Audio Flynn Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Revelations ========= -I love music from an early age on my parents Motorla tube HIFI in the 1960s and 70s. It has been found once again in the 2000s with tubes. -Multi channel music set up is a pain in the butt. -I love a good DAC and power filtering! -CDs should have been higher resolution than 16 /44 when they hit the market. Misconceptions ============ - Record cleaning machines are a waste of money. - Speaker wire makes a difference. - I am going to really like this surround sound thing for music. - I did not understand digital listener fatigue was making me listen to music less than LPs ( in the 70s and early 80s) until 2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 3, 2009 Moderators Share Posted April 3, 2009 Revelations It does not take alot of money to have great sounding speakers, and system. Having a place to ask questions to a large group of people who have more experience than me about this hobby is priceless ! Misconceptions Well known brand names will usually be a safe bet when picking out speakers or anything audio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Plus one for Dtel. Good sound can be cheap! Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Revelations: Multichannel Music. I absolutely love how this material sounds on my HT listed below and started out thinking in 1998 "Home Theater" was only for Movies. [bs] Misconceptions: "We only have two ears so why do we need more speakers." [8] + [~] = [ip] [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Revelations: * Multi-channel is more trouble than what it's worth. * CD sound quality really has improved during the last few years. * Diana Krall has great legs. Misconceptions: * Elvis Costello has great legs. * High priced audio cable sounds better. * Audio component of the year awards actually mean something. * Bose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Revelations: "Stereo" is just dual channel mono and requires as much effort to recreate a musical space-time event as it does for my cat to make sense out of television pictures. I know of only one successful multi-channel release ("Music for Compline" SACD from Harmonia). Every year there are fewer people that have ever heard a fine music system. The last iteration of cassettes remain capable of matching all but the very pinnacle of media. Misconceptions: Fine system=empty wallet. That there is a connection between the medium or format and the listening experience when all things are equal. Using RIAA on LP's is fine, but restoring dynamic range is "processing" and no real audiophile would do it. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlton Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Revelations: The Final Four will sound terrific through my Khorns! Go State! (Class of 79). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 Revelations: The Final Four will sound terrific through my Khorns! Go State! (Class of 79). Class of 82. GO GREEN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 Revelations: "Stereo" is just dual channel mono and requires as much effort to recreate a musical space-time event as it does for my cat to make sense out of television pictures. I know of only one successful multi-channel release ("Music for Compline" SACD from Harmonia). Every year there are fewer people that have ever heard a fine music system. The last iteration of cassettes remain capable of matching all but the very pinnacle of media. Misconceptions: Fine system=empty wallet. That there is a connection between the medium or format and the listening experience when all things are equal. Using RIAA on LP's is fine, but restoring dynamic range is "processing" and no real audiophile would do it. Dave I had an AIWA and Denon casseete decksin the early 80s. They sounded darn good as I recall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 Newbies feel freee to chime in. I should have put "personal revelations" in the thread title. It is very interesting on how thoughts change over time. GO GREEN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 More: Revelation: * Old rockers never die. They just get better... * Klipsch horn speakers really do benefit from high quality amplifiers. * Some Jazz stuff sounds pretty good. * Many audiophiles lack a sense of humor. Misconception: * The long lost Parrot has no sense of humor. * That I will find an audio system that I will be happy to keep forever... * Cheap Chinese tube amps will last forever. * Cheap Chinese tube amps sound good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Flynn, that revelation came through the acquisition of a cassette deck for CHEEP mainly to digitize some family keepsakes. The deck is a pretty high end Yamaha with auto tape and NR set, reverse, the works. 59.00 in NM condition. It had been YEARS since I'd listened to a cassette and my thoughts about them were to almost classify them like 8 track. When I dropped in a metal cassette I'd made with Dolby C and DBX decompression of a reel to reel release of "Revolver," I was totally floored by the sound. I have never heard a better Revolver in any medium. Same for a copy I'd made of Allan Parsons "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" from an LP. Unbelievable. It's certainly a medium with no application anymore, and it never really got a lot of respect living in the shadow of reel to reel, but in it's last days of metal tape and Dolby C, along with finely crafted decks it really did the trick. I am half tempted to haunt Ebay for some of the high end commercial releases on metal tape...but I really don't need more antiques! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 Flynn, that revelation came through the acquisition of a cassette deck for CHEEP mainly to digitize some family keepsakes. The deck is a pretty high end Yamaha with auto tape and NR set, reverse, the works. 