I've done the same.... buy a new system that I like the sound of and almost immediately start thinking I can do better. I did finally make it though after realizing that the sound quality is as good as it can get for what I can afford. When these to tangents meet, that's is where you need to stop.
New equipment
Just as I was smugly listening to and very much enjoying my MUSIC, I went and bought a new piece. At first, I was so happy with the improvement it made. But then the audiophile monster came lurking. I was not listening to the music anymore. I was listening to the SYSTEM. And, of course, there’s always something that can be better.
KISS OF DEATH!
It’s taking me a while to get back to the music again. Writing this is a good step.
BEWARE of new equipment.
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Call age but after 40 years I’ve learned a few things in this hobby, once you nail it with the sound you enjoy, then after that, it’s like cooking, you change something for a "different sound" or as I say spice and flavor to the sound. I have seen the systems sound superb the owner then gets bored and swaps out gear and loses what they had, they really start to shuffle gear in and out to get the magic back they had. This is very expensive but if you have the deep pockets to do it then do it. The Absolute Sound is the sound you enjoy, nothing more or less, and it never has what was mastered in the studio, for every cable, power cord (huge) impacts how the sound is delivered and what areas of reproduction they bring out in our systems. I have a very enjoyable system and I know it is as good as it can get for me, and the only other thing I think of now is enjoying my vast music collection. I’ve owned box speakers, electrostatic speakers, and now open baffle speakers and the open baffle really nailed what I liked about Electrostatic Speakers, but with unlimited bottom end and dynamics. So done with speakers now. The biggest thing is room acoustics and setup once you have a great system, it is cheaper by far to improve those 2 areas than any piece of gear can. TV between your speakers, racks, etc, get rid of them, imaging improves, bass traps in each corner bass improves and imaging, side wall damp them, even if it is canvas large prints, 48 X 60". Curtains if you have windows, even blinds on those windows tilting upward a bit is a good defuser and along with heavy curtains you have a good front wall area if you like me have windows on the front wall. Rooms are a huge percentage of what you hear and the balance of highs to lows. |
@phillyb , If you know what to do with electrostatic loudspeakers you can get all the volume and dynamic you could ever wish for with much lower distortion within the audio band. If they are designed as dipolar line sources you can minimize room interaction to a level impossible with any other type of loudspeaker. Thoughtful evaluation is the path to a state of the art system. You identify the problems, find and implement the solutions. The problem most people have is that they are not sure what the target is so they are out to sea without a compass. Thiis is why listening to an assortment of State of the art systems or frequenting live acoustic performances is so important. Sitting three or four rows away from a string quartet is an amazing experience. If you want to know what imaging should be like there you have it. Violins are difficult to reproduce without sibilance. Is there any at a live performance? If not then there should not be any at home either. Sitting a few rows away from a double bass and drums at a jazz performance will tell you what bass should sound and feel like. They should sound exactly the same at home. Anybody who tells you that any of this can not be done is a defeatist. Good hunting to all of you!
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