Mo' money. Mo' problems.

Steve, thanks for the heads up on the twin turbos. I noticed the latest consumer report rated the 328 much better than average on reliability. I normally buy used, so a nice low mileage certified may be in my future. I'm a firm believer in the power of delayed gratification, but I'm 59. Can't delay much longer. I've paid my dues, its time to have some fun.

I can give you a few tips on what you can do this year to make your system sound better and be more enjoyable to listen to. I'm laughing as I type this because you'll probably think I'm crazy when you see my list. That said, I do really recommend doing the following.

1. Stop reading equipment reviews. All of them. Period. You don't need them.

2. Be honest with yourself as to they type of music you are really going to listen to on your system. No sense in running around with a bunch of 10-20 audiophile recordings to test equipment and then go home play some poorly recorded heavy metal.

3. Never, under any circumstances, use cables, accessories or tubes to fix problems in your system. If it comes to that, you messed up and you need to fix the problem.

4. If you end up making a mistake and buy a piece of equipment that you don't like, go back and re read #3.

5. Don't fall into the same solution for every problem trap. Take this web site, for example. Any time someone has a problem, the same people always recommend the same fixes for every time. Room, room, room, cables, cables, cables. You get the idea. Maybe you did fix a brightness issue by covering up some glass in your listening room. Next time, though, it may be a metal tweeter or a preamp.

6. If there is one component in your system that you absolutely MUST get right, its the preamp. I guarantee that at least 90% of all audiophiles overlook the importance of a good preamp. In almost every problem system that I've heard, the preamp was at least partially responsible for the poor sound quality. Also, I understand that its very hard to convince people of this. Its truly a breakthrough product for most people. Once you get the right preamp everything gets easier.

7. This last one kind of ties in most of the other things I mention. Try to keep your component selection as neutral as possible. Buying a tube preamp to balance out a solid state amp or a soft phono cart to balance a harsh speaker, is extremely difficult to do. I can tell by reading your OP that this is your main issue. Every time you buy a component, it makes some changes right away that you like and you have a positive response. Over long term listening, new things pop up that you now have to deal with.

I'm not saying that any of this is easy, because its not. Most people will disagree with me on most of my ideas. I stand by them, though. If you can start out and honestly do what I recommend in #1 and keep #6 in mind, you will take a big step forward. It will put you back in control of your system.

I think it's normal to become more 'aware' of any flaws the more time and money that you invest into that particular effort. Whatever that effort may be, audio, cars, boats, etc.

For me, the best way to put things in perspective is to step back and sometimes start over again. By step back I mean to stop reading all the glossy rags, reviews, and audio websites that will constantly wet your appetite for newer and alledgedly better stuff. By starting over I'm talking about a major downsizing of my system, I've done this a couple of times for various reasons. It's a way of getting off the merry-go-round for a while anyway.

I find that when I downsize, or step back, that I tend to listen less critically and just start to enjoy the music again. Yeah, I know it's not as good as my old big rig, but I also realize just how good it sounds for about 25% of the money that I had invested in the big rig. Close enough to make me wonder why I get so wrapped up with constant 'upgrades' for years, or even decades at a time.

Enjoy the music,
John

I feel for those who just want to enjoy their music but get caught up in high end hystera. Heh is largely Bout vendors keeping willing customers on the hook. Why do some find it so hard to just enjoytheir music? I have my opinions why and how to escape the trap, in essence, it boils down to getting just a few fundamentals right. If you can do that, all the rest becomes of little or no real significance, nothing more.

I suppose audio is not the only domain in life where people allow others to trap them in a cycld of worrying about what others want them to rather than what should really matter to them.

I've got to say that in my experience audiophiles are a particularly quirky obsessive-compulsive lot. By nature, most of us will never be completely satisfied or finished and I suppose that is why we have high-end companies catering to our neurosis.

Many times I've gotten my system to such a wonderful state of mind-blowing bliss that I do ask myself why can't this one be good enough? And is absolutely is good enough... at least until the next Mk-II or Mk-III version is introduced.

What I have now is 2 stereo systems and one multi-channel A/V system and I've got them all sounding incredible. But I'm sure I won't stop. Why should I!

The back-handed slap in my face comes from the realization that no one else cares about or even appreciates what I've managed to achieve. I've tried to start an audiophile group here in Tucson and I don't get any replies. So now I'm trying to start an A/V Concert group hoping that throwing in the video aspect will attract potential members.

But my family and I do enjoy all the music and videos here in the home so maybe that will have to be enough for me. And since my systems have matured maybe I can finally say "Good Enough" and get off this merry-go-round perhaps devoting more time to other pursuits. Maybe...