For at least 2 years I've spent nearly all of my disposable income on my audio setup and what I've find more astonishing than anything else... is how quick I get used to the sound of the new audio component! Maybe it's time to slow down and start enjoying it for what it is.

Honestly, I think this is the best video I have ever seen on the subject matter. Well organized and succinct. It's sad so many budding audiophiles can't hear more equipment. When I see their comments I realize they don't have much experience. They gravitate to the same few products they see reviewed online. Do they realize much of the reason they see so many small standmount speakers is because reviewers don't want to drag bigger floorstanders around and then have to re-box them. Do they realize some manufacturers flood online reviewers with stuff and other manufacturers don't make them available for review. That's why you see the same products reviewed over and over. They are duped by click-bait "giant killer" or '"best ever" headlines. I appreciate sites such as A British Audiophile work hard to keep it real.

Thank you so much for your time and advice Tarun.

great video again. As far as 'clarity' goes: your videos have that in abundance, the way you explain things. Keep it up!

Love your commentary and video topics. Excellently laid out and presented cleanly. Easy to understand.

You really helped me organize my thoughts by categorizing the aspects to consider. Thank you so much for the assistance.

Excellent advice. Thanks for sharing Tarun.

Excellent advice presented in an intelligent, informative and easy to understand format. No biases or prejudices, just solid ideas and useful data . Thanks

many thanks Tarun for another great video .after 40 years still learning things from your wonderful channel .🌝

This is possibly the best overall video for hifi beginners I've seen to date. Well done!

Great vídeo Tarun, as always. It is clear, concise and useful. Thanks for sharing.

You are an absolute wealth of accurate information, and i can't believe i didn't find your channel sooner.

I have been an audiophile since I first heard a friends system in 1976. The system was a pair Klipsch Cornwall's, Phase Linear separates and a B & O linear tracking turntable. Absolutely blew my mind. In the 70's we had half a dozen high end stores in the area ( 0 as of last year ). I got to experience a wide variety of speakers and components first hand. Some of my favorites were Klipsch classic horn speakers, Dahlquist DQ-10's, Infinity IRS Beta's, Walsh Radiator's, Beveridge Electrostatic' s, Apogee's, Martin Logan Stats, Mark Levenson, Yamaha, Phase Linear, B & O and others. Unfortunately, I could only afford a modest Yamaha system. NS-10m's, 15 watt receiver and entry level Yamaha turntable. Took a step up in the 90's. Cambridge Audio electronics and CD, Project TT, B & W 600 series speakers. I finally received some inheritance last year and got my dream system. Tekton DI SE's, Hegel H120 integrated, Clearaudio TT with Soundsmith Carmen Cart, Sutherland KC Vibe PS, Denefrips Ares 12th Aniv. and Iris DDC, Schiit Lokius EQ, Puritan PM136 power conditioner. DIY Fine Silver speaker cable and interconnects, Audioquest XLR's and power cables. Adding a Roon NUC soon to bring streaming up to par. Putting together a system in the age Covid 19 was particularly difficult as I would have to drive a minimum of 5 hours to audition anything. I carefully studied a number of reviews and Absolute Sound articles and hoped everything would play well together. I was fortunate to have great reviewers such as your self to help me decide. Still not hearing anything in person until I had possession in my own home. I am beyond pleased that everything worked well together. I credit reviewers like yourself to give me the confidence to take the leap. Even though I have arrived at my dream setup I will continue to follow yours and certain others for knowledge and keep abreast of the latest developments in high end audio. Thank you! Now I'll concentrate on LPs and CD and discovering new artists through streaming.

Excellent. A good balance of conceptual, technical, and practical advice clearly organized and presented. One can't ask much more than that from a KZfaq video. You're getting the most out of the medium on this one mate. Well done.

Great advice especially the free speaker upgrade (proper placement).

Great video. I agree that speaker placement has the biggest impact and that identifying the tone you like best makes things much easier.

I am new to the audiophile hobby and have watched and read a ton of information over the past few months, and this is the best single piece of advice I've come across. It has answered a few questions that have come to mind since starting out and thinking about where I might go next with my system. I'm now a subscriber and look forward to your other videos. This was excellent; thanks again!

Yet again, another excellent video! !