59.00 in NM condition. It had been YEARS since I'd listened to a cassette and my thoughts about them were to almost classify them like 8 track. When I dropped in a metal cassette I'd made with Dolby C and DBX decompression of a reel to reel release of "Revolver," I was totally floored by the sound. I have never heard a better Revolver in any medium. Same for a copy I'd made of Allan Parsons "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" from an LP. Unbelievable. It's certainly a medium with no application anymore, and it never really got a lot of respect living in the shadow of reel to reel, but in it's last days of metal tape and Dolby C, along with finely crafted decks it really did the trick. I am half tempted to haunt Ebay for some of the high end commercial releases on metal tape...but I really don't need more antiques! Dave True I do not want to have a couple of closets full of SS antique stuff i will only give to the kids or jettison on downsizing ten years from now. The shallow marketing types killed cassette long before CD had a HIFI quality resolution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Dubay Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Revelations - DIY audio is alive and well. No better way to appreciate how something works than by building it. - The quest for audio nervana is attained through the quest it's self, not the journey's end. - I'm drawn to the utter simplicity of valve audio, a more direct link between me and the musical artist. Misconceptions - All solid state amplifiers sound the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSt Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 A Newbie chiming in here! Revelations: FLAC music files with Auzentech sound card & the X-Fi Crystalizer is a great sounding source. Not as good as LPs but better than CD imo. Listening to punk records recorded at high levels is a blast on a low power tube amp. Klipsch KLF-20's are living beings! Everything sounds better when you're at someone else's house. You can have a superb system with a little research and little money. Misconceptions Expensive cables sound better than cheap ones. Expensive cable can't sound worse than cheap ones. Audiophile equipment always sounds better than the junk at Best Buy. Audiophiles know that they're talkinga about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Revelations Proper speaker set-up makes the biggest improvement Speakers are the only bargain in audio Large, used speakers are not only cheaper, but better sounding Tube amplifiers have soft clipping Vintage stuff can be incredible values The stuff sold in retail stores is mostly junk The quality stuff costs more Audio stores mix and match anything to sell, not the best combinations The really expensive stuff is only marginally better The jitter of CDs and tubes wears out your ears Vibration isolation platforms can make a significant improvement Tweaks are well worth it, if you do not spend a lot of money I can hear the differences that Stereophile reveals in their measurements The flatter and wider the frequency response of the system, the better it sounds The better great systems sound, the more alike they sound Most people rarely hear music without amplifiers Size and looks are just as important to most people as the quality of sound Most audiophiles are NOT trying to create a 3D sonic holograph Many audiophiles just want the movie theater/rock concert sound The quantity of the watts matters less than the quality of them Doubling power as impedance drops is the most important measure of bass control Tube amplifiers have very high current THD is not that important Horn speakers have stunningly less distortion than other speakers The type of distortion matters Speaker efficiency is incredibly important to the quality of the amplifier Woofer impedance can over-ride an amplifier and effect frequency response Solid-state amplifiers really do control bass better Properly tuned and adjusted, it really is possible to create a simple 3D sonic holograph Phonograph records have the type of harmonic distortion that tube amplifiers and acoustic instruments Adding a sub-woofer to a big screen TV makes an incredible improvement Misconceptions Bose is the best (not mine, my friends) You have to spend a lot to get a great system Refurbished integrated tube amplifiers are incredible values Chip amplifiers are incredible values Manufacturers will pass the extreme low cost of chip amplifiers onto the consumer Speaker wire doesn’t matter Power conditioners and cords don’t matter Dull systems have more “inner resolution” The system should try and sound like the movie theater or rock concert A good system will sound good anywhere Tweaks are worth it Room treatments are just added expense Newer is better Name brand is better Audio stores have the best systems Modest systems don’t need subs, EQ or room treatments Equalizers harm the purity of the sound more than improve it It is a free country, you can criticize Bose in your review without getting sued All Bose speakers are over priced crap Nothing at Radio Shack is any good Everything Monster sells is a rip-off Bi-amping is not worth it The sound systems in big screen TVs is good enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 REVELATION: Properly engineered horn-loaded loudspeakers sound better than other types. MISCONCEPTION: Horn loaded loudspeakers sound colored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauln Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 REVELATION: I am subject to having misconceptions MISCONCEPTION: My system would be just right for anyone else. People with systems better than mine are obsessive and foolishly chasing that which can't be heard.People with systems inferior to mine are clueless and don't hear music as I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 REVELATION: I am subject to having misconceptions MISCONCEPTION: My system would be just right for anyone else. People with systems better than mine are obsessive and foolishly chasing that which can't be heard.People with systems inferior to mine are clueless and don't hear music as I do. God I love objective! Good one, Paul Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 REVELATION: I am subject to having misconceptions MISCONCEPTION: My system would be just right for anyone else. People with systems better than mine are obsessive and foolishly chasing that which can't be heard.People with systems inferior to mine are clueless and don't hear music as I do. +2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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