*There’s an Audiophiliac/Steve Guttenberg imposter scamming my viewers, There’s no FREE gifts. DON’T respond! I don't do giveaways or ask for money (except for my Patreon)*

You are so spot on Steve. The number one mistake is most definitely THE number one mistake to avoid. Every overdose of excessive noise (music included) in one's life is cumulative and whittles away at degrading your hearing over time. So every chance you have to shield yourself from excessively loud noise take it! (leaf blower, driving nails with a hammer, concerts, shop power tools, the subway train, ear buds / headphones, cranking Altec Lansing Voice of the Theater speakers, etc., etc.) And the sooner you get your hearing checked the better. Studies show that hearing impairment (especially the ability to hear the spoken word clearly) hastens cognitive decline. Because of my hearing loss, the most expensive audio components I own sit right behind my ears and while they help, they can't cure my tinnitus. Every quiet moment in all recordings for me have a slight ringing to it.

Thanks for #1! Constant noise and hearing loss are simply not taken seriously in our society and it's a shame.

Word from the wise! I have only a few regrets in my audio experience. Though I do have to admit that the hearing damage thing is very real. I lost a good portion of hearing from a Deep Purple concert back in the 80's . Ritchie Blackmore burned a guitar on-stage and their opening act was Bad Company. They were really loud and so was a RUSH concert I attended a year later. Sooo, sometimes the pain is worth the gain, but not always.

Except from ageing and hearing loss I have one more big No; vacuum cleaner on speaker cover that is mounted on the speaker. I had to replace a tweeter that simply popped out. An other time a cleaning cloth grabbed on to my cartridge needle and bent it back to the middle ages. Cleaning a High End system is like walking on a minefield.

I lost my vinyl due to a house fire but had steadily started replacing them with CD’s because I preferred CD’s from the onset and to this day I still buy CD’s because for me it’s always been the pinnacle format. However I never would have simply gotten rid of my vinyl by choice just because I now had it on CD. Even still I simply don’t care enough about vinyl to start rebuilding a vinyl collection. I have a few I’ve picked up here and there but it’s not my main focus. I tried the streaming thing but wasn’t a fan. For me there’s no substitute for compact disc hard copy media.

YES…I made mistakes…some expensive ones…after much research, watched reviews, etc…etc…I bought expensive mono bloc power amps from over seas which left me wanting and then I tried to fix it with that manufacturer's preamp (all non-returnable)…and after spending $6K I found that I just did not "love" the sound. I also found that metal dome tweeters are not for me, either. 😂 I took a financial bath selling it all. This pursuit is elusive… I did learn so much thru my experiences, tho. Mainly, I learned what sound signature that "I" liked and was patient and careful.. I spent quite a bit more the second time around…worked on my room acoustics and speaker placement, as well. Lately I smile a LOT and just look for music. It’s a journey…and I have to play the game and be part of a process…and oh….I had to learn patience and kindness with myself. 😎

#1 - use a db meter where you are sitting. 90 db max for 30 minutes only, 95 db for maybe 1 song, or part of one that you really need the effect. Otherwise keep to 80-85 db max for longer listening periods even less if you can.

Number one: True as it gets. Most audiophiles are men and men do things to kill their hearing like join the military, work construction, use power tools, go to concerts, play with firearms, go hunting, race cars and motorcycles and listen to their stereos way too loud. The high end of your hearing goes first which should answer your question why so many manufacturers make bright sounding audio gear, speakers etc.They know their audience.

Ahhh, the golden age of used lps, late '80s through the'90s. Bought many, many lps in those years.

Number one is VERY important. I'm a senior audiophile, Got in to it in the very early 60's . I have taken great care to preserve my hearing. At 73 it is still excellent. You are totally spot on. Kudos to you for bringing it up.,

#1 for sure. My biggest regret in life. I was commuting 4 hrs total each day for work. "Just one more song and I will turn down the car stereo". But then the next song was also too good to turn down. And then the final straw, I was using a power saw with my ears just a few inches away from the saw (long story). Tinnitus started days a few later. I can hear ok (with small dip at 4Khz). But bad part is that even at around 75db, my ears are in pain. I can no longer enjoy my home stereo. Wearing ear plus every day to protect my ears from pain. This pain has been going on since around 2004. Please protect your ears.

