Comments on Profile Post by Hammy

I discovered classical music back in the 80s and 90s. During that period I bought hundreds of DDD classical recordings. Always opting for the digital recordings like Telarc. Because perfect sound forever.

My gear at the time was Radio Shack Mach II speakers and Sony MDR-V6 headphones. With that gear I had no idea that the CDs I was buying and paying a premium for didn’t sound good. So I kept buying more. At about $18 each. New classical CDs were never discounted.

It wasn’t until about 20 years later when I discovered good hi-fi gear that I realized all those hundreds of classical CDs didn’t sound very good. I was not happy about that discovery. I figure I spent almost $10,000 on classical CDs that sound dead and flat. 80s digital recording was not very good.

Mid-fi gear caused me to waste about $10,000 on bad sounding CDs without realizing I was wasting my money. An expensive lesson.

On the bright side? Hopefully you found composers, orchestras, music you liked enough to track down on hi-res streaming services?

I immersed myself in learning about classical and music history. I found and explored a lot of classical music. Also went to many live concerts. Mostly Oregon Symphony, but others as I was able. All that knowledge about classical music is still with me even if the CDs I bought back then are forgotten.

I give you a ton of credit for trying. I simply lucked out: my Dad was a master of the orchestral repertoire, so almost everything I heard was analogue. (The only exceptions that come to mind are a young Michael Tilson Thomas and Bernstein's Mahler set on DG.)

I got started by taking a music for the listener elective class at college. Homework was going to concerts. That's when I started buying classical CDs. That was mid 80s. My only regret is that I didn't realize the DDD classical recordings were so bad and bought so many.