Life is too short to buy someone else's favorite stereo gear

There’s no real practical way to listen to everything you might want to for many people. If you go by one persons opinion, then you’re just buying into their likes. I look for as much info and reviews as I can on a product, and a picture will usually emerge to give you a decent idea of what to expect. 

I get it and could not agree more. I could say more but would undermine the purpose of Erik's post. 

No Guru, No Method, No Teacher

wander in the desert....

and of course , an imbedded musical quiz

Of course there just not enough hours to do an exhaustive listening evaluation of the 30 “ best “ tube preamp on the planet ( n=30 ).....