Greetings...

[DellRay]

OK, new here but not new to decent audio gear and definitely not new to forums in general, I belong to forums for just about everything (that interests me or otherwise require information for) Starting off, before I get into any technical reading, my first question is; I've heard of audioholic, which is where I consider myself, and audiophile, which I do not want to be classified as, so what exactly is an audiophyte?

 

[Replicant 7]

Welcome to AH.

 

[BMXTRIX]

...so what exactly is an audiophyte?

Generally speaking, someone who is just getting into audio and doesn't really know their way around. Someone who doesn't know the difference between a RCA connection and a HDMI connection. So, just a newb in the audio world. Inexperienced.

Audiophiles often get chewed up and spit out in these forums. Dark magic without scientific backing will earn someone a quick kick in the pants around here for sure. People who push really uninformed decisions just don't do well here. But, reasonable discussion can certainly be encouraged and good information on solid products is available.

 

[Pogre]

OK, new here but not new to decent audio gear and definitely not new to forums in general, I belong to forums for just about everything (that interests me or otherwise require information for) Starting off, before I get into any technical reading, my first question is; I've heard of audioholic, which is where I consider myself, and audiophile, which I do not want to be classified as, so what exactly is an audiophyte?

Audiophyte is just a funny name denoting a new forum member but no one here really takes it seriously or literally. It says I'm an overlord and that has nothing to do with audio, lol.

As for "audiophile", as far as I'm concerned all you need is an interest in the hobby and that you care about having good sound. "Audioholic" is just another way to say it. I'd say if you're here it's likely you're an audiophile/audioholic like the rest of us. Welcome to the funny farm.

 

[Replicant 7]

Audiophyte is just a funny name denoting a new forum member but no one here really takes it seriously or literally. It says I'm an overlord and that has nothing to do with audio, lol.

As for "audiophile", as far as I'm concerned all you need is an interest in the hobby and that you care about having good sound. "Audioholic" is just another way to say it. I'd say if you're here it's likely you're an audiophile/audioholic like the rest of us. Welcome to the funny farm.

Aren't you a Slumlord?

 

[Pogre]

Aren't you a Slumlord?

My personal life has nothing to do with my forum rankings...

 

[Replicant 7]

My personal life has nothing to do with my forum rankings...

Just jacking with you brother. But on a more serious note, you being a retired butcher. What is a good cut of Beef to use in a beef stew what would you recommend?

 

[Pogre]

Just jacking with you brother. But on a more serious note, you being a retired butcher. What is a good cut of Beef to use in a beef stew what would you recommend?

I know you're kidding! So was I.

Chuck roast is my go to cut for stews. Usually just enough marbling to give you some flavor but still lean enough so you're not adding a ton of fat. If fat is a concern then any knd of round cut (bottom round roast, eye of round or even London broil) will be the leanest.

 

[Replicant 7]

I know you're kidding! So was I.

Chuck roast is my go to cut for stews. Usually just enough marbling to give you some flavor but still lean enough so you're not adding a ton of fat. If fat is a concern then any knd of round cut (bottom round roast, eye of round or even London broil) will be the leanest.

Thanks!! But umm, I got 1st dibs on that badass RBH sub you got stashed behind your sofa when you do your next upgrade.

 

[davidscott]

It's all about how many posts you have.
And I have quite a few.

 

[Pogre]

It's all about how many posts you have.
And I have quite a few.

Me too, but I think samurai is cooler than overlord tho. That's not fair. I should be wizard or ninja by now!

So @DellRay, you a music or home theater guy? Both? How deep down the rabbit hole have you fallen? Some of us are pretty deep, lol. What kinda gear do you have?

 

[DellRay]

I've been into "hifi" since I was a kid, I think I was about 10 or 12, somewhere in that range when I took an interest in my uncle's stereo equipment. Our family come from just around to maybe a mm or so above the poverty line so for me at least most of the stuff I had in my younger years was hand me down/over equipment that usually had at least one or more issues but would still produce a noise. I had all kinds of different brands and components of one type or another in just as many configurations. Back then Sherwood, Fisher, Realistic, and Pioneer were some of my dream brands and I did manage to work enough to scrounge myself together a decent system in my mid to late teens which included a Sherwood receiver, a pair of big old Fisher towers with 12" woofers 8" mids and a screeching tweeter, a realistic turntable with a cool spindle that would hold several records at once and drop them one by one after the previous one was finished and then auto return itself after they all had played through. I can't remember how many it held; 7, 10, 12 maybe, and then I had a Teac dual cassette tape player/ recorder and a pioneer graphic equalizer, I think it was a 9 band with a 10th slider that was more or less a volume booster for the other 9 bands. I don't remember exactly how that worked but all my buddies were always messing with it and getting on my nerves. I also got a set of some JBL speakers, they weren't huge floor standers like my fishers but they were bigger than bookshelves and they blew me away because they were quite a bit smaller than my Fishers but the sound was quite a bit bigger. I had that pretty much up until my early 20s when I left the nest and ventured into the world of being a dad. Being in residential construction in Maine and having 2 kids kinda put a limit on how much I could spend on audio equipment and the big thing with the wife and kids was the TV and not so much about how it sounded. I always managed to put something under the TV that was at least somewhat better than the TV speakers though but nothing really memorable enough to list now. So then came troubles and sruggles and divorces and partying and drinking and other stuff for a few years and then as I was facing homelessness in Maine in the winter of 2013/2014, I sold my car for $600 put some personal effects in a backpack, loaded up an army duffel bag with as many of my clothes as I could stuff in it, grabbed my laptop case, told my pretty much grown boys my plan, kissed a couple of my special lady friends goodbye and jumped on a Greyhound headed for Denver CO. where I am now doing quite a bit better in the few years that I've lived here than in all the years I struggled to make ends meet back there and now have the ability to have myself some fine musical reproduction equipment. Stopping drinking probably also has a little to do with it.

