New Year: My Best Advice In Regards To Audio is...

[gmgraves]

I would recommend more people to consider stand mount speakers.

Specially if you have a smaller listening room.

 

Floor standing speakers have issues when it comes to clean bass delivery.

Bad/poor bass can eat into your mids and muddy the sound a bit.

Setup a stand mount speaker well and you might be surprised by the results.

 

 

Modern small cone speakers can sound excellent - it's amazing, really. I've never been a fan of cone speakers, but a pair of small, stand-mounted speakers can provide surprising amounts of bass and they usually image very well with a very precise, wide and deep soundstage presentation.

 

Add a pair of powered subs and you can have a system that rivals (and in some ways even surpass) larger systems. Of course, it goes without saying, that this approach works best in smallish rooms.

[AudioDoctor]

Here is mine.

 

Don't forget that this is about the music. Enjoy the music, don't forget the music, and go see live music as much as possible.

[wgscott]

I have to say I found this post hugely entertaining. Bill, you should compile your "best-of" curmudgeonly posts, and publish a book (or at least an e-book).

 

I'd like to say more, but I have to get back to my comparison of the SQ of different eSATA cables.

 

--David

 

Thanks!

 

I'll be here all week.

 

Don't forget to put a tip in the jar for Chris.

[r_w]

Try not to make more than 1 (equipment, mains, positioning, treatment, etc) change/upgrade at a time, otherwise you can open up a minefield if the outcome isn't as desired.

 

I've stitched myself up this way more times than I wish to remember.

 

;-)

[4est]

Prudent.

Try not to make more than 1 (equipment, mains, positioning, treatment, etc) change/upgrade at a time, otherwise you can open up a minefield if the outcome isn't as desired.

 

I've stitched myself up this way more times than I wish to remember.

 

;-)

[realhifi]

Try not to make more than 1 (equipment, mains, positioning, treatment, etc) change/upgrade at a time, otherwise you can open up a minefield if the outcome isn't as desired.

 

I've stitched myself up this way more times than I wish to remember.

 

;-)

 

Amen to that.

[Paul R]

Try not to make more than 1 (equipment, mains, positioning, treatment, etc) change/upgrade at a time, otherwise you can open up a minefield if the outcome isn't as desired.

 

I've stitched myself up this way more times than I wish to remember.

 

;-)

 

Excellent advice - I can not count the number of times plans that invoice multiple pieces of equipment have not gone exactly as planned...

[Paul R]

Occasionally - make time to listen to a piece of music you have not listened to for a few years, even if you have to listen all by yourself.

 

-Paul

[JoseNelson]

Don't spend money on snake oil.

 

Hhahaha.. i was laughing in this comment why is snake oil in this topic.

[Guidof]

Take all advice (including this one) with a grain of salt. ;-)

 

Peace,

 

Guido F.

[TubeLover]

Try not to make more than 1 (equipment, mains, positioning, treatment, etc) change/upgrade at a time, otherwise you can open up a minefield if the outcome isn't as desired.

 

I've stitched myself up this way more times than I wish to remember.

 

;-)

 

Or, conversely, if you feel your mental state at the moment is too stable, go for it!

 

JC

[MikeJazz]

calibrate your ears, by spending at least half of your "audio" related spending in live concerts...

[jxo]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23196[/ATTACH] Yep.

 

Armour All. Apply to all your discs and you will be amazed. Perfect Sound Forever.

 

Anyone remember the Armour All craze?

[petaluma]

As the old Sony commercial stated "Because the music matters", listen to the damn music!!!!!! :-)

[gmgraves]

Hhahaha.. i was laughing in this comment why is snake oil in this topic.

 

 

If I understand you correctly, you are asking why is snake oil mentioned in this thread? The answer is that a lot of audiophiles actually believe that "snake oil" makes their system sound better and a lot of it is expensive, hence the caveat to avoid spending money on it.

 

 

* audio snake oil is defined as additions to one's systems with dubious scientific or engineering provenance. Examples, ostensibly include: Green ink pens for CDs, cryogenically treated digital clocks plugged into the same outlet as your stereo system, Myrtlewood blocks placed on top of components to make then "sound better", speaker cable lifts, free-form wooden music-stand-like "mobiles" scattered around the room to "break-up standing waves", and, arguably, $10,000/meter interconnects between components. Just keep in mind that one person's "snake-oil" can be another person's "sonic breakthrough".

[crenca]

 

 

* audio snake oil is defined as additions to one's systems with dubious scientific or engineering provenance. Examples, ostensibly include: Green ink pens for CDs, cryogenically treated digital clocks plugged into the same outlet as your stereo system, Myrtlewood blocks placed on top of components to make then "sound better", speaker cable lifts, free-form wooden music-stand-like "mobiles" scattered around the room to "break-up standing waves", and, arguably, $10,000/meter interconnects between components. Just keep in mind that one person's "snake-oil" can be another person's "sonic breakthrough".

