Quote Originally Posted by frenchmon
If certain wine goes with different food, Then I'm convinced certain music can go with different gear. If sports cars and luxury cars serve a different purpose, then I'm convinced serious audio manufactures have a purpose in mind when they design their gear. Krell, Conrad Johnson, Emotiva , T+A, and Musical Fidelity.... Sports Cars and Luxury Cars, Fine wine and Good Food. Thats how I feel about our hobby.
I 100% agree. Audio Manufacturers have different sonic and design priorities. Maybe the focus is dynamic range or PRAT or detail retrieval or neutrality or midrange sweetness, etc...

Since I have varied tastes in music I find that I can appreciate many different priorities, depending on what kind of music I listen to... I can enjoy a 200 watt Rotel Amp/pre combo and also a 50 watt Musical Fidelity integrated equally... despite both sounding very different...

It does make upgrading a challenge, since I need to pick a priority and buy based on that...