Top 10 Snafus to avoid when building a good rig

1) Buying based on sound quality -

This doesn't work, because there is no indication that the product will play nicely with your other gear. The Brits understand this and build systems, in the US we buy products.

Best way to buy is by looks or by weight.

2) Having a small record collection -

Sorry, those nine Diana Krall records may sound great on your new rig, but they are not going to sustain you. In fact, you might as well junk all of the female jazz lite vocalists, Cole, Barber, Krall, Monheit et al. Buy some Pantera or a nice Dvorak Cello Concierto.

3) Thinking that you know something -

Electricity has no memory. Wires are wires. The power company puts out a dirty sine wave. The power company puts out a clean sine wave. Tubes sound better. Solid state sounds better. Class D sounds better. Actually, I have no class and that is best of all. LPs are better, CD is better, Hi res downloads are better, open reel tape is better. My buddie's rig is better.

4)Letting your system determine your musical choices -

Unless you listen to a diet of pure metal, or a diet of string quartets and madrigals, your best bet is system that plays all music well, rather than a system that plays some music great and the rest like crap.

If you find that your system is making you buy one type of music because it sounds best, you have already driven into the ditch. Get a rope and a tow truck.

5) Thinking that there is a relationship between price and performance -

see #1 above.

6) Assuming that the better rig will put you in touch with the music in some greater and more beautiful way -

Let's admit it, Audiophilia is narcisism in its most unbridled form. You are creating your system, just like the artist creates the music that you will play on it. Really......really?

7) Some types of music are "better" than others -

Just like some races, or genders, or nationalities are better than others. Really? Get yourself some rap music and have a good listen before you put it down. Enjoy some opera, it doesn't all sound like cat's in heat fighting in a pillow case. Broaden your horizens. Live a little.

8) Not having a sense of humor -

It cost a lot of money to find out that you don't have to spend a lot of music. Lighten up, laugh a little. Put on that National Lampoon or Fireside Theatre record. I best that most of you have never even put a comedy record on your rig for fear that it would melt. Richard Pryor is pretty funny, and so are you.

9) Not sharing -

If you enjoy the hobby, let your loved ones and friends know. Share the transformative power of music with them.

10) Defunct formats suck and are not worth our time.j

Mono, LPs, 78s, 8-tracks, Edison cylinders and Diamond Discs. Ya, some may not sound as good as your SACDs or hi res downloads, but the truth is that there is some music on these formats that has not, and will never be released again. don't cut yourself off from an important part of our musical heriage based on format. You'll be missing the music.

hi mapman:

i disagree with you about big speakers in a small room in this respect.

i like planar speakers.

so, i find that a big panel speaker in a small room, e.g, magnepan 20.1, will be preferred to almost any cone speaker, properly set up.

now, i'll agree that a large panel is optimized in a larger room, but it can still sound pretty good in a small room, ut not its best.

note not only room size counts, but room conditions are equally important.

i'll add one maxim:

sacrificing tonality for dimensionality.

her is one more "truism":

most components are not better than one another, just different.

The number one SNAFU to avoid, is buying into the Tenets of high-end audio. Once you do that, you are already lost.

Avoid not having enough money!

MrT,

Yes, I have tried large Maggies in a small room also.

Not that they can't work there, more that large speakers (including Maggies) are harder to place especially in smaller rooms so getting the the right setup can be more of a challenge.

Also, good large speakers tend to cost a lot more than good small speakers, so getting these for a small room may be overkill and also be harder to get to sound right or even to achieve their potential, even if placement is not an issue. Sometimes less is more, especially in smaller rooms.