What audio aspect are you knowledgeable in?

@rocray 

I know what sounds good to my ears. After that, I don’t don’t know $h/t from the proverbial shinola.

that is THE most important thing, and to be accepting and honest about it - key key step in musical happiness in system building -- too many people who come here looking for advice fail to know this, or cannot express this properly

i have been messing with hifi since my late teen’s in college in rhode island, with a part time job at tech hifi to make pocket money and play with cool stuff -- been a music lover, heard many a live performance, professional and amateur (freshman roomie was a music major, saxophonist), supported jazz organizations formally and informally during my working life, in various capacities

i always try to make note when at very good venues for live performances, make mental notes of what that sounds like... tonal balance, how sound expands with loudness and how it quiets, is there imaging? is there a sound stage?, how does it decay at trailing end of notes?,what does an unamplified singer sound like? what do sss’s and tttt’s sound like? what does the leading edge of a soprano sax note sound like, what do grand pianos on stage sound like, what does a grand piano in a small jazz room sound like, how does an acoustic bass note engage the room, hit your chest ... how is it different when the music is mic’d and amplified?

then when messing with gear, i try to get recreate those sonic remembrances... rule out gear just gets it wrong