I think it’s completely overwhelming...

Wow this is a earth shaking thread.

6007 posts, 6006 totally useless posts.

you sure add a lot to Audiogon EBM.  Your last 20 responses were about the same.  “I’ll be up all night thinking about this”.

honestly, Kenjit is more helpful and useful than you, EBM

Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety/nine percent inspiration. - Thomas A Edison.                   EBM give's one percent toward's posting but he's up all night sweating in bed over these threads!!                I say appreciation should be given in just how much he truly cares!!

Yes, I know you meant 99% perspiration.

I was at a time attack event a few years ago and there was this 18 year old girl (whom I’m sure had professional training / guidance) driving a stock, base model dodge neon around the track on 3 wheels faster than 60 year old rich guys in Porsche 911 Turbos. She’s an audiophile who just happened to get into racing instead. Just imagine what she could do with that Porsche 911 Turbo

Driving is such a great metaphor! One year for my birthday we rented a whole go-kart track. This was back when I was an active PCA Driving Instructor. Invited a bunch of friends. About half were PCA. We had a whole bunch of races over several hours. Everyone had a chance at all the karts.

At the end of the event they gave me a printout breaking down all the results on all the cars across all the races. The results were astounding!

Fastest lap time, there was a clear break. ALL the PCA people on top, followed by all the others. Male or female, didn’t matter. Even one kid, too young to drive but his PCA dad had taken him to events, taught him about threshold braking, turn-in, weight transfer, late apex line, all of it. Even that kid was faster than any of the others with no formal driver training.

The times were also broken down by kart, and race by race. The same clear break applied kart by kart. All the PCA drivers were faster in each and every kart. The fastest kart was never the fastest kart unless it had a trained driver in it.

All my life before joining PCA and getting proper driver instruction I was sure I was a really good driver. Absolutely sure of it. Only after about a year of instruction did it really sink in not only how clueless I was, but how much more I still had to learn. A full year. Think of it.

The difference is so vast.... when I started it was all I could do to drive in the Novice group and be stressed and sweating bullets while being passed by everyone. Two years later I took a student for a ride in the much faster Intermediate Run Group and without even trying was modulating and maintaining my spacing and my student remarked it was so smooth he could hardly believe it.

Any given track day there’s about 100-120 drivers. Call it 100. Out of those 100 there’s roughly 20 first-timers, another 20 Novice, maybe 30 Intermediate, 20 Advanced, and 10 Instructors. The classes break down as well. Only a few of the Instructors are really good.

Just like here they all talk to each other. Just like here they all pretend to know what they’re talking about. Just like here a few of them actually do.

Just like here one of the more common assumptions is its the equipment. Its the tires. Wheels. Springs. Bars, brakes and of course engine. Horsepower. My great epiphany came when I had a real good look at the car of a guy I just could not keep up with and scrutinized and quizzed him to death and finally had to admit to myself his car was slower than mine. He was faster only because he knew how to drive better.

Its like that here too. Only we don’t have a Novice run group. And everyone thinks they’re the Instructor.

Thank's Geoff! My emotions must had been flying mighty high to not see my mistake.

Millercarbons quote 
  Its like that here too. Only we don’t have a Novice run group. And everyone thinks they’re the Instructor. 

I have been at this for about 5 years and counting . I am always learning and willing to listen . I have paid for good advice and a great listening session with Jim Smith . Most of my working life I was a engine builder I was paid to build engines that performed well for there applications . I use the same approach in audio the room is the vehicle the speakers & amp the engine . I would like to listen to other well set up systems and willing to have others listen to mine . I have attended some audio shows and for the most part was disappointed by the sound quality in most rooms including the high dollar ones . I would like to attend the HiFI WIGMAN show in the UK . That show is audiophiles competing against each other for best sound . Knowledge and a open mind is the path to great sound 
RC 

Keep it simple, stick to basics,  stay with products and companies with a proven track record, and it will be OK.  
This ain’t rocket science. 

Not to be a prick but why do I want to stick with companies with a proven track record?  Who are those and are they better than other companies in what ways?

To me most of the long term names make similar products and the parts quality is pure junk. More money into the chassis than the product.

My Lafayette KT-550 tube power amp beats the crap out of most amps I have ever heard and since I do repairs, I have heard so many and upgraded them with better parts my head spins.  I have four here now from companies with proven track records in need of repair.

It is not rock science so why do so many pick something that is nothing special?

Happy Listening 

If its overwhelming, two things that would really help, more organization, less elitism.

I was born audiophile, but looking back, for all the time and money I put into it never really made much progress until I picked up a copy of Robert Harley’s The Complete Guide to High End Audio. Harley goes into each component in detail, explaining function and purpose in detail that includes the importance of power supplies and various circuits and subcomponents. Even though I had built a Dynaco ST400 years ago and knew a lot of this it really helped it gel in my mind. These all started to become real actual things not just words on a page.

If I had to pick one most valuable chapter it would be the one on audio terminology. Grain, glare, fatigue, imaging, focus, air, and dozens more- Harley discusses their meaning in such clear detail you will understand so well merely reading this chapter is guaranteed to improve your next listening session.

Another unwelcome roadblock is elitism. Elitism takes many forms. The obvious one is the retailer who exudes a haughty air of superiority and makes you feel as if its your duty to prove you are worth being granted the privilege of paying for, er I mean owning, er I mean even listening to his Precious. Or they show their elitism by setting themselves up as highly expert consultants- everyone else being all shills and touts. Some even show their elitism by acting as if they are so above it all they cannot even deign to take the subject seriously and so do nothing but joke about it.

Millercarbon's quote
"He was faster only because he knew how to drive better."
Reminds me of the expression - "it's not the wand it's the magician"
 

Remember "common sense?" That is being able to put the MOST important things first, then look for more details, if necessary.

The LARGEST variable in ANY system is going to be the main USER of the system. His/Her own ability to HEAR, understand, judge, feel and decide the REST of the variables is key.

Since MOST "audiophiles" are self absorbed, this is lost on them. The fact that they are the direct observer, judge, and usually client (the one who pays for it all) makes this a very enjoyable group to fool, befuddle and con with continuing lies and distortions of things which are payed for in the four digit upward range. Most people can't hear worth a damn. 

The room is a pretty important variable too. Should we start with that or end with it? Probably just consider it as a link in the chain I would think.
Moving everything to a different room has been the most profound tweak for me.
With no room conditioning at all and using the same hardware, it makes everything else I’d done previously now just seem like deck-chair shuffling.
That’s about as simple as it can get if you have the luxury to consider it.

@enginedr1960 The hi-fi scene seems very robust in the UK. Most likely, it's due to the great heritage of idlers, tubes, and speakers, the willingness and ability to tweak rather than spend, and the density of population. I envy them their DIYaudio and wigwam.