Lots of hepful perspectives here. I just demoed two DAC/streams that sound better than my current DAC and streamer combination. But the question then became, "Do the upgrade options I just heard sound $12,000 better than what I already have?" The answer was that they only sounded perhaps 7-8000 better. Therefore, I deferred the upgrade for later.
The argument against upgrading
I’ve always assumed upgrading hifi can be worthwhile provided there is some audible improvement in sound quality. Maybe, this assumption should be challenged.
Let’s suppose I make some change to my system. I make a meaningful comparison that proves it sounds better in some way.
Before making the change, I was already able to get into and enjoy certain recordings. Surely, I can’t get into these recordings any more than that. It’s an either or thing not a matter of degree.
So what does the upgrade actually do for me in practice? I fear that more often than not it may be absolutely nothing.
I am not arguing that there is no better. Just that incrementally better may not necessarily always translate into more musical enjoyment.
I suppose this all begs the question what I actually mean by better.
What’s your view on the benefits of upgrading? How can we reliably assess whether it is effective?
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There is no "absolute" sound quality, save if you design an acoustical architecture especially to serve a high end chosen specific system... It’s a marketing ploy and a mirage. Most people are not in ideal environment and must create a compromise with low cost..And optimization methods...
What make a hobbyist is not his budget for upgrades but his ability to learn how to optimize one chosen system/room... Optimization basic are the same for all system....
I dont need to upgrade at all right now with a system around 1300 dollars... Am i deaf?
No i dont need because the system i own work at his optimal level... It takes me one year listening to it and improving it ... it is now completed... I listen music not sound changes , i crave for new musical geniuses not for new dac,amp,pre-amp or speakers... I miss no acoustic factor in the range of possibilities my system/room can give me once optimized... Marketing ruined our brain .... And if we dont have budget ceiling we dont even realize it and we claim that this hobby is about hearing 50 dacs and 200 amplifiers etc ... It is not....Save if you are sellers or reviewers...I listen music and i am not interested by reviewing speakers....Mine are well tuned now and music is my realm not sound defects and upgrades...
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@newton_john I think it could be argued that musical involvement isn't necessarily an all-or-nothing experience. Both the degree of involvement can be variable--I think--as well as the number of recordings that can elicit involvement. So, this past year I upgraded both my streamer and DAC. Both were significant upgrades, not merely lateral changes. Now, I find I can enjoy more CD-quality streams than before, not hearing as many faults. I agree with others who have said that upgrading speakers and improving room acoustics are sensible priorities over other changes. I've gone as far as I'm willing to go in those areas, and I'm satisfied with what I have. My speakers and core components are good enough that I can hear changes from other components, including cables. I'm not suggestible enough to hear differences from all changes--e.g., lifting my speaker cables so they don't touch carpeting didn't make any difference I've noticed, and my speaker cables are over 20 ft. long. There is a virtue to being satisfied with what one has; I'm afraid many audiophiles lack that ability. And probably many make changes in the wrong areas, like changing cables, adding tweaks, etc. when the biggest flaws in their systems are their speakers or room acoustics. |
Reading all posts i realize that many people dont know how to listen to their system/room as an acoustic whole... Then they are unable to detect the necessary optimization move... We must know what we listen to with a concept... If we dont have an acoustic concept we cannot think about our own perceptive evaluation: What is timbre ? what are the factors able to modify it in my environment and not only from the gear pieces design... What is dynamic how to improve it ? What is ASW/LV and how to change this immersivity ratio in my room ?
With no acoustic concept in their head, many had marketing publicity as the only possible answer... Buying an upgrade become the solution, the costlier the better... They forgot and dont even try to optimize what they already own, they will never listen to their system at his peak potential... i owned a pair of Tannoy dual gold for 40 years... I sold them before learning acoustics... What an idiot i was....I never listened to my Tannoy at their peak potential...i never used them in an optimal mechanical,electrical,acoustical conditions...
I learned basics only after selling them alas! ....
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