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Thread: D.C. Metro area meet up.

  1. #16
    Senior Member svollmer's Avatar
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    Hi Ed,

    There are a few of us in the Fairfax area and there's Phil in the Richmond area. I know I'm busy the next few weekends, but will keep watching to see if something is worked out and if I can make it.

    I'm happy to host also once it gets warmer. My room is windowless and it's nice to be able to go outside for breaks, cold ones, and talk.

    If there are others in the DC/Md/NoVa area; chime in!

    Steve

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    Quote Originally Posted by svollmer View Post
    Hi Ed,

    There are a few of us in the Fairfax area and there's Phil in the Richmond area. I know I'm busy the next few weekends, but will keep watching to see if something is worked out and if I can make it.

    I'm happy to host also once it gets warmer. My room is windowless and it's nice to be able to go outside for breaks, cold ones, and talk.

    If there are others in the DC/Md/NoVa area; chime in!

    Steve
    Roger that! yea it seems like winter was late to the party this year and won't leave us alone.

    I would love to attend whatever I can!

  3. #18
    RIP 2021 SEAWOLF97's Avatar
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    with all these endorsements of Mapleshade cables, how many people actually switched over to them ?

    someone had purchased magnet wires to make clones .. how did that work out ?

    Personally, I read Pierre's "everything sounds better on top of a piece of maple" statements and cringe. That rather poisons the rest of his comments TO ME.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  4. #19
    Senior Member svollmer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SEAWOLF97 View Post
    with all these endorsements of Mapleshade cables, how many people actually switched over to them ?

    someone had purchased magnet wires to make clones .. how did that work out ?

    Personally, I read Pierre's "everything sounds better on top of a piece of maple" statements and cringe. That rather poisons the rest of his comments TO ME.
    I made all of my racks and platforms out of 1.5" thick maple because it's strong and I like the look. Sound different? I don't know. I lifted my CD player off of the rack while it was playing and it didn't sound different to me on the maple or up in the air. It probably wouldn't on the carpeted floor either. Maybe it would if it was on a springy floor and I was playing music real loud?

  5. #20
    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    Hiya guys! I'm one of the Fairfax folk - closest to svollmer and Opimax!

    With Emma's new schedule its hard to find a good weekend to host a meet-up ...
    She's usually writing on a Saturday - so I can get away for a listening party elsewhere then, but Sundays are out for quite a while ...
    besides - my gear is pretty settled out right now.



    Quote Originally Posted by svollmer View Post
    Hi Ed,

    There are a few of us in the Fairfax area and there's Phil in the Richmond area. I know I'm busy the next few weekends, but will keep watching to see if something is worked out and if I can make it.

    I'm happy to host also once it gets warmer. My room is windowless and it's nice to be able to go outside for breaks, cold ones, and talk.

    If there are others in the DC/Md/NoVa area; chime in!

    Steve
    2ch: WiiM Pro; Topping E30 II DAC; Oppo, Acurus RL-11, Acurus A200, JBL Dynamics Project - Offline: L212-TwinStack, VonSchweikert VR-4
    7: TIVO, Oppo BDP103D, B&K, 2pr UREI 809A, TF600, JBL B460

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by SEAWOLF97 View Post
    with all these endorsements of Mapleshade cables, how many people actually switched over to them ?

    someone had purchased magnet wires to make clones .. how did that work out ?
    I have 2 audio interested friends (not members here) who heard the cable switch here. They each then borrowed my wires and demoed them in their systems, and they both switched to the Omega Mikro/Mapleshade wire. One of them replaced standard ICs and zip cord wires. The other replaced Groneberg "audiophile" wire, and ended up a couple hundred dollars ahead after selling it.

    Of the 4 Lansing members to visit so far, I think just Heather has purchased the wires to try in her system. I don't want to put words in her mouth, but I believe she and her partner felt there was a reasonable improvement in performance, but ultimately they were concerned with how fragile the wire and connectors are, and returned them. Same, I believe with the magnet wire (not what Mapleshade uses) also. The solid core wire and thin insulation can easily be damaged and is quite unruly.

