Don't do anything!


A couple months ago I posted a question on the forums that I was looking for the next level of imaging from my system and was contemplating better speakers.  As per usual there were many responses of varying degrees advice.

Since then I have done nothing to pursue this next level.  The reason for my inaction - my system is breaking.  What I mean by that is I had made a few upgrades to my system  - which were new power cable for the amp, newer speaker cables and finally a cartridge that has about 150 hrs on it. All of these changes are moving from the break in stage into what they can do for better sound.  So now my system is maturing and delivering on what I am looking for.  So the moral of the story is - leave it alone, stop tweaking.  Let your system evolve.

Thanks for the advice fellow music lovers!

polkalover

@dwcda - I can understand your skepticism.  What I am noticing is the system settling in.  The details become more apparent.  It could be totally imagined or maybe a mood I'm in- but as for now I am enjoying what I'm hearing and that's what its all about.  

I’ll share an experience I had with gear breaking in. Years ago I needed to buy two of the same stereo amp for a bi-amping project I was working on. I got the amps long before I was ready to use both of them, so I gave them both a listen, determined they sounded the same, and then I put one back in its box and played the other one around the clock for a month. When I wasn’t home or in bed I played pink noise through load resistors.

After one month the improvement was very obvious to my ears. So, I pulled the other one out of the box and compared it. It had improved just as much! This doesn’t tell everybody’s story, but it does suggest that we break in as much as the gear does. It takes time to adapt to a system that sounds different. These amps sounded brighter, leaner in the bass than what I had before. They were early switching amps with digital input, and because of that they were a zero feedback design. When I plugged in an amp with actual feedback the bass was overwhelming at first, and seemed excessively thick in the lower mids.

I agree, enjoyment is what it's all about. There's no exactly correct sound presentation, but over time you may find you can adapt to some better than others. It does take time to settle in to a sound to discover what it has to offer, and where it ultimately may disappoint. 

Currently I don't change equipment much, but with active crossovers that I can change at a whim, I get a lot of different sounds. I've learned to listen for at least a few weeks before changing something, unless it's unbearable. Also, it's great that I can save settings and compare them again later. Everything has ups and downs. Lately I've settled on a more prominent midrange sound that's rolled off a little more than what it takes to get best realism and airiness. It sort of sounds old fashioned to me, but it's proven easy to listen to for many weeks now.

Could it possibly be you? My understanding of noise evolves over time. My listening experience has gotten much better. Even though my Hearing ability is diminished because I am 74 years old. I often hear things that I’ve never heard before on LPs that I’ve listened to several times. They were always there. I never heard them though. I’ve had the same speakers in front end for three years, but my hearing continues to evolve. 
 

Bent

I didn’t say that right what I meant was my HEARING experience continues to evolve.