More 'Audiophile' bullsh*t

[theboss]

Sporky said:

theboss said:

With all the off-grid storage options available now it must be easy enough for the determined to have a dedicated bank of batteries and inverter dedicated to audio.

On another forum, the resident audiophile (70% hearing loss in one ear, 50% in the other, espoused the benefits of fancy mains cables as offering a clear improvement in sound) said he'd built a battery rig to power his hifi, but found that compared to mains it was all very "flat" sounding, and suggested this was because batteries provide DC rather than AC - there therefore being no "movement" in the supply.

I kid you not.

You could also get some solar panels to charge the batteries in order to sever the grid dependency entirely, but then you might end up suffering from really bad sounding sunlight.

The thing that gets me about these claims is that it's never just technical sound quality, noise levels and so on. It always imparts some sort of musical quality such as timing and co-ordination.

"you can hear that line more clearly separated within the texture" that's the pianist doing that, not the fking speaker cables

[AW111]

Gary C said:

theboss said:

With all the off-grid storage options available now it must be easy enough for the determined to have a dedicated bank of batteries and inverter dedicated to audio. That's got to be less stressful than worrying about whether the neighbours fridge is messing with your SQ.

Then we get into the notion of the inverter, cables, all the various bits of switchgear contributing to the musicality of the performance.

Why bother with an inverter

Your amp uses DC, just take it from the battery. Nothing with an oscillator to produce noise

Add a big knife switch* to disconnect from the mains when you're listening, to avoid any noise from the charging circuit.

* That just connects to a microswitch inside...

[Gary C]

AW111 said:

Gary C said:

theboss said:

With all the off-grid storage options available now it must be easy enough for the determined to have a dedicated bank of batteries and inverter dedicated to audio. That's got to be less stressful than worrying about whether the neighbours fridge is messing with your SQ.

Then we get into the notion of the inverter, cables, all the various bits of switchgear contributing to the musicality of the performance.

Why bother with an inverter

Your amp uses DC, just take it from the battery. Nothing with an oscillator to produce noise

Add a big knife switch* to disconnect from the mains when you're listening, to avoid any noise from the charging circuit.

* That just connects to a microswitch inside...

Used to use open 415V knife switches that were installed in 1920 and were still in operation in the 80's

[Sporky]

theboss said:

The thing that gets me about these claims is that it's never just technical sound quality, noise levels and so on. It always imparts some sort of musical quality such as timing and co-ordination.

And yet another blanket lifted off the speakers!

[Bullett]

dickymint said:

I seem to remember a thread that one poster was adamant that folding down his rear seats made his car faster on track days

That's handling not speed, lower centre of gravity you see.

[eliot]

I think we should come up with a shopping cart with the most expensive hifi setup possible, using every single bit of pish available.

[Pistom]

audi321 said:

Hi all, I guess this is the right thread (although having read the last page I'm not sure lol).

.......

Any advice welcome!

I wouldn't assume that just because stuff is newer that it will be better than the old stuff you've given away but you didn't like the fact that stuff didn't match so how it looks is important to you.

Ironically - old non matching stuff is now considered to be cool but what matters is how you feel about it and it if looks like old tat to you - that's what it is.

Sadly, there's little alternative to listening to equipment and seeing what you think.

Reading reviews can help guide you in a direction but are even better at convincing you to spend more money.

To me, it's far more rewarding finding something which I enjoy listening to for a little as possible.

In your position, I would have started with the system you have and replaced individual components one bit at a time, starting by adding a streamer and DAC.

I found my perfect system just by buying stuff I fancied and selling stuff I didn't.

[audi321]

Cheers, so no hifi shows or anything these days worth attending?

[Sporky]

audi321 said:

. I like a warm bass with very low frequency cut off.

You'll want an Eminent rotary subwoofer. Flat response down to DC.

[C4ME]

dickymint said:

I seem to remember a thread that one poster was adamant that folding down his rear seats made his car faster on track days

He was right though the difference would be tiny. Lower centre of gravity and moving the mass closer to the center of rotation.

Not to derail what is one of my favourite threads on here. Through a lot of the snake oil examples highlighted here, the follow on discussions are genuinely informative for someone who dabbles in audio (without much money).

Edited by C4ME on Tuesday 7th November 16:26

[tdm34]

robinessex said:

[quote=911hope

The bends in those cables are a bit tight. How will the electrons get round without the inside ones overtaking the outside ones?

They spin in a helical pattern, so travel equal distances. But, They spin clockwise in the + lead, and Anti-clockwise in the - lead. Just saying.

But surely that depends on whether you're in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere? wink

[Pistom]

audi321 said:

Cheers, so no hifi shows or anything these days worth attending?

Google might be your friend for something like that. I tend to dislike events like that but if you think it might help, it could start you in the right direction.

You've got a big budget there so I imagine a local dealer might be willing to loan you equipment to try at home. I know you don't want to go into a dealer but is there any harm with starting with a phone call to someone close to you?

[YorkshireStu]

eliot said:

I think we should come up with a shopping cart with the most expensive hifi setup possible, using every single bit of pish available.

Kharma Enigma Veyron would have to be a start. £1m+

Probably nearly as nice as my Sonos Arc.

[robinessex]

YorkshireStu said:

eliot said:

I think we should come up with a shopping cart with the most expensive hifi setup possible, using every single bit of pish available.

Kharma Enigma Veyron would have to be a start. £1m+

Probably nearly as nice as my Sonos Arc.

