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I look at it this way reviews and such are done to sell things be it audio or not, I don't let them decide for me what to get. In fact the reviews I read is to learn about something I have or plan on getting.
I tend to gravate to the tried and true components and not the latest rage so I'm not a target for "New Sales"


Some components actually hold value better than others and can be better than a new component at a cheaper used cost. McIntosh amps and 2 channel Preamps would be high on my list with this in mind. Depending on the time you use and take care of a used Mac piece you can maybe get your money back on a resale.

Turntables was one component that I used to buy all the time it's mechanical and I like things like that. But I finally found one I like and would be hard to beat even though it's 30 years old in design. With TT it has a lot more to do with all it's various components, setup and delivery to the preamp. I love the SOTA Star Sapphires and ended up buying three of them. Again you can still get these new or a lot cheaper used and are in demand on the used market.
Some turntables elevate in cost more for their artistic build and statement they make more than any function and sound quality they produce.


Now the biggie you can run around chasing the newest best components available to man and still not be happy.

Ask yourself this when you're out and about though the day, week, month where is the best sounding music you hear?

Do you have a dedicated room built around your system? I'm not talking about a room in your house that you use as a listening space. A room built purely to optimize the sound of an audio system with optimal dimensions and sound treatment.

My room sucks and my system sounds better than most any I hear on a regular occurrence.
I also know I have reached the point of limited returns in dollars to sound quality with the limitations of my environment. It's all about what you do with the equipment not that you own it. Most of us would be far better off building a room better suited to SQ than chasing cables, IC, amp and speaker swaps.