Of course we are talking chickens vs. eggs here, as one either has one’s hi-fi bearings going in, or one doesn’t. Sure, anyone who tunes a port to 1 Ohm is asking for trouble, and, indeed, anyone with a poorly thought out phono stage is probably wasting money on a super-deluxe TT. The thing is, people who play at random mix & match are more or less “unreachable” in the first place. I suspect that plenty of would-be audio people stumble across this site and leave baffled, since indications are that most audio fraternizers want shopping info (recommendations), and GSC tends to cut “these people” off at the metaphorical pass. Not to be negative or cryptic, but I agree with Steve that one’s system is shaped by the compromises one makes, since “nobody gets everything”, including people who are not walking blindly into coupling cap problems, yet they have “informed decisions” and either/or choices to make regarding ultimate system performance. Yes, “Know Thy System”, and then it’s ultimately down to Taste.>>

Paul S