As someone who's damaged his hearing with loud music I fully agree. And its not just hearing loss, it's tinnitus. If you want that ringing continually for the rest of your life, go ahead.

One mistake I make all the time is thinking there is always something better out there and not just settling with the choices I have made. So I spend more time looking at new kit than actually being content and enjoying what I have.

I'm a classical pipe organist. Thank you for telling people to listen to unamplified instruments. I routinely point out to people who say that no stereo will ever sound like live music that the concerts most of them go to are just listening to a glorified stereo and they routinely call me an idiot. Amplified music is amplified music. Sound from speakers is sound from speakers. It doesn't matter if the preformed is in front of you.

Steve, your last point definitely rang true for me. Some years ago I went to a concert by the local orchestra and the final work on the programme was Respighi's "Pines of Rome". The final movement of the work is entitled "The Pines of the Appian Way" and it depicts soldiers marching along the Appian Way. Extra brass (from the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band - trumpets, trombones, tubas) is called for in this section and it got so loud that my ears shut down - literally! It's the only time that has ever happened - and I certainly hope it won't ever happen again

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is investing too much in gear and neglecting room treatment!

Oh dear! That "Top 10" list needs 100 slots!! 😁 99% of them audiophiles spend too little money and too little attention on room treatment. It's been a whole life struggle to bend open that wallet for enough accoustic tiles, but the dam thing pops open easily for the next electronic gizmo!!!

Steve's #1 mistake should not be dismissed. Tinitus is real. I'm 55 and enjoyed a bunch of punk shows in unregulated spaces at unhealthy spl's back in the 90's.

Being overly critical of what you already have and forgetting to enjoy the music is a big one for most folks. Took me a bit to get past it myself, but I have learned in my older age to cherish the things we do have and enjoy them to their fullest.

Hearing loss never goes away and the best hearing aids only do so much but I’m glad I have them.

I've learned not to let go of any of my audio related things

Congratulations to Clint on assembling such a beautiful system. It must sound incredibly good. Thanks for showing it Steve.

#12 (there are already some contenders for #11): Consider carefully when purchasing a single device that has two or more functions (or at least be sure the functions can be fully decoupled). As a general rule for someone on an audiophile journey, it is best to assemble functionality from separate components. This provides the most future flexibility and makes your system more resilient to failures. This is in addition to the commonly recognized quality advantages of separates.

Selling what you like to get something that you think will sound better...I almost made that mistake when I was on the verge of posting my '83 ADS speakers on Ebay. Glad I didn't.

Best advice ever keeping hearing. I got tinnitus and hyperacusis what a hassle. please avoid alcohol during concerts the hearing is the first muffler and you lose perception cause of alcohol. Thanks Steve

In the early 90s I bought Lenny's Mahler 2, blasted my head off with Koss headphones and have had permanent ringing since. Please be careful, especially with headphones.

Excellent and very accurate video! Well said Steve! I`m now 59 and started this journey when I was 13 and you hit the nail on the head for every point!

One of the best videos you posted Steve. Love the topic. I won't name the manufacturer but it was the late 90's and I saw this Double Cassette deck at Best Buy for a great price and I was looking for one and I was torn between buying a used deck or this new one at Best Buy. I bought the new one and even though it was a high quality audio brand I thought, I guess this model was not. I was very disappointed with the sound quality and recording quality as well. but the mistake I made is I did not take it back to the store within the 30 days, for some reason I thought maybe I would learn to like it more then I did. Well, I did not have it long, maybe 5 months and I gave it away and bought a used deck online and it works and sounds fantastic. You live and you learn!!! Also, in the late 80's I was very low on money so I sold about 50 record albums to a used record store. Do I regret that now as I have no idea what titles I had, so I have no way of re-buying them now. But, I am sure everyone has stories like this

