How does one get off the merry-go-round?

Buy a Tivoli model 2 with a subwoofer for 240 dollars and forget about anything else.

Give all your money to charity so you won't have any to spend on tweaks, upgrades, or anything else. Then you'll just have to be happy with what you have.

I really like the sound of my gear so I haven't bought any equipment for many years. I am thinking of buying A Dac though, since I like using my 100cd changer but realize it isn't the best cdp. I am waiting for the prices to go down.

I always get excited about a great new recording, I'm in this for the music. Some like fiddling with gear, nothing wrong with that. I don't know about your figures for best available sound at $1000 or $5000, or whatever. I think it's kind of hard to say anything is 75% of the best sound or 90%, whatever. What is "best" sound?

To me if it sounds really good then your getting close. Of course, you have to have some idea what "really good" sounds like. I listened to a lot of different gear before I bought mine. You also have to go to places that carry some of the "best". Doubtful you would find that at Best Buy or Target. Some people (Hell, most) don't realize there are other places to buy audio gear.

I agree you can get wonderful equipment for $5 - 10K. For most people that's enough. I also know if money was no object I'd probably have solid Gold volume knobs on my pre-amp, and naked dancing girls playing harps in my living room. If I spent $100k would it be 10 times better? NO. But, it would be better (probably).

How many thousands your willing to pay for small improvements is probably dependent on your wallet. Where the sickness comes in is if your spending crazy sums that you don't have for something that you really don't need.

Do you get more excited about a new CD/LP or component? If the components are more interesting than the music it is hard to get off the upgrade wagon. I was looking through the Music Direct Catalog which sells everything from Creek to exotic stuff. They also sell audiofile quality music and classic music by the Byrds for example. It occurred to me that you can either stay with the same music and try to get it to sound better with better components. Or you can get new music. So is the emphasis on sound quality or the music? I get a bigger thrill with new music that any new component I can buy. Although this will probably change in 5-10 years as technology improves.
Naturally you want to get the best sound/value for the money spent but unless you can define a point of diminishing returns where further improvements are not worth the money, you'll never get beyond the equipment.
It has been said that you can get 75% of the best available sound quality for $1,000; and 95% for $5,000. To get the last 5% you could spend another $20,000 or more. It can be hard to stop or realize you're at the end of meaningful upgrades and end up spending more and more money on smaller and smaller improvements. But is this really worthwhile? If you're in this situation, DIY can be a good cure for idle hands and mind. Maybe a second system for the office or garage. It can be more satisfying than one you just go out and buy.
It has been said the best CDP made and which cost $10,000 in 1990 can be bettered today with a good quality (maybe Toshiba or Sony) CDP for $200.00. So just wait a couple of years and get better sound and for less money. Especially when you're pushing the limits of today's technology. I think this has been the case of lower cost integrated amps by YBA, Audio Refinement, Creek, and Musical Fidelity. Reviewers have said even a few years ago you would have to go with separates to get such good sound quality. Tommorrow's technology will be both better and cheaper so why not what a little bit?
I discovered I would rather listen to good music on a well set up $700.00 system than audiophile quality recordings of music I don't really like on a $30,000 system. Fortunately living in a prosperous country like the U.S., I can have both good music and a nice stereo but it helps to put things in perspective.

The merry-go-round is exactly what an audiophile needs to finally come to the conclusion, you need off. As an audiophile I would of never rested or been satisfied without trying different products. In my search I have at times wound up with an inferior system, only to go back to some of the pieces I used to own. It is tough to find that magical synergy match between different brands of components but not impossible. The wealth of information I now posess from the merry-go-round has made it much easier for me now to choose the correct components and be much happier.

Budrew,

Enlighten us with your great-sound-on-for-not-so-much systems - many want to know.

Buy upgrades only when you can distinguish the new from the old by means of objective, double-blind testing....

