For me, it was 3 major things:
1. CDs. When they first came out, my friend called to his house, threw one against the wall and said, “look, their digital and they don’t break.” We spent so much money on CrO2 tapes seeking the perfect recording and looking for ultimate vinyl before then.
2. HDMI - yes, even in the early days, it created simplicity.
3. Hsu Tubes: I still have my original pair from none other than Dr. Hsu himself who I talked to directly about them when he invented them together with the outboard amp that is still going strong. They are nearly 5’ tall, have no WAF and sound unbelievable. I think they go down to 16-17HZ. Came with multiple spikes, a box of crossovers and circuit pullers. Just fabulous. Before the tubes, subs were just not that good to me. Now two big SVSs or whatever you like are great, but much more money and not any better than the tubes, in fact none blend as well to thins day IMHO.
1. CDs. When they first came out, my friend called to his house, threw one against the wall and said, “look, their digital and they don’t break.” We spent so much money on CrO2 tapes seeking the perfect recording and looking for ultimate vinyl before then.
2. HDMI - yes, even in the early days, it created simplicity.
3. Hsu Tubes: I still have my original pair from none other than Dr. Hsu himself who I talked to directly about them when he invented them together with the outboard amp that is still going strong. They are nearly 5’ tall, have no WAF and sound unbelievable. I think they go down to 16-17HZ. Came with multiple spikes, a box of crossovers and circuit pullers. Just fabulous. Before the tubes, subs were just not that good to me. Now two big SVSs or whatever you like are great, but much more money and not any better than the tubes, in fact none blend as well to thins day IMHO.