*#2,* I jumped into digital with both feet, but never once considered getting rid of my LP's. I just couldn't let go of something that had been such a huge part of my life. Today, I buy vinyl if it's at all available from a new artist - and luckily these kids print LPs. I still remember where I bought many records, and conversations I had with employees at Tower Records. *#1,* amen. I suppose there was a time back in the 70's where it was a sign of machismo to weather the stacks of speakers at a concert. Then I went to a Steve Hackett concert at my college auditorium in 1980. I had ear ringing for 3 days. I made the decision right then, no mas. Today I'm 65 and the sound of fluorescent lights drives me nuts.

Exce!!ent topic Steve. Number one hit home for me. Being a teenager in the '80s and into audio and cars I chased the elusive 1K watt car stereo peak. Hifonics, Rockford Fosgate, ADS, Soudstream to name a few. Loved loud music with a passion! Then afterwards hitting the NYC club scene was a must. Webster Hall, Palladium, Red Zone, Sound Factory. My God its a miracle I still have good hearing!

Biggie - keeping your speakers against the wall or even, horrors, in the corners against the wall. Unless you have corner horn speakers of course.

Love all your videos but this I think is one of the best to date...great advice 🙂

That's a great Top 10. Top work, Steve. Thank you!

Great video! I also think understanding your room constraints is a good one. If the room you plan to use for your audio system is pretty compromised such that only so much can be done in terms of acoustic treatment etc, you probably don't want to buy your dream equipment if it will never take you to the 'promised land' unless you plan to move someday. My place - architecturally beautiful, acoustically terrible.🙃

Hi Steve, Thanks for your list of common mistakes that we audiophiles make, I would add another. Make sure to audition equipment at your dealer. Buying on the strengths of audio magazine reviews can be a big gamble. I have done that and fortunately I’ve got away with it when buying gear without a listening session, but it has a lot of risk ! ( I appreciate that sometimes an authorised dealer for the manufacturer of gear that interests you might not be nearby, and often this makes an audition difficult.)

I love the part where Steve mentioned about hearing loss. Honestly, this is the best advice ever in Audiophillia. If you have bad hearing, you can't enjoy your HiFi the same way, and if it's even worse, you'll likely be miserable due to tinnitus or etc. Quality of life will be affected, sometimes rather drastically (many with hearing loss have depression, if I'm not wrong). I'm following closely on hearing loss treatment, and people are working on rejuvenating hearing loss, there's none so far and there have been multiple studies at late stages but the progress is too slow. I'll be most excited to hear my system with fresh ears, and I know I will have to wait decades for that, maybe the treatment will be costly? probably in the beginning, but hearing well is important to me due to my love for music. There's no point for a great sounding system if your ears can't receive the sound it's supposed to convey. Hearing health is so important, I can't emphasize it enough.

Excellent, excellent, excellent video Steve.

Thank you for bringing up the hearing risk. I always managed to "recover" from the worst offenses (nightclubs with crappy systems, concert arenas, etc) but then my young son thought it would be funny if he screamed full blast in my ear as a joke - that was a bridge too far and was the last straw and I now have some ringing forever in my left ear. I miss the way music sounded to me before the ring - I urge all to take Steve's advice seriously, and enjoy music their whole lives with their natural hearing.

Your vids are always a great watch.

The hearing loss thing is real. I remember a Deep Purple concert back in the day. They did the same set from "Made in Japan" and at the time I think it made the Guinness Book of World Records for how loud it was. My ears were ringing for a good 24 hrs. A lot of loud concerts, both big and small venues. Would I do it again, now that I know what I know and considering the tinnitus I deal with? Yeah, probably. Might skip a few that sucked though.

I definitely built my first home theater system without 2 channel in mine but corrected things on my second round by getting the 2 channel right first and adding in the other channel electronics and speakers later.