(Cutting and running)

How does one get off the merry-go-round? Find the system you love, that is, it gets you going, digging the music, it gets you wanting to get into more kinds of music, but whatever tradeoffs it has you can live with 'cause nothing is perfect. The merry-go-round can go on and on, and mine did, but pay attention to what you like and don't like and the lessons you learned. Be aware of these things and keep them in mind. Someday, you'll get there. THEN, you voluntarily get off the merry-go-round and be happy. Things just settle into place and it synergizes. Once you reach this point, don't second guess yourself. Keep in mind all you went through and realize there is no grail. You're already at the end of the rainbow. Now enjoy it for all it's worth.

But, FWIW, there IS a lot to learn and many different design philosophies. Enjoy the quest if you can and have fun. Don't give up too early if you simply don't like it. That final system doesn't have to be expensive either. There is lots of value out there to be found that will give you great sound.

The problem is, those musicians and Europeans you speak of don't have the disease we have. If we could be content--truly content--with mid-fi systems, I think many of us would be happy to do so.

I read that our brain gets used to a sound after awhile, so we can come to enjoy a sensible modest systems like the majority of Europians. Even an esoteric systems can fail to satisfy us at moments, coz we get used to the sound and it simply doesn't "wow" us any more.

So I decided to settle with a system that is:

A) About 70-150 watts per ch amp - discreet and wide current.
Old marantz 2270
Parasound HCA 1000
NAD
Inexpensive tube amp

B) Speakers without listener fatigue that is bit transparent and liquid

Niles audio
B*W
Paradigm
Speaker City
Mission
Tannoy
Athena

C) Soft souning CD player without that steely digitalness
Parasound 88
NAD
Denon DCM 370


D) Silver cables DIY

I have been around live music all my life, and I can enjoy the sound of mid-fi systems. Some of the Hifi components have gone beyond live sound, which is not a bad thing, but if you are looking to creating a pretty realistic sounding system to enjoy music, you can do it for 2k. Just look at all the Europians with an integrated amp and bookshelfs, and they tend to take music more seriously than we (americans) do.

Krell sounds great, but I can't help thinking where have I heard live sound that is that liquid, transparent, and powerful? HIfi has created a new art field in this exciting period we are living in, but music can be enjoyed for less, coz esoteric HIfi has gone beyond live sound. I just wish the CD industry comes up with a durable CD player that matches LP sound - Still less texture in digital. Anyone in the industry, please keep pushing the envelop higher for faster processing of more info. - computer CPU has been getting faster - We can take advantage of this.

Really expensive Cd player doesn't make sense to me at this point, coz LP is still better.

So, to get off your upgrade bug, think about all the musicians who are happy with mid-fi - They say it is realistic enough to be enjoyed. Think about all the Europians with modest systems, and they take art appreciation seriously!

From the files of pop psychology, the actions that are rewarded are repeated almost unconsciously. When we buy a new component, it usually looks and sounds better, and we are rewarded, hence our habit of upgrade is reinforced. Manufacturers tempt us with beutiful looking pieces as if to say you can buy class and gentlemanship here.

So, while I am against constant bank breaking upgrades,
economical tweaks are always fun and educational. One of the benefits of dedication to a hobby is that we learn incredible amount with child like ease... and it's good for our brain, and keeps us young at heart.

You are right, we should get off this constant bank breaking upgrade bug - it will make our loved ones happy... and simply enjoy the music

Hard answer to find, and it is mostly personal for most. I am willing to share mine. I used to have 15K speakers, 3K preamp, 5K amplifier and so on....total cost of system around 25K. I downgraded with a smile, although I do admit that the smile came in after only 2 to 3 months as part of a ''reality check'' phase. I will not get into how I came to realize that I did want to get off, that's a whole other topic. Let's just assume that you do want off, but want to make it a painless as possible right? Here's My formula.

1. Get gear that LOOKS great.

There are many ways to get cheaper gear, and a lot of cheaper gear do sound pretty good. But I feel better if the gear happens to be great looking, so you can still be proud to diplay it (All audiophiles, while many won't admit it, love to diplay their gear). But the real reason is, it should look good to YOU. For my part, I went from a mega-buck Sonic Frontiers preamp and amp to an Audiomat Arpege integrated, arguably one of the sexiest looking unit regardless of price.

