Ultimate list of guides on how to get good sound.

I have to second Rives' response. Not to sound like a shill, but I have become a firm believer in the "room-as-component" school.

I am biased, of course, as I am a client of Rives' services. I can say that it is the single best upgrade I have ever done, and I only had the level one service performed.

Too many people overlook the issue of acoustics in their listening room, and wind up spending upgrade after upgrade, and thousands of dollars only to continue to be disappointed in the result. For the cost of a component upgrade, I invested in Rives' consultation, and went with the acoustical treatments they recommended and have been amazed (as have my friends in my listening group) at how great music now sounds in my room. Notice how I said how great the music sounds and NOT how great the equipment sounds?

Many other AudiogoM members have far more high-end setups than I do and have spent far more money than I did with their Rives designed rooms, so I don't think I am alone on this one.

Pedrillo,
Adding a tube preamp to my system a few years ago yielded great improvements as well. Fuller, more natural music with the ability to sound powerful when called upon and delicate when needed. Adding a tube preamp is definitely no guarantee to audio bliss, just one way of helping to transform an analytical system into an emotional one.

What Rives and Slipknot1 offer regarding room acoustics I feel is unarguable and fundamental to achieving good sound. It's the reason that after 15 years of trying, I stopped investing money in car stereos. The best gear in an unsuitable environment can only be so good.

So, after all my pontificating, click on my virtual system and have a gander at my "optimal" acoustic setting. Heheh. At least I'm happy.

Power, resonance control, and acoustics.

Speaker positioning! This is where inches really count! :P

a record or cd you really love.