I’ve only been here for going on 4 years, joining right AFTER I got back into the hobby and bought my first equipment. I was eager to learn, but I have since learned that consensus on “the way to go” is fleeting, as each person has their favorite gear to recommend. If I had to do it over again, I might wait before buying my gear, to see what might truly be out there (like REL subs) that is better before purchasing.
I’ve enjoyed reading the varied submissions, but more likely now I’ve been skimming the topics and not reading so much. I find that people are so different in their experiences and budgets that some could likely never identify with me, my questions, my plans. I see questions about a type of gear and think, “I know what I might try if I were OP, but that is “slumming it” for some readers that have systems valued at $20,000 to $100,000 or more. I don’t have much to contribute. I think maybe if there were sub-forums based upon what people can afford to spend, that might be more helpful. The advice for someone that can spend up to $5,000 for their entire system is going to be different than recommendations for those spending $5,000 to $10,000, and that is different from advice useful to the real big spenders. I have about $8,000 in my system, so I can’t relate much to the big spenders and they cannot relate much to me (except, maybe, from their memory when they were more limited in funds).
Still, I do sometimes learn useful things here and have been helped by some of the members here. I don’t abandon AG completely, though I read less than I once did. (I have gone to other audio forums where members comment about the egos and contentiousness of AG, and how they offer more useful advice on theirs).