HAVE YOU ARRIVED AT YOUR FINAL SYSTEM AND WHAT’S IN IT? WHAT ARTIST IS YOUR GO TO?

@hilde45 PLUS ONE

@bigtwin And don't let the CFO know how informal the approval process is.  😂

Yes. Tannoy Canterbury GR with VAC Master 300iQ monos and matching Master preamp. The Master amps effected a vast performance increase over other amps. Nothing I’ve ever heard has made so much difference as those amps. The system now matches or exceeds the best sound I ever imagined for that room. I can still play with various phono stages & cartridges for "flavor" changes, and each change is rendered in its best light possible by this downstream.

My "sandbox" for experimenting with more gear combinations has now moved to a smaller office system.

I don’t have a "go to" artist for testing system changes because it becomes boring very quickly! I just use mostly ordinary LPs that have been in recent rotation (no digital at all! lol). Certainly not "audiophile" releases (which I find horrendously boring)! I suppose I do end up using Blue Oyster Cult, Magnum, and Quarterflash more than average. Also like a lot of 80s / new wave / synth wave and some heavy metal (including hair metal). There is a vast difference between a "good" sounding LP and a bad one, and of course I avoid the latter. But the good are certainly not limited to slow, sleepy female singers (like the usual suspects at audio shows).

For sure you are right...

We all learn the hard way , i am not an exception to this rule ...

But my point is about those who are more fixed on price tag than on acoustic basic... And about the fact that we must learn and study basic and experiment a bit BEFORE any big upgrade...Upgrades dont replace understanding ...

A low cost system can be outstanding in his own way if there is electrical and acoustical synergy   between the components and  if all system is well embedded in the three working dimensions  ... Mine is ... Thats my points...

@mahgister

And changing the goal post by upgrades is not so easy as purchasing new electronic design as plug and play as many thought here ...

I think it’s a safe bet that most of us here understand that changing components often results in having to rebalance the system.

Purchasing is not understanding ...

No, but buying the wrong gear can lead to understanding. At least, this has been true in my case! "Learning the hard way" is not optimal but it is (if we are paying attention) effective!

there is always something to work on be it Spey rods, gun dogs, or a tweak to an already fine Cioppino recipe …. changing the weights on a fantastically swinging double….. why languish in repose ?