 

[panteragstk]

Me too, but I think samurai is cooler than overlord tho. That's not fair. I should be wizard or ninja by now!

So @DellRay, you a music or home theater guy? Both? How deep down the rabbit hole have you fallen? Some of us are pretty deep, lol. What kinda gear do you have?

You surpassed ninja many moons ago. You are now the overlord of the samurai and ninja.

Or something like that.

 

[Eppie]

@DellRay The nice things about audio gear is that you don't necessarily have to spend a bundle for good audio. We have some forum members who visit their local thrift shop or Good Will store and have found some incredible bargains. There is also a lot of entry level gear that surpasses what was available 20 or 30 years ago. Just takes a little time and research to sort out the bargains from the junk.

 

[Pogre]

I've been into "hifi" since I was a kid, I think I was about 10 or 12, somewhere in that range when I took an interest in my uncle's stereo equipment. Our family come from just around to maybe a mm or so above the poverty line so for me at least most of the stuff I had in my younger years was hand me down/over equipment that usually had at least one or more issues but would still produce a noise. I had all kinds of different brands and components of one type or another in just as many configurations. Back then Sherwood, Fisher, Realistic, and Pioneer were some of my dream brands and I did manage to work enough to scrounge myself together a decent system in my mid to late teens which included a Sherwood receiver, a pair of big old Fisher towers with 12" woofers 8" mids and a screeching tweeter, a realistic turntable with a cool spindle that would hold several records at once and drop them one by one after the previous one was finished and then auto return itself after they all had played through. I can't remember how many it held; 7, 10, 12 maybe, and then I had a Teac dual cassette tape player/ recorder and a pioneer graphic equalizer, I think it was a 9 band with a 10th slider that was more or less a volume booster for the other 9 bands. I don't remember exactly how that worked but all my buddies were always messing with it and getting on my nerves. I also got a set of some JBL speakers, they weren't huge floor standers like my fishers but they were bigger than bookshelves and they blew me away because they were quite a bit smaller than my Fishers but the sound was quite a bit bigger. I had that pretty much up until my early 20s when I left the nest and ventured into the world of being a dad. Being in residential construction in Maine and having 2 kids kinda put a limit on how much I could spend on audio equipment and the big thing with the wife and kids was the TV and not so much about how it sounded. I always managed to put something under the TV that was at least somewhat better than the TV speakers though but nothing really memorable enough to list now. So then came troubles and sruggles and divorces and partying and drinking and other stuff for a few years and then as I was facing homelessness in Maine in the winter of 2013/2014, I sold my car for $600 put some personal effects in a backpack, loaded up an army duffel bag with as many of my clothes as I could stuff in it, grabbed my laptop case, told my pretty much grown boys my plan, kissed a couple of my special lady friends goodbye and jumped on a Greyhound headed for Denver CO. where I am now doing quite a bit better in the few years that I've lived here than in all the years I struggled to make ends meet back there and now have the ability to have myself some fine musical reproduction equipment. Stopping drinking probably also has a little to do with it.

Paragraphs man. Makes reading lengthy posts a lot easier, lol.

I have a thread kinda dedicated to thrift and craigslist finds and have stumbled across some very nice speakers on the cheap. CL can be a great source for good deals on speakers.

Are These Finds Good Deals?

I've never heard of James Loudspeaker company before and I found 4 of these S33 speakers for $400, so $100 apiece. Is this a find worth jumping on? The company seems to be associated with pricey speakers and these look in decent shape. *Edit: I updated the title of this thread to reflect...

forums.audioholics.com

 

[DellRay]

Paragraphs man. Makes reading lengthy posts a lot easier, lol.

Sorry, I was tired af last night. I sold a pair of Jamo S-809s to a guy that bought my S-801 surrounds and S-83 center a couple of weeks ago and he brought me a pair of JBL Venture Stage speakers and a Harman Kardon AVR-240 so I was up later than I should have been. I ended up tearing my entire system that's in my living room apart and starting over because when I tried to hook up the JBLs I found a birds nest behind my A/V stand.

