At least with cars, the basic objective is to get from point A to point B. In sound/music reproduction, the objective is, uh, more subjective.
Regardless of which is "better," one good reason to have an LP playback setup is to be able to play something than isn't available on CD (or in some other, off-topic-for-this-thread, digital or analog format). If you own the LP you could send it out to a service to be recorded on CD, but of course then you're no longer "listening to the LP" even if it sounds the same, or the service uses better equipment than you can afford. But if a friend brings an LP over, it would be nice to have something to play it on, rather than saying you outsource your LP transcriptions.
Part of this "hobby" (that seems like a somewhat patronizing name for what might better be called an obsession with sound reproduction - the site subtitle isn't "projects by hobbyists, for hobbyists") is selecting/building/adjusting/maintaining the equipment, cleaning the LP, etc. I can almost see the objection being that "CD can't possibly sound as good, because it's too easy to play a CD versus an LP."
Equipment lists are fascinating to techies like me, but we're in the minority. I learned from my time reading rec.audio.pro that the most important thing in recording is having something worth recording. If there was ever such an announcement that "The Ampex has left the building," no one remembers it.
Regardless of which is "better," one good reason to have an LP playback setup is to be able to play something than isn't available on CD (or in some other, off-topic-for-this-thread, digital or analog format). If you own the LP you could send it out to a service to be recorded on CD, but of course then you're no longer "listening to the LP" even if it sounds the same, or the service uses better equipment than you can afford. But if a friend brings an LP over, it would be nice to have something to play it on, rather than saying you outsource your LP transcriptions.
Part of this "hobby" (that seems like a somewhat patronizing name for what might better be called an obsession with sound reproduction - the site subtitle isn't "projects by hobbyists, for hobbyists") is selecting/building/adjusting/maintaining the equipment, cleaning the LP, etc. I can almost see the objection being that "CD can't possibly sound as good, because it's too easy to play a CD versus an LP."
Equipment lists are fascinating to techies like me, but we're in the minority. I learned from my time reading rec.audio.pro that the most important thing in recording is having something worth recording. If there was ever such an announcement that "The Ampex has left the building," no one remembers it.
Merlin,
there is DIY and DIY. Most of the DIY out there (kits you can buy) is medium quality design.
Take your beloved Paradise for example. You not only have built that but also using medium quality parts.
Do you you really think that you have got a great high quality Phono? If so you are wrong. I am not saying it is a bad phono by any means, but it it as far off from being the highest quality gear as I am from being in Rome right now!
Also, people build F5 or little tube amps or stuff like these...great stuff...but it is NOT the high level gears I am referring to.
You have certainly made better use of your money than other people who went to stores and spent their money there.
Nevertheless, in my debate, I am referring to way higher level equipment. Either way, speakers, cable, TT, Cartridge, Tonearm....I mean...what is that you have?
Sound system is made of a lot of parts and they are all almost equally important! 😱
Yes, I agree that mass production cheap CD (without even resorting to SACD or Hi-rez) will definitely outperform mass production cheap analogue system!! That was my point from day 0!
I will say this one more time, when you go up high in the scale, vinyl will dominate because a lot of the technical flaws associated with this technology starts tapering off the better the gears used.
At that point the digital won't even have distortion, speed accuracy or noise level for what matters advantage it had over an entry level analogue system!
I have always heard that speakers are the msot important, then source then amps.
No matter if its a ipod or a top source, the sound coming out of my dad wilson audio CUB 2 or tannoy red is marvelous, no matter the source, no matter the amp.
That thing about everything in the chain is important is ******** at the most profound level.
Speakers are ime the most important thing in audio and in the whole universe actually 🙂. Speakers are really the center of a system and then he rest is only additional.
I wonder how much kits featured in here you have heard really, which speaker, which amp, which dac.
It seems like an extreme solution that might have been easier done with a "phased array" of disk drives. You could write to ten drives simultaneously, with each drive only needing to handle 10 percent of the bandwidth.
For the purposes of efficiently and reliably getting from A to B, yes. I use a car for travelling, not impressing my friends - not that most of my friends would be impressed by a car anyway as they are not that sort of people. Similarly, my hi-fi (both CD and TT) is for listening to music, not impressing anyone.Stefanoo said:
My car always starts, uses little petrol, and is unlikely to be stolen.
Have you ever heard a difference from one amp to another on the same pari of speakers? Have you heard the difference from one preamplifier to another? Have you heard difference from one good cable to a better one?
If you did, and never heard any difference, then hi-end might not be your cup of tea!! No pun intended!
Yes, I have heard and seen plenty of kits!
Kits are mostly for beginners and made to be easy for all the community to build. Not saying they are all bad!
If you don't have enough skill to do R&D and testing and design your own and more than good ears to discern what's good from what's not, and you don't have the money to buy big stuff, then I would say go with a few selected kits here!
