Top 10 Snafus to avoid when building a good rig

11-10-11: Hotmailjbc
forgetting to enjoy the music

Amen. I think there are some, if not many that I've met who seem to be into this for other reasons, and that's fine too. For me it's the music, and yes, it is a huge SNAFU for me whenever I get so caught up in the gear that I loose the enjoyment of the music in the process.

As far as the gear itself, there are really no big mistakes, just lessons. Mistakes come when you don't learn the lesson the first time round. Otherwise I actually find it very valuable to learn by actually trying things out.

The biggest fallacy that I see as a common ground to all the "mistakes" folks are mentioning that I happen to resonate with: many of them come down to the misguided notion that there is that there is some absolute objective goal to be attained that can be quantified and qualified. That is a fruitless journey down a rocky path. Find your own path. Know yourself, and enjoy getting to know yourself.

I would disagree with those who advise to ignore reviews and ignore the input of others. I'd suggest you take both as a point of departure for figuring things out on your own as to what you like. You may find that you actually agree with the opinions of some reviewers and or some faceless (to you) individuals posting here. You certainly might just as well disagree. The point is to decide for yourself what you prefer, what suits your tastes, your music, your listening room, your life, your priorities, budget, etc.

Another big one for me, and I don't think I do this much myself, but I do see others doing it frequently....taking this stuff too seriously. It's just a stereo system...an object....like a toaster. There are far more meaningful things in life, and life is way too short to actually expend energy in making so many extraneous things like this right or wrong...better or worse...black or white. I'm not suggesting to not pursue things with passion...just to maintain some perspective and balance and simply have fun and enjoy. Perhaps it's the internet and chat sites in general, but quite often this seems to be lacking in critical conversations. I think, again, that it comes down to some notion of objectivity and absolutes and hierarchy, none of which has much to do, at least for me, with a deeper enjoyment of life and those around me.

Where can I get me sum'dem absolutely mo'betta components?! I'd like to trade in my degradation for some improvement for to make my music better! I say, accept no substitutes and look for the "Mo'Betta" certification badge. 9 out of 10 dentists have been paid off so that you can bask in the light of their endorsement of your irreproachable decision to go with the best your money can buy!!! It'll get you past the bouncer at heaven's gates. While you're here with the rest of the unwashed riffraff, you can impress your family, friends and neighbors who will all hold you in highest esteem for demonstrating knowledge beyond ordinary mortal's understanding. Why I'm getting weak in the knees just thinking about it. I am unworthy.

Jim - thanks for the suggestions. I will skip over Nebraska in my search for a more desirable state, free from degradation. Perhaps my own private Idaho. I suppose the time that might take would depend on where you are coming from and where you are going. Also, what means of travel are you using.

Rok2id - Yeah, my point exactly. Stick around and you'll see lots more of the same. To be fair, the site is actually devoted to conversation around this stuff - but, yes, it is taken way to seriously when there is no perspective or levity...it's all just stuff...life and death are certainly not remotely in the balance.

To add to the burgeoning list of "mistakes" people make - yet another is build a system without any consideration of how each of the components interact with each other, or perhaps worse, how the system interfaces with the room they'll be putting it into, and or not treating the room as if it were just as vital a component as any other. This came up with the Maggie bit, which Ill add a bit of input on: I've followed a good friend's progress as he tried to integrate Magneplanar 20.1's into his purpose built moderately sized listening room. Among things he tried; Nye stands, Tom Tutay Xover, biamping with a number of highly effective and wonderful amplifiers, adding and modifying room treatments in an already well sorted out room. In both of our opinions he could not get them to work well in that room, where other speakers shine brightly, for whatever reasons (and those reasons could be many). My own opinion is that the speakers overpowered the room and smeared the soundstage. He ended up selling them and going to (back to) conventional dynamic driver speakers which work great in his room. He'd had a similar problem with Quad 988's in the same room - they simply did not work well in that space and or with the knowledge and treatments he was utilizing. Most, if not all, of the dynamic and horn speakers I've heard in that space have sounded great and have not exhibited any tendencies that either the Maggies or Quads had.

On reproducing deep bass - my own experience is that it is a very expensive aspect of sound reproduction to get right, where the nuance of experiencing low notes the way one might in a the presence of the instrument that produced them, is actually carried out with some degree of fidelity and remotely similar impact, and are well integrated with the rest of the spectrum, and delivered without serous detriment to the rest of the range. Inexpensive solutions just don't seem to cut it, from my own experiences trying and listening to what others try. Those that do seem to do so at some significant cost. The most economical I can think of, that actually occurred to me as natural and impactful, as well as seamlessly integrated, has been the satellite subwoofer system that Audiokinesis makes, where multiple subs do the ground work.

Biggest snafu ( mistake ) , is upgrading to gear that isn't really better , just different . If your going to take a step make it a good one .

The concept of "better" and "good" is entirely human. It does not exist in an objective sense because everything, and I mean everything, used to qualify "better" and "good" is something that exists as some abstract concept in our minds alone. Better and good does not exist beyond our own minds. "Better" is entirely relative to the perspective of an individual. It is subjective...entirely so, even though it may be a shared perspective. You can't tell anyone else what will be better for them. Period. End of story. And it's all just a story. So I'm not sure what you mean by "isn't really better". It's the "really" part that you lost me on - same with Mr.Tennis - I don't agree that some components are better than others, as such. They certainly are different. "Better" is relative to perspective. What is better to you, what perhaps makes a world of difference to you, may not occur to me to make any difference at all, nor might I call it "better" from my own perspective. This is where everything comes down to you, and your own personal preferences, and why the perspective of others should be taken as a point of departure to discover your own preferences. You are the only one who really knows for sure what is "better" to you. I'm not suggesting there may not be large groups of individuals who may agree on some things, but it is most certainly not objective. Ask the 99% of the population of the planet whether your mega $ audiophile system sounds "better" than a $500 system compiled from Best Buy, and you'll find out how entirely relative "better" is. Have them all (yeah, the entire population of the planet) taste a few different glasses of red wine and choose the best one (better have some fish and bread on hand too for all those people and make'em choose the better of those too), or choose a politician to lead their country, or a faith to live their lives by, and then come talk about "better". There are different components and they interact differently and present different results in reproducing music within a space. Lets make no mistake about it; the "better" part is entirely individual, and is a judgement and not an objective fact. Broadcasting from my own private Idaho.

the problem with an opinion is that it is probably true and probably false. it is an expression of uncertainty.

...is that your final answer...?