Believe it or not....

[mikeks]

...from:

http://www.goldmund.com/technology/

We, at Goldmund, absolutely never listen to our components before releasing them to the market. But we have a pretty good idea on how they will sound, because we do measure them…

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

Yes, but two paragraphs prior the say they do listen; "to one parameter at a time."

[Nelson Pass]

Doesn't Michel Reverchen still run that?

[BobEllis]

From their "exclusive components" page (http://www.goldmund.com/products/millennium/components/):

In all audio amplification circuits, a new type of resistor has been especially selected for the Millennium. Extensive measurement sessions, as well as listening comparisons have been used to select for each of the resistors used the most appropriate, without cost consideration. ...

I guess since they don't listen to the product before release, they must choose the sound of the resistors by bouncing them on a table.

The Millenium output stage looks really "beefy", too. http://www.goldmund.com/products/mil...m/electronics/ Two pairs of plastic package devices, supposedly capable of 84 volt/28 amp peaks. But hey, what do you expect for only $70,000 a pair?

[Pedja]

And, what do they measure? I just can not find their mesurements. Should I proceed searching for them? Is it a secret?

[PMA]

Originally posted by mikeks
...from:

http://www.goldmund.com/technology/

Many designers and companies do it the same way nowadays (they have to save time and their expenses, don't they?). Their results are audible. Most of today's commercial production is useless for those who are seeking for high quality sound reproduction.

[PMA]

And - people usually do not know how the live music sounds like. I do not speak about Grammy's etc. How many people do attend concerts of classical music? No time for it and no interest.

[jitter]

The problem in listening to an Audio component is the automatic compensation made by the brain.

I have to agree on this one because I experienced this phenomenon first hand on several occasions. One of the most perceptible changes in sound is when you switch between headphones. When I'm used to headphones A, headphones B will sound 'not right'. But when I get used to B, then I can say the same for A...
So as long as there's no real shortcoming in soundquality of a component, in the end they will end up sounding the same when used isolated from eachother. It's only when I do an A-B comparison that I will (re)discover the differences.

It may come as a surprise, but I don't agree on not listening to components. Something that cannot be measured or compensated for by the brain is musicality. You know, when on one (e.g.) CD-player music sounds like played by a band that doesn't really want to but does it to fulfill contractual obligations, and on the other the same music sounds like the bandmembers are really enjoying themselves and the whole thing just gells...

[janneman]

Originally posted by BobEllis
[snip]The Millenium output stage looks really "beefy", too. http://www.goldmund.com/products/mil...m/electronics/ Two pairs of plastic package devices, supposedly capable of 84 volt/28 amp peaks. But hey, what do you expect for only $70,000 a pair?

Well, should be no problem, really, as long as it is 'either/or' but not 'at the same time'

BTW, I think they mislabeled their web pages. I went to the 'technology' section and only found marketing, marketing and more marketing.

Jan Didden

[mefistofelez]

PMA wrote:

How many people do attend concerts of classical music? No time for it and no interest.

I respectfully disagree. I have been in living close to a larger U.S city and now live in a larger European city and in my experience the number of peole visiting classical music performances is rather high.

M