2. Get gear that sound good,but not at the top echelon of excellence.

This is hard because we have a habit of comparing, after owning expensive equipement that spoiled us. So....we must STOP ANALYZING AND STOP COMPARING TO THE PREVIOUS set-up, and think of the artist playing.

3. Listen to some cd's or LP's of the pre-audiophile days.

If you totally tripped on The Beatles's SGT Pepper album, or Billy Joel's The Stranger, or Pachelbel's Canon, or Vivaldi's...whatever, it should bring back great memories of when music was more important than the equipment it was played on (and especially what you were doing or where you were at that time). It did work for me! My first high school date was partly spent listening to ''The Best of Bread'' on a Pioneer SX-525 receiver, a dual turntable and some cheap housebrand, no-name generic speakers (wow, did it sound GOOD! back then... ) - in my mind, I have never encoutered a high-end system that could replay these songs as well as this system did that evening!! Joking aside, there is some truth to this...

Pursuing my downsizing, I went from magnificient 15K speakers to a pair of 2K Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home (going back to rule no.1 again, they LOOK great, and they sound good)Even my wife think they look beautifull - an easy feat with any Italian speaker really.

4. Take 10% of the expensive gear sold, and buy something sensible and practical - don't laugh - a new dishwasher or refrigirator will bring a tangible proof to your family that all is not bad in downsizing! A weekend getaway will also do wonders...

5. Lastly, get sensible but quality equipment for the rest of the system - Audioquest type 4 speaker cable (cheap but still ok),some discontinued Wireworld Equinox interconnects, DVD player than can do double duty (any of the flagship Sonys will do, the old 7000, 7700, and of course the superb 9000ES. (I'm selling mine as I am simplifying further to a dedicated, simple-box cd player.

And voilà, you have downgraded ''almost'' without pain and kept your dignity !! Of course, even a pair of Grand Pianos can be considered expensive and not really a downgrade for some. The important thing is, if downgrading is a path to follow, it's always possible to do so. Heck, you can always goo back to ''it'' in a few years if you want to. These are only toys after all...

Hope this made for an interesting read...Good Luck!

My last post was written with a certain degree of levity in mind. Seems it didn't shine through though. People stateside (and elsewhere, I imagine) seem to forget all the good that the Catholic Church did over the years. I remember hearing not long ago on Public Radio a program where situations quite similar to those causing such problems to the Catholic Church were reported nationwide in the public school system. Two wrongs don't make one right, I readily admit, but could the propensity of the US way of doing things by awarding insane amounts in civil suits to those going after defendants with deep pockets be overcompensating some claimants and leaving others in the lurch? Seems strange to me that some think nothing of bankrupting the Church but bend over backwards to protect the billions of dollars ill gotten by the tobacco companies and reinvested in food companies as a way of protecting this loot. Well back to more important things.

2nd the -embrace it- theory. If you hear the expensive stuff you may realize it really isn't as great as it's hyped to be. If you don't go out and listen, well; your imagination can play on all the hype you read and make you think $20,000 speakers are that much better than $2,000 speakers. And if you do listen and they're better, you'll only be out $18,000 :-). Usually more bass and louder spl is all you get for more money.
I read about one guy who taped a picture of some $15,000 speakers over his humble rig and imagined that was what he was listening to.

Yes, definitely embrace it Gunnar.

I think many centuries ago, Martin Luther would have made a fine audiophile. And if the day ever comes, rise up and fight against the Audio Inquisition.

Pbb, I think Gunnar is saying something quite different. Human nature being what it is, sometimes it is what you deny and repress that you inadvertently empower. The Catholic church state side is sadly coming to terms with this fact. This is not the first time. Disavowing the worldly they ruled the world rather mercilessly for some centuries.

Turn away from food or sex and see what is on your mind most often.

All folks work their way through this, IMHO. Most of the great Christians were great sinners first (Paul, Augustine,......). If you deny the journey you deny the destination.

