Most new threads are almost copies of old threads. Sometimes this is because people do not do a search first. Other times they start a thread by saying "I have read all the threads on valve vs. SS (or CD vs. vinyl, or NOS vs. OS) and that has left me confused. Could someone tell me which is really best?".
Search mechanism is not too hot
It is easy to NOT find what you are looking for. The suggestion that Google does a better job above means that searching the forum with forum tools is poor. I personally, have found that searching a title outside the forum and then finding a way into the forum discussion is the easiest way to get the most information. I find it frustrating at times.
It is easy to NOT find what you are looking for. The suggestion that Google does a better job above means that searching the forum with forum tools is poor. I personally, have found that searching a title outside the forum and then finding a way into the forum discussion is the easiest way to get the most information. I find it frustrating at times.
Once a thread is of a certain age unless the topic is truly timeless or the thread has remained relatively active it really often does make sense to start a new one.
The quality of any given thread is entirely at the mercy of the OP and those who choose to participate, there are many very high quality threads being started all over the forum at any given time. Surprisingly some of these threads are widely ignored serving as a place for a very small number of people to converse on the topic at hand.
Certain members are known for creating a lot of low value threads and resurrecting ones better left dead, not much we can do about that unless it is egregious.
If you think the quality of new threads in general is going downhill you can help buck the trend by starting and participating in better ones.
The quality of any given thread is entirely at the mercy of the OP and those who choose to participate, there are many very high quality threads being started all over the forum at any given time. Surprisingly some of these threads are widely ignored serving as a place for a very small number of people to converse on the topic at hand.
Certain members are known for creating a lot of low value threads and resurrecting ones better left dead, not much we can do about that unless it is egregious.
If you think the quality of new threads in general is going downhill you can help buck the trend by starting and participating in better ones.
I agree with above, some new threads are repeats of old ones...
There is another specifics of some threads which bugs me...starter of the thread asks question, and then is completely oblivious to answers. Asks more questions just showing more ignorance...
I know no one knows everything and everyone had to start somewhere, but there should be some level of competency before asking a questions.
There is another specifics of some threads which bugs me...starter of the thread asks question, and then is completely oblivious to answers. Asks more questions just showing more ignorance...
I know no one knows everything and everyone had to start somewhere, but there should be some level of competency before asking a questions.
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I do the same thing; just use the search terms I want and add diyaudio.com into it. I guess we can't expect the search capabilities within this software to compete with google. Often really short terms the site won't even show any results for.
Maybe it is a good thing and there are a lot of basic threads because people are just starting to get into this. But sadly I see a lot that are similar to conversations with some people today where they really aren't interested in your answer unless it is what they want to hear or they barely listen because they are busy forming their next question or comment.
I'd be confused too. Once one considers the amount of crazy things you can dig up in the archives... well that's pretty scary.
On a more serious tone, I prefer to see the glass being half-full. In the middle of the crap (a recent trend being the "search for the ultimate xx", xx being caps, speakers, amps, etc), there are still threads that are true gems. And if you need help for something technical, you usually get it.
Furthermore, there's still a core of very good people on here I'm not sure I could read anywhere else. Unless you can point me towards a forum where I can find people like jcx, marce, Eva, chocoholic, PRR, tomchr and a few dozens like these, I'm not about to move anywhere else.
This being said, the search software is indeed a bit lacking at times. I also search diyaudio.com through google.
In my mind the big change as the forum has grown in size is that there is more noise, in other words there are the same number of great threads, but diluted by more technical nonsense threads.
A lot of this is due to the objectivist/subjectivist tension or whatever you want to call it. If you go back 10-15 years, if somebody posted a request for a recommendation for "best sounding jack" or "best sounding tube" they would get a polite response for a connector of best quality or best value or a tube that measured well in distortion tests, not the war that erupts now.
It is tougher to start thoughtful technical threads. I tried to start a thread on what a tube amp would look like if Self's blameless criteria were applied to it. It was hopelessy off the rails with voodoo nonsense in no time flat, I never posted in the thread again
A lot of this is due to the objectivist/subjectivist tension or whatever you want to call it. If you go back 10-15 years, if somebody posted a request for a recommendation for "best sounding jack" or "best sounding tube" they would get a polite response for a connector of best quality or best value or a tube that measured well in distortion tests, not the war that erupts now.
It is tougher to start thoughtful technical threads. I tried to start a thread on what a tube amp would look like if Self's blameless criteria were applied to it. It was hopelessy off the rails with voodoo nonsense in no time flat, I never posted in the thread again
I have no idea whether the quality goes up, down or stays constant, but some threads on this forum are certainly very interesting. For example, I first learned about asynchronous sample rate converters and about apodizing filters by reading threads on this forum. By looking up the literature references given in these threads, I soon found the most essential articles about these subjects.
As a lurking member for some number of years, a lot of monumental diy material has already been covered, from the theoretical to the practical, insofar.. there are so many people here now with an expertise over such a wide spectrum and idle hands. Simply the evolution of a hobby or the space/place itself. That being said, the depth and knowledge shared to this point in time has never been greater imo. And I'm thankful. Perhaps a projection of boredom? To quote a not so fun phrase, "it's all been done". Or has it?
My browser does not play well with the edit function of this forum..
That being said and speaking only for myself, regardless of what 'new' quality is created here, I see an infinite palette of projects/concepts already disseminated that I'd never be able to catch up with, even if the forum ceased this evening.
That being said and speaking only for myself, regardless of what 'new' quality is created here, I see an infinite palette of projects/concepts already disseminated that I'd never be able to catch up with, even if the forum ceased this evening.
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