#4 being careful not to destroy ANY gear, like shorting out your amp, bending a cantilever or chipping a stylus, improper cartridge setup wearing out records (or wearing them unevenly), or just scratching vinyl... a cueing lifter is mandatory! And I agree #1 can't be overstated. You can't buy new ears.

Sir ,Very Useful T shirt to instruct your class about the Birds and the Bees and all the rest. Everything you always wanted to know ..... I think number nine on your list sums up the difference between audiophiles and non audiophiles Audiophiles possess at a certain time a fine system,but the moment they are satisfied they ALREADY are thinking about buying something else,where the non audiophile would be satisfied and until something breaks down and go and listen to their music. You are a prime example about this :you were quite satisfied with your Klipsch speakers and see what you got now.

Excellent list. I most definitely agree with all of these and I have experienced some of them myself. I always try to tell friends that are new to the hobby to get what they want and not settle. There is rarely any savings or satisfaction in that!

That shirt made me chuckle relative to the message; PMMV. Nice job on the video, Steve

Definitely protect your hearing. I've been a rock drummer for 35-years, I was the kid who listened to the walkman way too loud, and I've had tinnitus for close to 25-years. I shunned hearing protection for being lame until I realized the ringing wasn't going away any longer.

#11 Buying retail. I buy audio equipment at estate sales, and records too, and if I decide I do not like it then I sell it at a profit and not a loss. Yes, more patience is required and you do not get to pick and choose as much, and I will never have the latest and greatest, but I have equipment people chase after anyway.

Hi Steve and thank you. Your viewpoint is always cool. A voice of reason in an uncertain world. Keep on trucking 😊

You missed a big one....... Buying expensive gear in which its serviceability in the future is uncertain..... I cannot count how many people I've encountered who purchased an expensive product, the company then went under... And later when the component needed service, the owner had no options..... Or only had options by shipping it abroad, and the turnaround time and potential expense were ominous. Another one is not trusting his own ears to assess the sound..... Often, one makes a change not based on what he/she hears, but has a "gut feeling" that the grass may be greener with different gear...... And often regret making that change. (This is related to Mistake #9 in your video.)

Steve, Love your videos - I am a subscriber. I enjoy all the Posters' comments' as well. As a 71 YO, Who listens and plays Music for both entertainment in the Mancave (Hate that term but suits the situation now since COVID & Retirement), and to play my drums to - about 1 hour a day as a Hobby. Your No. 10 is and should be taken to Heart. I catch myself playing My Music a bit too high when playing the drums (I don't use headphones). Pertaining to some of the other No-Nos cited, I will repeat another post I made with some add'l info. During COVID, I created a "sound room" in my finished basement. I purchased lots of stereo equipment and created two systems - one in the front ; the other for the rear. I watched reviews by you and some others about the equipment and Speakers. Without listing all the Stuff, What I did was using IOTA SA3 /PA3 /Emotiva A300 Amp Stack connected to 2 different pairs of Bookshelf Speakers in the Front AND a Denon DRA-800H AVR (only used for Stereo sound so far), connected to Different Pairs of Bookshelf Speakers in the rear. Here Lies the Big No-NO. I play the systems independently (usually). In the front I have 1 pair of Elac Debut 6.2s and 1 Pair of Elac Debut Reference 62s. They play wonderfully together. In the rear, 1 pair of Fluance Signature series and 1 Pair of KEF Q350s connected to the Denon. My observations are this: The 2 Elacs play like a Tower together; the other 2 sound and play together very well. I have experimented with Moving and matching the 4 pairs and settled on this configuration. When they are both played simultaneously - Whoa Nellie - Like a Concert Hall in my Basement. But this is a Real Audiophiliac No-No.

