jmead here. I've been here for 8 years or so, but never introduced myself. (At the rate I'm posting, I should be able to search by 2048 or so!) I'm in central NY and am a constant lurker on the C&C circle. I've followed recommendations there and while I'm reasonably happy with them (for the price) I am beginning to think that maybe if I had bought fewer "cheap and cheerful" items over the years I could now be listening to gear that's "expensive and excellent" or at least "mid-priced and mostly pretty good".
Thanks to all for the guidance.
