The whole improvement thing in audio is problematic...
My personal policy is to set system improvement phases during which I define a budget and priorities (what parts of the system seem most likely to deliver improvements). I try to identify the equipment most likely to be the best within the budget, read a lot, decide and then hunt for price, often going for the used market (my speakers and amps are mostly second hand, never bought more than 50% of list price). These improvement phases typically don’t last more than 6 months.
One’s own listening judgement is often touted as the ultimate criteria in audio, typically opposed to the lack of theoretical explanation (using overly simplified pseudo-scientific modelings of reality) for the possibility of an impact. But that is rendered extremely debatable by the lack of repeatability of our tests methods, our environment and above all ourselves. When subjective perception is the rule we cannot rule out it being impacted by our mood, level of energy, what we ate for dinner, the condition of macrobiotics in our intestin, the amount of electromagnetic waves surrounding us, the position of the moon, humidity, temperature,... and our highly imperfect senses memory.
So I tend to rely on the value of large numbers. I tend to trust the average view of many users. And in the end my belief is that by associating components that are reviewed positively by a majority of users I am likely to have a system that sounds better than average. I do of course listen and feel, but taking burn in into account, I tend not to give too high a weight to my initial impressions after introducing a change in my system. Even if it’s rare that an initially very negative impression becomes very positive. By selecting only components that are generally well reviewed I very rarely get negative initial impressions. Either no change or little change and rarely real wow moments (like when I first connected the Wilson Benesch Act one evo, that was a remarkable wow moment).
How does that translate for ethernet things such as switches, reclockers or cables? Well, I have never had any wow moment with those, more a subtle positive impression that contributed to the whole.
Outside those periods... I listen to music.
Cheers,
Bernard
My personal policy is to set system improvement phases during which I define a budget and priorities (what parts of the system seem most likely to deliver improvements). I try to identify the equipment most likely to be the best within the budget, read a lot, decide and then hunt for price, often going for the used market (my speakers and amps are mostly second hand, never bought more than 50% of list price). These improvement phases typically don’t last more than 6 months.
One’s own listening judgement is often touted as the ultimate criteria in audio, typically opposed to the lack of theoretical explanation (using overly simplified pseudo-scientific modelings of reality) for the possibility of an impact. But that is rendered extremely debatable by the lack of repeatability of our tests methods, our environment and above all ourselves. When subjective perception is the rule we cannot rule out it being impacted by our mood, level of energy, what we ate for dinner, the condition of macrobiotics in our intestin, the amount of electromagnetic waves surrounding us, the position of the moon, humidity, temperature,... and our highly imperfect senses memory.
So I tend to rely on the value of large numbers. I tend to trust the average view of many users. And in the end my belief is that by associating components that are reviewed positively by a majority of users I am likely to have a system that sounds better than average. I do of course listen and feel, but taking burn in into account, I tend not to give too high a weight to my initial impressions after introducing a change in my system. Even if it’s rare that an initially very negative impression becomes very positive. By selecting only components that are generally well reviewed I very rarely get negative initial impressions. Either no change or little change and rarely real wow moments (like when I first connected the Wilson Benesch Act one evo, that was a remarkable wow moment).
How does that translate for ethernet things such as switches, reclockers or cables? Well, I have never had any wow moment with those, more a subtle positive impression that contributed to the whole.
Outside those periods... I listen to music.
Cheers,
Bernard
Room: Gik Acoustics | Vibration: Townshend pods | Power: Shunyata Omega XC + Everest + Sigma NR v2 + Sigma ground cables | Source: Mojo Audio DejaVu EVO linux server running Roon core (Raat) | Ethernet: Sonore Optical module + Melco S10P with dedicated LPS + Shunyata Omega Ethernet x 2| Synchronous: Mutec MC-3 + USB (Paul Hynes SR7T LPS) + Cybershaft OP21A (Shunyata Omega USB, AES/EBU, clock cables) | Dac/Pre/Amplification: Devialet D1000 Pro CI (Chord Sarum T RCA-RCA link) | Speakers: Chord Sarum T cables + Wilson Benesch Act One Evolution P1
