Once I ran out of money it was easy, I just started listening to the music. I decided what I wanted the music to sound like, what made me happy.
It is all a compromise. Attending live music events, where the sound could vary from bloody awful to mind blowing, and the fact that the sound on the recordings are products of the producer, not the artist. with few exceptions. Made me think that in fact I was chasing my tail.
I could never ever again tolerate a system that did not play good and bad recordings well. Once I started to use high efficiency speakers with moderately powered amplifiers the whole game changed for me. Must be clear, I have yet to buy into the SET camp, have tried quite a few, and they just do not do it for me, they just do not play everything well, no balls to put it bluntly.
94 - 100 db speaker with a benign impedance and a good (not all valve amps are cut from the same cloth, some are so wholly, lazy, and slow I want to put a bomb under them) push pull EL 34 30 - 80 W and it gets as close as it gets for me. No more than 4 power valves please, otherwise all you have is a heater looking for an opportunity to eat your money. Solid state, hell there are some good amps out there, Pass Labs being my go to choice but way out of my budget. Must Borrow my friends diy F1's one day, he did such a professional job. Speaker amp combination is in my book the most important. That is what costs the most money. Good sources are cheap these days, unless you have fallen down the MC Rabbit Hole, and assorted other things you can play with on a turntable. Then in my book have fun, I cannot afford that game.
Cables nah, I just buy the best that I can afford mostly second hand, must admit I am very happy with Van den Dull's they've got a nice mid range and they do tone things down a bit. No cable or fuse is going to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
Got one clown here who takes the fuses out of his kit, he is always fiddling, starting fires then trying to shift the stuff he has broken. He creamed a Jadis amp so bad one time nobody could fix it.
Think he is going back to Eastern Europe. The ANC has finally got to him. Gets to us all, there is nothing I or anyone can do, In truth there is no difference between the ANC and the previous White Nationalist government. Same corruption, (different colour hand in the till, although the NAT'S did leave the change behind.) The same arrogance, and stupidity, the same words come out the politicians mouths as before, only difference now it is a black face with a different accent.