Brilliant list! #1 is a must. I wear hearing protection while running a vacuum (cleaning LPs, carpet, whatever) and have been doing it for many years. I'm very far from being an audiophile but, again, you're spot-on when it comes to gear. I picked up a used power conditioner from my local thrift shop for dirt cheap (lucky find) and it cleaned up the sound of my laptop big time. The Schiit DAC helped and keeping my screen black (it cuts down on electrical garbage sound) also helped but the power conditioner dropped the running sound down to almost zero. Lastly, and many will roll their eyes over this one, buy an old stereo HiFi 4-head VCR if you want the BEST analog magnetic tape experience instead of an R-to-R player. They ain't too pretty (some might be, and you could always modify it cosmetically) but they sound amazing! I find too many "audiophiles" are overly concerned with the looks and price of their gear and not the sound.

I went from stereo to surround, but never got rid of my stereo setup. The surround sound setup sounded AMAZING with movies. I splurged on a Klipsch 7.2.4. Atmos setup. It could not touch my stereo setup for music, and the stereo had far less power and smaller speakers. I ended up setting the stereo up in the living room, and made the 2nd family room into a small theater room.

Hi Steve. I feel your pain regarding the mains conditioner issues. I have had several expensive Furmans, Isotek units and they all have sucked the life out of my system. I do however recommend you get hold of a Puritan 156 and give it a try. On a decent system, this thing does make a sizeable difference to the musical presentation without taking anything away. Keep up the good work and always a pleasure to see you.

Great video Steve and a very good list.

Thank you for the power conditioner point. After this video, I replaced mine with a non-surge protector, non-RFI/EMI power strip and was shocked at how bad my Furman conditioner was robbing the sound and I had never thought to take it out - just thought you had to have some sort of protection. Wow. Thanks for that advice along with #1.

Great Review, thank you. All really valid points 😎👍

I am happy I kept my vinyl and stored it (last purchase was 1989). When I started collecting vinyl again, in 2021, I took it out of storage and then sound great. My CD's are collecting dust and my FLAC files are on memory sticks!

Guilty of the first, got a bit of damage during a concert 20+ years ago, been using earplugs designed for musicians since then... Happy to report I was lucky enough to avoid the other 9 mistakes...

I have seen the hearing of my wife and my mother destroyed by ear doctors who insist on cleaning out their ears so they can better see inside. This was 25 years ago, and hopefully this practice has improved since then. If all you have is some noticeable hearing loss and go to your doctor for a hearing aid, DO NOT let your doctor clean your ears with loud suction or pressure machines, it's the equivalent of standing next to a jet engine at full throttle! If enough people reply and tell me that this no longer happens, I'll gladly eat my words and delete this comment.

Been there, done that, did it again, went back...omg...i'm hopeless LOL

You learn way more from your mistakes than you do from not making them. Be careful with "mistake" lists because you can't know if you got it right if you haven't tried and experimented and listened to things in your own house for extended periods of time. It's what the hobby is about. Imagine if everyone got it right the first time?

Number 2 - Absolutely!!! I'm 67, I never got rid of my vinyl, no way am I getting rid of my CDs - in fact I still get a real kick out of collecting them. Two new Mosaic box sets this week... Viewer system - Marantz Ruby Ki... that is a fine CD player. I should know!

Read the return policy is a big one in the age of buying audio gear online. I’ve lost money when not fully considering a distributor or retailers return policy. So watch out for restocking fees and pay attention to the return policy…is what I’ve learned over they years. Otherwise be prepared to sell it to recoup losses.

As always, thank-you Steve. Some excellent wisdom in this video.

Preach Steve....you are spot on!!!

Number Nine..........Number Nine..........Number Nine..........Number Nine..........Number Nine..........Number Nine..........Number Nine..........Number Nine..........Number Nine..........

When I look back at the AMPS and SPEAKERS that BLEW UP and I mean they Exploded. It was all due to the times and the distortion of measurements used in the 1960s. It wasn't until many years later I found out about 4 ohms speakers, 8 ohm, 16 ohm or the fact that I couldn't just add more speakers, more speakers and more speakers all to the same wires. .... I started working when I was about 6 so I had money saved. I walked into our many stereo stores aimed at the Mexican Market and I bought stuff recommended to me. .... BUT a 13 year old kid with a new product and no mentors means I made many mistakes. IT WAS FUN THOUGH:) even when things blew-up! - m.

