bjlefebvre
Super Member
I would point to some what I call "surprise upgrades" - little things I've done that actually made a bigger difference than I had at first expected. Like, if I spend $X on a new phono stage or whatever, I'm expecting to have some sort of upgrade. If it isn't there, I send the item back and try again. But there's been two things I can think of where a change yielded bigger returns than I had considered:
1) Being able to switch to mono for mono recordings. I first tried a mono "strapped" Denon 103 and then built a mono/stereo switch. I didn't know what to expect with either of these, but was very much impressed with how much better a mono recording sounds via mono playback. Both solutions were cheap but have convinced me to never be without a mono playback option again. It just makes my mono records sound right.
2) Record vacuum cleaning machine. Again, for the outlay, it really, really makes a difference in sound quality. Not just "oh, there's no more crackle." A good cleaning just makes the listening experience better.
1) Being able to switch to mono for mono recordings. I first tried a mono "strapped" Denon 103 and then built a mono/stereo switch. I didn't know what to expect with either of these, but was very much impressed with how much better a mono recording sounds via mono playback. Both solutions were cheap but have convinced me to never be without a mono playback option again. It just makes my mono records sound right.
2) Record vacuum cleaning machine. Again, for the outlay, it really, really makes a difference in sound quality. Not just "oh, there's no more crackle." A good cleaning just makes the listening experience better.