2. misc-audio
  3. 171473-147045

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 1 response by cat_doorman

cat_doorman
237 posts
 

“Not all those who wander are lost.”
 

If I had the time and means I'd churn through a bunch of gear just to have first hand experience with it. The only way to be absolutely sure is to try something in your room, with your music, with your ears. Since that is usually impractical it's necessary to vet your sources anytime you need to use second (or third) hand information. There are some great resources here and other places once you weed out the clueless yahoos, fanboys, and trolls. Professional reviewers don't get disparaged for equipment turnover. Some amateur reviewers are willing to patiently answer the endless stream of repetitive questions. With all the great equipment that is available sometimes there's only a very few people that have done a direct comparison with the two obscure components one of us is currently fixated on. I'm grateful for their input. I just wish it were easier to tell them apart from the yahoos.

More to discover