Do You Regret Your Pre-ASR Audio Gear Choices of the past?

[TKM]

Actually, I went kind of in reverse. I sold all my HEA several years after a buying spree motivated by an ability to do direct purchases because of a music industry endorsement, then I ended up powering my system with a Stewart PA-200 power amp direct into Acoustic Energy AE-1 loudspeakers. ASR showed me I could go Class D without losing any of the driving power of the Stewart, and I’m using a NuForce Icon HDP DAC from 2010 without complaint. I tried a Fosi DAC after reading the review here but the Icon didn't sound worse so I returned the Fosi.

The performance is what captures me not the audio quality, and because of some mental quirk I’ve never heard song lyrics, I hear the voice as another instrument. I’m probably more comfortable listening to lower quality sound than many here on ASR.

 

[Sal1950]

How important is aesthetics for everyone here? Are you willing to pay a premium for it?

I went as far as stripping one of my electronics to it's shell, to sand blast and anodize to silver so that it can match my entire rack.

Quite important actually. I wouldn't buy a product that I found very fugly no mater the measurements.

 

[wadude]

No regrets at all. The driving force is the music. I couldn’t afford to splurge and my dad was a physics guy, so expensive wires were never going to be a thing. One of my best friends from high school is in advertising which definitely opened up a bit of awareness around marketing. The history of hifi is fascinating and a big part of the hobby for me. Tube hifi from the fifties through the sixties is alluring from so many angles and I will never regret any of the time spent in that world. Visual aesthetics is very important. Simple is good.

 

[MatrixS2000]

No regrets but I have been in the objectivist camp since the early 80s, so I never bought into the most of the audiophile money pits, but if there ever was a purchase that I later backed out, I just viewed it as a learning example not a regret.

 

[PristineSound]

but if there ever was a purchase that I later backed out, I just viewed it as a learning example not a regret.

Same here. Luckily I have not lost much money, some items I sold them for more than I paid for, some items I sold them at a small lost. The items I sold for at a big lost are the relatively inexpensive stuff anyway, so even a 70% loss on a $100 DAC, it's not big deal. The biggest lost is $800 on a $1,300 as I had to sell it for $500.

 

[wadude]

Where ASR has been really helpful is answering questions about how things work; cables, passive pre, room acoustics, computer hifi, etc. Also guidance in making new purchases, specifically amplifiers and, now speakers.

 

[gold-sunset]

I don't regret my pre-ASR purchases. I avoided really cheap gear as well as expensive gear and still do. The challenge I sometimes face is making decisions on products that ASR doesn't review. However ASR reviews do enforce a point that price does not always equal performance and to be wary of over-the-top claims.Thanks ASR!

 

[marauder64]

My only "expensive" pre ASR purchase was the Beyerdynamic Dt990 Pro (dt990-pro-review-headphone), I still think they are the most confortable headphones I ever used, using the for many hours not only for music but also gaming and conferencing make me think they are an ok product, even if they don't measure that good.

 

[xanalog]

I wouldn't buy a product that I found very fugly no mater the measurements.

You just invented the "Fugly Quotient" and it should be called FQ..., opposite of WAF!

 

[Iainohyeah]

My only "expensive" pre ASR purchase was the Beyerdynamic Dt990 Pro (dt990-pro-review-headphone), I still think they are the most confortable headphones I ever used, using the for many hours not only for music but also gaming and conferencing make me think they are an ok product, even if they don't measure that good.

I have two sets of headphones that 'measure well' and neither sound remotely as good as my cheaper 990 pros. You really do have to trust your ears sometimes.

I know it's the whole point of this site, but measurements are only part of it. Personal preference and pride in ownership are massive elements in rating your purchases.
Oh and I'm totally on the 'no fugly' team. I've sold good stuff because it looks awful. I cringe at those photos of 20k worth of gaudy McIntosh gear in a room my grandma would be ashamed of. That's just me.....

 

[Sal1950]

I have two sets of headphones that 'measure well' and neither sound remotely as good as my cheaper 990 pros. You really do have to trust your ears sometimes.

I know it's the whole point of this site, but measurements are only part of it. Personal preference and pride in ownership are massive elements in rating your purchases.
Oh and I'm totally on the 'no fugly' team. I've sold good stuff because it looks awful. I cringe at those photos of 20k worth of gaudy McIntosh gear in a room my grandma would be ashamed of. That's just me.....

Yep, each to there own. I find the looks of McIntosh gear just fine.
OTOH you'd need a shotgun get a pair of B&W Nautilus or Vivid Giyas into my listening room.

