@stuartk
" But what i can't wrap my head around is how anyone has any sense of direction when it comes to pairing equipment"...
There is, as someone mentioned, the approach of sticking to one brand-- finding a "house sound that you like", although I've never done that.”
Yep, you did a great job of characterizing the audio journey. You have to learn what you want, which changes over time. You have to learn what component sounds like what and how to tell in a system. You have to make some mistakes. You have to love the journey as well as the end points you reach.
" But what i can't wrap my head around is how anyone has any sense of direction when it comes to pairing equipment"...
There is, as someone mentioned, the approach of sticking to one brand-- finding a "house sound that you like", although I've never done that.”
Yep, you did a great job of characterizing the audio journey. You have to learn what you want, which changes over time. You have to learn what component sounds like what and how to tell in a system. You have to make some mistakes. You have to love the journey as well as the end points you reach.

