new audiophile education


I consider myself a new "audiophile" wanting to learn the basics on equipment, how to match components, reviews on how they perform, etc...
I use the audiogon site for all my knowledge, but, I still find it difficult to acquire the basics by searching through the learn section of the site. Very time consuming.
It would be great if the site included a section dedicated to the basics: specifications, definitions, installation guides, etc..
dvdgreco
Time for you to read Jim Smith's and Floyd Toole's books. These guys are masters, both cover the basics, and more.
Well, gee. If it were that easy we wouldn't have any of these online forums cuz we'd have nothing to talk about. ;-)

Seriously, no one learns this stuff overnight. Keep reading, asking questions, experiment for yourself, etc.
Wait a minute! Dvdgreco, you've been around here since 2003. Is this a trick question? :-)
no trick questions.

Yes a member since 2003; however, as life changes and kids come into the picture things change. I am now getting back into the scene and trying tube stuff. This is new to me and looking for assistance.
Ah, I get it. Not sure where to start? First, figure out your budget. Think about what music you are going to spend most of your time listening to. Think about what kind of sound do you like. Warm and fuzzy? Clean and clear as you can get? If you can get this stuff nailed in your mind it will help guide you. This is going to be YOUR system so the most important thing in all of this is to get YOUR toes tapping.
Dan_ed speaks good advice. I think the only thing to add is "listen to your ears and don't try to please someone else's ears" Freinds and salesmen seem to only clutter the terrain. Make yourself happy, you will spend the majority of your time listening by yourself. Find a dealer that wants a long term customer and will work with you on trying differents things. A good dealer will explain the why's and why not's of different configurations. And most importantly remember we "audio-folk" are never happy and always eveloving our systems. Welcome to our little obsession.
Obsession you called it exactly. The problem i face, only one audio store to hear components, they have a limited brand selection. Jolida, mcintosh, B&W. and it ends there.

The gon has opened a whole new world, especially when $$ are limited.
Dvdgreco-

I sent you some tube links a while ago, did you get a chance to look at them ?
Hi Dvdgreco

Those 3 brands could be all that you need. They would be for me. Granted ones wallet will be a lot lighter. That is great you can audition them. Buying, selling and trading online you can't always audition and if the sound doesn't fit it can cause money loss plus the inconvenience of re-selling. Wait till you start selling your gear and get nitpicked and lowballed. You were the 3rd owner I'm going to offer you even less. You list at a fair market value you still get lowballed by 60% off of your listing. Some people make it no fun at all.

McIntosh makes great quality amps that last for years and retain value. Jolida (.com or .net) components look to be solid and people can't stop raving about the JD9 phono preamp recently. As for B&W I've heard the 683 speaker line and they sound superb and that is only the entry line. The others might be better.

Well good luck in your search and I hope it isn't bumpy.
Man, you have to test different equipment and keep reading to learn more. There's a lot to learn on the audio world.
Another very good reference for beginners is Robert Harley's Complete Guide to High End Audio
Dvdgreco: "...searching through the learn section. Very time consuming" The forum archives are there for just that. While doing so, one will learn more than just what is initially sought. Let alone all the random madcap humor!
I was an audiophile when they dyed the Red Sea Red, and I went to the funereal when the Dead Sea died; yet I learned something when I went to the "forum archives".
my mother was so thrifty.. once, when I was young, I had spilled the mercurochrome. she sent me outside to go cut myself, so that it would not go to waste..