Probably sounds too much like pop psychology for a catholic.


Sincerely
I remain,

Gunnar: is this an application of the philosophy that the only way to deal with temptation is to give in to it? As a Catholic, I strongly object to this concept.

Thoughts in line with mine here may have already been posted - if so, please disregard. If not...

In a word: Embrace it. That's right. The subconscious mind often works 180 degrees 'out of phase' with the conscious mind. In other words, if you keep 'telling' yourself that you must get off the merry-go-round - you will actually end up doing just the opposite.

Instead, embrace the notion that you really like this hobby. You can't wait to go out and look at/drool/audition the latest and greatest gear. Turn it loose. Watch what happens... You will begin to become more at ease with what you have and be able to not only live with what you got - but actually like it - for a long time.

HI,

I recently went from separates to a YBA integrated.

For me its the minimalist thing. Why spend more if you can do it for less; less clutter, less investment but same or even better quality of sound. With what's been happening here and around the world (terrorism, war, Asian severe accute respirtory syndrome etc...) its nice to go back to basics.

Simple, Quality systems that sound great.

Less Hype more music :)

I've done it.
I have the exact same system I've had for 3 yrs.
Sure,I wouldn't mind some new speakers.My k-horns are fine,I'm just bored with them.Lately,I've been lusting for
a pair of planars[accustats,eminent techs,maggies].I would to trade for a pair,but living in the weeds of Wisconsin I
don't think that will happen soon.I think that is what happens to most of us.Our gear sounds great,but we just get
"bored" with the sound of it.

I notice a couple of others 'dropped out' with their Quad speakers, and I myself accomplished all my audio goals with diplole speakers. I believe that is where 'true to the original' Nirvana is located.

The Quads, Maggies, and MartinLogan, etc. however have that spesky bass integration, and narrow 'sweet spot' problem. Issues that have successfully been resolved with an active EQ/XO open baffle system to complete satisfaction.

Check out: www.linkwitzlabs.com Siegfried is the man. Really.

Stop subscribing to TAS, Stereophile, etc. It would seem that the guiding philosophy of these mags is "If it's new and expensive, get rid of your old, obsolete stuff and suck up your losses, and go into debt to get the latest "fave rave". There is no cure for this addiction, but cancelling your subscriptions might help!

Don't catch the magic ring!

I'm am completely done. That's it, finished, I have reached the peek, the hilltop, the top of the mountain. I really mean it, well for now anyway. Well come to think of it, maybe not, someone (he knows who he is) is sending me new power cords to try again. So I guess I am back on, at least for a few more days and oh yeah, a dealer wants me to try the new Accuphase SACD/CD player but then I am done for sure, right? Yes. Well I may also want to try that Audio Note DAC I have heard about, but then I am done, well at least until I get to hear a few new speakers, yeah then I am done, finished, no more. Well does anyone know what the next greatest thing that is coming to market this year? Oh I forgot, I am done.

At least then I will be, I am sure of it!

Spend all of your money on liquor.

True, JRD, besides, no one has reinvented the wheel and there are classics and classics sleepers around! Cheers,

sometimes going retro will get you off the merry go round for a longer period of time...its less expensive too.

I agree with Btstrg, i dont think you really get off the merry go round. You lay low for a couple of months or years then you get the itch to upgrade yet again.

I don't think you ever do?? I keep telling my wife and friends I am done after each upgrade, all I get is a little smile and hear sure you are?? I recently tried to down size and I did for about 4 weeks,and swore up and down I WOULD never get rid of my Pass Labs X250 when I bought it, well 9 months later it is on it's way out.

Be satisfied with what you have. If you keep worrying there is something better out there or something is wrong with your system, you'll never be done with it.

if you enjoy your music system with the least expensive interconnects and speaker wire...congratulations,you are on terra firma again.