Brilliant and very informative video Tarun , thanks again Buddy

Came back to this post again, just so much good information.

Great video Tarun..as always

I'm enjoying your reviews and ideas. I just added the wharfdale linton to my system. Keep up the videos.

This is valuable, well organized, well presented information. Thank you for sharing.

Whew. I'm kind of blown away with your advise. Thank You. I think I would have to reconsider what I'm trying to do.

Thank you for your calm and precise Performance. I learned a bit more now. 😀

Great 👍 I could listen to this kind of information until forever!

Professor Tarun! Thanks for a great explanation of the topic.

Another well thought-out and articulated video. As always, it's a pleasure listening to your hifi wisdom and finding how it aligns with my brief experience in the hobby. Although I'm a newbie, ive accumulated a tidy bit of gear and (I feel) experience in this short time. My newbie findings so far: move your speakers around and experiment! If you are fortunate enough to have several speakers, amps, etc, also rotate them in and out. I've learned so much from practical comparison and contrasting different pieces.

Great information & well explained. Thanks!

Great video….as usual. It has helped me solidify the next upgrade in my system. The quality of the recording is also an important comment of your sound. Thank you.

Thanks again for a very indepth and understandable video. This should be watched by everyone who's into or thinking about getting into hi fi. Well done you 👏 👏

Master class Tarun!!! Thanks you!!

Well thought out video. I enjoyed this one.

thanks much. Very informative and helpful

Clear and concise Very enjoyable video !

Excellent advice.. as always.

Great video!!! This overview is excellent advice, presented in an understandable manner for anyone. The concept of "active listening" vs "passive listening" is not always completely understood... Most people's listening rooms are the "weak link" in the "system"!

Best video yet. Cheers!

Love the content! Thanks for talking about room treatments.

Outstanding !, realistic, intuitive, and sensitive to the complexity of the novice audiophile

Completely unrelated, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the advice in your replies over the last couple of weeks! I purchased an Exposure 3010S2D, and in conjunction with my KEF LS50 Metas it leaves me speechless. The soundstage is the best I ever experienced, extending in all dimensions like I have never heard in my own system. I only had the possibility to have it turned on for an hour max, but I. Am. Blown. Away.

Excellent advice. To the point. And each one is a material difference to sound. 🙏🏼👍🏼

Great information! Thank you!

Out of all the videos and reviews I’ve watched on KZfaq, articles I’ve read, and speaker and amp auditioning at HiFi stores, I learned more in this 20 minutes than everything else combined. Thank you! I didn’t know my basic as RX-V483 and MA bronze 2 could image so well and be so clear as when I increased the distance from the wall from 40cm to 90cm. Sure I lost all the bass but I have a sub and it is a large room. Also sitting in the equal triangle instead of isosceles made a huge difference too. I’m building a new house and have designed a 4.5m x 6m media room and I can’t wait to set up some new gear in that space which what I’ve learned from this video. Thanks Tarun.

Very good. Informative

Love this channel !!

Thanks for the advice

Thank you for the mature manner of going about an individual journey towards a completely personal set of choices. You broke a complicated thinking process in practical steps for anyone to follow. Yes, this is a matter of DESIRE as well as practicality and as such, rather complicated! People like you make it easier for "the rest of us"!

I was searching for a new hifi setup for about a year until i find the sound i was looking for, a hegel with amphion speakers and rel sub. Then i started testing speaker placement but i didn't heard much of a difference. Well, thats it then i fought. One day after I big cleaning of the room I put the speakers about a meter from the back of the wall and put the speakers further apart and wow...a whole new sound apperead. It was crazy, couldn't believe my ears. I am a big fan of your channel, always objektive and fun to listen to. Cheers from sweden 🙂

Always great stuff, T

Nicely done Tarun 🙂

Good review sir, thanks for the informations 👍👋

Informative video . Thank you for tips

Another great video. Thanks for distilling you experience especially the part about asymmetric rooms. That’s exactly what I’m dealing with at the moment. It’s by no means the end of the world but the more open side speaker always sounds different than the closer side.

Thank you for a superb video

Another great instructive video! I’ve upgraded from a 600 series B&W to a 700 series and totally lost my “near field” sound but gained the spaciousness I was longing for. (speakers disappearing) Tweaking is part of the enjoyment at this point and I’ll continue as long as possible, who needs steak when rice will do!

