Concur, I'm one of those people you're talking about who currently has a system over $100K (and climbing; I'll be putting it back up after the latest round of revisions/additions) and the first system I put together eight or so years ago was around $18K using mostly used gear (used Wadia 850, used Levinson 38 Pre, used Ayre V-3 Amp, B&W N804 Speakers and MIT cabling). imo, the cheaper systems can be extremely enjoyable (as I can attest to) but I would caution that those kind of systems don't have the resolution to show differences in products; for example, whereas such a system may show no difference between PCs, a higher resolution system may. Accordingly, it is important to *me* to see a poster's system to determine how much weight to give their opinion (just being honest here).
Why are all the Virtual Systems mega-assaults now?
I've noticed that more recently nearly all of the activity on the virtual systems is with really decked-out systems in lavish rooms with $50K speakers and electronics, cables, and single malt Scotch to match.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's nice to see how the upper crust live. But I've always viewed a strength of the virtual systems as showing how people have put together budget items with great synergy. What ever happened to the guys with the Adcom amp and PSB speakers posting about the continuing evolution of their systems? (Maybe they've updated to a spiffy room, speakers that require a forklift to position, MBL electronics, and cables that each cost more than my car.)
I guess Albert Porter's system gets a lot more traffic because people like discussing systems like that, but I really do miss seeing new "bang for the buck" units pop up on the virtual systems and admiring their ingenuity for putting it together.
Am I the only one who's a little disappointed with this?
Michael
Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's nice to see how the upper crust live. But I've always viewed a strength of the virtual systems as showing how people have put together budget items with great synergy. What ever happened to the guys with the Adcom amp and PSB speakers posting about the continuing evolution of their systems? (Maybe they've updated to a spiffy room, speakers that require a forklift to position, MBL electronics, and cables that each cost more than my car.)
I guess Albert Porter's system gets a lot more traffic because people like discussing systems like that, but I really do miss seeing new "bang for the buck" units pop up on the virtual systems and admiring their ingenuity for putting it together.
Am I the only one who's a little disappointed with this?
Michael