The "value" system I try to use: 1. Try before you buy. If you can't, make sure there is a good resale market for what you are buying. Many times the interaction of other stuff in your system may not work with the new piece. 2. I try to get my wife and/or daughter to listen and tell me if they hear an improvement. If yes, then I know I am on to something. If they can't tell, then I re-think. 3. I talk to audiophile friends. Sometimes they can "talk me back off from the ledge, before I jump". If you have no friends, you're spending too much time on this stuff. 4. If you still like the sound of something, even after it has been superceded by something better (this will usually happen immediately after your home trial is over) or you then find it has been panned by the audio press, then it really is a good purchase. 5. You will never get it right all of the time. That is why there is a good market for used equipment. A sense of humor will help compensate for all of the money you will seem to have wasted. 6. I am always skeptical about equipment that requires a break in period of more than 24 hours. If you like a lush, warmer sound, try the Bel Canto dac. It does sound different than other dacs, so buying w/o a right of return is risky. The Bel Canto looks very unassuming. My wife never asked how much it cost.
What price hi-fi?
This may start some debate I am hesitating over my next hi-fi purchase-a Bel Canto Dac1-even with the 10 day back guarantee-I can't audition cause I stay in the UK and have to buy from France... Having recently auditioned the new Arcam CD23 I wasn't convinced it did for me in terms of value for money. Ok only I can decide butI'd be interested to see others experiences-nerves before a big purchase,mistakes which have led to begging for refunds,wives who filed for divorce when receipts were found. Is there a value system outwith the obvious financial constraints that people use in upgrading or buying new equipment? Ben