Once you have decided to flee the merry-go-round: attach yourself to a sensible woman, one intolerant of aesthetic or other excess; seek a career keeping you on the move -- now nowhere to build a rig or lend your ear to proper gear --; force and circumstance failing, renounce, give your toys and coin away; in the absence of means no merry-go-round will prevail. Notwithstanding this, be free - enjoy!

l listen to what you have and enjoy the attributes. update only when truly necessary. the latest isnt always the greatest. incremental gains arent worth ludicrous money. i was quite happy with my sys for a long time and then bought an arc sp3a1 used for cheeeeeep. BOING! the sound was so much better than the adcom 565 pre i was using which wasnt bad to start with. i sent it to minnesota where it was upgraded to sp3c. replaced my fried RIIs with spendor s3/5s. mmmmmmmmmm, goodie! snatched a vpi19III/smeIV/sumiko virtuoso talisman vdh for a grand (too good of a price to pass up). oyeah, i forgot the kimber 8tc 15' set for $50. bought a gorilla rack, an sacd player and b+k ht pre, the switching was crummy with 2 VCRs and a dvdp. these changes have been long in coming and long in happening. after i hook up all the amp channels and stuff, i will take it easy for about 5 years. or so i say.
i cruised with passive surround for about 10 years (actually have been doing it since the 70s on and off), now its time to step forward. music first of course.
actually a lot of time passes between my changes in system, i just had abot a couple of years of important changes. the sacd player actually doubles as a dvd, the other one was my daughters and she took it into her bedroom.

.......regards.......tom

I don't know if I know how to get off. For me, the biggest improvement I ever heard in sound, was when I bought my first cartridge that was not a ceramic. Remember them? I grew up with them. Always a penny taped to the end of the tonearm. When I bought a Garrard turntable with an Empire cartridge it really WAS like night and day. Things were on my records that I never knew was there. It was my first shot of the drug. Since then, nothing has given me that much of an improvement. Sure, some things were better, but never that much better. I know some people that have had through re-hab for cocaine addiction, and they tell me that they never get the high they got the first time they used the drug, although that's what they're chasing from then on.

I thought I would be remiss if I did not update my comments above. I only lasted about 6 months after I downsized. I found I could not live with the sound and had to go back from an integrated ss amp to tube separates. I now have sound that is "musically satisfying" and do not plan any upgrades unless something breaks. I have still been able to stick to a reasonably low budget and have been able to achieve 95% of the sound I used to have at about 40% of the investment level.

Drubin:

I cannot speak for anyone else. I think that everyone else has their own way of getting off of the ""high-end" audiophile component of the month" merry-go-round?? Me myself??? If you were to liken me to anyone here at "Audiogon"??? Then I would be a combination of "Psychicanimal" and "Sdcampbell". Because just like "Psychicanimal", I hold the viewpoint that the system that you design is an extention of your personality, and to a greater extent, an extention to the music that you listen to. Therefore, because I listen to R&B (both modern and classic), Rap & Hip-Hop, Jazz, and some Light Rock, I don't need an "over-the-top-system" to get the most out of the music that I listen to. For me, a "middle-of-the-road" system will do just fine. My system is revealing enough to allow me to pick out instruments (what type they are, who makes them, and where they are placed on stage in the recording) and identify artists as well, but is well rounded enough for me to play music sometimes without getting too serious about it. When it is all said and done, my system is going to have a "get-up-and-boogie" factor too. That way, I can get even more pleasure out of my R&B and Rap recordings too. I am now shopping for a Subwoofer to mate with my British made KEF's (they're made in England, so that qualifies them for British) which will allow me to do JUST that. And I am like "Sdcampbell" in the sense that I always tend to shop for components that offer a "high performance to the dollar" ratio, and can do more than is otherwise possible at a given price point. That's why I tend to go for components that offer me a lot of engineering and know how, but at affordable amounts of money (i.e.-- Adcom, Thorens, and now..... Monolithic). I also tend to go for designs that can withstand time. That is because I am not interested in buying and changing components every time a new component comes out. I prefer to do it right the first time, or else, don't do it at all. Now, when this system is finally completed, what will ACTUALLY happen after the fact??? Who knows??? But I will say this. My intent right now is to put together a system that is going to have some staying power behind it. When I am done, I intend to stand pat for a VERY long time. Now, if I were to upgrade today, then what I would probably do is go for simplicity as opposed complexity. And for that, to me, that would mean a pair of high quality monitors (like my KEF's, but only more expensive this time. The intent then is to upgrade my sound quality) being married to a "high-end" integrated, being topped off yet by a high quality digital source and ONE analog source (and that mean LPs will reign supreme and cassettes will be out).

