Enter to Win: Rives Audio Test CD 2

[lazyone]

20 - Sonic Benefit (for me)
40 - Aesthetics (WAF)
40 - Budget (WAF)

 

[fdowns]

My break down is:

Sonic benfit: 45%
Budget: 25%
Aesthetics: 35%


Of course, sonic benefit is THE reason for an upgrade, so it drives all other considerations. The aesthetics are important because, as a married man, I want to remain that way. My wife requires a system that at least doesn't clash with the rest of the decor. And lastly budget. I don't have a lot to spend when I do up-grades, so I have to research like crazy to get the very best bang for my buck.

 

[gmoneyreece]

heres my opinion:

sonic benfit-40%
more critical than the other two, ends must justify the means.

asthetics-30%
very important to me (and my wife) but certain things can be worked around.

budget-30%
important if you understand it and buy smart. why buy a $2000 system you are going to upgrade in 2 years when you can get a $4000 system that will last you 5 years? resale value of your equipment is also critical. nothing worse than buying a $3500 DVD player that will be worth $500 in year! (which is what i did with the Denon 5910!!!) i am sure it will hold value better than that, but you get my point!

 

[B. Gretzler]

I've been dealing recently with audio transducers an I've gotta tell you, people just love the asthetic factor, they sound great, and they're reasonably priced. When I'm selling and designing a system, most of them break down this way:

Sonic benifit: 40%
Asthetics: 40%
Budget:20%

If you can get a system (especially in a multi-function room) to look great and sound great, they'll pay a little more for the "cool factor". I'm a big fan of a good looking system that has the WOW effect when someone sees it for the first time and then you fire it up and it sounds as good as it looks. Well, lets just say most of my work comes from referrals.

 

[Sheep]

Sonic Benifit: 75%

Budget: 20%

Asthetics: 5%

Yep, I'm serious, and don't call me yadda yadda yadda.

SheepStar

 

[Bryguy]

This one is really hard to answer for me because BUDGET can fall under a Home Equity Credit (it's great you can get a tax deduction for audio/video) as long as the wife agrees. The SONICS is extremely important because that is why you would be spending the extra cash and the APPEARANCE is almost as important since you have to look at it day after day until you can afford to change it.

Sonics - 50%
Appearance - 40% - you can use acoustical wall and ceiling stuff.
Budget - 10% as long as you come up with a budget.

Bryguy

 

[jpmst3]

Sonic Benefit 45%, Aesthetics 30%, and Budget 25%

I always attempt to make things look appealing and adhere to a budget. However, when it really comes down to it Sonic quality trumps all. I end up sepnding more than I wanted and through the aesthetics to the wind...

 

[sffan2]

60% asthetics
25% budget
15% sonic benefit

My wife gets veto power over most decisions. I'm deaf in 1 ear so I don't have stereo hearing. If it looks like a nice room we'll both be satisfied.

 

[Nate552]

50% budget
40% acoustics
10% asthetics

Being a newlywed we can't justify spending a ton of money on equipment. I mostly went for bang for the buck when I built my first HT this past couple of months. As for asthetics, most companies don't make awful looking speakers. The only real issue was the sub, which is hard to blend into a room.

 

[Monkeypimp]

45% sonic benefit
45% Budget
10% Aesthetics

The way I see it is if it looks goods and cost a lot but doesn't sound good, i am not impressed. If it sounds good and cost too much I think the value is lacking. If it sounds good cost the right amount and looks ok then bring it on.

 

[rower8899]

Sonic Benefit 40%
Budget 40%
Aesthetics 20%

Having just finished my basement and trying to create a home theather/kids play room, I have dealt with these issues. For me, if it doesn't sound good, what's the point. For my wife, if it doesn't look good what's the point. Since I let her have the rest of the house, I got to deisgn and decorate-with some approval-the "play room".

Basically when it came time to decide what to install the number 1 question was how does it sound or perform, closely followed by how much is it. For me it is all about does that new receiver at $700 sound $200 better than the $500 receiver I already have? If not, then move along to the next piece of equipment. As far as equipment, I could care less what it looks like if it sounds great! I fell in love with Martin Logan speakers 20 years ago and have never pulled the trigger. My hope is that in the next 5 years, this dream will finally become a reality. Trust me, my wife is NOT excited about that at all. She is more than happy with the speaker in the TV and as she would say, "it looks better too!" Oh well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!!

 

[GaryZ06]

The budget is the most important cause this is where you decide everything.Aesthetics is very important cause it just has to look good...not an eyesore and sonic benefit....well it just has to sound good.
Budget-50%
Aesthetics-20%
Sound benefit-30%

 

[JoeE SP9]

I would have to place the answers in this order
Sonic benefit 75%
If it sounds better it is! This should need no explanation.
Budget 20%
If the cost is "reasonable" hoorah! Reasonable being a relative term. I have already spent enough to buy a nice car on what I have. If I go full 6.1 or 7.1 does that mean I've spent/wasted enough cash to buy 2 or 3 nice cars?
Easthetics 5%
If the appearance doesn't give me nightmares it's OK! As a batchelor I don't have to please a significant other with my easthetic sense or lack of.

 

[brian32672]

Sonic benfit: 50%
Budget: 40%
Aesthetics: 10%

As with most people, I say the same. Sonic benefit would be the most important factor.
Budget plays a big part, but I (as well as most people) will almost undoubtedly go over budget.

 

[BachStrad]

Sonic Benefit - 35%...otherwise what's the point of making it a "media room" vs living room, family room, etc
Visual Aesthetics-30%...can't look like a dump or visuals will distract from sound
Budget - 25%...hugely important but who hasn't paid way more than should have for something--and then made a few sacrifices afterwards to pay it off
Since this only adds up to 90%, I added one more category, which for want of a better term I call:
Brand Name Factor - 10%...all of us are subjectively loyal to one brand over another--perhaps because we just like their build quality, or their customer service reps, or because they're a big name in the audiophile world, or because they're not, etc. And every brand has its own peculiarities which may need to be taken into account. Anyway, in the back of my mind, I would acoustically "renovate" my media room knowing in the back of my mind which brand name AV equipment I planned to be using.

 

[heikie]

Hi,
In terms of Sonic Benefit, Aesthetics, and Budget:
For me, I have always needed to brake down this question a little further.
Things that cannot be changed easily (concealed cabling etc)
Sonic Benefit: 45%
Asthetics: 40%
Budget: 15%
At this point, IMHO, if you cannot afford to do it properly, why bother?
In terms of speakers.
Sonic Benefit:35%
Asthetics:35%
Budget:30%
Speakers should either look good or disappear but, need to sound really good but, are easily changed(with lots of hours of research). I try not to blow my budget as I would rather wait a year or 2 and save up for a replacement.

In terms of amps, preamps and components:
Sonic Benefit:70%
Asthetics:0%
Budget:30%
I tend to hide my amplifiers and components but, again I would rather save up for a better piece than to blow the budget too much.

 

[varkeast]

Sonic Benefit: 30%
Aesthetics: 30%
Budget: 40%

My media room is also my living room, whcich takes up a good chunk of my downstairs so it has to look nice. still recovering from purchansing the townhouse so budget plays a big role too

 

[Zissou]

Sonic Benefit 81%
Aesthetics 0%
Budget 19%

 

[Ron Temple]

They are all important, but budget 1st, sonic quality 2nd and aesthetics a close 3rd. That could change though .

 

[bwood]

Sonic Benefit 50%
Aesthetics 20%
Budget 30%

If you are going to do it, better do it right. price and appearance still play a small role however