Thanks for a really interesting and informative post. I like my own set up, and personally have found by keeping basically to one or two "brands" that I've settled into a sound I enjoy. In part, I guess as many people find, its been rather dependent on which local hifi shop/dealer I have been able to form a longer term relationship with, and so be able to audition equipment. So that's personally what has driven some of my own choices. It's also nice reading other people's comments on your videos, feels like a nice group of hifi enthusiasts! Thanks Tarun

i really like your videos-very fundamental knowledge

Great video as always. Maybe that is what I need to make my Hegel system sound good. Thanks again

Nice job on the new staging and lighting.

So many Tips on KZfaq, so often useless. Here you find the good stuff, very good, thank you.

Thanks for the details

Great video 👍

Great talk on speaker placement. I like placing my speakers on the long wall about one third of the distance out into the room.

Hey Tarun ! Very well covered , specially about Source & dacs.. yes upgrade to a good one only when you have all matching components .

Very informative video. I’ve been working on putting together an optimal (i.e., balancing cost and listening preferences) system together. No doubt, the better the equipment the better chance there is of having a great outcome. I want to second the “location, location, location” issue. I have a dedicated room that is basically 25’x12’x8’ (LWH) set up on the long axis. After some time with my Magnepan 1.7i’s, I finally found a very good placement. I had been keeping them 4-5 feet from the front wall and about 2 feet or so from the side walls. After visiting a friend who had a pair of 20.7’s setup about 10 feet apart, I was stunned by the scale of his soundstage. So on whim, I moved my 1.7i’s basically next to the side walls. The difference was stunning. The soundstage was magnified immensely and the center image was still locked in. Suddenly all the parts of the music became significantly better defined and, hence, pleasurable. The reason this works so well, in my view, is that Maggies (and other open baffle speakers, probably) have very little side dispersion. Everything is front and back. That means being next to walls isn’t an issue like it is with box speakers. I also have some absorbing panels right at the first reflection points on each side.

Thank you for the great simple and informative video. I agree that matching of components is quite key.. would also add clean power as-well or the time of day you listen, makes a huge difference especially if you bypassing the preamp or going passive preamp. I almost sold my Yamaha NS30 speakers and keep Martin Logans using a krell pre , thanks I decided to bypass the preamp and now they are my best speaker, the MLs are seating in the bench now.

Love your posts fella. As a long time audio enthusiast, I am amazed with these new digital chip amps from China. Surprisingly good.

This was really useful. Experience changes with component upgrades. When starting I think integrated is very common because it's simple. Transitioning to separates has reaped rewards but also has revealed synergies and conflicts with equipment. I am so glad you didn't mention cables ;) All the topics you covered are the ones I noticed the biggest differences in my own setup. I agree a space designed for listening with good placement acoustic treatment would be ideal and I think can make a huge difference.

Solid advice - I agree with all the points. I would add that WAF has a huge impact on sound too, particularly in the living room. Fortunately my main rig sits in my listening room/home office where large rockwool panels are perfectly fine. It's a ridiculously uneven sounding room though, so I've been forced into digital room correction in addition to the room treatment.

😊👍Very helpful Thanks !!!

Great review brilliant

Great vids.., listened a lot to your advise.. really happy where I’ve got to .., just added Altair G1 , getting the experience I always wanted..

Sir brilliant content a fan and a yank thank you.peace to you

Good to see you Tarun, after a little long gap

Excellent video. I remember HiFi sounding great back in the eighties but now everything sounds dull and congested. I've realised its largely my hearing that's the biggest barrier to getting good sound. Everyone's hearing is different and that can greatly influence reviews and opinions.

Thank you for your input, especially on positioning and distance speakers. I feel I have everything else pretty much dialed system. Thank you for mentioning one of my favorite people in the audio industry Andrew Robinson.He been a fan of mine for a few years now. Looks like I'm going to add you to my list of favorites. Thanks again. Keep up the good work.

