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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 sbank

sbank's avatar
sbank
3,382 posts
 

There's a lot of good advice in this thread. Joining a local audio group and listening to many systems in real homes is among the best thing mentioned, if that's an option for you.

You can't assume that everyone who has owned many pieces is a flipper and discount their statements/opinions without more context. The financial limitations and other inputs (e.g. relocated from a big house to an apartment) result in many zigzigs even if "flipping to the latest" isn't part of the equation. System synergy is real, and as we moved towards more "rolls of the dice", more bad fits are inevitable. For some, buying used is a long home demo...not the worst idea.

Some of the best advice I've heard is to make an upgrade only if you're confident that it will be SIGNIFCANT. Often that comes at a high cost. So for most of us, that translates to infrequent, but bigger steps. 

There's really no wrong answer, but those of us who flip less do free up gray matter for musical discovery, awareness and joy. @reubent @tomic601 @big_greg and I spend more of our time on the Gon sharing musical suggestions, enthusiasm and learning in a thread that's been spinning at a steady 33.3 since 2004. IMHO, when your attention drifts similarly vs. "latest/greatest gear", you're on a good path. Cheers,

Spencer

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