In addition to what others have mentioned, I relied on Stereophile reviews and on seeing what gear manufacturers and dealers chose to use at a Stereophile-sponsored audio show I attended. I was fortunate also to know a dealer who sold me his demo units of the amplifier that was used in designing the speakers I bought (and still have). That helped greatly in getting the crucial match between amp and speakers. At a couple dealers I had heard the speakers with other amps, and these amps sounded better. So, I also relied on two high-end dealers whose ears and knowledge I respected to assemble the core of my system.
Is it possible to really know what you're doing?
Somehow I managed to select components that are getting along and feel comfortable with how things are sounding after many upgrades. I rely on others to advise along the way. I'm very good at asking questions.
Every facet of a set up is quite complicated. Even power cord's can be challenging. Name recognition is very important and there are so many names.
The technical aspects of everything involved is clearly overwhelming and requires a lot to barely understand. I've learned enough to know that I really don't understand a lot. At least I'm able to appreciate what I'm listening to which is all that really matters, and know if something sounds good.
Just my thoughts for what they are worth.
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+1. Why merry-go-round constant upgrade? Why do 99% a’philes listen by themselves? Why is this great/beautiful music listening activity a lonely hobby? Few decades ago, many people enjoy music, singing, and dance. Why not anymore? The musicality of hi-fi is declining. There are people who don’t want you to know the truth. It’s just good business. Alex/WTA
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There is another way, a shortcut to perfect sound. The company Audio Note UK provide everything you need for music enjoyment. Starting from mains cable, CDP, CDT, DAC, Amps, interconnects to speakers and speaker cables. Best of all their components are matched for most natural and emotional sound. The Audio Note components are separated in so called performance performance levels. The different levels allows you to compose a system fitting your budget without sacrificing the unmatched emotional Audio Note sound. It might seem boring, but allows you to simply enjoy music from day one. Audio Note UK knows what they are doing - always aiming for the most natural and emotional sound! |
I would say that the first step is for a person to determine what type of speakers they prefer. That is, not brand or model; but rather speaker architecture. Is it open baffle? Planar? Stand-mount with subs? Active or passive? One of these will likely agree with a given room better than others. If one finds ported enclosures unworthy of consideration, they are in luck for they can now safely ignore 90% of speakers on earth. Why are 90% of speakers ported? Because glueing one foot of ABS pipe into a 2" hole in the cabinet is a heck of a lot cheaper than a second woofer. Once one is settled on a speaker type, they are free to narrow it down further to make / model. Then, to find amps that makes their new speakers smile and sing! This step is perhaps the most crucial. Many people think it's easy, but it's not. Then, to locate an excellent preamp; or, at least, one good enough to make their sources shine. @pindac often speaks of the End Sound in his thoughtful posts, and that is a very good concept indeed because the end sound is not determined by any single component, but rather by the entire system coming together as one in a holistic way. |
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