 

My current favorite is, well, I am not sure what to call these without using language unbecoming a gentlemen:

 

Brilliant Pebbles Advanced Audio Video Tweak

[gmgraves]

My current favorite is, well, I am not sure what to call these without using language unbecoming a gentlemen:

 

Brilliant Pebbles Advanced Audio Video Tweak

 

 

You know, I've got to give the person who came-up with this one credit. He is selling stream-polished pebbles, something that costs him, ostensibly, nothing, for from $39 to $160 (depending on size) and such is the disease "audiophilia nervosa" that many people will buy into this and swear that these pebbles have made all the difference in the sound of their system! Why, just imagine what a concert hall full of these pebbles would do for the sound of a full symphony orchestra! I wish I'd thought of it.

 

 

There's no doubt that this will work! This solution will probably make a bigger improvement than purchasing a new mega-buck amplifier! The way it works is that by Scotch-taping the pebbles to the interconnects, the pebbles realign and control the flow of electrons through the wire in the same way that these same pebbles control the flow of water in the stream bed from which they came. A very sound scientific principle!

[crenca]

You know, I've got to give the person who came-up with this one credit...Why, just imagine what a concert hall full of these pebbles would do for the sound of a full symphony orchestra! I wish I'd thought of it....The way it works is that by Scotch-taping the pebbles to the interconnects, the pebbles realign and control the flow of electrons through the wire in the same way that these same pebbles control the flow of water in the stream bed from which they came...

 

I also have to hand it to him, one has to admire the audacity. I want to attend that concert, however I would be slightly anxious if I also did not Scotch-tape said pebbles all over my body (and I do mean all of it ) in addition to whatever the hall was doing.

 

Also, what effect does using different kinds of tape have? Does "military grade" tape from the old Soviet empire improve things over, say cheap tape from Indonesia?

[YashN]

calibrate your ears, by spending at least half of your "audio" related spending in live concerts...

 

Must be concerts where the sound is great, otherwise...

[gmgraves]

I also have to hand it to him, one has to admire the audacity. I want to attend that concert, however I would be slightly anxious if I also did not Scotch-tape said pebbles all over my body (and I do mean all of it ) in addition to whatever the hall was doing.

 

Also, what effect does using different kinds of tape have? Does "military grade" tape from the old Soviet empire improve things over, say cheap tape from Indonesia?

 

Yeah, I wondered that too. It looks like Scotch brand, as the tape looks somewhat "frosty", and I think that only Scotch brand has that characteristic. BTW, be careful when removing the tape from certain portions of the male anatomy, it can really hurt!

[kumakuma]

My current favorite is, well, I am not sure what to call these without using language unbecoming a gentlemen:

 

Brilliant Pebbles Advanced Audio Video Tweak

 

Interesting that the seller uses a snake as his profile picture on Facebook:

 

https://www.facebook.com/geoff.kait

[Audio_ELF]

You know, I've got to give the person who came-up with this one credit. He is selling stream-polished pebbles, something that costs him, ostensibly, nothing, for from $39 to $160 (depending on size) and such is the disease "audiophilia nervosa" that many people will buy into this and swear that these pebbles have made all the difference in the sound of their system! Why, just imagine what a concert hall full of these pebbles would do for the sound of a full symphony orchestra! I wish I'd thought of it.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23692[/ATTACH]

 

There's no doubt that this will work! This solution will probably make a bigger improvement than purchasing a new mega-buck amplifier! The way it works is that by Scotch-taping the pebbles to the interconnects, the pebbles realign and control the flow of electrons through the wire in the same way that these same pebbles control the flow of water in the stream bed from which they came. A very sound scientific principle!

Does it have to be scotch tape? What about masking tape? Maybe sellotape would sound better?

[4est]

First hand experience?

Yeah, I wondered that too. It looks like Scotch brand, as the tape looks somewhat "frosty", and I think that only Scotch brand has that characteristic. BTW, be careful when removing the tape from certain portions of the male anatomy, it can really hurt!

[Richard Dale]

Does it have to be scotch tape? What about masking tape? Maybe sellotape would sound better?

 

I would personally attach the pebbles individually with audiophile grade Bluetak

[Jabs1542]

You know, I've got to give the person who came-up with this one credit. He is selling stream-polished pebbles, something that costs him, ostensibly, nothing, for from $39 to $160 (depending on size) and such is the disease "audiophilia nervosa" that many people will buy into this and swear that these pebbles have made all the difference in the sound of their system! Why, just imagine what a concert hall full of these pebbles would do for the sound of a full symphony orchestra! I wish I'd thought of it.

 

What your missing is that these pebbles come from a spring hidden in a remote part of the world, this is the stream that unicorns drink from. Once harvested and dried, the pebbles are then blessed by the local shaman. It's a complicated expensive process. I've also heard that it you put some of these pebbles in your gas tank you will get better gas mileage while experiencing more power.

 

Not quite the genius of the Pet Rock, but not far from it.