    I think Wilfredo was concerned about the wire fragility from the get-go and purchased (I believe) a set of Anticables. They are philosophically similar to OM/Mapleshade in that they use thin dielectrics and solid core wire. Last we spoke about it, he was happy with the improvement.

    Steve and Tom have not mentioned experimenting with it.

    Quote Originally Posted by SEAWOLF97 View Post
    ......Personally, I read Pierre's "everything sounds better on top of a piece of maple" statements and cringe. That rather poisons the rest of his comments TO ME.
    I know the OM/Mapleshade philosophy is unusual. I've come to look at it analogous to religion. Some folks buy in a little, some buy in a lot. You get out of it what works for you. This concept of "vibration reduction" has nothing to do with isolating gear from room vibrations (footfalls, or woofers), it's about "draining" electromechanical energy out of electronics, and motional energy out of speakers, by "coupling" it to a substrate. Some say wood is best, others say Delrin or some other material.

    I've noticed recently that members here, including Greg Timbers, are promoting the importance of "coupling" speakers via "footers" to the floor to obtain the best performance. Just a few years ago, few if anyone here would have bought into this. Mapleshade has been promoting this for 20+ years.

    I have met both Pierre Sprey and Ron Bauman, and have recently had the opportunity to visit their demo system. If you read their sales materials or speak with them on the phone, you'll see their emphasis/goal is to recreate a musical performance recorded in a live acoustic space. In my opinion, they've succeeded in that goal better than any system I've heard. That doesn't mean it's the best system I've heard, for my taste. It has limitations as do all systems, but it is spectacular at putting you "there" at the live event like nothing else I've heard. It's experiential. I have to conclude their wire, and coupling techniques have something to do with it, or all systems would create a similar experience.

  7. #22
    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    I made twisted pair magnet wires from scratch, and while there was a change in sound, Emma (who has better ears that I do) felt it wasn't a positive change - she says there was almost a resonance or something there. I thought they seemed "dry" somehow, not necessarily bad, just a change - but since I was nervous about the fragility of single strand wire, I wound up removing them and going back to large gauge stranded copper dual speaker wires (not a name brand).

    The Mapleshade ribbon type audio interconnect wires did have a positive sound improvement- but the wires are expensive and I felt the wires were fragile.
    Since they were on my tube system that sits on top of a shelf, and the whole minirack moves when I swap a component,
    I could see a possible chance where the ribbon cables might snag something and pull apart - and I didn't want to gamble on that.
    I had also bought a mapleshade digital ribbon for my Oppo to DAC coaxial path - that wire had mechanical issues and seemed intermittent (The RCA end was an overly tight fit to the coaxial RCA connector on the Oppo disc player). So although the mapleshade ribbon interconnect pair worked well, due to the high price of the 3 cables, I sent them all back for the refund.

    After Wilfredo and his wife's positive comments, I also bought a pair of anticable interconnects and they are in the system now.
    The mapleshade wires had a 30 day money back guarantee, but since time was closing in, I sent them back quickly without a thorough A/B test.

    If that gear had been out in the middle of the room, or on a lower shelf/rack with easy access to the back and the connectors,
    perhaps I would have kept them, but I did not want to gamble on pulling apart any or all of 3 wires that cost roughly $230.
    But - the ribbon audio interconnects DID sound better than the standard conventional interconnects I was using before.



    Quote Originally Posted by rusty jefferson View Post
    I have 2 audio interested friends (not members here) who heard the cable switch here. They each then borrowed my wires and demoed them in their systems, and they both switched to the Omega Mikro/Mapleshade wire. One of them replaced standard ICs and zip cord wires. The other replaced Groneberg "audiophile" wire, and ended up a couple hundred dollars ahead after selling it.

    Of the 4 Lansing members to visit so far, I think just Heather has purchased the wires to try in her system. I don't want to put words in her mouth, but I believe she and her partner felt there was a reasonable improvement in performance, but ultimately they were concerned with how fragile the wire and connectors are, and returned them. Same, I believe with the magnet wire (not what Mapleshade uses) also. The solid core wire and thin insulation can easily be damaged and is quite unruly.

