Since I started to get into audio in my teens,I've always thought whatever system I've had sounded great,until I upgraded or got something new. I bought my Sansui integrated in 1978, and it sounded infinitely better than what I had before. In 1984 I bought some Klipsch KG4's, and my 1st cd player, and I thought I was in audio heaven. This lasted through 1993. At this time I wanted to add speakers to another room, and I figured the impedance on the Sansui wouldn't be right. Bought an Adcom GFA545II and GTP400. They just never sounded the same. There were more things I was hearing, but the Sansui had a kind of warmth I liked. I thought tubes would fix it, and after trying a few different tube preamps, I discovered a Golden Tube pre. Even my wife noticed a favorable difference. But it still wasn't the same as the Sansui. Now I have 2 systems with Anthem electronics, and newer Klipsch speakers. In most cases I'm very happy with these systems. One thing I have noted is that a lot of music originally released on CD sounds great on my current equipment, but older recordings that were originally vinyl, and later released on CD, don't have the sound I remember. This may be in part be an explanation for this sense of nostalgia in our hearing. Although, on many occasions I compared the vinyl to the CD, I just can't listen to the vinyl version anymore. And of course, my 49 year old ears may be hearing things diffrently. But believe it or not, when I see a Sansui AU517 integrated or KG4's on a audio or auction site, I still consider buying or bidding. Nothing like the old days, huh?
Idealism, Audio and Lost Youth
Do any of you yearn for the magic of systems that you may have owned many years ago -- or still cherish older components when you could afford to replace them with supposedly more sophisticated, newer designs? Is is possible that they actually sounded better, or am I just romanticising my youth? I would swear that my heavily modified Kenwood KD 500 with SME III and Dynavector Ruby into an Audio Research pre amp and Hafler DH 500 and Magneplanar MG-1bs in 1980 sounded better than several mega buck systems I have had recently. I have similarly blissful memories of a Nakamich 250 (!) and bi-amped ADS "Mobile Fidelity System" circa 1975 even over the road noise roar of my cheap first car. Maybe it's all about analogue but I just don't listen to music as much anymore.