Been mulling this over for a couple days.
If what many of us believe is true -
1. That pretty much everything can make a difference in perceived sound, and
2. Components interact and need to be matched to a system
Then except in the rare case where one component is clearly inferior, how could you really know? It seems there are too many component combinations and permutations to really know precisely what might be the weak link. In some cases I suppose you could apply some math - looking for things like underpowered amplifiers, impedance mismatches, compliance and other things I am not qualified to speak on.
Ironically, if you published the list of components in your system and asked people to comment on what they thought the weakest link was I’m sure you would get many opinions. And many of them spoken with authority. This despite the fact that the majority of people would not be familiar with each piece of equipment in your list, and even less likely - in your room.
The net is that I think it’s trial error. And to me that means doing research and searching for good deals on Audiogon and elsewhere so that I can afford to bring the equipment into my home to try it, and if I don’t like it I hopefully sell it for nothing more than a small loss.
I think the ultimate standard is are you happy with the sound? At least on a temporary basis. You have the knowledge that it could be better, but that will take more time and money to pursue, but hopefully in the mean time you can enjoy both the music and the pursuit of your particular brand of audio perfection.
What was striking about Elizabeth’s original post was that she invested big money in equipment she knew/thought to be quite good and yet she was dissatisfied with the system at the outset. That’s discouraging and luckily she got it sorted in a way that made her happy. But how was she to know what the ultimate solution was? The other interesting thing is that she seemed to base her decision at least in part on the recommendation of audio reviewers which we've all been cautioned about, but is still often a factor in buying decisions.
In the end, I think the lack of certainty about how components add or subtract from the sound is just part and parcel to the hobby of audio. If you like experimenting and tweaking that’s a blessing, for others a curse.
If what many of us believe is true -
1. That pretty much everything can make a difference in perceived sound, and
2. Components interact and need to be matched to a system
Then except in the rare case where one component is clearly inferior, how could you really know? It seems there are too many component combinations and permutations to really know precisely what might be the weak link. In some cases I suppose you could apply some math - looking for things like underpowered amplifiers, impedance mismatches, compliance and other things I am not qualified to speak on.
Ironically, if you published the list of components in your system and asked people to comment on what they thought the weakest link was I’m sure you would get many opinions. And many of them spoken with authority. This despite the fact that the majority of people would not be familiar with each piece of equipment in your list, and even less likely - in your room.
The net is that I think it’s trial error. And to me that means doing research and searching for good deals on Audiogon and elsewhere so that I can afford to bring the equipment into my home to try it, and if I don’t like it I hopefully sell it for nothing more than a small loss.
I think the ultimate standard is are you happy with the sound? At least on a temporary basis. You have the knowledge that it could be better, but that will take more time and money to pursue, but hopefully in the mean time you can enjoy both the music and the pursuit of your particular brand of audio perfection.
What was striking about Elizabeth’s original post was that she invested big money in equipment she knew/thought to be quite good and yet she was dissatisfied with the system at the outset. That’s discouraging and luckily she got it sorted in a way that made her happy. But how was she to know what the ultimate solution was? The other interesting thing is that she seemed to base her decision at least in part on the recommendation of audio reviewers which we've all been cautioned about, but is still often a factor in buying decisions.
In the end, I think the lack of certainty about how components add or subtract from the sound is just part and parcel to the hobby of audio. If you like experimenting and tweaking that’s a blessing, for others a curse.