😎
you are listing factors that have nothing to do with quality and what is best!!
You won't travel nearly as comfortable nor as safe as if you had a Mercedes Class S coupe.
There is no debate here! People who talk like you are people who don't have $$ to purchase good things!
Someone might not have the economical resources to buy an expensive car, but it can say that his car will drive better than a premium Mercedes (to mention a name of a car).
You are jumping to conclusions. Some people buy things they can't afford. Other people choose not to buy things they can afford. You have no idea what I can and can't afford.
'Best' depends on purpose. 'Quality' depends on purpose.
You think I am both deaf and poor because my choices are different from yours. You may live with whatever delusions you choose to believe.
'Best' depends on purpose. 'Quality' depends on purpose.
You think I am both deaf and poor because my choices are different from yours. You may live with whatever delusions you choose to believe.
you have john brown, Thorste loesch, Joachim berrard, and more reknown designer that offer kits available to diy guys. There product definitely offer hi fi quality
of course I hear difference between amps, but the most I hear difference is from speakers to speakers.
I remember reading a study that had kids who mostly listen to mp3 audio do a blind sound quality test. On a high end system three different sources were used. MP3 CD Vinyl. And a majority of the time there top choice was MP3. Why because it's what you grew up with. Me I love vinyl
yes, good luck with Paradise!!! 😀😀😀
sometime what they or I might offer is not what they or I might use for more professional use...in short...what you find here is mostly the lesser things.
However said, Paradise is definitely not contender with the best phono stage!!!!! Believe what you want, if you want to believe it is the best phono out there, just go ahead and have fun!
If you believe it is a good phono stage but nothing more...then I am with you.
Regarding your ridiculous test with speakers and amplifiers and your conclusions, I struggle holding myself back from commenting on your "theory" just go tell somebody like Nelson Pass what you just said and see what he says, you might end up believing him more than you do anybody else!!! 😱😱
No, quality don't depend on purpose, you are so wrong!
Quality you can afford depends on your wallet.
I might decide to go with a junky car to work to not ruin my good Mercedes, but I would never say that my Junky car is better than my other Mercedes, nor would I ever say that who buys Lamborghini is a fool because my car that costs 1/5th is just like that!
Stereo/hi-end is not like going to point A to point B or having a Casio instead of a Rolex, quality there depends strictly on your budget!
You don't get the same hour you get from a Casio.
A low end system will achieve much less than a top quality system!!! No question there!!
Now if you had ear problems, then I would say that spending $$ on your stereo system would be worthless.
wow! That's so interesting! I am actually surprised. The reason why is that, while you can get fooled between CD and MP3 if ever, it's hard to not recognize Vinyl as you will certainly hear if paying close attention, some statics or pops and ticks... 😕
It's remarkable how strong is the prejudice against compressed sound - the YouTube, MP3, etc is "bad" mantra - but understandable considering how atrocious the playback implementation often is. We spend our lives these days with every image on the highest quality visual media having 'suffered' extreme levels of "nasty" compression - but we don't have a groundswell, of part of the audience, insisting on a way of receiving 'raw' video footage ... 🙂
It only takes oneself carrying out the exercise of using a very high resolution audio source as input, compressing with a high quality encoder, then decoding back to the original high resolution format, and then doing AB comparisons - to understand that a great deal of hogwash is spouted about the "terribleness" of compressed sound. Like just about everything in audio it's all about the way you go about doing things, the real bits and pieces used for getting the job done - not the principles or concepts underlying the process.
It only takes oneself carrying out the exercise of using a very high resolution audio source as input, compressing with a high quality encoder, then decoding back to the original high resolution format, and then doing AB comparisons - to understand that a great deal of hogwash is spouted about the "terribleness" of compressed sound. Like just about everything in audio it's all about the way you go about doing things, the real bits and pieces used for getting the job done - not the principles or concepts underlying the process.
Last edited:
Stefanoo,
if you were to choose between an Ypsilon vps, Aesthetix io, Clearaudio Reference, Boulder 1008/2008, a Soulution 750 or an FM acoustics 222 phono stage, each carrying an msrp way above $15k, which would you pick ?
Boulder is probably my preference for its neutrality although not the quietest phono in the world. FM222 is my second choice!
See, Boulder would be the last I would choose.
So each to his own.
A Lamborghini is a horrible car, btw.
(do a search for the name, and see who's name pops up most times, before you jump to conclusions. here's a $2500/pc tire piccy : http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/atta...rticle-beast-thousand-jfets-scorpion-tire.jpg)
So each to his own.
A Lamborghini is a horrible car, btw.
(do a search for the name, and see who's name pops up most times, before you jump to conclusions. here's a $2500/pc tire piccy : http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/atta...rticle-beast-thousand-jfets-scorpion-tire.jpg)
- Status
- Not open for further replies.