Not even sure where to start anymore. I was a HUGE supporter and part of the audiophile community for 20 years and in 2010 I decided to step away and attempt to regain some balance. The system I sold off then was Dunlavy SC-VI’s, JRDG 9TI-HC’s and pre-amp (battery powered of course) and phono pre, one of multiple DAC’s including Wadia, Levinson, and EAD.VPI TNT with Koetsu cartridge, Cardas cables, etc…etc.., etc.., to also include going through tons of other gear, particularly speakers including JM Labs Grand Utopia’s and Avalons (ugh.,,,) I found myself never being truly happy with what I was hearing for more than a few months at a time and constantly upgrading/changing components seeking some concieved improvement. So I Quit…. Sold everything and listened to music in my vehicles or at live performances ONLY.
In 2021 I thought I was restrained enough to slowly delve back into the world of audio. Listened to a lot of gear, evaluated a lot of “reviews” and Very slowly started putting together something I felt was accurate and worth the money spent. In the end my current system has cost far to much, fortunately I am LUCKY enough to be able to buy what I want and at the far end of HI-FI lies a group of components that are worth the investment, but the difference between my DCS Vivaldi Apex DAC- clock-transport and a MYRIAD number of very reasonably priced DAC’s is minuscule at best. Is Ultra HIFI dying? Probably… because the difference in quality reproduction between good and great is minimal, by but HUGE in terms of cost it is huge thus it becomes a terrible return on investment. Why should I invest 200% more in a system when I can get 99% of the performance at a reasonable cost? Good thing my currently (ridiculously expensive) system will last me until my demise as I could have done just fine for a lot less.