 

[Chr1]

Hmm...Bit of an H R Giger vibe, I reckon. The Nautilus has something vaguely reminiscent of the Alien xenomorph there.
The Giyas are more like those pods they're born out of.

Spooky sci-fi speakers. Lol!

 

[Audionaut]

A common theme here on ASR is how many feel they managed to escape the ideas that drive the purchases of many other audiophiles. Getting rid of the woo-woo, no more being influenced by golden ear reviewers, getting off the gear merry-go-round, and finally making more knowledgable decisions that have led to their current system.

No, I have no regrets and the devices and speakers that I own and have owned are not a topic on ASR anyway, because they are or were probably only available in Germany and Europe for the most part.

I was completely satisfied with 99% of my purchases and still am today.

ASR doesn't have a particularly broad range of electronics and it's usually the same companies that are always tested and found to be good.

But ASR has given me exactly this perspective, for example on the DAC product group and the small chip amplifiers.

To summarize:
No decision is regretted, but new incentives to buy have been created.

 

[Axo1989]

Hmm...Bit of an H R Giger vibe, I reckon. The Nautilus has something vaguely reminiscent of the Alien xenomorph there.
The Giyas are more like those pods they're born out of.

Spooky sci-fi speakers. Lol!

I reckon if I was given a shotgun and some Nautilus to force into old mate's listening room, I'd give the cranky dude a miss and take the speakers home myself.

 

[Chr1]

Aye, not my favourite looking, by far...
But apparently not bad speakers by any means.
Definitely wouldn't say no if going cheap/free.

(big fan of Alien)

... If I had the Giyas, I might have to add small toy Aliens emerging from the top, pod style...
For added WAF. Lol

 

[Axo1989]

Aye, not my favourite looking, by far...
But apparently not bad speakers by any means.
Definitely wouldn't say no if going cheap/free.

(big fan of Alien)

Oh I'm seeing the Giyas differently now, a bit less cute/more ominous ...

 

[Peluvius]

I regret spending any real money on cables back in the day, wasted some time and energy there. All the rest has been part of the hobby for me and the journey. I was relatively fortunate to have a few staunch scientific objectivists in my life to stop me buying too much garbage....

 

[Hal_01]

Actually I found ASR by surfing for DIY Speaker sites. I have a certain level of handcrafting skill and do even enjoy it sometimes. So My Idea as with so many others was too build my own set of Speakers, Cabinets, Drivers, Electronics. After the ASR experience, I am now weighing Cost, Performance vs Labor Performance vs my sacrolliac. I may still actually pull the trigger when the perfect storm arrives. Hopefully it will.

 

[Open Mind Audio]

I do not but that's partially b/c I was always looking for all the metrics available pre-ASR.

I do however regret one item I sold because of ASR, which was my Marantz AV7702mkII pre-pro, which I sold 3.5 years ago after getting hooked on ASR. Even though it's SINAD wasn't so great, turns out I really missed its convenience after selling. Also, my sale was misguided, in that I was using an Oppo UDP 205 as a DAC anyway, so likely the SINAD from the Marantz wasn't even coming into play. (My fault and no one else's.)

This year I'm coming full circle more or less and returning a Denon AVR to the fold.

 

[BlueMeanie]

Only the Rega setup I used for a few years. Had been happy more than twenty years with my modest 90s Denon receiver (a reasonable choice I think, despite being not that clued in back then), but eventually it began to show it's age and I thought about an upgrade.

Originally I simply looked for current Denon gear but then I read about them being part of Sound United now and made in China - so I went looking for some manufacturer who was still special and had a story to tell (...). I did get that with the Rega Brio and Apollo CD player.

After about three years I admitted to myself that I also got gear that was seriously annoying me. That CD player did get a serious hickup at every speck of dust or tiny scratch on my CDs (never had something like that, not even with the cheap store-brand all-in-one-flimsy-box stereo I got in 1990!) and the amp with it's imprecise volume per remote, only one button to circle through all inputs and I missed loudness and tone control!

The Rotel A14/CD14 I exchanged it with I selected because of the usual doubtful reviews and forum posts, but I don't regret it. It's quite possible the increase in clarity and detail compared to the Rega setup was all in my head, but I think I got good quality for a decent price here and most of the functions I wanted.

Moving on from the Rotel was probably a pointless upgrade, but when I got the upgrade bug with traces of audiophilia nervosa and started searching for something newer and shinier, I eventually found ASR and with the RME and Purifi-Boxem, I at least got gear that is objectively good.

Still somewhat tempted to try out an R2R DAC or something with a tube (just an irrational itch), but that's not going to happen anytime soon and only if I find something used at a really good price.