What a great topic, especially now that we have time on our hands.
It’s possible to buy an audio system today that gives far better quality than 20 years ago, however these are not the sort of systems typically recommended in the press or by retailers.
While music is an art, reproducing it faithfully is much more of a science.
If you want a really great picture you’ll have your TV or projector measured and calibrated so it faithfully recreates the correct brightness, contrast and colour balance.
Fidelity is important so we measure…………but not with sound…..
If you buy an expensive hifi it will give very inaccurate results because of the way your room changes the sound of your speakers. Most systems vary by about 20db from the intended response of your loudspeakers which will mean some sounds will be heard 4 times louder than others. Hardly hifi!
These huge errors created by the room can only be corrected by measuring and correcting the system. When this is done you will get measurably and audibly far better sound quality. Typically the difference is so big, you’ll hear the difference from the next room
I have sold Lyngdorf electronics for 15 years which contain the world’s best room correction software. RoomPerfect is the only system that preserves the sound of your speakers while removing the errors of your room. If you have good speakers it will give better sound quality than a stack of traditional electronics. Again, this is measurable as well as very easy to hear.
The problem is that this disrupts the business model of people write and sell audio equipment who want to keep you coming back for continual upgrades.
Ask yourself this, if sound quality is so important, why doesn’t your dealer measure and correct it when the technology exists. Do you think the lure of recommending more and more boxes as an upgrade may be a factor?
If you want to watch something that form a real expert on sound, this debunks most of the BS spouted about hifi