    I think Wilfredo was concerned about the wire fragility from the get-go and purchased (I believe) a set of Anticables. They are philosophically similar to OM/Mapleshade in that they use thin dielectrics and solid core wire. Last we spoke about it, he was happy with the improvement.

    Steve and Tom have not mentioned experimenting with it.



    I know the OM/Mapleshade philosophy is unusual. I've come to look at it analogous to religion. Some folks buy in a little, some buy in a lot. You get out of it what works for you. This concept of "vibration reduction" has nothing to do with isolating gear from room vibrations (footfalls, or woofers), it's about "draining" electromechanical energy out of electronics, and motional energy out of speakers, by "coupling" it to a substrate. Some say wood is best, others say Delrin or some other material.

    I've noticed recently that members here, including Greg Timbers, are promoting the importance of "coupling" speakers via "footers" to the floor to obtain the best performance. Just a few years ago, few if anyone here would have bought into this. Mapleshade has been promoting this for 20+ years.

    I have met both Pierre Sprey and Ron Bauman, and have recently had the opportunity to visit their demo system. If you read their sales materials or speak with them on the phone, you'll see their emphasis/goal is to recreate a musical performance recorded in a live acoustic space. In my opinion, they've succeeded in that goal better than any system I've heard. That doesn't mean it's the best system I've heard, for my taste. It has limitations as do all systems, but it is spectacular at putting you "there" at the live event like nothing else I've heard. It's experiential. I have to conclude their wire, and coupling techniques have something to do with it, or all systems would create a similar experience.
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  8. #23
    Senior Member NWCgrad's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by svollmer View Post
    Hi Ed,

    There are a few of us in the Fairfax area and there's Phil in the Richmond area. I know I'm busy the next few weekends, but will keep watching to see if something is worked out and if I can make it.

    I'm happy to host also once it gets warmer. My room is windowless and it's nice to be able to go outside for breaks, cold ones, and talk.

    If there are others in the DC/Md/NoVa area; chime in!

    Steve
    I am in the DC Area, live in Frederick, MD and work in SE DC at the Naval Research Laboratory. My current setup is mostly DIY (4 Pi LCR with 2226H drivers and B&C DE250 CD; DIY Eminence 10" coaxial surrounds) with an Oppo 103 bluray, Marantz AV7702 AVP, and assorted Adcom, QSC, and Crown amplification.

    Been a long term lurker, Zilch lured me in back a few years ago.

  9. #24
    Senior Member tjm001's Avatar
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    Of course I'm here too.

    Even though I've PO'd a few old timers
    Tom

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by rusty jefferson View Post
    I have 2 audio interested friends (not members here) who heard the cable switch here. They each then borrowed my wires and demoed them in their systems, and they both switched to the Omega Mikro/Mapleshade wire. One of them replaced standard ICs and zip cord wires. The other replaced Groneberg "audiophile" wire, and ended up a couple hundred dollars ahead after selling it.

    Of the 4 Lansing members to visit so far, I think just Heather has purchased the wires to try in her system. I don't want to put words in her mouth, but I believe she and her partner felt there was a reasonable improvement in performance, but ultimately they were concerned with how fragile the wire and connectors are, and returned them. Same, I believe with the magnet wire (not what Mapleshade uses) also. The solid core wire and thin insulation can easily be damaged and is quite unruly.

    I think Wilfredo was concerned about the wire fragility from the get-go and purchased (I believe) a set of Anticables. They are philosophically similar to OM/Mapleshade in that they use thin dielectrics and solid core wire. Last we spoke about it, he was happy with the improvement.

    Steve and Tom have not mentioned experimenting with it.



    I know the OM/Mapleshade philosophy is unusual. I've come to look at it analogous to religion. Some folks buy in a little, some buy in a lot. You get out of it what works for you. This concept of "vibration reduction" has nothing to do with isolating gear from room vibrations (footfalls, or woofers), it's about "draining" electromechanical energy out of electronics, and motional energy out of speakers, by "coupling" it to a substrate. Some say wood is best, others say Delrin or some other material.

