Impracticality of the Audioholic Addicition

[gene]

Impracticality of the Audioholic Addiction

New Editorial by Forum Member Fabian Blanche III

 

[docferdie]

My first reaction as I was skimming through the article and was looking at the photo of the two recliners was like "Man I wish that table wasn't there. That's probably where the sweet spot is. What a waste."

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

Amen, amen, and amen! I've been preaching about buying late-model used equipment as a means for the average Joe to get excellent, up to date gear for less, and that the compulsive gear-churners in this hobby make it easy to do so. That and some DIY mojo is the strategy behind my long-overdue system upgrade.

And another amen for the primacy of room acoustics and speaker placement. As I've mentioned before I have a system consisting of ancient and not exactly high end electronics (but I'm modernizing -- a 30 year old preamp is ridiculous!) and DIY speakers in a small and "acoustically challenged" room that also functions as an office and fishing fly-tying center. But with a bit of attention to speaker placement and some elementary room treatment I have this motley collection of circuitry sounding pretty dang good, if I say so myself! And I am intimately familar with the sound of live unamplified music so I think I know whereof I speak (and hear).

A few typical Rip quibbles: damping tweaks for solid-state gear is a waste of time and money and an area as rife with fraud as exotic cabling. Solid state components do not exhibit microphony to even a minimally consequential amount so there's no point. (Hunting down and fixing rattles and buzzes in your room is another thing, of course.) And 'synergy' covers lots of other scams and misinformation. Synergy, schminergy: modern electronic gear is either accurate (as revealed by measurements) and appropriate for the intended environment (i.e, enough power for the room and speakers), or it ain't.

Oh, hey Doc: maybe the owner sits on the table in a lotus position for really critical listening!

 

[gene]

And 'synergy' covers lots of other scams and misinformation. Synergy, schminergy: modern electronic gear is either accurate (as revealed by measurements) and appropriate for the intended environment (i.e, enough power for the room and speakers), or it ain't.

Rip, I disagree with you here. There is something to be said for synergy whether it be electronics & speaker combo, or room or all of the above. In bright rooms which cannot be tamed due to budget, ot constraints, there is certainly an advantage to choosing a speaker with a more controlled dispersion/radiation pattern. Having said that, certain amps may be better suited to drive them than others depending on the needs for the speaker within the room. I think that is what is meant by "Synergy" not the smoke and mirrors many audiophiles portray with cable matching etc.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

No argument from me about speaker dispersion patterns and room interactions with same resulting in good or bad matches; not to mention the interaction between dispersion patterns and personal taste! Lots of variables and, OK, synergy there.

But I remain skeptical of synergy between electronic components, or between electronics and speakers. Unless (say) the output impedance of a line source or preamp is a bad match with the input impedance of the equipment to which it is connected (aren't there general standards for that?), or unless the amp has inadequate power for the speakers and room, I don't know what "x factor" would make for synergy between purely electronic components that measure well and are thus sonically transparent according to generally accepted standards. Or between a well designed modern amp which measures well and can handle any load it is likely to encounter, and the speakers it is driving. (I'm leaving aside exotic speakers that present unsually difficult loads and require unusually robustly designed amps to drive them.) Are there performance parameters unknown to me that would? Can they be tested objectively? Can they thus be consciously designed in to a component? Claims of a mysterious "x factor" upon which, in my experience, disussions of "synergy" in audio seem to rest implies an effect without a cause; which gets us away from science and into something like faith. Or at least a very tentative hypothesis!

I realize that, as with many non-scientists and non-engineers who strive to be technically literate in spite of their humanities background, I might be a bit more, um, dogmatic than a true scientist or engineer might be on a given subject, and ignorant of nuances and state-of-the-art theory. I am open to enlightenment and education.

Geeez, we've (I've) gone off on a tangent! Anyway, great article, my quibbles aside!

 

[JoeE SP9]

Amen, amen, and amen! I've been preaching about buying late-model used equipment as a means for the average Joe to get excellent, up to date gear for less, and that the compulsive gear-churners in this hobby make it easy to do so. That and some DIY mojo is the strategy behind my long-overdue system upgrade.

I couldn't agree more. Most of my own rig is either DIY or bought used. TSTO (the Stereo Trading Outlet), TFA (Toys From the Attic) and Audio Classics are great places to buy used high end. All three places have web sites. I introduced my audio buddies to used high end and they all have purchased equipment they would never have considered at the original selling price. By the way, that table is simply too large. Who needs all that space for one remote? About 1/4 the size would do it. With center channel speakers for dialog etc. I think that the sweet spot may not be as important to vidiophiles. I don't want to start a war here but in my experience imaging and soundstage depth aren't as important to vidiophiles as they are to audiophiles. I am well aware there is a lot of overlap here, but there is a difference of emphasis.

 

[docferdie]

But isn't the best view for videophiles also in the center?

 

[JoeE SP9]

I don't disagree. The videophiles I know just don't seemed to be as concerned about the sweet spot. My viewpoint is probably influenced by my speakers. They have a rather small sweet spot.

 

[mtrycrafts]

My first reaction as I was skimming through the article and was looking at the photo of the two recliners was like "Man I wish that table wasn't there. That's probably where the sweet spot is. What a waste."

You noticed this as well? I was thinking of having someone to share the experience with though

 

[av_phile]

There is a real Irony behind the audioholic addition. After all the years working and spending on achieving sonic nirvana, you get to reach the age when you can finally afford the system you've always wanted. But your ears can no longer hear above 17khz. Tsk Tsk


Well, there's a nice retort to this irony. It doesn't matter. When you reach that age when you can't hear above 17khz, the kind of music you would most likely want to hear won't contain much above it.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

There is a real Irony behind the audioholic addition. After all the years working and spending on achieving sonic nirvana, you get to reach the age when you can finally afford the system you've always wanted. But your ears can no longer hear above 17khz.

Hell, mine drops like a rock after 15kHz (and seems to start heading south before that)! Probably a result of too much time spent beating the $#%! out of a drumset without any hearing protection in my misspent youth.

Here's an apppropriate and classic link that kind of relates to the article and this thread, for those who haven't already seen it: Are You In Audio Hell?

Don't quite agree with the premises and conclusion, however.