They're not immune to Audiophile Bullsh*t either. From their website re the Kharma Enigma Veyron

"Besides the Omega-F drivers and the Diamond tweeter flower the stand of the EV-1D is also something very special. All loudspeakers from the Enigma Veyron are decoupled from the surroundings by a minimum contact surface created with Carborundum balls placed on Diamonds. Thanks to the combination of the hardness, shape and acoustical properties of the materials used, the ultimate freedom of resonances has been realized."

I've never yet, in 60 years of engineering, known of a resonant-free structure. Impossible.

[911hope]

robinessex said:

They're not immune to Audiophile Bullsh*t either. From their website re the Kharma Enigma Veyron

"Besides the Omega-F drivers and the Diamond tweeter flower the stand of the EV-1D is also something very special. All loudspeakers from the Enigma Veyron are decoupled from the surroundings by a minimum contact surface created with Carborundum balls placed on Diamonds. Thanks to the combination of the hardness, shape and acoustical properties of the materials used, the ultimate freedom of resonances has been realized."

I've never yet, in 60 years of engineering, known of a resonant-free structure. Impossible.

Ah but, their words of BS may suggest freedom to resonate. The resonance has been freed!

[Tony1963]

audi321 said:

Cheers, so no hifi shows or anything these days worth attending?

Whereabouts are you?

[Deranged Rover]

robinessex said:

They're not immune to Audiophile Bullsh*t either. From their website re the Kharma Enigma Veyron

"Besides the Omega-F drivers and the Diamond tweeter flower the stand of the EV-1D is also something very special. All loudspeakers from the Enigma Veyron are decoupled from the surroundings by a minimum contact surface created with Carborundum balls placed on Diamonds. Thanks to the combination of the hardness, shape and acoustical properties of the materials used, the ultimate freedom of resonances has been realized."

I've never yet, in 60 years of engineering, known of a resonant-free structure. Impossible.

To be fair, though, they do sound bloody magnificent.

[anonymoususer]

Pistom said:

audi321 said:

Hi all, I guess this is the right thread (although having read the last page I'm not sure lol).

.......

Any advice welcome!

I wouldn't assume that just because stuff is newer that it will be better than the old stuff you've given away but you didn't like the fact that stuff didn't match so how it looks is important to you.

Ironically - old non matching stuff is now considered to be cool but what matters is how you feel about it and it if looks like old tat to you - that's what it is.

Sadly, there's little alternative to listening to equipment and seeing what you think.

Reading reviews can help guide you in a direction but are even better at convincing you to spend more money.

To me, it's far more rewarding finding something which I enjoy listening to for a little as possible.

In your position, I would have started with the system you have and replaced individual components one bit at a time, starting by adding a streamer and DAC.

I found my perfect system just by buying stuff I fancied and selling stuff I didn't.

I think thats exactly how its best to proceed

A long long time ago 1980 I inherited my Dads Hitachi music centre. It had a hi fi logo on it and it sounded great. Friends who were starting out on the hifi separates road would come round and say it was proper.
Over a few years and moves it had taken a battering. In the second house ownership move (as against the temporary rents) it was just too big to go anywhere so I got a horrendous Sony midi thing. That was soon sold for not much less than I bought it and I saw a reduced price Toshiba stack. so in '87 the hitachi was put in the loft
The Toshiba was actually really good and being separate units that allowed things to be changed.

I have been lucky enough to have had some truly great gear ( and also some naff stuff too)
Now I have the Rotels pre and power the Sony APM 22 speakers, Meridian 206 CD and NAD Dab tuner it's been like for several years now
It still sounds great and I have a massive amount of Flac stuff on a network and local drives.
I gave my Linn Axis to my eldest daughter maybe 9 or 10 years ago and sold off most of the vinyl

I know my hearing has deteriorated but I'm happy with what I have and I still buy CDs Funnily enough bought 8 s/h today
My 2 eldest daughter have both had and have Denon mini systems. The eldest has a separates system in her lounge with speakers on stands and the Denon Mini is in her dining room she simply loves music of all types and is compared to her friends more serious about good quality reproduction.
The second eldest is more of a casual listener but every time she comes back from Uni her Denon gets a good workout.
We now have the situation of the second youngest getting into music and using her sisters stereo (when she is away so I think it's going to be a Denon mini for her this xmas

About a year ago I got my dads old Hitachi music centre out of the loft with a view to fixing it up but didnt really proceed too far. 3 or so months ago a friend told me about the same unit being on facebook so I took a chance and bought it with a view to cannibalising it a job I gave to someone we know who does up old gear
I went to see and hear it last week and it looks stunning it also sounds great everything is working fine
Astonishingly I found a pair of the original speakers that came with it for sale it will be nice to hear how it sounds after 36 years. I know I can get better speakers but hey

[robinessex]

Deranged Rover said:

robinessex said:

They're not immune to Audiophile Bullsh*t either. From their website re the Kharma Enigma Veyron

"Besides the Omega-F drivers and the Diamond tweeter flower the stand of the EV-1D is also something very special. All loudspeakers from the Enigma Veyron are decoupled from the surroundings by a minimum contact surface created with Carborundum balls placed on Diamonds. Thanks to the combination of the hardness, shape and acoustical properties of the materials used, the ultimate freedom of resonances has been realized."

I've never yet, in 60 years of engineering, known of a resonant-free structure. Impossible.

To be fair, though, they do sound bloody magnificent.

I'd love to hear an installation. When I looked on YouTube to see some videos of them, the first thing I noticed was the fan blades making a noise as they whizzed around. Surely that would screw up the sound from your nice speakers?

[Deranged Rover]

robinessex said:

I'd love to hear an installation. When I looked on YouTube to see some videos of them, the first thing I noticed was the fan blades making a noise as they whizzed around. Surely that would screw up the sound from your nice speakers?

I was talking about the Kharma Enigma Veyron speakers, not the fan subwoofer.