    I've noticed recently that members here, including Greg Timbers, are promoting the importance of "coupling" speakers via "footers" to the floor to obtain the best performance. Just a few years ago, few if anyone here would have bought into this. Mapleshade has been promoting this for 20+ years.

    I have met both Pierre Sprey and Ron Bauman, and have recently had the opportunity to visit their demo system. If you read their sales materials or speak with them on the phone, you'll see their emphasis/goal is to recreate a musical performance recorded in a live acoustic space. In my opinion, they've succeeded in that goal better than any system I've heard. That doesn't mean it's the best system I've heard, for my taste. It has limitations as do all systems, but it is spectacular at putting you "there" at the live event like nothing else I've heard. It's experiential. I have to conclude their wire, and coupling techniques have something to do with it, or all systems would create a similar experience.
    Finally got to hear a set of studio monitor JBLs! Jim was kind enough to give me a little listening session of his setup and he graciously dealt with some unusual picks in music Spent a couple of hours going through a couple of different types of music and sources.

    I told him I would give some impressions of the UREI/831 and 2245 sub stage.

    First Impression:
    Wow, they definitely have a presence in the room. Sitting on what looked like hard maple standoffs and tilted slightly downward they (813s) are a beautiful piece of gear sitting there in the room on top of ported 2245 enclosures. A couple feet into the room they are probably better suited for a larger room and some distance but nevertheless a listen would inform that thought a bit and argue against that initial impression. (Of course "beauty" is in the eye of the beholder, to me engineering is beautiful, pipes/wiring exposed elegance is a good thing. The best thing about works of art like the pagani zonda is the engine bay and suspension)

    Listening:
    I usually like silk dome tweeters that don't add anything, well I have found compression drivers can do a better job than a silk dome with less distortion. This was immediately apparent when listening to the concentric horn. It has a very precise and almost laser sweet spot which I usually don't like but I found with these speakers the accuracy and transparency lets you forget about the sweet spot and just enjoy what you are listening to, its a fleeting. (since this was earlier this week I'll have to go off of memory for most of this overview) Initially I asked little about source as I saw the PS Audio DAC and Cary cd player. This became a interesting item of note later on.

    1. First thing we listened to was a nice organ selection, I felt it before I heard it which was a nice start to the session. The bass notes and pedal tones start off and pressurize the room and then the nasal reeds came in later which struck me because reeds seem to be something hard to reproduce for most loudspeakers, very realistic and reminded me of listening to my father in a church with a real organ. The quality of the recording was not perfect and so some "artifacts" were noticeable but overall a very nice "story arch" or bell curve build in the piece stirred the senses, a very nice choice that highlighted some of the interesting things about this setup.

    (sorry Jim I should have wrote this stuff down...)

    The next couple pieces I noted a couple of intricacies of the system.

    Female Vocals/Decay:
    The female vocals on one of the pieces we listened to were delicate and in your face all at once which was strange and something that I have experienced in a couple of different horn based systems. I think it has something to do with their high sensitivities maybe? Not sure. At the same time the distraction at the louder passages gave way to the passage once they got quieter it was a really nice and controlled roll-off and the "decay" was magical. I am going to use the word decay a lot, these speakers don't have a echo or reverb quality its a decay the sound falls off quickly and controlled right after a passage which gives the passage or the song weight. Its something really nice that most speakers don't have, it allows whatever is being played to have a realistic quality that a driver or system that abruptly stops a cone movement may not have. Not sure, it was a really interesting thing that struck me in just about every track I listened to. Interesting I guess another word I could use I have heard more from a musicians point of view and that is "sustain" its something I have not looked at in other speaker systems but I have a feeling I will moving forward.