Steve, this was a brilliant list and absolutely on target on each one. I have talked myself blue with people trying to tell them practically everything you just spoke. Brilliant, really, simply brilliant. Hope you enjoy mine sometime.

#11: Be true to your audience. If you are an audience of one, don't let Home Theater marketing trends decide your system or layout that typically deals with group seating or a much larger sweet spot. Often times, you can avoid things like crappy room effects if it's just one set of ears that will be listening. You don't need the same expansive room treatment for a pair of speakers, like you might for 5 or more. You don't have to sit back in the room so far if there is no screen that needs to be seen. The same money would buy a killer near field two channel system, compared to a mediocre HT one. As an audience of one, I tend to now choose a super high performing desktop 2.1 system instead, but with bigger, more powerful speakers than is typically prescribed or trended for those situations. Everyone else in my house prefers their earbuds, since they never put their phones down.

Hi Steve, You summarize it perfectly. Sold all my vynil and later regretted it. I don't think I will make the same mistake with my CD collection, so much invested to just throw away. As for equipment bought and sold, yes it has been an erroneous journey and sincerely wish I could have kept every single amp and speaker traded in, but somewhere along the line we have to make decisions and just move on. I am now very satisfied with my equipment and just want to relax and let the music flow.

I have a power conditioner in my system, but when I added it, it did not really change the sound signature all that much. I was happy just to know that I now got clean power into my system and to prevent something expensive getting blown up due to a power surge or whatnot. As for the speakers, the Klipsch RF-7s that I have with the REL Storm III sub really does sound really good in my room with the music that I like to play (power/progressive heavy metal). As for the format, I still primarily use CDs, although I have gotten plenty of music from Bandcamp in FLAC format. I still have a fairly sizable collection of records that I still play on my trusty 'ol Tecnics SL-QL15 turntable. I don't have a cassette deck any more as my Technics cassette deck went and $#!+ the bed a few years ago. The other part that really suck is that my beloved B&K Reference 200.7 amplifier also $#!+ the bed during the summer of 2021. Tried to get it repaired but just could not find replacement parts, so ended up getting Emotiva amplifiers to replace it. As for turning up my speakers so loud that they would blow? I cannot turn this system up loud enough to cause my speakers to blow before my ears would blow. And speaking of loud music, yes I do wear ear plugs to concerts (Etymotic Ety ear plugs).

At the end of the day it's you and only you that needs to like and appreciate the system you have which will help you avoid a few mistakes on Steve's list.

Sad to say, I think many of us suffered from #9, especially when we were younger. I got rid of some perfectly fine gear in the early 1990s when I wanted to move to home theater 5.1, selling my old Pioneer SX-780 stereo only receiver for peanuts. I know that compared to modern gear it might have been lacking, but it was still far better sounding for music than the 5.1 AVR I bought. Live and learn. Regarding #1 - we only have one set of ears. Use them wisely to have a lifetime of listening pleasure. Fortunately, I think today more people are cognizant of needing to take care of their hearing when doing things like mowing lawns. And many venues (fearing lawsuits maybe) put in place restrictions on volume. Even so, a typical arena rock concert is often too loud. They really like to turn up the bass to shake your guts. Keep those Hearos or similar earplugs handy.

For once I totally agree with everything you said this time. maybe not the order but the 10 choices are right on this time..

I was shocked to find out that as a 50 year-old audiophile, I haven't made a single one of these mistakes. That being said, I've made other major ones- there's a lot of ones to make out there! One of the more sensible things I've done has been, when selecting used gear, selecting w/in lines known to be compatible (eg, electronics, speakers) from their use by stores whose overall sound systems I've really liked. Also, not searching for the 'absolute sound,' but instead for what I thought was 'pretty damn fine & higher-end/highly-listenable sound.'

