The old AR turntable sounded pretty good, along with the Adcom amps and old Dahlquist speakers. Then came the CJ amps and preamp, and the Pass Labs Phono stage and the Rega Rp6. Way better, but not where I wanted to be. So, out went the RP6 and in comes the RP10, and some EgglestonWorks Viginti's, and now I have a really great sounding system.
I think you can hear some really expensive stuff and it can sound great, or not so great, depending on the gear itself and the set up.
There's a point of diminishing returns, and i think I am close to it, or at least hope that I am. I can't imagine spending much more money to get anything sounding appreciably better.
Whenever I doubt how far my system has come, I connect the old AR (which was great for its day), and then say "wow, even with all the new gear, just using the old turntable makes a huge difference.
It helps to know what you are shooting for, and hearing some nicer gear makes it easier to define, and perhaps find. But then comes the synergy piece, which I think is a matter of art and science and personal preference.
I think you can hear some really expensive stuff and it can sound great, or not so great, depending on the gear itself and the set up.
There's a point of diminishing returns, and i think I am close to it, or at least hope that I am. I can't imagine spending much more money to get anything sounding appreciably better.
Whenever I doubt how far my system has come, I connect the old AR (which was great for its day), and then say "wow, even with all the new gear, just using the old turntable makes a huge difference.
It helps to know what you are shooting for, and hearing some nicer gear makes it easier to define, and perhaps find. But then comes the synergy piece, which I think is a matter of art and science and personal preference.