More 'Audiophile' bullsh*t
Discussion
Jon1967x said:
For some reason, accuracy is not always preferable and just goes to show the only thing that really matters is the one we prefer.
I asked PH about the importance of accuracy a while ago http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=10&...I've often debated whether to sell my old turntable (Linn Sondek) as I only get to play it a handful of times per year. With it being 'Record Store Day' the other week I bought a handful of 180g repressings and spent the weekend getting all nostalgic.
My wife walked in, she usually listens to CD's and her iPod, she gasped and declared 'wow that sounds lovely! Please don't sell your deck'
Whilst I'd agree with all the technical and practical reasons why vinyl is an inferior format to pretty much everything else there is something quite special about its sound, the wife described it as 'it just sounds silky' which I think is quite accurate. I know some people can spend megabucks on decks, pre-amps etc but you can get something quite lovely without becoming obsessed.
My wife walked in, she usually listens to CD's and her iPod, she gasped and declared 'wow that sounds lovely! Please don't sell your deck'
Whilst I'd agree with all the technical and practical reasons why vinyl is an inferior format to pretty much everything else there is something quite special about its sound, the wife described it as 'it just sounds silky' which I think is quite accurate. I know some people can spend megabucks on decks, pre-amps etc but you can get something quite lovely without becoming obsessed.
spikey123 said:
Oh no, not the " wife came in and said..that sounds great" quote. We all know that wifes are deaf, dumb and blind to widescreen TVs, hifi and anything technical that guys love.
I have seen the " wife loved the sound" quote so many times, it has become a marketing persons cliche
Wow that's contentious.I have seen the " wife loved the sound" quote so many times, it has become a marketing persons cliche
On many occasions. my wife has passed comment on my system.
Many women tend to have a good ear for the top end.
TonyRPH said:
spikey123 said:
Oh no, not the " wife came in and said..that sounds great" quote. We all know that wifes are deaf, dumb and blind to widescreen TVs, hifi and anything technical that guys love.
I have seen the " wife loved the sound" quote so many times, it has become a marketing persons cliche
Wow that's contentious.I have seen the " wife loved the sound" quote so many times, it has become a marketing persons cliche
On many occasions. my wife has passed comment on my system.
Many women tend to have a good ear for the top end.
still makes me laugh all this CD vs Vinyl stuff.
My father was a sound engineer and then a sound supervisor for the BBC and was well into his HI FI as you might expect.
As soon as CD's came out he replaced his entire vinyl collection with cd's and sold off the turntable.
The reason- because the record only sounds ok for the first couple of plays and then he could hear the degradation in sound as the vinyl was eroded by the needle- and he would replace records quite often because of this.
CD's on the other hand did not sound any different time after time.
Admittedly he did say that vinyl sounded warmer - but the artefacts were always there and it ruined the listening experience.
I guess thats what happens when you are paid oodles of money per year to ensure the very best sound quality for the listening public.
My father was a sound engineer and then a sound supervisor for the BBC and was well into his HI FI as you might expect.
As soon as CD's came out he replaced his entire vinyl collection with cd's and sold off the turntable.
The reason- because the record only sounds ok for the first couple of plays and then he could hear the degradation in sound as the vinyl was eroded by the needle- and he would replace records quite often because of this.
CD's on the other hand did not sound any different time after time.
Admittedly he did say that vinyl sounded warmer - but the artefacts were always there and it ruined the listening experience.
I guess thats what happens when you are paid oodles of money per year to ensure the very best sound quality for the listening public.
TheExcession said:
Bit of a significant phase shift issue going on there 
Out of pure curiosity what are the voltageand time base scales on those traces?
ETA - sorry you mentioned 2KHz
The phase shift is worrying actually, and I think it might well be the Cambridge CD player (one channel from Cambridge, other channel from non o/s DAC) I plan to investigate this in more detail.Out of pure curiosity what are the voltage
ETA - sorry you mentioned 2KHz
Edited by TheExcession on Monday 28th April 20:14
I also connected an old Mission DAC (DAC5) and I observed an alarming phase shift though the audio band with that too (again, one channel from CD player, other from DAC) - you would expect the phase to be consistent from both sources.
The voltage and timebase scales were:
CH1 / 200uS / 2V
CH2 / 200uS / 0.5V
The non o/s DAC has a much lower output, as it is using a passive i/v converter.
It's about as simple as a DAC could get really, using a CS8412 receiver with the TDA1543 DAC.
Simple like me lol.
The comment about wives was not meant as a slur. I have seen that quote however " The wife came in and said that sounds great/better/warmer/nicer " in HiFi magazines, review magazines, letters pages. I guess it is now as overused as " Does what it says on the tin" and " at the end of the day"
My wife didn't see why I wanted a big flat screen TV, she said that she just watched TV and it didn't matter if it was the latest all singing and dancing one. Likewise she would never say " That sounds really nice" if I was playing music. The two main comments would be either, turn that down or, I like that band/track. Maybe it is because I don't have sorbothane balls?
My wife didn't see why I wanted a big flat screen TV, she said that she just watched TV and it didn't matter if it was the latest all singing and dancing one. Likewise she would never say " That sounds really nice" if I was playing music. The two main comments would be either, turn that down or, I like that band/track. Maybe it is because I don't have sorbothane balls?
spikey123 said:
Oh no, not the " wife came in and said..that sounds great" quote. We all know that wifes are deaf, dumb and blind to widescreen TVs, hifi and anything technical that guys love.
I have seen the " wife loved the sound" quote so many times, it has become a marketing persons cliche
Thanks man, my deck is over 20 years old, who's marketing to whom?I have seen the " wife loved the sound" quote so many times, it has become a marketing persons cliche
Perhaps a bit harsh. But some phrases get old very quick...but, the worst is "does what it does on the tim". My god that is used for everything from nappies to cds and they dont come in tins¬!¬!
I sold all my vinyl and converted to cds not long after they came out. Only recently I dug my turntable out of storage and bought a few vinyl albums. Yes vinyl does sound different, not necessarily better at all and all, I can only think that cds are so transparent folks find them harsh or clinical. However clinical is good it means it is free from contamination. On the other hand I couldn't be bothered with the whole hassle of vinyl, getting a good stylus, making sure no one jumped around, removing the fluff and cleaning the record. So much hassle and the music is so altered by the medium. The frequency range and filtering and dynamics were all so different, I am sure that what people like about vinyl is all the things that are inherently wrong with it.
I sold all my vinyl and converted to cds not long after they came out. Only recently I dug my turntable out of storage and bought a few vinyl albums. Yes vinyl does sound different, not necessarily better at all and all, I can only think that cds are so transparent folks find them harsh or clinical. However clinical is good it means it is free from contamination. On the other hand I couldn't be bothered with the whole hassle of vinyl, getting a good stylus, making sure no one jumped around, removing the fluff and cleaning the record. So much hassle and the music is so altered by the medium. The frequency range and filtering and dynamics were all so different, I am sure that what people like about vinyl is all the things that are inherently wrong with it.
Edited by spikey123 on Tuesday 29th April 19:56
Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff