I actually went on a HIFI spending spree this year. I spent more on two components this year than I’ve spent over the last 49 years of participation in this hobby. That’s not completely true. For about thirty of those years I was an absentee “audiophile”. The equipment required to produce what I thought was the sound I wanted was out of both my budget and incompatible with my living situation so I just changed focus to whatever is good enough.
Over the last decade as both my living situation and disposable income increased I learned thru experience how wrong I was about what I valued in stereo equipment. Big power amps and tower speakers didn’t sound as good to me as a SET tube amps and horn speakers. ( For over forty years I thought horn speakers were the devil and were better used for removing paint from the walls. )
So how did I purchase these two components. I basically thru reading forums such as this, watching youtube and reading reviews of all kinds of equipment for over a decade, I taught myself what type of products produced the sound signature I preferred. I had gone from Raspberry PI DAC, to an MHDT tube R2R DAC to a PSAudio MK1. After reading all the posts about upgrading this DAC I was sure that replacing the transformers and all the tweaks was the way to go. I actually tried to buy one but had such a bad experience with the seller that it made question his credibility so I went another way. In my research I read a paper about how Mojo DACs output was different than other types of DACs and it was on sale so unheard I spent double of what I had planned on spending for the MK1 upgrade.
I also spend a lot of time listening and tweaking and researching why this tweak changes the sound and this other tweak makes no difference. For reference I’d gone to several high end audio stores imposed on several Agon members just to listen. After I’d confirmed I was really on the right track of what I preferred I actually went to the builder to listen to what I thought I wanted. He of course first played a different amp (at double the price) of what I thought I wanted. At that point I couldn’t go back. So I bought it.
So after a short novel.
I research experiences not gear.
I go with my gut. If the experience doesn’t feel great I move on.
Study, compare, read, read some more and don’t rush
Follow the rabbit trail. You don’t have to agree to gain insight
Don’t be a sheep. Make your own trail it’s your stereo after all. It’s all about what sounds good to you
Have an understanding wife. Everything is expensive in the long run an equitable plan will allow you to get a lot more enjoyment if everyone is on board.