Audiophoolery

[benoit]

Wow... I've been doing some poking around and a little posting on some hi-fi oriented diy forums, and I have to say, I'll take guitar amp jockeys any day over that bunch. I'm sure some of them are good guys, but it took me all of about five minutes to find the bad ones. The more of I see of the audio world and the internet in general, the more I love this board. Thanks, ladies & gents.

[Andy Le Blanc]

Scatophagy, is the term your looking for. "The practice of eating excrement.....
as a religious ceremonial rite or a pathological obsession".

[Structo]

Heheheh, yeah I've scouted a few of those sites.

Talk about anal.

But they are interested in clean, flat response amps where we want the tubes to distort.
Polar opposites really.

I get amused at the lengths they will go to to achieve tonal nirvana.

Like the $400 power cords, $100 per foot speaker cable, little trestles to hold the speaker wire up off the floor, etc.

[benoit]

Heheheh, yeah I've scouted a few of those sites.

Talk about anal.

But they are interested in clean, flat response amps where we want the tubes to distort.
Polar opposites really.

I get amused at the lengths they will go to to achieve tonal nirvana.

Like the $400 power cords, $100 per foot speaker cable, little trestles to hold the speaker wire up off the floor, etc.

Yeah but that stuff is cute and endearing in it's own way , it's some of the cutthroat attitudes that get me..

[Andy Le Blanc]

That quite an extraordinary statement coming from one who knows nothing,
really, about the application of valves for audio realism. Its only a $50000 violin, $12000 bow,
at least it's played back on gear that's as handmade as the violin, and listened to buy a person who has been
able to afford to listen to the same concerto live in enough venues world wide
to recognize the virtuoso, instrument, theater, can you honestly say the same?

And if you don't believe it, too bad, you aren't cognizant enough to keep up.
How could you be?

[benoit]

That quite an extraordinary statement coming from one who knows nothing,
really, about the application of valves for audio realism. Its only a $50000 violin, $12000 bow,
at least it's played back on gear that's as handmade as the violin, and listened to buy a person who has been
able to afford to listen to the same concerto live in enough venues world wide
to recognize the virtuoso, instrument, theater, can you honestly say the same?

And if you don't believe it, too bad, you aren't cognizant enough to keep up.
How could you be?

Easy, killer. I know I have a lot to learn, and that a lot of those cats have forgotten more than I'll ever know about building amazing hifi gear. I'm willing to admit that there are people with more fine-tuned more acute hearing than myself. The attention to detail really is a good thing and I'm not knocking that. I just think there times when science takes a back seat to obsession and very subjective listening tests. And you have to remember, it's not the price of the bow and violin that makes it sound great, nor is it the hype. It's the exquisite craftsmanship honed over the years, and probably some effects of the wood aging and such, and even more importantly, the touch of the player. Things like charging more for an amp than for a new car, or more on a cable than a monthly payment on said car seem a little silly to me. In any case, I don't think it was necessary to insult my (or whoever you were talking to) intelligence because I don't buy into some of the hi-fi hype. In fact a lot of my skepticism is simply judgment held in reserve as I have not heard very much of this gear. But then again, what makes you so certain that you're right and that it's not just your brain telling you that since the cable is gold plated and cryo treated and blessed by a priest that it must sound better than a coat hanger? I'm not saying you're wrong, because I have nothing to back that up with. Nor do you have any idea who I am, who I have or have not seen in concert in what halls, or how acute my hearing is. I'm not scoffing at well crafted gear that allows one to further appreciate great performances. It just seems that my BS alarm goes off more often on the hi-fi boards, and more importantly, I wasn't treated with nearly as much respect there as I am here - THAT was my point. I went there to learn, searched first and then asked polite questions to clarify, and while I got some good answers as well, a few people responded in very unfriendly and unjustifiable ways.

[M Fowler]

Ben,

I must really be bad then because I grew up with a 9v transistor pocket radio as my hi-fi with a one ear piece, for portability in my grain truck I wired the radio to two different sized large washers that slip over the battery posts (the battery box was below my feet) so I could listen to Little Rock station belting out rock tunes all day long as we harvested wheat.

For a treat I had a small tube stereo (wow) record player that ate the records like crazy with its poor stylus.

I appreciate about anything that pumps out music and those hi-fi freaks can take a freaking flying leap.

Mark

[benoit]

Ben,

I must really be bad then because I grew up with a 9v transistor pocket radio as my hi-fi with a one ear piece, for portability in my grain truck I wired the radio to two different sized large washers that slip over the battery posts (the battery box was below my feet) so I could listen to Little Rock station belting out rock tunes all day long as we harvested wheat.

For a treat I had a small tube stereo (wow) record player that ate the records like crazy with its poor stylus.

I appreciate about anything that pumps out music and those hi-fi freaks can take a freaking flying leap.

Mark

I can appreciate what you're saying - a great performance is often breathtaking even in mono. That said, I think the principle of what the hifi guys are doing - getting the purest sound possible - is a cool idea too. Now, outside of classical or other all-acoustic recordings the live/recorded comparison doesn't translate so well, especially after people figured out the record doesn't have to sound like the live show, but it's still cool to be able to hear all kinds of little things that pop out at you when your system's not getting in the way.

[Andy Le Blanc]

Thank you Benoit, that was a very considerate response.

I was pulling your leg.

I wasn't treated with nearly as much respect there as I am here - THAT was my point. I went there to learn, searched first and then asked polite questions to clarify, and while I got some good answers as well, a few people responded in very unfriendly and unjustifiable ways.

This was also my point. There isnt the same open-ness in some circles.

[benoit]

Thank you Benoit, that was a very considerate response.

I was pulling your leg.

I wasn't treated with nearly as much respect there as I am here - THAT was my point. I went there to learn, searched first and then asked polite questions to clarify, and while I got some good answers as well, a few people responded in very unfriendly and unjustifiable ways.

This was also my point. There isnt the same open-ness in some circles.

Aw man, I feel stupid, relieved, and giggly all at once. That joke would have been awesome in person! Glad to find that it was just a really good deadpan and not actual seriousness. Anyway, the main dude that was being an a-hole just got himself along vacation from the boards courtesy the mods.

[Structo]

I'm glad Andy fessed up to the joke, I was pondering writing a rebuttal to the post.

I don't care what the audiophools do with their money.
But when you can't show common courtesy on a forum to newcomers or just try to lord your superiority over others, it's just plain meanness and spite.

I'm glad I don't have to worry about .0001% THD in my guitar amps.