I just bought a pair of JBL Studio 570s to replace the Jamo towers that I sold but although they do sound quite a bit better, especially in the tweeter dept. they lack what I needed to close the gap between my 2 Klipsch 12" subwoofers and the 5&1/4" drivers in the surround and center. Yes, I'm a budget audioholic. I'm still doing way better than I was and there are some things that I just would not buy even if I had that kind of money.

I started out with a Jamo 5.0 kit that I got for $229: S-803x 2, S-801x 2, & S-81C. The reg price on the set was something ridiculous like $800 so I grabbed it and an Elac 1010SUB for $119. The sound quality was good compared to my ageing Onkyo 7.1 box store theatre pack. Then a few months later I was looking for some towers and I found the Jamo 5.1 S-809 kit with S-809x 2, S-801x 2, S-83C, and J-10 SUB for $549 and I had a $100 discount coupon so I grabbed that which also has a ridiculously high regular price of over $1300.

So I had all these speakers around and I decided it was time for a new receiver. I bought an Onkyo TX-SR393 for $249 on sale, kept the S-809 towers, a pair of the S-801 surrounds, the S-83 center and the J-10 sub and listed the rest with the TX-SR353 that I had for about 3 years for $600 on CL. Some gamer kids scooped it right up but didn't want the Elac sub and still paid the full $600 so I relisted the sub by itself for $100 and that was also gone in no time. So now I've recouped almost all the money I spent on the speakers and I have a pretty decent sounding 5.1 system...

But then I realize that I have a surround sound theater sound system... to listen to music on. I realize that I need a TV lol. I grabbed an 8000 series 65" Samsung QLED 4K on a black friday deal for $399 and thought I got a good deal. I was looking at a 7000 series 50" at $329 and saw this one in the list of ones that others had ended up purchasing and said sure, an extra $70 for a better model and 15" bigger screen, why not. I wasn't interested in spending a lot on a TV because it's never really on. I live alone and don't really watch TV, it's only there for company so people won't think I'm too much of a weirdo right away, I like to spring that on them later.

So by continuing this little game of buying things on hugely discounted sale pricing and selling my gently used equipment I have worked my way up to the system I have now which consists of 2 Klipsch R-120SW 12" powered subs, a pair of R-51M bookshelf/surroumds, an R-52C and the pair of JBL towers that the guy brought because they have dual 8" drivers which do fill that gap I was feeling between the subs and the rest but where they are in my living room and they've definitely seen some life, I'm looking into re veneering the cabinets. The speakers themselves are all good and they sound great, at least to me and I can get rolls of black Melamine for less than $30. I'm a finish craftsman by trade so this will be an easy project and I'll have some nice new looking old school mains.

I'd like to have Klipsch towers to round out the system with matched branding but I have some other more pressing issues to deal with, it's holiday season and my hours at work aren't as plentiful as they have been previously so those will have to wait, if I even decide to because these JBLs sound pretty awesome and if I make the cabinets look really good I'm not against sticking it out with them as my mains for awhile and also while I was shopping around I found some nice Polk floor standers that have dual 8" drivers AND dual 6.5s which I think sound wise will be more suitable for my listening experience.

I like a wide range of speaker sizes to cover all the spectrums of sound, I'm a bass head and a rocker, although I also have a very wide range of music genres that I listen to a lot. The more speaker options, the less tweaking and equalization I need as I'm not into DACs and signal processing and all that. I like my Teac TN-350 turntable with the technics 10 band graphic equalizer between it and my receiver and that's about all the tweaking I'm interested in doing in case I end up with a record that is on the flat side in any of the band frequencies. Accu-EQ does a fine job for everything else.

 

[panteragstk]

I ended up tearing my entire system that's in my living room apart and starting over because when I tried to hook up the JBLs I found a birds nest behind my A/V stand.

I read this too quickly and took it literal and got very confused as to how that could possibly happen. Then my brain realized that I'm an idiot. Sometimes, re-doing everything when you find a mess is a nice relaxing project with no real impact other than it being done correctly. Still feels good to do it right though.

As for your current system, you've got a nice collection of components and should be able to make a very nice sounding system depending on your room and all that. The Klipsch subs aren't ever really going to do a ton for movies simply because of their size, but they should be great for music. They won't be "bad" for movies, but you get what I mean. Since you have the JBL towers now, subs is where my cash would go next.

That is a steal of a deal on that Samsung TV. Congrats.

 

[davidscott]

You surpassed ninja many moons ago. You are now the overlord of the samurai and ninja.

Or something like that.

Yes we Samurais are in your service sir.

 

[panteragstk]

Yes we Samurais are in your service sir.

No idea where I fit in as a Spartan though....

 

[Snowpuppy]

What exactly is an audiophyte?

An audiophyte, from my understanding, is basically someone who’s just starting out in higher end audio, and embarking on the hi-fi journey. It’s a portmanteau of neophyte and audiophile.