I don't go to "the gym" but I'm reliably informed that the ears are blasted there too. "Wellness", but not for the ears; madness I tell ya!

Agree hearing is the most important point however when you hit over 70 nature sometimes does not play along and you do experience some hearing loss, particularly in the higher range. Good headphone helps to balance this shortcoming better than speakers at least for me. During the over 56 years of my HiFi journey, I did sell quite a few of my equipment main reasons I did change my working place and country very often(worked in the hospitality industry) and sometimes the shipping costs were too high. By doing so I experience various equipment, trends, and brands and learned on the way, and got better at deciding what I really I want and need. It is a learning process and in the beginning, one does not always make the right decision but that is what learning is all about. Looking back no regrets!

You are so wright! I am an audiophile person and a guitarrist for most of my Life. So I played in bands for years. The result: my ears are weak. My cure for that? An amp with balance and tone Control . I know it will not be as back in the days again, but it helped a lot. Why don‘t you make a video about that. There are lot of people like me out here..

Love the Audio “Immaculate Conception” T-shirt Steve!

My huge music collection is my DNA and tells a life story of mine. If that's not worth, i don't know what? At least for me, it's a treasure, having thousands of CD'S & Vinyls. I own these items, but i don't own the internet 😉 ✌️♥️🇩🇰 ud

The only mistake I made was #1. That may have been from shooting, as well as music. I never target practiced without protection, but sometimes I fired a shot without. So I have tinnitus. I reverse engineered JBL 4343 speakers, and built a pair with my stepfather. Mine are better than the original. I tri-amped with amplifiers that I still have. I'm re-capping them. I'm also in the process of rebuilding my Sony PS-X75 turntable. I don't know if the processor chip will hold up, so I bought an Arduino Mega 2560 and support to replace it if it fails. I have a banana box of vinyl. I bought good records, but not many. I could never afford a large music collection. Now I go to Goodwill and buy CDs for $1.99. I polish any scratches, clean them, rip them, download cover art, and copy them to my NAS. I have over 900 FLAC albums on my phone.

Worst mistake I ever made was buying an expensive US made pre-amp based solely on a Herb Reichert review. One problem after the other, got a replacement unit from retailer, same problems as well as new problems. Still stuck with it.

Hi Steve, love your reviews! You are so right about the mistakes audiophiles can make when buying equipment! I regret selling my Magnepan.7i and buying the 1.7i. But I am now very happy with my La Scala’s. But on your viewer system of the day you made a little mistake, the preamp is a McIntosh C53, not a Marantz c53. For as long as I have been watching your reviews, that’s the 1st slip up I have ever seen you make! Deep up the good work!

#10 - Yes, been there, done that, always more expensive than just buying what you wanted in the first place. #9 - Came close, that's why in-home demos are vitally important. #8 - Again, a reason for an in-home demo. #7 - Reel to reel is a lifestyle, not a music format. 🙂 #6 - Been there, done that as speakers are impossibly hard to demo (again revealing why in-home demos are so very important whenever possible.) #5 - Thankfully never went down that route; I've heard enough horror stories from others who have been distributors or are in the business. #4 - Broken speaker - usually because of something else stupid you did, like play with a cable with the amp on, or accidentally dropped the tonearm on the platter. Whoops. Corollary - dropping a prized LP, damaging it. #3 - My stereo system IS my home theater, but stereo is paramount. #2 - I've spent many years not only buying LPs I used to own, but also CDs I used to own before labels stomped the dynamics out of them due to brick wall compression on the "remastered" version. Like you, it's wonderful to pull out an LP I bought when I was 18 and hear how AMAZING it sounded, because I used to play my new LPs once and only once, to record it to cassette. It's like I set up a savings account when I was young that I forgot all about. #1 - YES. I have long worn ear protection to all bars and concerts, and I can't fathom how people can even stand to be in the Honky Tonks along lower Broadway in Nashville when the SPL hits peaks of 120 dB. If you can't hear the next morning, permanent damage has been done. Concerts are the same way - front row at a recent popular touring concert? 115 dB+ for two hours. If the security personnel are wearing hearing protection, so should you. Thanks for the list - completely accurate!!!