    HF:
    I felt like the horns were a little too forward, I think thats why I was more sensitive to louder passages then softer passages. Simply from a pragmatic standpoint they most likely arrived more quickly. Given about 6-8 feet more of space between the speaker and the listener I think that may have helped a bit. Also the horn is extremely noticeable apartment from the other components, (could be psychosomatic since its friggin BLUE! but still...) reason I mention this is because it did not blend as well as I would have liked with the midrange. But I think this also has to do with what Jim was poking and prodding me on to do which is "turn it up, you're not going to hurt them". Gotta love that, reference level I am going to call it things smoothed out a lot and the Highs melted away a bit, my guess is these things love power and at the lower levels I was trying to listen to them at it really is not natural for them and they cannot shine.

    Midrange:
    Here is where I am probably going to be the most critical, I believe midrange is extremely important and is where most of music resides. Now we listened to some really nice tracks on the PS Audio DAC that sound really clear but some of the "midbass" workout tracks that we listened to later on in the session lacked the punch I was expecting and some of the classic guitar and acoustic tracks that were played just lacked midbass entirely. I think with the somewhat in your face highs and luscious bottom end the midrange driver was left behind and the crossover may need to be tweaked to calm the horns and bring out the midrange a bit. I am not sure really what it was but on some tracks I didn't even notice the midrange drivers at all and melted nicely into the mix but most I noticed a definite lacking which I have experience in a multitude of other systems. This may be personal preference, it was something I was thinking about on my long ride home. Also it could be room dependent as well, but it colored the sound enough for me that some of the tracks I am used to listening to lacked some pretty prominent sections and sounded totally different. Which also highlighted the fact that I brought some source material with me that was mixed on bass heavy system I am guessing, the KRK RokIT crowd...So this factor also begs the question was it the midrange in these units truly or the source material? So I would have to listen a lot more and do some measurements to really get an idea of what is going on.

    Low End:
    ...for lack of a better words. Fuck yes. Low, tight, unassuming bass. The dual 2245s(I think) in ported cabs are just what the Dr. ordered. I can't say enough about these subs. The low end was the type of titanic but controlled bass that I love. It wasn't the skull crushing annoying bass that slaps you in the face over and over and yells at you that its there like a milwaukees best drinking frat boy at the bar, no this was a "little" more refined. A deep low bass that enveloped the room. In the organ track it pressurized the room which in all honestly felt a little uncomfortable but an amazing experience nonetheless. It added to each track with a seamless transition which I really appreciated, in the other tracks you couldn't hear the transition between midrange and bass which was nice as well. Just a joy to listen to.

    Source:
    I am a computer guy...but I choose to listen not from a FLAC track but a CD or vinyl (I have FLAC backups). I am not a big fan of DACs as I have found many I don't like and only a couple that I do. I was really surprised that this setup really was the type that to the speakers credit I think you can really discern the difference, easily, in sources. And moreover I was struck over and over at the mix of the cds we were listening to as I think this system is extremely sensitive to them. If the source material was mastered badly or if it was given some type of curve you know it right away. So when I was listening I thought the DAC was actually going to be far and away worse than the CD player (personal bias once again) but that was not the case at all. Over and over again I was reminded of just how much the source plays in the whole playback chain. Some of the DAC only tracks or digital tracks sounded the cleanest of even the cds. It was a strange realization, usually I automatically expect that a 16-bit 44.1 CD mastered as the artist intended will always be the most faithful and transparent selection to listen to. I think some of the tracks played through the PS Audio DAC sounded far and away better than the cds some were very different than I was used to and it was my music I was realizing this on. I should have done a A/B test but we didn't get to it. Really interesting, I am not sure whether the PS Audio DAC is adding something to the sound or its just a higher quality recording that made the difference. Not sure. But it was interesting to note. I think it gets back to a good system is just that, a system the sum of its parts and must be judged or listened to and evaluated as such.

    All in all I was extremely impressed with the system. As noted there were some things that I noticed that were different then what I personnaly like but the system was set up well and the music choice was very nice. Its always better to listen to something that you are familiar to do a evaluation however it was nice to hear Jim's selection and mine and really see where the system shined.

    My own personal journey or trying to put together a set of studio monitors will be informed by this experience.

  11. #26
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    Hey Ed,

    Thanks for coming over to check out the system last week and for taking the time to share your thoughts. I appreciate the honest feedback, as I like to know what others hear in my system.

