I've suffered the consequences of money induced pragmatism from the onset which were actually blessings in diguise. In the long run software is where it's at. Watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan really got the ball rolling but at 12 I could only afford the music and had to play my records on my parents system. Later, when it came to owning systems I could never afford the absolute best but found total enjoyment with what I owned and always got a thrill out of new music.
I've only made two hardware discoveries in my life that have given me audio religon. One was my original Linn LP12 and the other is active crossovers. Before the LP12 I was content with the music and after the LP12 I was still content with the music. The same holds true for the active crossovers.
I'm way too multi-dimensional to focus entirely on audio gear. There's always that new cylinder head for my hotrod or polar bear for the flys I tie competing for my limited dollars. The software just keeps rolling into the household in spite of any other passions that want to suck the resources right out of my wallet.
I can't place myself on any curve. Honestly, I'm always satisfied with whatever gear I own as long as it isn't broken and the only failure I have ever had was a power supply in my trusty Linn which led to my latest electronics upgrade. The Valhalla was the last item I replaced and discovered it was the source of my listening displeasure. The neat thing about this broken part is that I discovered active crossovers because of it. What a blessing in disguise!
I'll never be finished with the upgrades in my system just like my hotrod is never complete. What I have is this incredible group of mentors here at Audiogon. I want to thank all of you for keeping me thinking about audio and also allowing me the benefit of your combined knowledge without having to pay the price of admission. From an old geezer to a younger audience I have only one "sound" piece of advice: when in doubt, buy software.
Patrick
I've only made two hardware discoveries in my life that have given me audio religon. One was my original Linn LP12 and the other is active crossovers. Before the LP12 I was content with the music and after the LP12 I was still content with the music. The same holds true for the active crossovers.
I'm way too multi-dimensional to focus entirely on audio gear. There's always that new cylinder head for my hotrod or polar bear for the flys I tie competing for my limited dollars. The software just keeps rolling into the household in spite of any other passions that want to suck the resources right out of my wallet.
I can't place myself on any curve. Honestly, I'm always satisfied with whatever gear I own as long as it isn't broken and the only failure I have ever had was a power supply in my trusty Linn which led to my latest electronics upgrade. The Valhalla was the last item I replaced and discovered it was the source of my listening displeasure. The neat thing about this broken part is that I discovered active crossovers because of it. What a blessing in disguise!
I'll never be finished with the upgrades in my system just like my hotrod is never complete. What I have is this incredible group of mentors here at Audiogon. I want to thank all of you for keeping me thinking about audio and also allowing me the benefit of your combined knowledge without having to pay the price of admission. From an old geezer to a younger audience I have only one "sound" piece of advice: when in doubt, buy software.
Patrick