[Music Maven]

All that glitters isn't gold.

There are diamonds in the rough.

Every manufacturer will claim that the company's product is the best.

It is difficult without a crystal ball to know which manufacturer with a hitherto sterling reputation may have changed engineers or be teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and cutting corners in new products.

Conversely a start-up "garage" company may be producing something very innovative but there is no track record for longevity of their product or the company itself. What do you do if a company is basically built around one gifted genius and that person passes away or starts a new career?

A good audio manufacturer may release a "dog" and by accident a mediocre one might release a classic.

Many audio reviewers will review with an agenda, a listening environment, or an associated system that isn't yours.

Your own level of technical knowledge of what constitutes good circuitry or good acoustics may not be encyclopedic or up-to-date with technological innovation.

You might select a great amplifier, preamplifier, source, and speakers but in combination with each other and/or your room they have no synergy.

Should you play games with vanity? Do you pick a product that costs megabucks and has a bejeweled fascia because you are trying to impress the neighborhood audiophiles when you actually liked the sound of the more generic looking, less expensive rival in the soundroom?

Will you select a component because you've become "set in your ways" and are blindly loyal to a certain design philosophy or dealer or audio magazine or manufacturer?

Will you suffer a midlife crisis and for no other reason that "breaking the mold" choose something radically different than ever before?

Is saving a hundred bucks reason enough to select a given component?

It's daunting if you microanalyze and "think yourself into a corner" over a purchase and maybe hitting a jackpot at Las Vegas will seem more likely.
Whereas impulse shopping based on cosmetics is just as insane.

This isn't a thread to start "naming names" of what's a great product or dealer or magazine or what's down the toilet... I'm just opening a forum where you might share from your experience for the benefit of us all just how you "run through the jungle" of audio- the thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands of products from around the world and legions of varying ideologies and claims- and come out of this "sophisticated wilderness" with a valid new toy in hand.

Can such success ever be objectively quantified anyway?

Jerry

[Tyson]

To make matters even more complicated, if you are an audiophile long enough, you will eventually realize that your own needs/wants/desires/priorities change, and what you liked yesterday, you may not like today.

Unfortunately there are absolutely no shortcuts in this hobby.  The only way to know how a component sounds is to actually listen to it in your own system.  Everything else is merely speculation.  And don't make the mistake of thinking that other people can do your listening for you.  They cannot.  I've had several instances where I've listened to a highly regarded piece of equipment and been sorely disappointed.  And the reverse is also true.

So, go listen.  It's a pain to get stuff on loan or on trial, but truly, it's the only way.

[_scotty_]

I think before one can judge a component you have to know what you are expecting from reproduced music.  Do you want the highest possible fidelity reproduction of what was recorded even if it means hearing very clearly microphone and mixing board colorations and strange decisions regarding how something was miked or do you want something that sounds good no matter what you play back through it. Reality or unreality. Both positions are equally valid but mutually exclusive choices. Your expectations of what a system
should do should  be what shapes your buying decisions.  Not what somebody told you should have before you can be considered serious about the hobby.  
You should also not expect a stereo system to make you happy,  that is too much to ask of any material thing.  Satisfaction and enjoyment are a little more realistic goals.  Scotty

[JLM]

Great thoughts MM!

I think you covered most of the "over thinking" I do before nearly every purchase I've ever made.  By "over thinking" I mean the "proud papa" syndrome where I'd like it regardless how it really sounded, having convinced myself before I even heard it that it must and therefore does sound good.

Another point to consider is this:

Even if I found a system (equipment, room, EVERYTHING) that did everything I wanted and could afford it, would I want to copy it completely or for the sake of individualism and hobby would I still want to change something?

[KT]

Very well thought out responses, guys.

Setting up a system that allows you to enjoy reproduced music is, to my mind, a matter of assembling a system that pushes YOUR magic buttons. By magic buttons, I mean those qualities of music reproduction that make your ears and body respond positively to what you're hearing. To some, this may include tonal beauty and/or purity, lively portrayal of rhythm and snappy pacing, retrieval of recorded detail, protrayal of ambience and recorded space, holographic imaging, warmth, etc. - mix and match - everyone values something slightly different.

The task, of course, is to set up a system of components that maximizes the qualities of playback that YOU deem most important to you. Some components work very well together to achieve this - called system synergy, and some compontents do not work well together at all. Most of the time you'll try a set of components that sound pretty good together, but doesn't get it "just right."

That's why we're constantly playing with gear, right? Also because we think there's something more and better around the corner.

When I started out in this hobby, I didn't really know what did it for me. After a number of years listening to different gear and system, I think I pretty much know what I like. When I plan on buying a new piece of gear, I make a short list of equipment that's most likely to fulfill my needs and try to audition them, if possible. But you never really know how it will all work together as a system until you try it.

So it's a little bit like identifying your tastes through trial and error and experimentation over time. After you have an idea of what does it for you, the task becomes much more efficient.

At the end, you can reall enjoy your music!

Best,
KT

[jermmd]

There are some general guidelines though:
1.  You get what you pay for.  A $3000 speaker is generally better than a $500 speaker.
2.  Customer support and reliability/Quality issues can generally be researched prior to purchase.
3.  Trade shows and proffessional reviews aren't totally worthless.  They need to be interpreted with the understanding that the author doesn't want to offend.
4.  Posting on forums will generally get you some honest answers about products-also to be taken in context.  Most people like what they own and are not as reliable for comparisons between products.

Joe M.