I have been in and out of love with listening to music for years and years. I have also perused this forum before and been lost in lists of equipment names (I've heard of McIntosh, does that count?) as well as been daunted by the high priced gear reviewed in the Stereophile articles. Only now am I beginning to think that some fraction of this gear might not be completely out of reach.
First a little about my current situation and thinking on the subject so some of you folks with broader knowledge can get a sense for where I'm coming from. I like vinyl. I believe that it is a truer representation of sound than digital. That being said, I have far more CDs than records and definitely spend more time listening to digital formats than analog including (for shame) lossy formats. I'm not one of those guys that is interested in fighting to the end about which is better. I'm interested in enjoying what I listen to. If it's a CD that's well recorded, great, if it's a record that comes alive, even better but, I do not eschew one for the other. From years of playing in bands, I know that I prefer the sound of tube guitar amplifiers to solid state so I tend to reason why wouldn't I like that timbre on my listening system? I don't have an ideal space. I'm sure many of us don't. There are times in the last few years of moving around where the lack of ability to set up my speakers in a pleasing way has led me to leave them in the box and default to a lesser system that I don't have any high expectations from to avoid disappointment. Crazy? Perhaps... My system currently is not amazing but has provided enjoyment for a long time. It's all consumer products. Denon receiver, Philips CD recorder, Gemini turntable with a Stanton cartridge. If I thought all this stuff was the best, I wouldn't be here so lets just let that go for now... The speakers I have, I love. They are bookshelf sized 2-ways, a gift from my father who (many thanks on this) refused to buy me the Bose speakers I asked for years and years ago. They were built in a small shop in NJ and I was immediately in love with their sound and could care less about the nameplate. I have zero documentation on them, though I have a call in to the techs at the shop for some info that may help me make some future decisions about gear. Only once have I had the pleasure of sitting in a friends house where good speakers were driven by a good (at least I thought) amp (it was a NAD) which was sourced by a high end CD player. We used to listen to jazz CDs and I remember them being spectacular.
Which leads to my question(s)...
It appears that even here in the Entry Level discussions, systems are built en masse and only after the base is strong are they modified or added to for further improvement. I understand the logic behind this, it makes perfect sense to me (It is in fact what my friend did.) But, is there any discussion of a sort of piecemeal replacement of existing components? What I mean is, while the performance issues of a DJ turntable or consumer CD player are well documented per piece, there doesn't seem to be a lot of discussion about sticking one piece of decent gear at a time in to a system to improve it over time. What I have been thinking is I would like to replace my amp/receiver. My budget for that as yet is not determined but it would no doubt be higher if I don't get a CD player and new speakers and, and...
Does this make sense? Isn't it possible to argue that each individual better piece of gear is an improvement or is it more common that a better amp (for example) reveals the deficiencies of the other gear in the chain, making for a less enjoyable experience? As an amateur recording engineer (a very part time hobby) I recognize the symptoms of gear lust (I am certain that I have no use for some of what I would like to own.) I can also completely understand the idea that the weakest link in the signal chain can be a big issue but still, I am curious.
A lot of rambling and food for thought here I know but, I am basically starting at zero. Any input on these thoughts is greatly appreciated. Thanks for all of the info here and throughout the rest of the site, and who knows, someday I may just be able to help someone else.
Thanks.
-Justin
I have been in and out of love with listening to music for years and years. I have also perused this forum before and been lost in lists of equipment names (I've heard of McIntosh, does that count?) as well as been daunted by the high priced gear reviewed in the Stereophile articles. Only now am I beginning to think that some fraction of this gear might not be completely out of reach.
First a little about my current situation and thinking on the subject so some of you folks with broader knowledge can get a sense for where I'm coming from. I like vinyl. I believe that it is a truer representation of sound than digital. That being said, I have far more CDs than records and definitely spend more time listening to digital formats than analog including (for shame) lossy formats. I'm not one of those guys that is interested in fighting to the end about which is better. I'm interested in enjoying what I listen to. If it's a CD that's well recorded, great, if it's a record that comes alive, even better but, I do not eschew one for the other. From years of playing in bands, I know that I prefer the sound of tube guitar amplifiers to solid state so I tend to reason why wouldn't I like that timbre on my listening system? I don't have an ideal space. I'm sure many of us don't. There are times in the last few years of moving around where the lack of ability to set up my speakers in a pleasing way has led me to leave them in the box and default to a lesser system that I don't have any high expectations from to avoid disappointment. Crazy? Perhaps... My system currently is not amazing but has provided enjoyment for a long time. It's all consumer products. Denon receiver, Philips CD recorder, Gemini turntable with a Stanton cartridge. If I thought all this stuff was the best, I wouldn't be here so lets just let that go for now... The speakers I have, I love. They are bookshelf sized 2-ways, a gift from my father who (many thanks on this) refused to buy me the Bose speakers I asked for years and years ago. They were built in a small shop in NJ and I was immediately in love with their sound and could care less about the nameplate. I have zero documentation on them, though I have a call in to the techs at the shop for some info that may help me make some future decisions about gear. Only once have I had the pleasure of sitting in a friends house where good speakers were driven by a good (at least I thought) amp (it was a NAD) which was sourced by a high end CD player. We used to listen to jazz CDs and I remember them being spectacular.
Which leads to my question(s)...
It appears that even here in the Entry Level discussions, systems are built en masse and only after the base is strong are they modified or added to for further improvement. I understand the logic behind this, it makes perfect sense to me (It is in fact what my friend did.) But, is there any discussion of a sort of piecemeal replacement of existing components? What I mean is, while the performance issues of a DJ turntable or consumer CD player are well documented per piece, there doesn't seem to be a lot of discussion about sticking one piece of decent gear at a time in to a system to improve it over time. What I have been thinking is I would like to replace my amp/receiver. My budget for that as yet is not determined but it would no doubt be higher if I don't get a CD player and new speakers and, and...
Does this make sense? Isn't it possible to argue that each individual better piece of gear is an improvement or is it more common that a better amp (for example) reveals the deficiencies of the other gear in the chain, making for a less enjoyable experience? As an amateur recording engineer (a very part time hobby) I recognize the symptoms of gear lust (I am certain that I have no use for some of what I would like to own.) I can also completely understand the idea that the weakest link in the signal chain can be a big issue but still, I am curious.
A lot of rambling and food for thought here I know but, I am basically starting at zero. Any input on these thoughts is greatly appreciated. Thanks for all of the info here and throughout the rest of the site, and who knows, someday I may just be able to help someone else.
Thanks.
-Justin