Sanity Check

[GUTB]

Others have pointed this out but I’ll repeat it here. I bet most of the non-audiophiles here are operating on more than just class envy — its that they live in tiny lifestyle coffin apartments and not in houses, so they can’t get good sound no matter what they do. Some of them are just class warfare operators, but only a few. 

 

Meanwhile....I just came back from riding a bike for the first time in over 15 years...probably close to 20 (it’s true what they say about never forgetting how to ride) and now I’m off to re-arrange my speakers yet again..

[mansr]

18 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Others have pointed this out but I’ll repeat it here. I bet most of the non-audiophiles here are operating on more than just class envy — its that they live in tiny lifestyle coffin apartments and not in houses, so they can’t get good sound no matter what they do.

Why do you believe it impossible to get good sound in an apartment?

[AudioDoctor]

1 minute ago, mansr said:

Why do you believe it impossible to get good sound in an apartment?

 

Probably because the apartment isnt expensive enough...

[semente]

6 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

Probably because the apartment isnt expensive enough...

 

[realhifi]

5 hours ago, elcorso said:

 

The price of good watches has increased geometrically in the last 10 years. A £1k Tag Heuer from a decade ago could cost you now 5k. Great reliable and durable brand, if it's automatic and no quartz electronic mechanism.

I have a Rolex Submariner from about 40 years ago, it still works perfectly and I only had to change the glass once, because by then there was no sapphire crystal. It cost me then about US $ 500 (including the high import taxes of my country). Now it costs about US $ 8K.

There are Seikos with prices close to US $ 10K, some special editions ...

Not only is inflation, demand is higher than supply and there has been a boom in the world for watches. I did not ask myself why. Maybe now we appreciate more time because we have less?

 

As for the prices of audio gear is another story ... There are some ridiculously expensive, as there are cars that are also, for some sheikh of the oil countries or some sportsman who makes more easy money in a year than some professional who works hard all his life.

 

Such is the world economy, it has not changed much in centuries, but it is its engine and the merchants and manufacturers know it.

 

I do not see why to criticize those who want to pay more, it is their privilege. This is not Cuba. But even in Cuba there are "privileged" people who can do it.

 

If someone wants to give sermons and advice please go and create a new religion, there is always giant territory and certainly gives very good returns!

 

Roch

Well said!

....as to reference of Tag Heuer; I had a Hi-Fi shop awhile back and a gentleman and his wife came in curious about getting a “good” Hi-Fi and wanted to hear some examples so we went through a few and were listening at one point to a pair of limited edition Harbeth SHL5’s on the end of some decent electronics. After a but he said “these are good, they feel like a Tag Heuer watch”. I agreed. 

[GUTB]

Sound needs room to behave properly. Not only that, it needs symmetry of space. Volume of space can be adjusted somewhat with quality acoustic treatments...but if you’re living in a tiny coffin apartment you won’t have that space, nor the correct geometry (rectangular). I actually tried to turn an a-symmetrical room into a listening room and no matter how many traps and diffusers and panels I set up, the room could not be satisfactorily transformed. The treatments helped a lot but the end result fell short. After extensive research online and book reading I found out the truth at last — these kinds of rooms won’t sound good. They can be improved but not corrected.

[mansr]

2 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Sound needs room to behave properly. Not only that, it needs symmetry of space. Volume of space can be adjusted somewhat with quality acoustic treatments...but if you’re living in a tiny coffin apartment you won’t have that space, nor the correct geometry (rectangular). I actually tried to turn an a-symmetrical room into a listening room and no matter how many traps and diffusers and panels I set up, the room could not be satisfactorily transformed. The treatments helped a lot but the end result fell short. After extensive research online and book reading I found out the truth at last — these kinds of rooms won’t sound good. They can be improved but not corrected.

Could you clarify what you mean by "tiny coffin apartment"? Do you believe Europeans live in actual coffins?

[semente]

2 minutes ago, mansr said:

Could you clarify what you mean by "tiny coffin apartment"? Do you believe Europeans live in actual coffins?

He's read about it.

[wwaldmanfan]

4 minutes ago, mansr said:

Could you clarify what you mean by "tiny coffin apartment"? Do you believe Europeans live in actual coffins?

 

That's the Japanese.

[AudioDoctor]

I am going to go listen to my crappy stereo system that only a non audiophile would own in a space that could never possibly sound good...

[ShawnC]

Have you seen Michael Fremer’s space. That excludes him as an audiophile.

 

[rando]

His cameraman is certainly setting the tone by using that lens.  

[elcorso]

You do not need a giant music room to get good sound. About 15 years ago mine was very large and easy to setup. Then came the divorce, the children grew up and I moved to another house with a very small music room, but that was not the biggest problem but its construction based on gypsum, floating floor and too many glass windows. Now I have a pretty good one, walls and solid floor and with very good dimensions. With these last two I learned more about acoustics than with the big one. Please do not overdamping ("tube traps" et al) and avoid glass and metal inside your music room. The speakers are not designed to play in an anechoic chamber. Those who design and build speakers use those chambers for certain types of extreme tests. In many recordings the use dampening and then you add more dampening to your music room? Of course, there are always exceptions.