    For those wondering about the sources, I store uncompressed FLAC (.WAV) files on a NAS and use a DLNA renderer (essentially an Ethernet to S/PDIF (or i2s) converter) over my home network to feed the DAC. The Cary CD player also feeds the DAC via S/PDIF. So, both sources feed the same DAC, but the renderer does sound better than the transport IMO, and I think in your opinion also if I understand your comments.

    As we discussed last week, I'm convinced source is everything. It's the reason I demo the system with an inexpensive amplifier. I think these 35 year old monitors do a good job showing us what's on a recording (including low frequency never heard on the small monitors used in some studios), it's mostly whether we like what's on the recording. My demo tracks cover the spectrum from live recordings in an acoustic space like NAIM Records, MA (Thanks Clark), and Mapleshade, to live studio ensemble, to multi-track close miced popular music. The image and soundstage moves based on the recording. Some have incredible depth and or width, and some feel like the singer is sitting on your lap and the band is trapped narrowly between the speakers. Some things have killer slam and midbass, while others seem weak or thin. It can be annoying, especially when our favorite records don't give us the joy we're after. My taste in music has been moving toward better quality recordings that are emotionally engaging, and away from old favorites that were poorly recorded/mastered.

    I have a couple friends with good systems. One of them has a system that always sounds good no matter what we play on it including 78s, but nothing sounds great. The other has a system more like this one, in that it shows more of what's on the record. Some things sound great, some terrible. When he wants to listen to the Who or the Stones, he grabs a couple CDs and goes for a drive cause he can't stand how they sound on his system but loves how they sound in the car. Stereo systems are indeed compromises.

  12. #27
    Senior Member Ducatista47's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rusty jefferson View Post
    As we discussed last week, I'm convinced source is everything. It's the reason I demo the system with an inexpensive amplifier. I think these 35 year old monitors do a good job showing us what's on a recording (including low frequency never heard on the small monitors used in some studios), it's mostly whether we like what's on the recording. My demo tracks cover the spectrum from live recordings in an acoustic space like NAIM Records, MA (Thanks Clark), and Mapleshade, to live studio ensemble, to multi-track close miced popular music. The image and soundstage moves based on the recording. Some have incredible depth and or width, and some feel like the singer is sitting on your lap and the band is trapped narrowly between the speakers. Some things have killer slam and midbass, while others seem weak or thin. It can be annoying, especially when our favorite records don't give us the joy we're after. My taste in music has been moving toward better quality recordings that are emotionally engaging, and away from old favorites that were poorly recorded/mastered.

    I have a couple friends with good systems. One of them has a system that always sounds good no matter what we play on it including 78s, but nothing sounds great. The other has a system more like this one, in that it shows more of what's on the record. Some things sound great, some terrible. When he wants to listen to the Who or the Stones, he grabs a couple CDs and goes for a drive cause he can't stand how they sound on his system but loves how they sound in the car. Stereo systems are indeed compromises.
    Nice (and interesting) information, Jim. I am also familiar with systems that are forgiving and others that are not. I have both here too, and have heard a few () others as well. What follows is in no way intended to be a criticism of anyone, but rather to point out something I feel sneaks up on us without our realizing it. Or perhaps I am full of crap!

    It is certainly true that source recording quality informs - or defeats - nearly everything else. This is all less important to me in the great scheme of things than it is to many of the hobbyists here, as far as I can tell. We run all the way from audio equipment as furniture to not caring what it looks like as long as it sounds great, and from craving perfect reproduction from the best recorded music to getting the same level of satisfaction from laser accurate systems and IPods both.

    The one thing that always informs what I do with the listening pastime is that for me it is truly all about the music. I find that the brain - the mind if you will - fills in missing information from our experience and ignores most noise (old listeners like me can remember when vinyl and shellac were all there was, we didn't hear the pops, clicks and other record noise) - IF YOU LET IT. If you fixate on the quality of reproduction, that is what is in the forefront of your experience. It has always been this way with perception of soundstage and imaging too. Why is it that with sound, musical or not, we can isolate one conversation or the stereo from a noisy party in our room, but cannot focus on music from our rigs if we sense distortion or anything else competing with it for our attention. I'll tell you why. In pursuing the music reproduction hobby, we have trained ourselves to hear reproduction quality instead of music. Before there is an outcry that you can do both at the same time, see my last paragraph.

