[violinvirtuoso]

If you could redo your entire audio journey from the beginning, would you go straight to the top or go slowly bottom to top? (See Poll)
 
I personally would go slowly from bottom to top. When I started out, I wasn't used to high-fidelity. I tried out some high-end stuff and though it was great. But not so great as to justify their price tag. Some of it did certain stuff well, but it didn't seem like it was in a different tier from the mid-fi stuff. However, after going slowly up the ladder, and finally going to Can Jam, I appreciated the high-end stuff a lot more. Though I still don't have enough money to justify the pricetags, I can see how much better it actually sounds. If I were to redo my journey, and go straight to something like a JH-13, I don't think I would appreciate its awesome SQ as much as if I had waded through the low and mid-fi stuff. 
 
Of course, this is taking in account that I don't live next to a great headphone shop.

So, if you could redo it all, what would you do?

 

[Kirosia]

I would snap my neck as a ba... oh you mean, er... I'd go straight to top. As much fun (and costly) as the "journey" was, I could do without it. 

 

[Lazarus Short]

I would have turned to scrounging a whole lot sooner, instead of spending the big bucks on gear I did not keep for the long run anyway.  My most expensive piece of gear in my pre-scrounge days cost me $550, now my most expensive piece was $70-80.  Nowadays, I am powerless to resist an estate sale.

 

[TheWuss]

if i had it all to do over, i probably would go back in time and tell my older self to never visit head-fi.

 

[ReDVsion]

I don't imagine most people would suggest going straight to the top especially considering most of us, myself included, aren't even at the "top". The top is effing expensive. But I think we've all arrived at this hobby because we enjoy messing around with our set-up and trying different sounds and different combinations of equipment. The process is important. Having a basis for comparison is necessary as well, if only to appreciate what you have.

 

[Lazarus Short]

 
Quote:

if i had it all to do over, i probably would go back in time and tell my older self to never visit head-fi.

 You meant (I think) your younger self.  Time travel can be tricky, even at the plodding, one-way pace most of us do it in...

 

[darklord1515]

I think its important to go up the ladder. Althought I'm no where near the top or even mid, I can see a big difference from were I was and today (ibuds to Grado 325IS). If I just started out with a $10,000 system then I probally wouldn't appreciate it as much. Not to mention it would be hard to spend so much money on a unproven item, most people think its insane to spend even $300 for headphones, let alone $1600.

 

[BobSaysHi]

I've barely dipped into mid-fi, but I'm very happy with the way I've spent my money. I've only lost maybe $40 all things considered.

 

[estreeter]

I'm happy to stay with mid-fi : some of the dCS/Levinson kit is just farcical in terms of pricetags, for mine - I can understand that 'if youve got it, you may as well have the best', but how many Ferraris do you actually see being driven Monday through Friday ? If you are in Southern California, Florida or some parts of Europe, maybe, but most of us live in the real world. 
 
If I could start again, it would be M902 into Ms-Pro and just ignore everything else written about headphones. Current fantasy is M903 into RS1, but the combined price of that lot is less than a lot of the high-end guys would spend on cables for a new rig.
 
This really is an insane hobby, but it beats just getting hammered every Friday and Saturday night in the name of 'entertainment'. 

 

[rawrster]

I consider myself pretty much in mid-fi. I'm happy where I am and i wouldn't change a thing. Although if I could I'd probably not buy some of the stuff I did but it was all to get me where I am now so no regrets.

 

[Uncle Erik]

if i had it all to do over, i probably would go back in time and tell my older self to never visit head-fi.

 
Get some of the Coconut Audio gear. According to the ad copy, it opens up a wormhole through spacetime. Probably your best bet, since it'll make your rig sound better, too.

As for the question here, the ladder is the way to go.

Thing is, you don't know what you want until you've been in the hobby for awhile. You have to try lots of gear at meets, but you also have to live with gear for awhile to figure out what it is you're after.

I think I'm close. I haven't bought anything (save parts) for 18 months. A workshop should have been done by now, but I think it'll be ready the first few months of 2011. I'll put together the parts I've been stockpiling and put in some serious listening. Then I'm going to sell some stuff off and keep only what I enjoy the most.

The resulting cash will be rolled into other things, but I think I might make a significant investment in music, as well. I've got roughly 1,000 recordings. I'd like to push that up to around 3,000. That's probably too much, but I'll be able to go deeply into what I love. Also, I have no intention of getting out of DIY. I love to build... we'll see where that leads.

 

[mikop]

If I  have to do it over again, I would join head-fi, make 1 single post requesting opinions.  $5000ish budget, listen to jpop, kpop, mandopop.  buy what's most recommended and never visit this site again. Ignorance is bliss... I really don't mind not knowing what else is there.  The less I know, the better.
 

 

[KevDo]

Difficult. I found using budget gear makes you appreciate the subtleties of higher-end stuff more. Saying that, I don't really have high-end gear so I'm stuff very much on that journey. I wouldn't like to go straight to the top though... seems to me it's a bit "all the gear and no idea" (unless you do just have a brilliant ear) lol

 

[balderon]

There are so many things I would like to redo if I could turn back the hands of time. I just cannot say unequivocally that audio would be near the top of my list. With respect to the OP I probably wouldn't change a thing. My past experiences has afforded me appreciation for what I have and the desires for better gear.

 

[melomaniac]

Quote:

I'm happy to stay with mid-fi : some of the dCS/Levinson kit is just farcical in terms of pricetags, for mine - I can understand that 'if youve got it, you may as well have the best', but how many Ferraris do you actually see being driven Monday through Friday ? If you are in Southern California, Florida or some parts of Europe, maybe, but most of us live in the real world. 

"I resemble that!"  

 
 
but even if to some people, so-cal ain't real, I do vicariously enjoy the fabulous cars around here, I really do.
as for audio, if I had to do it over again, I would take fewer detours. I knew two decades ago what sound and what music I like best, but I kept looking around instead of focusing on what still agrees best with me...
and I'd join head-fi instead of lurking for a few years before starting to post.