No Stupid Questions… Part 4: Myths and Legends

[highfihoney]

Brain plays the biggest part, that ol' noggin gets goin and there's no stopin it.

From what I have read speaker break in is a real thing, but most speakers (not all) break in very quickly (less than a minute's time). Audiophile "break-in" is a phenomena caused by your brain adjusting to new speakers.

Hey Seth,as a part time audiophile wannabe i can tell you without a doubt you are wrong about 'audiophile break in'.

Audiophile break in is a guys a$$ getting used to the reaming it took at the high end dealership ,those kinda things take time to get used to ya know

 

[Axon]

This sounds very similar to The Audio Critic's "10 Biggest Lies in Audio". Which unfortunately has done little convincing in most quarters. Although I suppose its didactic value to non-audio types is useful.

 

[Seth=L]

Hey Seth,as a part time audiophile wannabe i can tell you without a doubt you are wrong about 'audiophile break in'.

Audiophile break in is a guys a$$ getting used to the reaming it took at the high end dealership ,those kinda things take time to get used to ya know

Wut?

 

[mr-ben]

What I do know is that the claim (no sound fomr electronics) and the fact that audioholics rates the sounds of electronics seems to be paradoxical. Perhaps there is simply something about the claim I have misinterpreted?

The article is an editorial - it's Tom's opinion. It really seems to be a rant, so it's not like you should interpret it as the official stance of audioholics. I disagree with some of it, but so what? It's still a fun read. Even Tom himself seems to like the sounds of this Rotel amp.

 

[highfihoney]

Wut?

The sever reaming audiophiles take on msrp from high end dealers.

 

[PeterWhite]

The next myth for Audioholics to go after is "Hi-Rez" audio: Fact or Fiction. Many reviewers state that there's a big difference between the new BD movie formats & Red Book audio. Both mtrycrafts and tn001d have cited studies that no one can hear the difference. I think it's time for Audioholics to do some controlled tests.

I believe there have been controlled tests done.

I've been buying DVD-Audio discs and SACDs lately and there's a clear improvement in sound quality. But there's nothing about the better sound that isn't due to 5.1 surround.

 

[JerryLove]

The article is an editorial - it's Tom's opinion. It really seems to be a rant, so it's not like you should interpret it as the official stance of audioholics. I disagree with some of it, but so what? It's still a fun read. Even Tom himself seems to like the sounds of this Rotel amp.

Fair enough. Tom != Audioholics... So does consensus seem to be that electronics *do* have a sound then?

 

[no. 5]

I've been buying DVD-Audio discs and SACDs lately and there's a clear improvement in sound quality. But there's nothing about the better sound that isn't due to 5.1 surround.

Spacial effects sure, but more channels in and of itself does not create higher sound quality; some have speculated that DVD-A and SACD disc's have a reputation for sounding better because they are mastered with less compression than the average CD is.

So does consensus seem to be that electronics *do* have a sound then?

Perhaps it's "electronics *can* have a sound to them"...

 

[rushwj]

Tom,
great article. very well-written and quite enjoyable to read. i agree w/ others that this is a must-read for anybody that enjoys this hobby (especially for beginners).
-bill

 

[NicolasKL]

Hrmmm, this information seems to conflict with the information I got from the good folks over at Audiogon.

The thing I love about Audiogon is that you can ask for ANY sort of sound from a cable no matter how ridiculous or esoteric and there will immediately appear 10 different people telling you 10 different cables are EXACTLY what you're looking for. I want to make a post asking for an interconnect that has a sound reminiscent of the youthful exuberance found in prewar Nazi Germany. I guarantee I'd get serious recommendations.

I think "romantic" power cords were one of the worst I've seen. Apparently everyone had a power cord that they thought had a romantic sound to it. Mind boggling.

 

[mr-ben]

Fair enough. Tom != Audioholics... So does consensus seem to be that electronics *do* have a sound then?

As you can see from this thread, there is no consensus. But this site tends to lean heavily towards Tom's positions.