Anonymous (not verified)
Anonymous's picture
golden rules for the budding audiophile
smejias
smejias's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 4 months ago
Joined: Aug 25 2005 - 10:29am

Thanks, k.fonz. I am one who will keep these rules in mind. Especially number 9.

bjh
bjh's picture
Offline
Last seen: Never ago
Joined: Sep 12 2005 - 2:33pm

Opps sorry ... no log-in-y problem again.

Monty
Monty's picture
Offline
Last seen: Never ago
Joined: Sep 16 2005 - 6:55pm

Heh

Buddha
Buddha's picture
Offline
Last seen: 12 years 5 months ago
Joined: Sep 8 2005 - 10:24am

Good rules!

I'll try to add a few.

A) Whenever the sound of a piece of equipment "jumps out at you" - beware. It's all to easy to be seduced in the short term by features (sound) that are fatiguing and draining in the long term. This rule is similar to Rule 8, above, but it applies in many spheres beyond marriage.

B) No matter your budget, it pays to listen to the best for comparisons. I like taking newbies shopping and helping them go from "they all sound the same" to "wow, I can hear that" when we audition equipment. Hearing something that is very very good at what it does can help pick up on the relative merits of much less expensive equipment. I would have said to use live music as the comparison, but that's hard to do in a Hi Fi Salon.

C) Develop a repertoire of discs that you are very familiar with. It will help you to more efficiently identify characteristic of equipment you either like or dislike.

D) Hi Fi is for your enjoyment, it should be fun - your enjoyment of the hobby is paramount.

As stated above, never shop to please anyone other than yourself. Corollary - In the final decisions making, trust your ears above all others.

E) Have chicks help you listen. They have better ears and are much less influenced by cost or reputation. I can't stress this enough, chicks have great ears. You still have to make up your own mind, but they make great advisors.

F) Sometimes the best system tweak is doing something to you - be it a few glasses of fine Burgundy, a certain lighting set up, or a comfortable chair, treat yourself as well as your rig and make yourself and your listening environment as pleasant as possible.

F) Remain open minded, but not so open that your brains fall out. Be open to new experiences and ideas, then be skeptical of the claims until proven to you.

G) Better to spend your budget in such a way that you buy something to keep for ten years rather than maintaining a steady stream of new and different. Shop for the long haul - build a system, don't just buy gear.

Cheers!

dcrowe
dcrowe's picture
Offline
Last seen: 4 years 2 months ago
Joined: Sep 1 2005 - 9:39am


Quote:
Good rules!

I'll try to add a few.

A) Whenever the sound of a piece of equipment "jumps out at you" - beware. It's all to easy to be seduced in the short term by features (sound) that are fatiguing and draining in the long term. This rule is similar to Rule 8, above, but it applies in many spheres beyond marriage.

Great advice, Buddha! Especially #A quoted above. If it jumps out compared to the rest, something is wrong.

Log in or register to post comments
-->
  • X