 

And speaking again of watches, the quartz mechanisms need the replacement of the battery on average every 2 years. Every time you open a clock it's exposed to the environment (dust and humidity), that shortens their life and can damage it. It is always good to change the seal when replacing the battery, but they are difficult to obtain. The best batteries are Renata brand (Swiss Made), they are cheap and can be obtained at Amazon and even at Radio Shack. Automatic watches rarely need to be repaired, only when they fail. Of course the watchmaker will tell you that you have to check it every so often and lubricate it ... As with quartz, when you open it's exposed it to moisture and dust.

 

I do the maintenance of my watches, in a dry and dust-free environment, although sometimes the parts are difficult to obtain because the factories sell them only to their dealers, but almost always there are third party suppliers. Do you need to use a Rolex battery in you Rolex quartz watch?  I don't know about a Rolex battery factory !

 

Roch

[Ralf11]

43 minutes ago, elcorso said:

You do not need a giant music room to get good sound.

* * *

 

 

What's the smallest?

[AudioDoctor]

2 hours ago, rando said:

His cameraman is certainly setting the tone by using that lens.  

 

It's not the size of the lens that counts, it's how you use it...

 

edit: I just watched it, and holy shit that was some bad camera work.

[Spacehound]

6 hours ago, GUTB said:

Sound needs room to behave properly. Not only that, it needs symmetry of space. Volume of space can be adjusted somewhat with quality acoustic treatments...but if you’re living in a tiny coffin apartment you won’t have that space, nor the correct geometry (rectangular). I actually tried to turn an a-symmetrical room into a listening room and no matter how many traps and diffusers and panels I set up, the room could not be satisfactorily transformed. The treatments helped a lot but the end result fell short. After extensive research online and book reading I found out the truth at last — these kinds of rooms won’t sound good. They can be improved but not corrected.

You can get over-obsessive about this stuff, you know  

 

I trust that if you go to a live show you personally check out the hall beforehand  to see that it is 'suitable'.  And don't forget that  includes the projection of the  voices of the actors  in your local amateur dramatic society.

[Spacehound]

...

[Spacehound]

 

7 hours ago, GUTB said:

Others have pointed this out but I’ll repeat it here. I bet most of the non-audiophiles here are operating on more than just class envy — its that they live in tiny lifestyle coffin apartments and not in houses, so they can’t get good sound no matter what they do. Some of them are just class warfare operators, but only a few. 

 

Meanwhile....I just came back from riding a bike for the first time in over 15 years...probably close to 20 (it’s true what they say about never forgetting how to ride) and now I’m off to re-arrange my speakers yet again..

The house I'm typing this in is in Europe. The smallest room apart  from the 'rest room' as Americans call it is 18 feet by 14.

 

And we've got another one too, bigger than this. It came with my wife, as did a Sony music system and lots of pirated CDs   

[AudioDoctor]

Lou Reed is probably non audiophile approved music too...

[Spacehound]

34 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

 Lou Reed is probably non audiophile approved music too...

Some think he's ideal.

 

I recently went to a Naim Audio factory tour and demo at their Salisbury UK site as I live quite near.

 

They demo'd many things, from a 1500 dollar streamer right up to their 200,000 dollar  'Statement' amp. And the whole range of  speakers made by Focal, to which Naim are financially connected. Plus we got to play with the Naim audio system  in the latest (and yet to be 'publicly' available)  Bentley Continental as Naim make the optional 'upgrade' audio system for it.

 

We heard 'Walk on  the Wild Side' at least twenty times, and almost nothing else  

[marce]

17 hours ago, mansr said:

I wear a Tag Heuer I paid £1k for 10 years ago. It's rare that anyone mentions it. Must be too cheap.

I don't wear a watch, never have done... Don't like to be reminded how fast Tempus Fugit.

[Spacehound]

39 minutes ago, marce said:

I don't wear a watch, never have done... Don't like to be reminded how fast Tempus Fugit.

Only 'underlings' wear  watches.

 

'Free' people come and go when the fancy takes them.

[asdf1000]

50 minutes ago, marce said:

Don't like to be reminded how fast Tempus Fugit.

 

Hehe don't need a watch to be constantly reminded of this.

[mansr]

7 hours ago, elcorso said:

And speaking again of watches, the quartz mechanisms need the replacement of the battery on average every 2 years.

Mine lasts 5 years.

[firedog]

12 hours ago, mansr said:

Could you clarify what you mean by "tiny coffin apartment"? Do you believe Europeans live in actual coffins?

Anything smaller that his place....