As I started my climb into the world of hi-fi many doors opened along with many questions: What is the right price to spend? When should I upgrade? Should I spend big bucks on cables?

The opening editorial in this months issue did a lot to quantify "audiophile" and for sure it's very easy to get carried away and empty ones bank account in search of perfect sound reproduction but here is what I learned and feel;
It's the contentment of ones own system that makes for the "best" system. Let me explain...I have been pulling some old CD's from my library to listen to on my new system (Arcam Solo/Paradigm 100). This weekend I pulled a bunch of Impulse recordings featuring Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington. These recording made in the early 60's blew me away. I heard things that I never heard before and the artists sounded fresh and bright with the music warm and defining. When the excellence of recordings meets the excellence of the artist and you can truly appreciate the reproduction that is where you become an audiophile. I mean how many people really sit back and listen to a Madonna or Springsteen recording because of the sonics?

Like Erik said in response to one of my posts "it's being happy between the ears that counts". An audiophile can appreciate the art of the musician and the skill of the recording and has the equipment to appreciate both.

Maybe some day I will decide to upgrade my equipment but for now I am having too damn much fun appreciating the art created by Coleman, Duke and Ben and thanking God that people like Rudy Van Gelder were able to capture these moments in time that add to the enjoyment of hi-fi.