1. Tune your ears: attend acoustic (unamplified) music concerts -- This will forever be your sound reference.
2. Your first purchases: speakers and a compatible amplifier. I bought good speakers and a compatible amp 24 years ago, and they have kept pace with all the upgrades and changes I've made to the front end. This year I finally upgraded my amplifier (went tube). You never want your speakers to be the limiting factor in your system -- they are very expensive to replace!
3. When you make a change, listen to it for at least a month before deciding whether the change is good or bad. You will always hear a difference when you change something, but determining whether the change is for better or worst takes time.
If the day ever comes when you stop thinking about your equipment, and just want to listen to music, you've hit the jackpot!!
2. Your first purchases: speakers and a compatible amplifier. I bought good speakers and a compatible amp 24 years ago, and they have kept pace with all the upgrades and changes I've made to the front end. This year I finally upgraded my amplifier (went tube). You never want your speakers to be the limiting factor in your system -- they are very expensive to replace!
3. When you make a change, listen to it for at least a month before deciding whether the change is good or bad. You will always hear a difference when you change something, but determining whether the change is for better or worst takes time.
If the day ever comes when you stop thinking about your equipment, and just want to listen to music, you've hit the jackpot!!