    At this point we allow technical considerations to become more important than the music the artists have created for us to enjoy. Like the other choices of the way we construct and listen to our gear, this is also a choice. One I hope I will never choose, because for me it is all about the music and I find I can enjoy just about any music source on any system because it is. Either it is all about the music and it informs what sounds good to you, or your taste in equipment and recording quality informs what sound good to you.

    I personally think one can enjoy seeking better reproduction as a hobby without influencing what music we choose to listen to. I would like to think I am succeeding in this. It is clear not all of us are doing this. I say, to each his own but what a shame. IMO, of course.

    One preemptive strike. Can you pay complete attention to music while simultaneously noticing how it being reproduced? No, you cannot. You may think you are, but it is not possible. Our goal is to have the equipment disappear, but if we are noticing how it is doing it has not disappeared. The act of critically listening to the equipment is still present.
    Information is not Knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom
    Too many audiophiles listen with their eyes instead of their ears


  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ducatista47 View Post
    ....... Either it is all about the music and it informs what sounds good to you, or your taste in equipment and recording quality informs what sound good to you.

    I personally think one can enjoy seeking better reproduction as a hobby without influencing what music we choose to listen to. I would like to think I am succeeding in this. It is clear not all of us are doing this. I say, to each his own but what a shame. IMO, of course.......
    Hey Clark, good to hear from you.

    I don't think it's so cut and dry, however. Just as my taste in food, books, and art have expanded and evolved, so has my taste in music. There was a couple years in the mid/late 70s when I listened pretty much exclusively to 7th-8th generation bootleg cassette tapes of Grateful Dead shows, and LOVED them. You couldn't pay me to listen to those things now. I still appreciate what that band did, and always will, but I won't ever need to hear those tapes again to do so.

    Some knowledgeable friends are exposing me to new music that not only sounds wonderful, but was also wonderfully made. Best of both worlds.

  14. #29
    Member tinpan's Avatar
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    Well, looks like I am getting back on my feet again. After a year with no yob man...I am finally employed again. Course, first week on the job and I have a really bad cold... go figure. Anyway, give me a couple weeks to get caught up on a few yard chores, rid of my cold and I 'll be happy to have some folks over for a listening session. I'm in Fredericksburg, I have a couple JBL systems, and my favorite speaker wire, when I can run it is 47 Labs OTA Storatos Cable which you can see at the bottom of the page here: http://www.sakurasystems.com/store.html. Mostly I run 300b tubes.

  15. #30
    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tinpan View Post
    Well, looks like I am getting back on my feet again. After a year with no yob man...I am finally employed again.
    Course, first week on the job and I have a really bad cold... go figure. Anyway, give me a couple weeks to get caught up on a few yard chores,
    rid of my cold and I 'll be happy to have some folks over for a listening session. I'm in Fredericksburg,
    I have a couple JBL systems, and my favorite speaker wire, when I can run it is 47 Labs OTA Storatos Cable which you can see at the bottom of the page here:
    http://www.sakurasystems.com/store.html
    . Mostly I run 300b tubes.
    Awesome, thanks for the invite -

    Of course, I am out of work now, as of yesterday -
    but hopefully a new contract will come through and that ill get sorted before April.

    Anyway, as long as we do this on a Saturday, I'll be able to make it!
    Emma was called to become the main pastor in our church now,
    so my Sundays are booked there ...
    2ch: WiiM Pro; Topping E30 II DAC; Oppo, Acurus RL-11, Acurus A200, JBL Dynamics Project - Offline: L212-TwinStack, VonSchweikert VR-4
    7: TIVO, Oppo BDP103D, B&K, 2pr UREI 809A, TF600, JBL B460

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