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Just laughing outloud at this high-end nonsense


rgdawsonco

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1 hour ago, moray james said:

if I put some bitter butter in my batter, will it make my batter bitter? YES. this stuff is not hard to figure out by listening but it is hard to understand. everything has some amount of impact. resistors capacitors diodes switches connectors wire tubes transistors mosfets brands styles you name it they all sound. If you put bitter sound into your system it will make your system bitter.

 

But as long as the power cord is the same quality as the cable in your house how is that making it more bitter? Unless you had some really sophisticated equipment to clean the power then run the expensive cord from the conditioner to your amp?

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Just now, twk123 said:

 

But as long as the power cord is the same quality as the cable in your house how is that making it more bitter? Unless you had some really sophisticated equipment to clean the power then run the expensive cord from the conditioner to your amp?

what I am saying is that the cord can (and does) have an impact. A crappy cord will make your system sound worse while a neutral one and things remain unchanged a good one will improve the sound quality of the component. This is really simple like tasting ice cream samples you like the taste or your don't your system sounds better or it does not. What you think about the validity of the design has nothing to do with it only the resulting sound matters. If you don't trust your own ears then that is a different story.

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4 minutes ago, moray james said:

what I am saying is that the cord can (and does) have an impact. A crappy cord will make your system sound worse while a neutral one and things remain unchanged a good one will improve the sound quality of the component. This is really simple like tasting ice cream samples you like the taste or your don't your system sounds better or it does not. What you think about the validity of the design has nothing to do with it only the resulting sound matters. If you don't trust your own ears then that is a different story.

I would need a special power cord for my.... Mac Mini, HD My Book external hard drive, Acer monitor, DAC, Preamp and Power Amp....

It;s all connected right?

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I have to add this....This is what I think....The only way this can happen is if a mysterious transformation occurs after you plug a high cost power cable to all your equipment. And if this really happens it should be measurable.

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6 minutes ago, moray james said:

what I am saying is that the cord can (and does) have an impact. A crappy cord will make your system sound worse while a neutral one and things remain unchanged a good one will improve the sound quality of the component. This is really simple like tasting ice cream samples you like the taste or your don't your system sounds better or it does not. What you think about the validity of the design has nothing to do with it only the resulting sound matters. If you don't trust your own ears then that is a different story.

 

The ice cream analogy is actually a good one to use here.  There is a lot happening by the time the signal is converted into into the part of the brain that actually decides what it hears, and no you can't really always trust your ears or your brain to be 100% consistent over time, even a short time.  That same ice cream I liked last night may taste alot different in the morning and nothing has changed in the ice cream.  The taste may be perceived differently, depending on the mood I am in, how hungry I am, and what I am hungry for.  Nothing changed, yet today I may not enjoy it like I did yesterday.  It may not taste like it did yesterday because my chemistry is always fluctuating.  Same with music.  110 volts at 60Hz power from the wall gets so filtered and converted by the power supply anyway.  I know there is fluctuation in my hearing and perception (like my taste), based on so many things - mood, fatigue, what I have been listening too previously, for how long, for how loud, placebo effect (which is real), etc.  Your ears and brain adjust constantly.  I know that is going on, so to ignore it and attribute my changing perception to the power cord seems to be ignoring what is really going on, which is that our perception changes and adjusts constantly.  This is why measurement is important, because when we get to this level of nuance where we are talking in terms of "...instrumental color saturation and texture, and seeming expansions of dynamic shadings and tactile expressiveness ", and we can't measure it, we are often in the realm of perception.

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1 minute ago, rgdawsonco said:

 

The ice cream analogy is actually a good one to use here.  There is a lot happening by the time the signal is converted into into the part of the brain that actually decides what it hears, and no you can't really always trust your ears or your brain to be 100% consistent over time, even a short time.  That same ice cream I liked last night may taste alot different in the morning and nothing has changed in the ice cream.  The taste may be perceived differently, depending on the mood I am in, how hungry I am, and what I am hungry for.  Nothing changed, yet today I may not enjoy it like I did yesterday.  It may not taste like it did yesterday because my chemistry is always fluctuating.  Same with music.  110 volts at 60Hz power from the wall gets so filtered and converted by the power supply anyway.  I know there is fluctuation in my hearing and perception (like my taste), based on so many things - mood, fatigue, what I have been listening too previously, for how long, for how loud, placebo effect (which is real), etc.  Your ears and brain adjust constantly.  I know that is going on, so to ignore it and attribute my changing perception to the power cord seems to be ignoring what is really going on, which is that our perception changes and adjusts constantly.  This is why measurement is important, because when we get to this level of nuance where we are talking in terms of "...instrumental color saturation and texture, and seeming expansions of dynamic shadings and tactile expressiveness ", and we can't measure it, we are often in the realm of perception.

 

This actually made me realize something. The same mindset that makes me REALLY enjoy ice cream is the same mindset that makes me REALLY enjoy my stereo system. :cool:

 

On a more serious note, there are interesting things like this that are a factor in music enjoyment. My wife is into Feng Shui and its really bad to have your back to a door as you subconsciously are aware someone can enter behind you. This actually works for meetings where if someone is usually really loud you try to get him with his back to the door and it will tone him down a little. Thus I changed around my listening room to nolonger have my back to the door and actually found I could relax better and get more into the music. That and I nolonger have those hellish moments where I am deep into musical bliss with my eyes closed and am startled out of my wits when my wife comes and and taps on my shoulder.

