Things to consider before buying new audio gear

I need advice!
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I thought this new video by Resolve was pretty good. So thought I’d start a topic to see what general tips or advice others might have on making new audio purchases from their own personal buying experiences.

Here is also the video by Super* Review referenced in the video above…

I haven’t actually given this topic much thought myself. But here’s where I think my thinking on this might begin…

Is this expense justified? And will it actually enhance my experiences with music and audio?

Can I actually afford it? And is there a lower cost option or alternative that might give me the same or similar result?

Which type of transducer do I really want or need (if any), an over or on-ear headphone, IEM, or speakers? And if it’s a headphone, do I want it to be open or closed?

What do I really care about most: comfort, tuning, distortion, loudness, symmetry, materials, looks, something else?

How will this new purchase work with my other gear? If it’s a new headphone or speakers, will I need some new source components to drive it?

Do I have the space (both mental and physical) in my home or listening area to accomodate the new piece of gear? And will I need to get rid of something else?

Is there something I could sell or trade to help cover the cost of new gear?

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I thought the general rule was that audio gear should never cost more than 1/3 of your net income.

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“Is there something I could sell or trade to help cover the cost of new gear?”

You have 2 kidneys. Just sayin’…

Seriously, the hardest thing in any audio hobby isn’t knowing what to buy (that comes later). It’s knowing what you like, which means knowing what you don’t like as well as what you really like. In other word, gear that makes music in a way that thrills and pleases you.

The classic way to find this out is to have a list of (for example) a dozen music cuts that represent several genres that are important to you. Then visit people who own gear you don’t have and listen; borrow gear and listen; get on a loaner tour and listen to loaners; go to stores and listen there.

If you do this for awhile, eventually you’ll know your own sonic preferences. After that everything is more targeted, because you’re not trying to solve the riddles of the audio universe–you’re trying to find gear that’s likely to please you.

I started out in high end 2-channel audio decades ago and relatively quickly learned what I like (which has remained unchanged to this day and applies equally well to headphone audio):

– I am averse to peaky/shrieky treble and edgy upper mids. It doesn’t sound like music does IRL (a big comparator for me) and makes my ears unhappy

– I love a slightly/somewhat warm tonalilty with expansive representation of space (soundstaging, headstage, whatever)

– In amping/preamping/DACing, tubes are my friend

– In DACs, I greatly prefer muti-bit digital and most of all, NOS digital over delta-sigma implementations

– In headphones, I have a thing for planars. The way the good ones hit in the bass just works for me. I’m a borderline basshead, but it has to sound true to the music source, not boomy–tuneful, textured and deep–and with good planars, that’s almost a given

… and so on. I still occasionally purchase things I’ve not yet heard, but since I know the sound I’m looking for, I can check gear our via reviews and user comments and have a fighting chance that it will be good for me.

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“Is there something I could sell or trade to help cover the cost of new gear?”

You have 2 kidneys. Just sayin’…

… and two lungs. And who needs a whole liver anyway? :zany_face:

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Great vid. The bonus point is the big one! Buy from somewhere with a great return policy, and enjoy life. :grinning_face:

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I’ll keep my kidneys, and most of the other vital organs. I think you make a number of other good points though, Pharmaboy.

And I am also a fan of doing your own listening tests. Especially if they can be done under fairly tightly controlled circumstances. Unfortunately, I haven’t had many opportunities to do this recently.

Can’t comment on the different DAC techs, or planar vs dynamic drivers, because those are currently beyond my scope.

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