Bad recordings on YouTube are useless, but I listened to good recordings of equipment on YouTube and was able to pick out an integrated amp and speakers. I purchased them and am completely satisfied with them. You can hear the characteristics of well recorded equipment on YouTube. Of course, listening to the real equipment is far better, but there was no rush by auditioning this way. I was able to listen, as many times as I wanted to, over an extended period of time, and make comparisons. When I setup the equipment at home, it sounded the same, but on a much larger scale. What did I have to lose? If I wasn't happy, I could have returned what I bought. I have been listening to music since I was very young and playing instruments since I was 6 years old. My dad had a high-end system, and I have good speakers hooked up to my computer. You might think this is crazy, but it worked for me. Maybe there was a little luck involved too, ha-ha.
