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When is your system good enough-and why?

Frank van Alstine once suggested that this should be measured by how much time you actually spent listening to your system (not Frank's exact words, but my summary). When the sense of pleasure of the "rightness of the sound" is added, I agree it is an excellent yardstick. I have traded many systems that gave me great pleasure for more capable ones that did not. My listening time invariably plummeted.
Many have replaced tube based systems that were wonderful at low volume but failed at so called "realistic" volumes or with demanding material, with solid state replacements did the demanding material, but never delivered the pleasure of it's predecessor. I wandered about for years before discovering some of the particular characteristics that made all the difference to me (tubes, surprisingly were not among them). Rather than recite my list (and perhaps have to defend it), I would like to take the coward's way out and ask others what they have discovered matters to them sufficiently to make their system "good enough".
samujohn

Showing 1 response by shadorne

shadorne's avatar
shadorne
7,477 posts
 
For me the sound is a thrill and exhilerating experience every single time I listen (music or movie). I have no need to add gear anymore.

Realistic live music levels and a convincing timbre/soundstage presentation with low distortion is what does it for me (room acoustics and speaker are, by far, the most important factors to me). I respect that others will have different views... this is simply what turns my crank.

(I never experienced the constant struggle that others seem to face with CD players, DAC's, interconnects, cables and inadequacies of SS gear - all minor insignificant differences to me. I liked Vinyl when it was the only thing out there too. I'm just lucky I guess. I will admit to being frustrated that most modern pop CD's are deliberately compressed and sound like CRAP)
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