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You know what the real problem is?

209.214.16.12

Posted by Russ57 on April 8, 2007 at 09:27:17

In Reply to: Almost fell back into the "what if I just upgrade this..." trap posted by airtime on April 6, 2007 at 16:08:09:

Basically most of us don't have the money to own and try truly good stuff (I mean no insult here). I am lucky in that I have a few inmates in my area that I meet with. We all have rather different stuff so it affords all of us a chance to hear different things that we couldn't afford to try otherwise.

Maybe one guy has silver cables/interconnects and another has a $XXXX phono cartridge and another a speaker driver that sells for $600 each and another a $5000 DAC/transport and another what would amount to thousands of dollars in power conditioning equipment. I dunno about you but I can't afford to have 6+ figures invested in my audio system. But I do have a few choice items here and there and I am more than willing to let others audtion (and borrow) and decide if it is a good upgrade for their system. My experiences have convinced me that you can't buy stuff as good as what you can make. But quality parts are a great deal more money than "normal" parts. Compare a real NOS 300B with a current production el34....or a high nickel interstage transformer with a 12au7 phase splitter....or a grid choke with a metal film resistor. When you opt to use a part/solution that is 1000%+ more in cost than the norm, prices go up in a hurry!

For me the "proof in the pudding" is the ability to extract and hear things in a well known recording that I couldn't before. I acknowledge that isn't everyone's goal. Heck, I got enjoyable listening sessions out of a car sound system in the 70's.....and an enjoyable buzz out of boones farm wine.....but I have matured and why I can't/won't spend $5000 on a bottle of wine to say I can't taste and appreciate the difference is absurd. But hey, ignorance is bliss and if a bottle of bud and a 70's marantz is living large more power to you. I have been lucky enough to be spoiled and even though I have a 12 pack of bud in the frig and 5 marantzs sitting on the shelf I'm not kidding myself about if they are "good enough". Because "good enough" is only a nice way of saying "I can't afford what I really like".

Russ

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