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23 minutes ago, twk123 said:

 

This actually made me realize something. The same mindset that makes me REALLY enjoy ice cream is the same mindset that makes me REALLY enjoy my stereo system. :cool:

 

On a more serious note, there are interesting things like this that are a factor in music enjoyment. My wife is into Feng Shui and its really bad to have your back to a door as you subconsciously are aware someone can enter behind you. This actually works for meetings where if someone is usually really loud you try to get him with his back to the door and it will tone him down a little. Thus I changed around my listening room to nolonger have my back to the door and actually found I could relax better and get more into the music. That and I nolonger have those hellish moments where I am deep into musical bliss with my eyes closed and am startled out of my wits when my wife comes and and taps on my shoulder.

Your wife is one smart lady... "This is from my heart....Being calm in life is hard to achieve....Feng Shui can help and does exist...Perception is the key word in power cables

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8 minutes ago, Steve_S said:

Your wife is one smart lady... Feng Shui  really does exist...Perception is the key word........

 

Thats Steve, I am extremely lucky to have her. Feng Shui is an interesting subject and is often ridiculed in western culture unfairly. At its core, I believe Feng Shui is the practical application and understanding of the symbolic language similar to fine art in which certain shapes representing masculine and feminine archetypes, leading lines and focal points are utilized. Unfortunately, she also quickly recognized that my LaScalas are really just giant "Poison Arrows" pointed at her which is something I am still working out... :unsure:

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13 minutes ago, twk123 said:

 

Thats Steve, I am extremely lucky to have her. Feng Shui is an interesting subject and is often ridiculed in western culture unfairly. At its core, I believe Feng Shui is the practical application and understanding of the symbolic language similar to fine art in which certain shapes representing masculine and feminine archetypes, leading lines and focal points are utilized. Unfortunately, she also quickly recognized that my LaScalas are really just giant "Poison Arrows" pointed at her which is something I am still working out... :unsure:

My take on this....you have to believe in something that is obtainable....Being calm when shit hits the fan "whatever it may be" is the key to over reaction. Pushing away negative energy and not letting it be a part of your life is obtainable. Feng Shui is part of this.

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Everyone knows washing machine cords tend to water down the sound, dryer cords obviously gives everything a warm sound, common knowledge. :ph34r:

 

Solar is the only real way to go, straight from the roof to your room touching nothing,  why would you even consider tying into something that is powering a clock radio and blow dryer down the street ?

 

It's all personal choices, right or wrong gets blurry because we all hear different things, for example Calliope music. :unsure: sorry Dave :D

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14 hours ago, Steve_S said:

I have to add this....This is what I think....The only way this can happen is if a mysterious transformation occurs after you plug a high cost power cable to all your equipment. And if this really happens it should be measurable.

 

Ex-Klipsch engineer DaveWJr talked about something similar last year, I thought it was power cords but he's talking about cables in general:

 

 

" Final and most important note: any audio component after the source can only make what you hear less bad. It cannot improve the sound quality. Any claim to the contrary is false. Many people tend to get caught up in what "improves" the sound of their system. The reality is that the speaker is at its maximum ability already. What you put before it can only make it sound worse, not better. So, instead of spending lots of money on wiring, spend that money on a nice amplifier which will have good control of your speakers, have good headroom and not impart its own distortion. "

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15 hours ago, twk123 said:

 

Thats Steve, I am extremely lucky to have her. Feng Shui is an interesting subject and is often ridiculed in western culture unfairly. At its core, I believe Feng Shui is the practical application and understanding of the symbolic language similar to fine art in which certain shapes representing masculine and feminine archetypes, leading lines and focal points are utilized. Unfortunately, she also quickly recognized that my LaScalas are really just giant "Poison Arrows" pointed at her which is something I am still working out... :unsure:

Umm. I'm no doctor but Feng Shui tratranslates to OCD. :P

(My best friend is Chinese and he laughs.)

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On 8/4/2016 at 1:18 PM, rgdawsonco said:

RCA's uncharacteristically dry and very direct-sounding recording of violinist Vittorio Emanuele and the Società Corelli performing Vivaldi's The Four Seasons (LP, RCA Living Stereo LSC-2424) became even more direct, more corporeal, and altogether more realistic, with increases in instrumental color saturation and texture

The interesting thing is that virtually all classical recordings--and especially those with orchestral instrumentation--are categorically subject to heavy-handed amounts of mastering EQ, over and above the RIAA emphasis/de-emphasis equalization curve for vinyl in this case.  How could this "audiophile" hear all that sonic bliss with a creatively EQed 1960 recording that was transferred to vinyl (i.e., not the original analog tape)?  It's an incredibly poor choice to use in this sort of situation.

 

The placebo effect is a notably strong and frequently seen factor among those that never really stopped to learn about physics, psychophysics and engineering of audio reproduction...and this is yet another example in that long list of audiophillery.  PWK had a special device for just those type of situations...

 

Bullshit-Button-Lapel-1-Facebook-bw.jpg

 

3 hours ago, MetropolisLakeOutfitters said:

"Final and most important note: any audio component after the source can only make what you hear less bad. It cannot improve the sound quality. Any claim to the contrary is false. Many people tend to get caught up in what "improves" the sound of their system. The reality is that the speaker is at its maximum ability already. What you put before it can only make it sound worse, not better. So, instead of spending lots of money on wiring, spend that money on a nice amplifier which will have good control of your speakers, have good headroom and not impart its own distortion."

This is another disability among those that aggrandize the importance of really trivial audio components: the idea that audio reproduction can be made "better than life".  However, I find that the only thing you can do is to try not to degrade the music any further...or to repair damage originally done in the name of "commercialization", like unmastering source music with huge amounts of impressed mastering EQ.

 

Chris

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