What's your biggest surprise in hifi?


After being in this hobby since the 70's, my own 2 biggest surprises are: [1] records sound better than cds. [2] More expensive isn't necessarily better. [for example, I once paid well over $10,000 for a set of separate components which were bettered by a $1500 integrated amp....What were your biggest surprises?
boofer

Showing 1 response by inna

1.That people invest so much energy and funds in inanimate objects that they hope will get them close to the reality instead of investing directly into real animate objects.
2. That $375 MM cartridge can sound so good when used with $3k table and $1.5k arm.
3. That there appears to still be many enthusiasts of open reel decks who keep to true audiophile roots.
4. That some have thousands of records and keep buying more.
5.That tubes still rule no matter what is sometimes said. They do not sound different than transistors, they sound better.
6. That at times paying a lot for cables makes perfect sense.