#10 buy once, cry once. True for many things. I find that it’s rare that anyone ever gets around to “upgrading later”. They don’t love what they buy, but it works and they never get around to replacing it with something they’re happy with.

i enjoyed your video you are right on all 10 points😃 greetings from an audio lover🎸

So yeah very true on the return curve, you start getting about 80-95% audio quality under 1k everything over is small details that may not be noticeable on the setup, room, etc... I've listened to beautiful systems, the despacio sound system is one of the most stunning displays I have ever heard, if you get the chance to experience it I highly recommend, it tours around big festivals a couple times a year, a full 360 sound installation with huge speaker stacks about 12 of them each one run by its own vintage McIntosh amplifier, absolutely stunning system... That being said, I was able to recreate a small version in my room for about 1,200$ over the course of NINE Years... Just slowly upgrading my speakers and daps, my fiio m11+ being the most recent/expensive (totally worth it)

Very important to choose a product with great customer service. Either that or cheap enough to replace or fix

This was SO good. Oh man, it turns out that I've been pretty smart! But, you got me with Number Two. Thankfully I saved the 'precious' ones... ;-)

this video could been only 10 and 9 100% with you Steve awesome thanks

That t-shirt, awesome, disturbing and thought provocative. Nice!

My advice, hook up an oscilloscope to your speaker. Turn up the volume until you see the waveform show flattered off of the top and bottom of the waveform. That shows that your amp is at the limit of clean power that your amp can provide. Raising the volume further will just be a recipe for damages tweeters. You can buy a fairly inexpensive scope. Go for a dual trace scope if you want to connect both left and right speakers to it. You may have to get some help from an electronics geek to set it up for you. If you live in Austin i can help you.

Just my own experience, BUT....Every time (without fail) that I have witnessed an "Audiophile" speaker getting blown, it was by some uninformed musician who thought it was "Okay" to play an instrument through stereo speakers because "Their rated for a hundred watts"....

I’ve seen that viewer system of the day on KZfaq, he has a channel, and has his new JBLs in a while back.

Excellent video 😉👌

I always listen to the gear at home before buying. I had a Naim 200, and wanted an upgrade, so I borrowed a Naim 250/2 used from my local dealer. Within 1hr I knew I wanted it. My next upgrade might be a Naim NDX2 over my March DAC. Sadly I will need to take my Roon core to try it with the NDX2, along with my March DAC. I was considering a Naim NSC222, the Naim Stageline sounds better than the 222 phono stage I was told by trusted sources. Sadly I think we have seen the end of the Naim heyday

Regarding mistake #1: There's hearing protection for musicians, which will let you enjoy the music quality while reducing the loudness at concerts. You can also get them custom-made for your ears at any local hearing specialist. Especially if you go to concerts often, getting custom-made hearing protection is a good investment and not crazy expensive (like audiophile equipment is 😅 )

Never had a large vinyl collection to dump. I did buy CD's when they came out. In the 80's onward starting collecting LP's at great used prices. CD's now are so cheap to buy used but replenishing vinyl is costly nowadays. I bought used Tube stuff in 90's when more people wanted Solid State and got them at great used prices.

Unfortunately, I've had bi-lateral tinnitus for years and I'll turn 60 this summer. I'll never know whether it was my previous hobby of flying small propeller planes, working at a a factory with a punch press, mowing 5 acres of lawn or going to concerts. If Medicaid paid for hearing aids, I'd get them in a heartbeat, but right now the out-of-pocket cost is prohibitive. My first vinyl album was K-tel[s Goofy Greats. I wish I still had it, but Herbie Hancock and Charlie Daniels are good substitutes.