What building my own speakers has taught me...

@devinplombier 

I used to own a BMW and loved it. As I became a grandfather, I needed a larger car to pick up my granddaughters from school.

There is absolutely a difference between people like me who have only a passing interest in the electronics and mechanics of audio versus its sound. And even regarding its sound, it has taken me many decades to believe audio writers who talk about "air," "soundstage," etc. I have had to own equipment that can produce those sounds to buy into their existence. 

I have had friends who upgrade their systems with better capcitors, etc. Even friends who have made their own equipment. I am jealous. I wish I had that apptitude. I am a writer and I listen to music while I write. 

The Sonus Faber Olympica Novas are the first really good speakers I have ever owned. Prior to those, I had the GoldenEars as I mentioned. I thought they were wonderful until I had an inheritance which allowed me to purchase the Sonus Fabers, which are in a totally different class.

Anyway, I love music, and I like people who love music. Whether people's budgets are relatively low, as mine has mostly been, and they buy used or they make their own gear, I would much prefer to talk about the music itself. I go to hear live concerts a lot. My wife and I have tickets to the L.A. Phil and I go to hear jazz at the Soraya on the CSUN campus.

Probably one of the reasons that I would not buy from somebody who makes equipment is because I know so little about their workings. I've known a lot of electrical engineers who try to talk to me about how an amp or preamp works, and I get bored quickly. 

So, I'm glad we understand one another. Basically, I think it's the music we both really love in the end. In that regard, I think everybody on all of these forums are brothers in arms, although we might spat from time to time.

Probably one of the reasons that I would not buy from somebody who makes equipment is because I know so little about their workings.

@audio-b-dog 

That's interesting. I understand the sentiment, but why would it only be an issue with a one-man operation? Shouldn't the primary criterium when purchasing gear be the quality of the sound, the faithfulness with which the music is reproduced?

Per your own experience, secondary issues such as serviceability 20 years on (or lack thereof) are usually unrelated to a company's size or standing at the time of purchase.

Not trying to nitpick, I'm just curious.

Incidentally, I am enjoying this conversation. It is always good to find common ground with folks with whom we may disagree on other grounds. It makes me wish more folks out there exercised that skill. But then again you're a writer, whereas I merely wish I were one :)

@erik_squires 

I'm happy to say I'll be building your LM-1Cs :).   

@devinplombier @toddalin 

I told you I inherited a Hovland Radia amp. At the time I had a McCormack DNA-1 upgraded to the top of Steve McCormack's many upgrades. It sounded damn good for a non-Boulder-priced amp. It was very musical and made me happy. I didn't see any reason to change to another amp.

When I first compared the Hovland to the DNA, I thought it was a no brainer. The McCormack was much more "musical." But being an audiophile, I continued to compare them for weeks. And suddenly--I can't remember what I was listening to--there was no contest. The Hovland was so much better. The McCormack threw an enticing wall of sound, but I could hear into the music with the Hovland. A soundstage I'd never heard before because I never had the money to buy a good amp. And for me, it wasn't something that I could hear right away, or even in an hour.

When my friend who made preamps left his at my house for several weeks, hoping I'd buy it, it sounded better than the CJ at first. It was a very seductive preamp. It reminded me in a way of an ARC LS22 preamp I bought many years ago. That took me a review from the late, great Wes Phillips at Stereophile to really hear. Again, seductive mids and mid-bass, but not great treble that I never noticed until Wes Phillips pointed it out. I have a feeling many people out there still have their LS22s and love them.

So, what has this got to do with buying something from a guy who makes one speaker in his garage. In other words, he has one speaker design which he reproduces. I might very well be taken with the guy and with his speaker and a month or even more later decide there was something about it I hadn't heard and I really didn't want to keep it. What to do? Sell a non-brand speaker on eBay? Really, you're kind of stuck. A good dealer will let you trade it in on something you do like, or I can sell my Sonus Fabers. People know about them and know that they're considered good speakers.

So, it's perhaps mostly my problem for taking a while to really hear a piece of equipment. But I bet others have the same problem. And I'd advise them to go to a dealer and buy a name brand.