THANK YOU! I can’t believe what a difference 90cm from the wall makes to my Dali Oberon speakers

I've come to really enjoy your videos Tarun. I know that this particular vid deals more with amps, speakers, and digital sources, but if you are into vinyl, an upgrade in CARTRIDGE is absolutely imperative. My upgrade to the Sumiko Pearl ( which isn't even halfway up the Sumiko line in terms of price) made an immediate and much more relaxed yet defined listening experience in my set up. My next cartridge upgrade will definitely be an even bigger step up. Sometimes synergy happens unexpectedly and surprisingly. My first foray into Mid-Fi was a Marantz ND8006 (combo streamer and cd transport), Peachtree Nova 300 (class D amp) , and Aperion Verus III towers with sub. I wanted power and big sound.. But I found that particular pairing to be quickly fatiguing at reasonable volumes, and not as revealing at lower volumes. I picked up a 1980's Technics sa-616 "new Class A" amplifier in mint condition, with tone controls and a "loudness" switch for better low level listening , and it plays well with the Marantz streamers internal DAC ( I really dig that ND8006) . Also the old 70s and early 80's receivers have some really nice phono stages. Great vid.. keep 'em coming! Subbed for sure!

A very well laid out explanation. You and My Serbian friend need to team up to reach a new goal! Good job! Missed you at Axpona!

A lot of good information in short video

Great video Tarun! The major thing i have learned after many years of testing equipment is that many people get lost in price.. Don't know how many people that only thinks expensive = Better. I hade the Sonus Faber Olympica 1 set up in my main listening room with expensive electronics. And i another room i set up a small and strange Norwegian amp called the Tandberg Troll and a pair of Klipsch RP150m. Guess witch system got the most playtime? Well i can say that the Tandberg/Klipsch setup did something alot of people maybe forget about the joy of listening to music.. it presented the SOUL of the music.. The Sonus faber system.. well, it was not analytical, but it just never gave that tingleing feeling.. After this experience i myself stopped hunting the "pricetag" and more the history of the products and brands. I therefor ended up with Heed electronics and Proac DB1's with 2 subs to ad that little extra :)

Great video, Tarun! One thing I did recently was replace my listening chair that had a headrest with a chair that was totally open behind the head, and this made a noticeable difference in the openness of the sound. Yes, those Eames recliners and knock-offs are impressive, but perhaps not the best for serious listening.

I just dropped a grand on my dream Marantz receiver. I suppose that’s Pennie’s compared to what an audiophile can spend lol. Then I decided to start restoring my old speakers I grew up with. Veneer, speaker replacements, new grill cloth. Playing vinyl 90% of the time on my 1200-GR. I think a lot of the journey for sound is nostalgia for me! It doesn’t have to be perfect, but I like when the music makes me feel like a kid again.

Excellent

Great upload. Thanks. After much trial and error happy with my components inc. cabling etc. REALLY happy with my Epos ES11s w/ orginal stands which seem to work well with my Audiolabs. Great imaging & soundstage. Despite what some say bass is great (I've a power amp and a 'warm' room). Looking at floorstanders now. I've MA RS6s, which sound good (not as revealing as the Epos'). Picking up 2nd hand AE 109s tomorrow (for £50) to try them out as I feel I need more warmth perhaps. Learning always and your posts help.

Thank you mate, for being so honest. I began my audiophile journey in the eighties. It is still ongoing. I am now fast heading towards my mid sixties. With my hearing not quite as good as it was. With all hearing frequencies are a little poorer, one can still differentiate between quality and mass produced mediocrity. Unfortunately any improvements to my system will be on a budget. Your honest advice will aid my continuing journey Thanks again.

Interesting and informative as ever, thanks. Here are a few things from my experiences that popped into my mind when watching the video: I find that rear ported speakers are not so in vogue these days. For example ProAc floorstanders have down firing ports rather than rear firing now I think. However, I find rear firing ports allow you to tune the speakers bass very easily. Moving them towards or away from the rear wall can really change the sound. Not sure this would be possible with down firing. I also have my listening room upstairs, so I imagine down firing would be a disadvantage as well. Bass travels down through the floor anyway, but purposely projecting it down would only exaggerate the problem. Rugs are a factor too, placing a ~1.5” thick rug between me and the speakers made quite a difference. Also, I moved the system upstairs recently where there was a lot more dampening, soft furnishings and a it was a smaller room with plasterboard walls instead of the concrete ones downstairs. This as well as the joist flooring meant that you needed more power from the amp to achieve the same sound level. So a highly dampened room may need a more powerful amplifier than a room with a more reflective sound. I also found it easier to find a more balanced sound in the more dampened room.

