Audio is my passion. Looking back, my passion spans more than three decades with some intermittent breaks. But what I want to stress is that number of years has no bearing in audio capability, but the depth of trying things out. These senseless and crazy things your peers ridiculed and laugh at you. Feeling jaded now, admittedly, the day of crazy tweaking is now behind me. I have had my share of success. At the end of the day, you learn what work and what not, and thus solutions to alleviate problems in most situations. At one glance of the system, I know where to work is needed.
While audio upgrade is the quick fix, for most part, it mitigates the problems. You learn about respective house sound. Further spending leads to a vicious cycle of doubts and anxiety as it introduces a new set of problems, until the day you find your senses. Perfect sound never exists, and good sound does not cost a lot.
Sound is like water. It is formless, it has power. Tone and dynamics are your first audio commandment, hands down. A system that doesn't do tone is a failed system nor another boom box. But no, many audiophiles have funny idea of sound derive from their creativity likewise a painter who uses colors at his will. Things get worst from there when they judge others from their narrow perspective when both could not agree to disagree. For instance, the mischievous noble sound as they coined, with unheard of silky highs with astounding clarity. Inviting as it may get, many falls for this attribute. The question I would ask if this level of silky highs real or a fabricated sound. Let's check the gain and loss, the mids and upper bass is thinned out for the sake this protrusion. While it may get away with classical and jazz music, pop music will sound ... unfulfilling and unrealistic. Lean meat without the adequate fat.
Henceforth, without steadfast clench on righteous sound, you will be a headless chicken. Soon enough, frustrated and quit. I ask of you not to take my words lightly; filter and digest them to decide their worthiness.
