I thought computer audio was popular for convenience...

[GUTB]

Paper and paper-like materials are best. 

[Mordikai]

I have no interest in voice control of anything (maybe my kids).

I don't find manually putting on a vinyl record a burden or selecting an album with a mouse taxing either. I don't find walking over to my stereo unpleasant, I like to get off the couch every so often. There are many things in life that I wish were easier (oil changes in my car, cleaning the gutters etc.).

The main benefits the computer has brought to my playback are quickly finding an album or composer etc., having my library available in multiple locations and ease of finding and buying music.

I'm not really looking for any improvements at this point. I would like better recorded music and better speakers and room and I'm working on both.

[Spacehound]

9 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Paper and paper-like materials are best. 

Says the world-renowned speaker designer who only yesterday was telling us that old speakers were inferior  to todays because they don't use 'modern materials'. 

[mav52]

Voice control , not for me.  iPad > Lumin app > Lumin > Network Streaming . can't get any simpler,

[mav52]

5 minutes ago, Spacehound said:

Says the world-renowned speaker designer who only yesterday was telling us that old speakers were inferior  to todays because they don't use 'modern materials'. 

Got that right

[beerandmusic]

28 minutes ago, Mordikai said:

I have no interest in voice control of anything (maybe my kids).

 

 

that's only because you haven't been spoiled (grin).

I actually find myself playing music more often now that i can just say "play music".

The thing i like the alexa most for though is timers and my todo list....lots of times i would be laying down and think of something, and i would either get out of bed to add it to my todo list, or i would just hope i would remember...now from bed, i just say to add something to my todo list and it emails me.....it has been the feature i like the most.  I also love being able to know both inside and outdoor temp and set thermostat....video conferencing wiht my daughter....and i also use it as both a speaker phone and intercom system.  And i have them all over the house...so i can ask for music, lights, night lights, temp, phone, whether i am laying in bed,in the kitchen, living room whatever.

 

And just before i clicked submit, here is another feature i like that i forgot about....I also love the reminders, that is coordinated with my google calendar, remnding me to deposit my tenants check....

 

 

 

 

[GUTB]

22 minutes ago, Spacehound said:

Says the world-renowned speaker designer who only yesterday was telling us that old speakers were inferior  to todays because they don't use 'modern materials'. 

 

Paper materials are much improved today.

[Mordikai]

40 minutes ago, semente said:

Aluminium midrange cone:

Seas L18RNX/P

 

Paper midrange cone:

Seas CA18RLY

 

Magnesium midrange cone:

Seas W18EX001

 

Polypropylene midrange cone:

Seas U18RNX/P

 

I used to really love paper, but I've heard each one of those drivers sound fantastic in various designs, they just have to be used within their limitations, breakups out of the passband and atleast 30db down.

[Mordikai]

29 minutes ago, beerandmusic said:

 

that's only because you haven't been spoiled (grin).

I actually find myself playing music more often now that i can just say "play music".

The thing i like the alexa most for though is timers and my todo list....lots of times i would be laying down and think of something, and i would either get out of bed to add it to my todo list, or i would just hope i would remember...now from bed, i just say to add something to my todo list and it emails me.....it has been the feature i like the most.  I also love being able to know both inside and outdoor temp and set thermostat....video conferencing wiht my daughter....and i also use it as both a speaker phone and intercom system.  And i have them all over the house...so i can ask for music, lights, night lights, temp, phone, whether i am laying in bed,in the kitchen, living room whatever.

 

And just before i clicked submit, here is another feature i like that i forgot about....I also love the reminders, that is coordinated with my google calendar, remnding me to deposit my tenants check....

 

 

 

 

wow how did anything get done before Alexa?

I can't say having to press play has slowed down my music listening any.

 

[Ralf11]

2 hours ago, GUTB said:

 

A non-audiophile is more appropriate as you value convenience over quality.

 

 

iTunes provides Redbook level quality AND  convenience 

 

It is fine for many; and if that is not enough quality for you then why not see if you can tell the difference between Redbook and high bitrate/depth.  I doubt that you can do it very well.

[psjug]

34 minutes ago, beerandmusic said:

 

that's only because you haven't been spoiled (grin).

I actually find myself playing music more often now that i can just say "play music".

The thing i like the alexa most for though is timers and my todo list....lots of times i would be laying down and think of something, and i would either get out of bed to add it to my todo list, or i would just hope i would remember...now from bed, i just say to add something to my todo list and it emails me.....it has been the feature i like the most.  I also love being able to know both inside and outdoor temp and set thermostat....video conferencing wiht my daughter....and i also use it as both a speaker phone and intercom system.  And i have them all over the house...so i can ask for music, lights, night lights, temp, phone, whether i am laying in bed,in the kitchen, living room whatever.

 

And just before i clicked submit, here is another feature i like that i forgot about....I also love the reminders, that is coordinated with my google calendar, remnding me to deposit my tenants check....

 

 

 

 

Too bad Alexa can only do half of beerandmusic.  So you still need to train your dog to bring you a beer.

[GUTB]

Alexa and audiophile sound are opposed to each other.

 

Ever notice how automatic turntables were and are considered opposed to the highest sound quality?

 

Ever notice how CD transports were always considered superior to CD players?