Very interesting and useful info. As an oap can not stretch to the systems i had in the 1970/80s but my Brennan JB7/ Elac bookshelf speaker combo comes pritty close to HiFi sound so will only upgrade if those lotto numbers come up.

I moved house a few years ago and placed my speakers where it was convenient. I was never happy with the sound and convinced myself I needed to upgrade despite being happy with my system for nearly 20 years (I have added a record player and streamer in that time but still have the same speakers and amp). This is a long winded way of saying, my speakers were too close together. A small change to room layout and listening position, and a little more toe in has made it sound as good as it did in my old house. I consider myself a music lover not an audiophile. I know some audiophiles who have spent more on a DAC than my system cost, but I also know people who happily listen on a sub £100 Bluetooth speaker. Insightful video as ever.

You make some very good points, including speaker distance from the wall, which has always been an issue for me as it causes unpleasant artefacts. That coupled with a problem of wooden floors in an old house being easily excited by the speakers, adding to some very unpleasant bass boom. I have yet to dip my toe into the murky waters of room treatment, but I suspect I will have to go there, Hunter wellies at the ready Useful food for thought, thank you

😎Really good stuff Tarun.😉 I have 2 ‘stereo’ systems in the house in different locations, and two different sets of floor standers. One set satisfies my warm tonality urges, and the other, my desire for clarity, space, and dynamics, while maintaining a well balanced tone. 👍👨🏻 The warm tonality set is more forgiving of less than ideal program sources.

This is one of the best HiFi related videos I’ve seen. Great insight and advice. Thanks Tarun. My biggest issue is that I think my setup is pretty good, but how much better could it be. I’m reluctant to invest a significant amount without knowing what I’m likely to get, especially as my room is far from ideal.

Great work, as always, Tarun. You ain’t kidding about a minefield when it comes to choosing upgrades. By swapping many different speakers and amps in my study, I became convinced that certain speaker types just wouldn’t work. Bass units too big, rear firing ports, equals boomy bass. Tiny bookshelves, great tonal balance but no dynamics or scale. I finally reverted to the later version of a pair of speakers I owned years ago and, whilst they were better, I still had issues with certain amps. In the end, I resorted to upgrading the source a bit and then substantively moving up the ladder in the amp department. With proper grip from the, now much better, power amp, I realised it was probably this element that was causing so many issues on the other speakers! Still, I had fun on the journey and, by deploying some smarts when buying and selling on fleabay, I didn’t lose out financially, either. The study is now sounding better than ever, however, it’s an excellent case study(sorry!) for many of the points you raise in this video. Have a great bank holiday. 😀

Completely agree with knowing which sound is best for you and not being swayed by reviewers.

Wow…..this was really well done. Bottomline…..know thy self and trust your ears. Music genre, listening level, and room acoustics are big factors. As an audiophile for 50 plus years ….I learned a long time ago to “settle in “ for a while and not chase the latest and best new thing. Move purposefully and one component at a time. Your counsel on equipment synergy was right on. Well done. Thanks….love the channel. You keep it real……and affordable.

Hi Tarun, I decided to take the plunge and get back into separates. I purchased, used but in mint condition, an Adcom GFP-815 pre-amp and an Adcom GFA-6002 power amplifier as my Yamaha A-S701 was not doing or sounding like I wanted. Your channel inspired me to do so... The pre-amp is absolutely wonderful, but the power-amp is a little small, and runs a little hot. I am planning to replace it anyway with a classic Adcom 545-II that I am having completely rebuilt. Even with the 6002, the difference in the sound stage, fidelity, and imaging over the A-S701 (which is by no means a sloppy or substandard integrated amplifier) is dramatic. I wanted to thank you again for the inspiration to take things up a considerable notch. Tasha 😊

the 5th advice is (for me) the most relevant one.

Thanks Tarun.

Great advise on not wasting $ on small changes.. & the 3 times better is a good guide.., means you’re getting to experience the change you’re after