Wasted Years.

@mahgister 

While I largely agree with your post, I’m skeptical that acoustics expertise and an affinity for high-end gear are mutually exclusive.

I like gear. I appreciate rigorous engineering and elegant electronic design, I see beauty in impeccably laid out PCBs, in spotless soldering, in the tactile feel of an otherwise alarmingly expensive analog volume control, in aesthetically pleasing industrial design, in the heft of a massively well-built component, in how precisely components and panels fit together, even in a designer’s electing to eschew ICs in favor of rows of discrete semiconductors.

I hope to learn more about acoustics, but until then I agree with you that merely throwing money at an audio system is counterproductive and gauche.

Acoustics concepts are necessary to understand what we hear and how...

It is never exlusive from Gear design expertise at any price...

 My point is people underestimated acoustics  versus gear design...

Price dont matter, what matter is what can we do to optimize any system at any price ...

How can you decide what is best if we dont unbderstand  the acoustics concepts  of Timbre for example or the acoustics concepts related to spatial sound many attributes and how to use the associated parameters? Most decide by purchasing costlier components to change the place of hurt...They dont study sound parameters  with what they already own...Marketing conditioned the mind not sciencve and experiments..

Anyway we are on the same opinion : 

I hope to learn more about acoustics, but until then I agree with you that merely throwing money at an audio system is counterproductive and gauche.

@rvpiano nothing wrong with wanting the best sq of your favorite music. For me, it was always about the music, 1st. and foremost. It is a shame how many listeners choose not to listen to music unless it is recorded well. Musicians doing their thing, to compositions created by them. This is the beauty of music listening. Enjoy my friend and stay well. Always, MrD.

@mrdecibel 

Yes, listening to music in good sound quality is the ideal unless you obsess over the gear. 

My best to you as well.

@sns +1. I enjoy the music. I enjoy it more if its skillfully recorded, mixed and mastered. And I find that when I've been able to improve my system and/or my room the music sounds better and I enjoy it more. Squirrel logic. 1+1=2.

Any piece of music will be enjoyed more if the recording is well done and if your system/room can translate this acoustic information for your ears...

Once this common place fact is said, two of the greatest pianists i know are badly recorded... I enjoy them way more than most well recorded pianists...

Music is not sound...

Meaning is not information ...