How much does it cost to be an audiophile?

[AudioDoctor]

I knew GUTB would be here with his unique brand of ideas...  He was unable to resist.

[AudioDoctor]

1 million dollars...

[AudioDoctor]

15 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

I doubt any audiophiles have Emotiva.

 

I often wonder from what authority you make these pronouncements...

 

"An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. Audiophile values may be applied at all stages of music reproduction: the initial audio recording, the production process, and the playback, which is usually in a home setting."

I dont see anything about minimum monetary outlay required there...

[AudioDoctor]

7 hours ago, GUTB said:

 

The problem is the poor quality of Emotiva sound. 

 

 

"An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction."

 

 

Is that big enough?

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, davide256 said:

 

 

Enthusiasm with no effort invested to study/learn does not qualify as hobbyist for any hobby. Boring/cringe-worthy systems abound among dilettantes. I aspired to become an audiophile in my 20's... becoming an audiophile took education. There was nothing "audiophile" about my first or even my second system... it took time, $$, and lots of auditioning to learn the hobby.

 

LOL, now that's an elitist and ridiculous view if I have ever heard of one. Are you and GUTB in a competition?

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, GUTB said:

Audiophiles are constantly pursuing greater audio quality. This upwards pressure in audio quality attainment means that spend will go up. If you don’t place much value in audio quality than you’re not an audiophile.

 

There’s a self-serving class warfare fantasy that audio quality doesn’t correlate with price — it generally does, and pretending your low-end / ultra low-end gear sounds good doesn’t actually make it so.

 

Ok...

 

lets say I had a very early transistor radio, yet considered myself an audiophile but I didn't have much budget, so I went searching Craigslist for a good deal on a newer piece of equipment and found a deal on a 1970-ish Marantz Receiver.  By your definition I have pursued greater audio quality and am therefore an audiophile now...

[AudioDoctor]

1 minute ago, davide256 said:

Hmm, classic troll baiting behavior... get a life

 

Got one, thanks.

[AudioDoctor]

24 minutes ago, Audiophile Neuroscience said:

Sure. I think GUTB might be saying that it doesn't have to stop there which is fine by me, unless of course you are happy at that point and that is also fine. The problem as I see it is the notion that you must feel compelled to upgrade at all costs, costs no object.

 

If that is what I thought he was saying, I would be fine with it.  However, I don't think it is, nor do I think GUTB would agree that person is an audiophile because the equipment doesn't meet his criteria for audiophilia

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, plissken said:

 

I believe it to be either ignorance or disassociation with reality. 

 

 

[AudioDoctor]

13 minutes ago, semente said:

 

Then there's this:

 

42 people hold as much wealth as the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorer half of the world’s population, compared with 61 people last year and 380 in 2009. At the time of last year’s report, Oxfam said that eight billionaires held the same wealth as half the world’s population.

The charity added that the wealth of billionaires had risen by 13% a year on average in the decade from 2006 to 2015, with the increase of $762bn (£550bn) in 2017 enough to end extreme poverty seven times over. It said nine out of 10 of the world’s 2,043 dollar billionaires were men.

 

There will be a reckoning...  There is no way around it at this point.

[AudioDoctor]

3 hours ago, Jud said:

 

Even Taco Bell....  Every time I see cars there in the middle of all that great New Mexican and Mexican food, a lot of it very inexpensive, I just shake my head.

 

If it matters Jud, I do the same thing here in Minneapolis. We have some very good Mexican food here.

[AudioDoctor]

2 hours ago, Kal Rubinson said:

It has been decades but I recall a wonderful Tibetan restaurant in Minneapolis.  Does that ring a bell?

 

There is a Tibetan store in Linden Hills and a Tibet Kitchen.  Honestly, I have never once searched out Tibetan food so I don't know if that is the only one, or if it is any good.  I should check it out though.

[AudioDoctor]

I think it costs nothing to be an audiophile...

[AudioDoctor]

The amount of not expensive good sounding systems a person could put together is near limitless.

 

RME  ADI-2 DAC:  https://www.rme-usa.com/adi-2-dac.html

 

Focal powered monitors: https://www.focal.com/us/monitoring-speakers/sm6/trio6-be

 

done...  Essentially. Get some balanced cables and a USB from Blue Jeans and you're set.

 

You want to tweak it?
 

ZeroSurge: https://zerosurge.com/plug-in-products-solutions/

 

IsoAcoustics speaker stands: http://www.isoacoustics.com/products/iso-l8r-series-speaker-isolation-stands/

[AudioDoctor]

1 minute ago, Nordkapp said:

Yup. I've looked at those Focal studio monitors too. Though I'd go with a benchmark DAC over the RME. 

 

Sure, flavor to taste.  The RME being discussed lately, plus my experience with them, just made it pop to mind.

[AudioDoctor]

2 hours ago, gmgraves said:

The best tweak is to stay away from USB cables from ANYBODY! Use a NAS and Coax SPDIF and avoid USB audio. It all sucks! 

 

When was the last time you sent DSD over SPDIF?  Or anything over 24/192?

[AudioDoctor]

The reason there are so many USB tweaks is because there are so many neurotic audiophiles that are easily separated from their money...

[AudioDoctor]

10 hours ago, sandyk said:

 

 

Hmmm. Do you think that is what Mansr is up to with his new USB Widget ?

 

If I had a lack of integrity, I would be selling cables...

[AudioDoctor]

30 minutes ago, gmgraves said:

I send DSD from my Korg MR1 or MR2000 via SPDIF all the time. Not optical SPDIF (Toslink) mind you, but coax SPDIF is my preferred way to transfer audio files. And I don't use anything over 24/96 for PCM because it's overkill. All it does is make the files bigger, with no increase in resolution because you're still just putting a 20Hz to 30KHz bandwidth in that 192K "container". 

 

LOL This is so misleading I don't even know where to begin...  

 

Show me where the SPDIF Coax output is here Jim? At least the MR2000 has some, but is this a playback device?  Do you have less than 128gb of music you keep on the SSD of the MR2000 or do you put new music on it all the time?

 

According to Korg, the MR2000 does not output DSD over Coax:  "Coaxial Digital I/O for PCM sources integrates into existing production environments"

 

Lastly, I feel bad for you that you can't hear the difference. 

 

 

[AudioDoctor]

[AudioDoctor]

11 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

I think this conclusively proves his point that in his system USB isn't as quiet when playing DSD as coax.

 

It shows that the KORG does not output DSD over Coax... These are taken straight from the owners manual of the Korg MR2000

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, Jud said:

 

Right, which means it would be much, much quieter.

 

Sorry Jud, having a tough day.  I guess I missed the joke.

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, jabbr said:

Are you sure the KORG doesn't encapsulate DSD as DOP to be sent over Coax (SPDIF)?

 

It specifically said in the owners manual that when 1bit (DSD) is selected the SPDIF outputs (and inputs) are not active.  The MR-1 does not even have an SPDIF out or in...

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, Jud said:

 

I’m sure those aren’t as rare as you might like.

 

You're probably right.

[AudioDoctor]

2 minutes ago, Solstice380 said:

 

Just think “computer audiophile bar”!  But more like the “think and drink” get togethers my profs would have back in the 70s.  And these were the Eng. and Sci. profs.  ?  The Socialists from the Humanities were off the hook with their parties!

 

I had a physics prof that had those too!