a lot of internet browsing and took a few estimated guesses. I got back into tubes with a little Had Inspire amp, a Rogue RP-1 pre and Zu omens. I moved up in DAC’s to a Schiit Yiggy and a Innuos Mini streamer. Tube prices were still reasonable so I spent about $2500 rolling tubes. I’ve had a great time and a satisfactory learning curve. Today I’m moving up again with a pair of freshly serviced and modded Rogue M-180 Dark’s and a Rogue Hera pre. So once again I need speakers and there’s nowhere to go. I’ve received some great advise but to spend $5-10k on new/ used speakers leaves me in that position again. I’m finally to the point where I must go out and audition. So I guess it’s off to LA or some other big city. Looking back at my mistakes I should have attended audio shows and sought more advise on equipment compatibility and synergy. Also understanding how given speakers interact with my room and certain amps. I really miss the old days of walking into a store and auditioning multiple systems and getting experienced advise. But I always remember that it’s as much the destination as the journey. I wish you a happy experience and hope you meet some great people as I have. Regards , Mike B.
Do sound characteristics matter when moving from midfi to hifi?
Like many, i'm waiting and researching while waiting until I can afford my next upgrades. As I read the pluses/minuses of each piece, I wonder if it only matters once you reach a certain level. Hypothetically, if going from Sony, Marantz, Schiit am I going to find something that I don't like about Pass Labs, Conrad Johnson, Coda? Everything I have, I bought online so I din't audition anything prior. Back in the 80s, when I bought my 1st system, (Yamaha, Infiniti) I bought what I could afford again without much auditioning. Just curious on the point of view from the more seasoned crowd.