Yes you have, you just don't know it. Me, for example.
I've been let down by High End electronics so many times I stopped counting. Way more times than being enchanted by it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying High End is a swindle (although I would say that for some samples), it's just that what I heard for enormous amounts of money was obtainable for a lot less money, althought not in equally sexy, 20 kg aluminium cases and without a famous name attached to it. No obvious nasties, but no special sound either (mostly).
Of course, much of this is very personal, dictated by my taste. And I am of the neutral school, meaning that I expect an audio device to be "not there", to be neutral to the point of vanishing from view and hearing as such.
What I count as my probably greatest blessing, my speakers, which are extremely neutral and ironed out (40-18,000 Hz +/- 1.5 dB, L-R equal to within +/- 0.5 dB, extremely easy load to drive) is truly a blessing, but is also mercielss in showing up existing faults.
A random example - Accuphase 206 integrated amp. It's very well built to very high standards, even impressive, it does nothing wrong and it has a lot more power than adverstised in real life. Yet, it's somehow not quite focused, sounds just a bit blurred, and in my view, tends to be rather two dimensional, it has width, it has heigth, but it lacks depth of the soundstage. It was with me for two weeks, so the random factor of current personal feeling was bypassed, I always make sure of that.
You can buy that kind of sound for about a quarter of its price elsewhere. I cannot say it was poor, or that it let me down severly, it just didn't manage what it was said it would manage.
I agree with the other parts of your post, though.
Good point.
My personal answer is that what sounded good in 1978 still sounds good today, just not as stand out good as it did then. Or not usually.
I agree with Vacuphile's and your arguments that the gap between your averaged moder High End and Mid Fi has narrowed. Finding a poorly sounding amp today is a chore, you really have to try hard. On the other hand, they are still below par of what was great stuff in 1978.
In my case, that's why I still have the Marantz 170 DC power amp. By current standards, it is no longer exceptional except in one aspect - it still delivers everything, from top to bottom, in one seamless whole few can match. It does so at the expense of perhaps skipping too lightly over some fine detail, but the amount of musical satisfaction it delivers is still way above average.
You can get a wide range of copper weights, from 9microns up, on plated through boards the base copper weight will be increased roughly by the amount of plating down the holes. if you are worried about de-soldering specify a higher Tg rated base laminate.
All the information you can want regarding PCBs and PCB assembly can be found in IPC specification, also ALL PCB manufacturers will work to these specifications even if you don't. My PCB manufacturing instructions are attached, that list most of the relevant specs for all aspects of PCB manufacturing from base laminates to surface finish.
The IPC also have lots of research material covering all aspects of PCB design and re-work (As do NASA and NPL; national physics lab), also there is a lot of info on re-work again from these organisations.
Consumer products these days due to Lead free tend to use better quality FR4 because of RoHS, though for a lot of todays throw away devices they will cur the cost as much as possible, and a lot of items are not even considered for repair so using a lesser quality (in terms of temperature cycles) material is not realy detrimental to the product until you try and repair/de-solder something.
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Everyone knows that since ice is an expanded form of water that when the polar glaciers melt the sea level should go down!
@ 11:00
As I recall, ice that is floating will not raise sea level when it melts.
Ice which is supported from beneath will raise sea level when it melts.
jn
Sigh... My answer to that question, I do not like..
I could not believe it when the news about that big floating ice mass and how high sea level would rise when it melted...
It's already floating! Sea level will not rise any further once it's floating.
Should somebody be yelling eureka right about now??
jn
FYI for anyone interested a bit more on PCB laminates...Not all are equal
http://www.ieca-inc.com/images/Tutorial_-_Understanding_The_PCB_Laminate_and_Prepreg_Process.pdf
http://www.ieca-inc.com/images/Tutorial_-_Understanding_The_PCB_Laminate_and_Prepreg_Process.pdf
Could be a clue to how many breakthrough discoveries are made by accident, without any actual thought or science.
(ime, even the smartest of people often lack basic common sense)
Bonsai,
You need a lot to silence my good friend Jan. This is my latest atempt
Whew! I was afraid to open up that thumbnail. Then I noticed the microphone stand.
se
speaking of which, did you hear that ultra high end fully balanced system yet ?
Sigh... My answer to that question, I do not like..
I could not believe it when the news about that big floating ice mass and how high sea level would rise when it melted...
It's already floating! Sea level will not rise any further once it's floating.
Should somebody be yelling eureka right about now??
jn
It's the ice sheets of Greenland and Antartica that are the concern . . . Not the ice sheets of the Arctic.
One of the best thing about true knowledge is that it protects you from danger. It is unfortunate that our culture nowadays does not want to or know how to check facts, despite our fury whenever we get scammed or used in any way. You could say we have forgotten how to KNOW, or maybe we haven't really figured it out yet, which would explain why we are the way we are.
I have heard many balanced hi-end systems, what is your question ...
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