That would be MY way of getting off of the "merry-go-round".

--Charles--

I am FAR from being off the merry go round but anyhow.....
* KNOW WHAT YOU WANT **
If you aren't sure what you want how will know when you've found it? If there is something blantantly wrong in your current setup then there's an obvious fix.
I want neutrality. Good luck to anyone deciding to add colorations to their sound. I wouldn't know where to start. So I'm guilty of letting others form my opinions but here goes:
==>As Sam Tellig says in his Jauary 1999 Pathos Twin Towers review "over time, neutrality wears very well". Mike Sanders said in Sterephile March 2001 "An SET is fun at first but kind of grates on you after awhile.. the bad points start eating away at you...I don't think having a little less bass or a less high is annoying...the annoying thing is the higher distortion because you don't get the distortion cancellation that you do with push pull".
*** TRUST YOUR OWN EARS ******
Hearing is a skill which is developed over time and with a lot of effort. But it is subjective and there is little agreement between people on anything. You can get totally confused reading everyone's opinion on the web. Better to spend your time in the stores listening to stuff and developing your own opinions and hearing skills. Then you can be confident in what you know.
*** DON"T OBSESS OVER THE LAST FEW PERCENT ***
Wire, power cords, vibration isolation (except for TT), amber blocks, Auric Illuminator, and on and on. First there may be no difference. There is no measured data to show that there could be any audible differences (unless a mfg'r intentionally messes with the AC waveform to color the sound). Search Audio Asylum on Auric Illiminator. No one can even agree on what it does to the sound! Some say it's more bright. Others say it smoothes the sound out.
No one in the history of mankind can tell the differences between wire if they can't see it first.
These last few percent can make you loose sight between reality and fantasy. What you perceive and what really exists. If there are differences, they are extremely slight. Why get hung up on "magic sh!t"?
*** OWNING A STEREO IS WALKING A TIGHTROPE ***
I am always wondering, will buying better stuff make me HAPPY? If so, for how long? What happens once the newness wears off. When my ears adjust to the better sound?
Then I'll wonder if I'd be just as satisfied if I had spent less. Learn to accept and be happy with a bit less resolution. If someone switches components and I walk back in the room and can't tell the difference or don't care, why should I pay for that??? If a cheaper component doesn't annoy me over time why upgrade?
Is there something better out there? I don't know. Go to the stereo shop and give it a listen.
*** JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING SOUNDS DIFFERENT DOESN"T MEANS IT"S BETTER ***
You can get bored with your stereo if you spend your time listening to components and not the music. So buy more music, forget the components! I push my speakers back. Get more bass. Great! A week later I pull 'em out into the room. Better frequency response and midrange. Great! Not better - different. But that was free. How many amps should I buy to keep changing the type of sound? Gets expensive and I'm not really moving forward. Only in circles.

I agree with Garfish. I'm balls to the wall when it comes to high end audio.

Right on!

I could quit anytime, I just don't choose to right now. :-)

Maybe after the New York show. :-) :-)

"hunter..." had hit the spot! We are just like drug-addicts.
I am kicking the habbit as we speak. Drubin, you are on the right path...don't give-up. Don;t be a sucker (like 99% poster on these pages, including me) anymore!

I kicked the habit completely for 20 years! Got rid of all my audio equipment; i was buying and selling every week! I doubled up my opera subscription, bought tickets to three Carnegie Hall subscriptions every year, went to jazz clubs a couple times per month. It wasn't completely cold turkey as I am in the music business and listen to music all day long in and out of studios. But the listening I did for pleasure was to live music. And there was no system at home. Now I have just bought a system and all that "live" listening has served me well in making judgements. But believe it or not I still have to resist the temptation to fiddle around. Witness the fact that I am on these boards!

