The downward spiral.....


I've loved listening to (and playing) music for the last 35 years. I was trained as a pianist and suspect that my ears are at least decent (even if they do stick out
a little more than I'd like...)

Like so many of us, I suspect, I have assembled more high-end systems that I can remember - heaven only knows how much money I've spent, how many
reviews I've pored over, how many times I've labored over cable-matching, AB comparisons, toeing in massive speakers just that final 1/16 inch to get the soundstage
just right, rearranging living rooms to minimize that nasty hump at 56 Hz etc etc. I'm sure many of you can relate...

Being a bit of a contrarian at heart I recently have been conducting the Ultimate Experiment - the Final Downgrade. A few months ago I came into possession of an
old pair of Quad 57s (now being rebuilt) with matching 303 power amp. As those who know these things, the sounds emanating from these devices was sublime.
It made me think. Here I was listening to simply beautiful music through some of the cheapest components I've ever bought. What if I continued my downward financial
progress?
Out went some very expensive tube amplification, German turntable, carbon fiber arm, expensive MC cartridge, Nordost cable, tube output SACD player etc. In came a Thorens TD125,
complete with SME 3009, V15III, and the cheapest decent CD player I could find (the original Rega Planet). For the phone/preamp I chose a pair of Pro-Ject components,
As soon as I can find a Quad 33 I'll grab it and do a little renovation, esp on the phono section. As the speakers were being now rebuilt I acquired an old pair of
Maggies (12QR) to tide me over. The interconnects are strictly mid-fi, and the speaker cable less than that. The new (non-ported) subwoofer was relatively expensive - about
$450, but not well-known.
I anticipate the cost of the whole system will be around $2300. The average age of the components will be 35 years old.

What am I losing? Certainly not money, that's for sure! Perhaps a few Hertz at the bottom end. Perhaps. What surprises me daily (I listen usually for about 4 hours a day to everything
between 12th century plainsong to rap and everything between) is that this relatively cheap and certainly very old-fashioned system does so much that is absolutely right. I feel no
pressing needs to upgrade anything; no tweaking necessary. The music comes through as I want.
In my spare time I still haunt the local high-end stores and listen to some ultra expensive gear: not once have I gone home with an axe to do The Right Thing to my '70s
system.

So, my question is a simple one. How much progress has there been since 1970? For the last thirty years I have firmly believed that each year has brought some progress.
Now I question this. As I write this I am listening to a record pressed in 1975 (Neville Marriner) and my happiness is complete. Am I losing my grip?
--
57s4me

Although I'm poor, there is no way I can empathize with the "Downward Spiral". I am enjoying some inexpensive electronic improvements that brought about a quantum leap in sonics. As a retired electronics technician and audiophile, this is possible.

Music lovers who are not audiophiles, spend an excessive amount on "new music". That's because what they purchase quickly gets old, which is a result of the fact that they never hear all of the music that's on the CD or LP.

At this time, I am listening to music I bought ages ago that is brand new. Although I've heard this music countless times before; it is brand new today. I hear more detail, startling dynamics, and a soundstage which creates the illusion of phantom musicians in the room.

After you've been where I am, how can you go back?

I think the answer is simple, and I say this with the greatest respect: it seems that today we're both loving the music we hear.

Perhaps our processes have been slightly different, but ultimately that doesn't matter. Our delight in listening to music we love is all that matters!
57s4me, your answer has the ring of a professional musician. No professional musician I ever knew personally, was an audiophile. They could hear things on a common rig, many audiophile's wouldn't hear on the best rigs. (nothing to do with the ability to hear)

This recent improvement I'm so wild about at the moment will be old in 15 minutes or so; but the music is constant, it's always good.
Believe it or not, some male vocalists sound better on "Lo Fi", than on "high end"