Words From the Wise

1) Learn what real music sounds like. Attend live, un-amplified musical performances in order to hear what instruments and voices sound like in real acoustic spaces. If you don't have access to a world class ensemble, you can still hear some quality music at student recitals at your local college.

2) Don't read equipment reviews. The only reason any magazine or website publishes them is to attract readers who will then attract advertisers. Reading equipment reviews only brings on distrust and doubts about both your system as well as your own hearing and listening abilities. Remember, the only qualification any critic of anything ever had is the fact that he got the gig. Trust your own ears because you are the person who will be listening to your system, not the reviewer.

3) Go and listen to some quality made in the early and middle 1960's tube gear, like Marantz, McIntosh, Scott, Fisher, Harmon Kardon, etc. You will realize that over the last fifty years, the audio industry has not made the quantum leaps in performance that it likes to think that it has. After a listen, you will most likely feel that you do not need to have the "Latest and greatest" gear in order to have a pleasurable listening experience.

4) Listen with your heart as much as your ears. We listen to music in order to have an emotional connection with the performer. They are playing or singing about something that we cannot necessarily say for ourselves. Does music played on your system move you emotionally? If a piece of music affects you in such a way that you are physically moved to tears, then your system is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. When that happens on a regular basis, don't change a thing!

5) Do maintain your system and find out about inexpensive tweaks. Keeping all of your electrical connections clean and tight, keeping your cables tidy and off of the floor and cleaning your LP's and CD's will enhance the quality of your listening experience while maintaining the value of your investment.

Also:

6) The room is the most important part of the system.

7) The quality of the recordings you play is the second most important part of the system. However, you should keep in mind that a great recording of a poor musical performance is just that.

8) Your mood is the third most important part of your system. If you are in a great mood, then music on a boombox can be thrilling but if you aren't in the mood, the greatest sounding system in the world will be of no help.

9) Share your music with others.

10) It doesn't hurt to learn to play a musical instrument and to play it with other musicians. The more you know about music, the greater its impact will be when you listen to it.

Would I would say is markedly different from what most here have said ...

* Your system with its current set of components can be made absolutely magical or "real" if you eliminate all the weaknesses in it: that is, it has minimal unpleasant distortion
* Every recording you have or obtain will be totally enjoyable as a musical experience, if the system has minimal distortion, yes, even those appalling, recorded in the worst possible way horrors
* Contrary to what many have said, the room setup and size is NOT the way to getting good sound. Yes, fiddling with room bit and pieces can help to compensate for weaknesses, but if the sound emerging from the speaker drivers has too much distortion in it, then you have to work very hard with all that room stuff to try and compensate
* Get the treble right and everything else falls into place. Trouble is, it can be hard, very hard, to get rid of the treble distortion
* The Listening In Another Room (LIAR) method is an excellent test. Your aim should be to get to the point, where you can put on a string quartet recording, say, at close to maximum clean volume (for your system), go to the furthest point of your house, say, "yes, that sounds convincing, sounds like the real thing", then proceed back to the system, to stand a foot away from a speaker, and still be able to say the same thing. The tonal quality and sense of what is going on musically shouldn't change as you make that little trip

Having the bug bad can be good if you buy used gear you can afford to set-up two or more systems. More than 1 or 2 systems affords your ability mix gear, all the while moving forward. Trust your ears not the price of equipment. Cables and such hmmm... some of it seems to pricey for a wise return I'm still not convinced that it can make a dramatic difference, there are many that would argue. And last just remember you should be doing this to enjoy the music. And never tell your wife what you spent.

the use of sound processors and tweaks such as dakiom feedback stabilizers for vibration control in cleaning up system whether it's necessary or not depending on the type of system you decide to match solid state or tube. It's like having a FIRST AID kit. Don't get carried away with the controversies of snake oil cables, power conditioners, spikes, cones etc that cost more then your system. Most of these marketing schemes in REALITY do not make much difference in MOST ears or anyone with a sound mind. It's the design of your equipment and most of all WHAT SOUNDS good to your ears NOT from someone else's opinion or the salesman. In selecting a loudspeaker which is the most important in your link, check the strengths and weaknesses of the many types of designs that matches your musical taste before deciding what's best for you and amplifier matching is equally important.

Armyscout41, all that seems true in your statement is one should buy what one prefers and that seems obvious.