Own multiple systems. Not every recording sounds good on every system, right?. So put together as many systems as necessary to enable you to enjoy *all* of your recordings.

This also helps solve the problem of what to do with leftover gear when you upgrade your main system.

For those days when you need the illusion of simplicity, hide your system behind sonically transparent screens or -- as a last resort -- add an in-wall system to your collection of hi-fi's.

Eventually, we will all wind up sitting in front huge horn speakers from the 1950's listening through H. H. Scott receivers to 78's played on turntables with three-pound tonearms painted brown. But until then, it is our *obligation* as audiophiles to have owned (and kept!) as many different combinations of equipment as possible.

Now enough talk about "getting off the Merry-Go-Round" and return to the "For Sale" section.

Lots of good ideas here. The one I most agree with is the poster who wrote "don't read the mags". He's right. Every time I pick up one of these things there's some ear and eye candy, not unlike seeing some mags with scantily clad and attractive ladies. Don't know about you guys, but that will most definitely put the wrong thoughts in my mind. BTW, look at Musical Fidelity's latest ads for their NuVista: "audio jewelry for the ears and eyes". That should tell us something about their knowing how to pull our strings.

There is no getting off! It is like being in the Mafia, (which doesn't exist), once your in, your in for life! If you try to get off the merry-go-round, the Audio gods will strike you with deafness!

I don't think I could ever get off the merry-go-round because I have always loved this hobby. As I have gotten older though I have tried to simplify my system. I now have a nice integrated tube amplifier, smaller floor-standing speakers (so I don't have to mess around with stands), a high-end cd player and high quality interconnects and speaker cables. I still feel, eventhough I have downsized, that it is important to stay with quality high-end equipment.

I have a friend who's been in this since the early 1970s. He recently dumped his Conrad Johonson and Theta separates, and bought a Classe integrated amp and a Theta Miles. He likes the new system better than the old, and he put some cash in his pocket.

You can always develop a serious hearing loss

I must be doing something wrong, 'cause when I use it, I can't tweak it, and when I've used enough of it, it tweaks me. This leaves me all perplexed. Has that to do with the ongoing battle in these pages between subjectivists and that strange brotherhood of EEs, whoever they might be. Aliens? Please enlighten!
Sincerely clueless,

Bottle-neck ferrites?? Check out the full back page ad in Whineophile. I've got all the back issues if your interested ...can't bear to part with them and February is the special annual cork issue with all the "A" recommendations.

Sincerely, I remain

Corks, pbb. Corks. A simple cork upgrade can open whole new dimensions in your tastebudstage. I recently replaced the corks in a case of Chateau Montelana cabernet with Lafitte Rothchild corks w/Van Alstine mods ($350 for 12). Wow! It was as though a veil was lifted, revealing fascinating gustatory details previously hidden from taste. Oaks simply became oakier; cherry-chocolates were cherry-chocolatier; vanilla was vanillaier (sic). Tertiary flavors lingered longer on the palate with not the slightest hint of Mogen David aftertaste.

Next tweak for me: Lingual Alchemy wine racks. A bit expensive at $12K for the 48-bottle model but where else can you find that perfect blend of engineering (components laser cut in an argon atmosphere) with high-tech materials (osmium-tungsten alloy tubing filled with Maui sand quadruple-washed with water from Lourdes and sun-dried in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Great things portend. Full report follows.

Will

PS. Anybody know where I can pick up some bottle-neck ferrites?

Pbb, we all start dying the minute we are played. Maybe I fell some psychological affinity with vinyl(we need to talk Detlof). Not touchy, just the truth and the sooner one realizes it the better. You will notice from my last post(i wasn't kidding), I never enjoyed the music more than when the bacon was popping. By the way, I enjoy talk with you notwithstanding our differences. And, with regard to the olfactory issue, have you ever tried noseplugs, I never sit down to serious listening without them.