Some great advice so far - keep 'em coming!
Question: What are some of your best pieces of advise to someone new to the hobby?
I have a friend who is interested in putting together a system and am putting together a little guide for him, compiling information I’ve found over the years, plus some of my own personal tips and tricks. However, I am by no means the end-all-be-all of knowledge and want to incorporate information, tips, and tricks from the community - however basic they may seem - into a nice reference resource.
Without specifically naming any pieces of gear or brands (this isn’t a product recommendation question), what are some of the biggest tips, tricks, important pieces of info to keep in mind, caveats, etc. that you would have for someone new?
*side note - hopefully this post can also serve as a nice reference point for people in the future, as well!
Showing 5 responses by mmcgill829
@newbee any books that you would recommend? |
@noromance yeah i noticed the typo a bit ago but can't edit the thread title...🤦♂️ Thanks for the recommendation |
Awesome tips so far everyone! Appreciate everyone who has answered so far. There's quite a few basic tips that are popping up very frequently in the replies, which echo a lot of what I was thinking too, which is great! It can definitely be an overwhelming hobby to jump into with little background knowledge (we've all been there at some point), but having a robust community such as this one to pick the brains of for tips, advice, and guidance is super helpful to eliminate some of the 'noise' and cut through some of the marketing shenanigans. Look forward to reading more! |
I appreciate the amount of attention and comments this has received! While I totally anticipated a lot of conflicting advice, there is also quite a bit here that is common across the board - which is what I was really looking for. Most of it aligns with what I was already recommending myself, but there have been some good alternate perspectives as well. A little more info: they're building a new system from the ground up, so the approach is a bit different than it would be with upgrading an existing system, but they also aren't looking to just jump in quickly to rapidly throw something together. They want to buy with intent and put together a decent system even if it takes a little time - patience I wish I would have had when I first started. haha. However, I did give them a warning that it may not be realistic to hit the bullseye on the first try, so to speak. They are not interested in vintage equipment, but happy to consider lightly used, which is helpful. That being said, my first recommendation (which was also echoed here) was to listen to as many great complete systems as possible - either in showrooms, homes, trade shows, etc - to get a feel for some different approaches and sound qualities so they can narrow in on the 'flavor' they want to ultimately try to strive for in their own system so it isn't just shooting in the dark. Where to start after getting that baseline idea is subject to debate (as the comment chain here has shown). Considering the space for the system is first priority, since you need to have a good idea of what you're working with. Not everyone has a dedicated room for a system, so figuring all that out first is important. Then, I tend to lean toward starting at the ends and working inward, so to speak -- so, determining what source(s) you want to use & what speakers are preferred first and then letting those choices determine the amplification needed. There's a lot of angles to approach this at though. For someone very green, it can be a bit overwhelming, even at a high level. |