Question: What are some of your best pieces of advise to someone new to the hobby?


I have a friend who is interested in putting together a system and am putting together a little guide for him, compiling information I’ve found over the years, plus some of my own personal tips and tricks. However, I am by no means the end-all-be-all of knowledge and want to incorporate information, tips, and tricks from the community - however basic they may seem - into a nice reference resource.

Without specifically naming any pieces of gear or brands (this isn’t a product recommendation question), what are some of the biggest tips, tricks, important pieces of info to keep in mind, caveats, etc. that you would have for someone new?

*side note - hopefully this post can also serve as a nice reference point for people in the future, as well!

128x128mmcgill829

At the VERY start of this trip I have only 1 piece of advice..Go listen to LIVE acoustic & amplified music of various styles,in as many varied venues as possible..If you have no clue what real music,from real instruments sounds like you will end up chasing your tail...

if friend is looking to buy a system, might be best to state area friend lives in, and get some dealer recommendations...there are still some great ones around...

It's not wrong to spend twice as much for speakers as the rest of your system. Yeah, I know, the rule for many was to spend an equal amount. But not any more. A great DAC, preamp and Class D amp can be had for around $4K (or less) that will blow anything from yesteryear out of the water. Spend that extra money on top quality speakers.

Buy a laser measuring device so that you can measure the exact distance of both speakers from your primary listening position.  Fractions of an inch matter.