Imagine the angst of a first-time buyer of high-end audio equipment. Few places offer systems and everywhere there's a bewildering array of component choices.
Where does one start on a hi-fi journey? It used to be that we went to our local dealer and picked from amongst a tier of systems from the affordable to the absurd. Today there's far fewer qualified dealers and so first-time buyers are either left to their own devices or take what they can get from megastores like Best Buy.
Even magazines like Stereophile and The Absolute Sound focus more on components than systems. If I didn't know better I'd simply do my research and purchase the best I could afford in any one category, tie it all together with what I could afford in cabling, press play and then pray.
Nowhere am I helped with maximizing synergy between components. If I bought the best DAC I could afford and played it through speakers that were too forward or bright what would I do to remedy the situation or even know where to start?
I suppose this all sounds like doom and gloom and that's not my intent. I just felt it was important to let some of the issues facing first-time buyers bubble to the surface in the hopes of sparking conversation and debate. If we can talk problems through perhaps solution are right around the corner.
For our part, we're working on the end goal of building systems first-time or experienced buyers can slip into without worry or bewilderment: choose your price point and be assured the system will work perfectly together.
I am certain there are other paths as well.
It's good to talk them through.