 

Human hearing is very perceptive, although much of that accuity isn’t easily described in a conscious manner. We hear even slight differences on volume, very small levels of distortion. Our awareness of noise (wether directly or indirectly) challenges all but the best measurement equipment. Anything in our electronics not related to signal reproduction can negatively impact our perception of audio. Something Alexa takes CPU processing, memory and storage activity that generates noise — switching noise by the voltage converter and self-noise by the operation of the micro-circuitry itself. Controlling the noise increases cost, size and weight (separate power supplies, low noise regulators, etc), of the system.

 

Here is the reality:

[botrytis]

I am currently listening to the Andrew Jones' special - ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 speakers. They have a treated fabric dome/aluminum mid coax and an aluminum woofer. Are they the highest resolution , etc. speaker - no but they do sound good and just keep me listening and isn't it what it is really all about?

 

My room currently.

[Mordikai]

18 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Human hearing is very perceptive, although much of that accuity isn’t easily described in a conscious manner. We hear even slight differences on volume, very small levels of distortion. Our awareness of noise (wether directly or indirectly) challenges all but the best measurement equipment. Anything in our electronics not related to signal reproduction can negatively impact our perception of audio.

 

Here is the reality: Our hearing is highly overstated especially among the audiophiles.There is a large body of evidence that supports this. Funny how this amazing perception disappears when listening blind.

I've fooled myself many times, believing I heard something and then having a friend control the switching of a component to realize it was my own power of suggestion that had swayed me.

[Mordikai]

16 minutes ago, botrytis said:

I am currently listening to the Andrew Jones' special - ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 speakers. They have a treated fabric dome/aluminum mid coax and an aluminum woofer. Are they the highest resolution , etc. speaker - no but they do sound good and just keep me listening and isn't it what it is really all about?

 

My room currently.

I have a similar response to my Diy Continuum speaker. It's probably not among the top 5 speakers I have overall,  but its layed back presentation are hypnotic and fantastic for less then optimal recordings.

[GUTB]

I just bought a pair of Thiel CS 1.5s on impulse.  I’m interested to hear what metal woofer and high time-coherent speakers sounds like. I’ll probably not like the metal cone coloration but who knows?

[beetlemania]

48 minutes ago, GUTB said:

I’ll probably not like the metal cone coloration

 

Insofar as they behave pistonically there will be no coloration due to the diaphragm material. The challenge is the slow roll-off from the first-order filters. Is the signal down sufficiently when the diaphragm reaches break-up frequency? IMO, Thiel does a good job balancing what could easily become problematic.

 

I used to have CS1.6s. I quite liked them other than a handful of recordings of female voices could excite a distortion mode at high SPLs. I recently went back to Thiels with a pair of CS2.4SE. The resolution and transparency are stunning (probably helps that I'm using a top-shelf zero-feedback amp). IMO, they approach that of some of the very best speakers I've heard regardless of price.

[semente]

55 minutes ago, beetlemania said:

 

Insofar as they behave pistonically there will be no coloration due to the diaphragm material. The challenge is the slow roll-off from the first-order filters. Is the signal down sufficiently when the diaphragm reaches break-up frequency? IMO, Thiel does a good job balancing what could easily become problematic.

 

I used to have CS1.6s. I quite liked them other than a handful of recordings of female voices could excite a distortion mode at high SPLs. I recently went back to Thiels with a pair of CS2.4SE. The resolution and transparency are stunning (probably helps that I'm using a top-shelf zero-feedback amp). IMO, they approach that of some of the very best speakers I've heard regardless of price.

 

 

"Finally, as well as the clean, uniform initial decay confirming the time-coherent behavior, the CS1.5's cumulative spectral-decay, or waterfall, plot shows a couple of low-level resonant modes in the mid-treble, exactly as MK predicted. I'm surprised he was bothered by this behavior, but I suspect that it is not generally masked by the music."
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs15-measurements

 

[beerandmusic]

7 hours ago, psjug said:

Too bad Alexa can only do half of beerandmusic.  So you still need to train your dog to bring you a beer.

 

[beerandmusic]

 

[beerandmusic]

7 hours ago, Mordikai said:

 

I can't say having to press play has slowed down my music listening any.

 

you will never know (wink)

[beerandmusic]

6 hours ago, GUTB said:

Alexa and audiophile sound are opposed to each other.

 

 

 

not if you use it merely as a control method...you can use it to control jriver for example, so I guess anyone that uses jriver is not an audiophile.  any alexa skill can be created to control any music player, so whatever you use "could potentially" be controlled by alexa as well, so i guess you are not an audiophile either...but that's not really true...the only real truth is that you are ignorant on this subject as well as most subjects you ever talk about.

[psjug]

12 minutes ago, beerandmusic said:

 

That is progress.  It's useless without a catapult though.

[beerandmusic]

for the speaker guys, just curious how the focal sopra 1 measure compare to the focal 1028BE?

 

I will likely buy a pair of one or the other...they are probably about the same price, one being a newer model bookshelf that i would need to couple with a sub...the other are older model towers....which should i buy and why?

I have heard and like both, but never compared side by side.  I absolutely love the Focal sopras 2 or 3, but they will never be in my budget....(well maybe in 10 years when prices come down significantly).

 

[beerandmusic]

12 minutes ago, psjug said:

That is progress.  It's useless without a catapult though.

that guy just couldn't afford my robot that hand delivers mine (wink)