Is it possible to really know what you're doing?

@onhwy61  stated " You don't have to know anything, you can just pay somebody who does know.  There was a time when that was the role of the audio dealer. "

I have to agree with this, when I first needed to grasp what was beyond where I was with an Audio System after a period of time having a dedicated audio set up.

I was very very very fortunate to have met a individual involved the HiFi Confidential near Victoria Train Station in London.

The member of the Team in HiFi Confidential who's name was Luigi, knew I was tight for cash, with a young family and not too well paying job.

Luigi also knew my passion to experience and learn audio system related matters.

Over the course of 18 months or more after my initial visit, I was invited to the premises on quite a few occasions to experience new assemblies of Analogue Sourced Set Ups in the dedicated listening room.

I would be given a description of the equipment and left to do my thing, only occasionally checked in on, to experience my brought along LP's for an hour or more.

This was gifted with no obligation, I may have not remunerated anybody from HiFi Confidential for their support or sale items.

I got sound I was to become familiar with and use it as a measure at other demo's and I am still the same enthusiast today, making audio encounters available to others without no concerns for receiving anything. 

Others where audio is the shared interest are certainly being treated the same way that I have indelible memories of being treated.       

@emergingsoul Within the interest in audio equipment there are only a few things that matter.

The First is how one Weds to the Source Material, are they a Tape, Vinyl Album, CD, Streamed / File user.

The Second is whether one is Monogamous in their being Wed to a Source Material, or if one is Polygamous in how they Wed to a Source Material.

Then what matters, is whether one is content with only one version of the Source Materials embedded data being extracted and sent or if one is content only when being able to have a selection of options on how embedded data is extracted to be sent.

An embedded data once extracted is speedily converted to a electrical energy to undertake a Journey where the electrical energy will be Amplified / Gain Added.

The electrical energy is to travel through a selection of devices used to add additional Amplification / Gain. Electrical Energy is not beamed it needs a conduit to travel both within a device and external to a device.

Each Device and Umbilical used as the connection between devices are quite Capable of adding a trait of the design that will be detectable as an audible influence. 

The Experience being anticipated once the Data is extracted is End Sound, usually in the form of Music.

Downstream of the Data extraction any device used to manage the electrical energy / sent signal has the capacity to influence the End Sound to be produced.

The Speaker which is the only device in use downstream of the embedded data being extracted and sent, is the only device in the set up able to produce sound.

Speakers have a vast range of discernible differences in how a End Sound is produced and being perceived as a Sound. 

Why would a person be Monogamous in relation to devices and ancillaries used to create a Audio System. 

Why would a person be Polygamous in relation to devices and ancillaries used to create a Audio System.

For myself locking myself into a marriage of one choice of devices makes the audio experience bland, the option to intervene and produce End Sound that stands out for its qualities, but delivers an injection of a differing to the influence on the End Sound, is where I am most content as an enthusiast of creating Audio Systems. 

In Audio being Faithful to a intent for a systems creation or to a Philosophy of how a system should be produced will supply a very satisfying musical encounter.

It also limits exposing oneself to experiences and broadening the learning through extending the musical encounters that can be had, which is a commodity most with an interest in audio equipment seeks out.