Is advice from a constant upgrader to be avoided


For a while now I've been reading these forums and to be honest i was thinking of leaving. I felt a bit out of depth given that it seems so many others have had so much experience through owning what seems to be tens of speakers, amplifiers, DACs etc etc and reading people buying and selling piece after piece after piece on the search for some sound.... 

When someone asks advice about a certain item it seems like half the audience have owned it and moved on and have a comment to make. I then read about someone buying an extremely expensive amp and deciding quickly to sell it because it doesn't sound right. Then someone else is on their fourth DAC in a year. 

So all these people have advice to give. What I'm wondering now is, is advice from a person who's never content, constantly changing their system, never living with a system for long enough, and have more money than patience, really the right person to take advice from? .

There seems fewer (maybe they're less vocal) people who buy gear and spend the time to appreciate it, and have maybe only had a very few systems in their lifetime. I think I'd rate their advice higher on the gear they know than the constant flipper/upgrader.

Is the constant flipper/upgrader always going to say that the gear they used to own was no good and they've now got better? Maybe their constant searching is because their ear is no good or they're addicted to the rush of opening a new box. 

Just because person X has owned a lot of equipment doesn't mean their advice is to be sought after, it could mean the exact opposite.

mid-fi-crisis

Showing 5 responses by arch2

@ebm why on earth is that your go to response? An urgent need to exercise your fingers?

@mid-fi-crisis I seek opinions from all kinds. I especially want to hear from someone who has owned or owns a product I'm interested in. If they love it I want to know why. If they didn't care for it I try to find out why, with what equipment, in what size room, and with what music. Their dislike may be closer to my preference. I would avoid the folks who have plenty to say about items they have never heard. BTW love the screen name.

Some of us really enjoy the journey. It's not about being unsatisfied, it's about trying new stuff with different combinations and having fun with it. Kind of like, you know, a hobby. 

My brother-in-law collects, trades, buys and sells cars pretty regularly. It's astonishing how many cars he's been through. Boy he has great advice on any number of those cars he's owned due to first hand experience with driving and repair. My mom has owned her Nissan morano for 12 years. She seems to like it.