How much does it cost to be an audiophile?

[semente]

1 hour ago, Audiophile Neuroscience said:

 

I'm not familiar with the program but does this not analyze the loudness levels/ DR for a file? I'm not sure how this demonstrates comparative loudness levels of different systems in different locations.I don't have difficulty believing you that your system sounded better than a more expensive system in a different room, just not sure how the graph demonstrates this.

I'm only providing information about the track which for a studio processed recording has very good sound quality.

[Audiophile Neuroscience]

1 minute ago, semente said:

I'm only providing information about the track which for a studio processed recording has very good sound quality.

 

Ah ok, got it

[Audiophile Neuroscience]

6 minutes ago, accwai said:

 

I got lazy and didn't take any ARCT theory/history classes, only sat in most of them.

 

That explains it then

[mourip]

On 5/27/2018 at 1:20 AM, PleasantSounds said:

 

Audiophiledom is a state of mind, not the amount of gear you have collected.

If you appreciate high quality sound reproduction and are keen to pursue it, you're there. It's a journey, not a destination.

 

 

I agree. It is a subjective and personal experience. One person can get along nicely with a $7k system feeling that they are in Nirvana and another would feel it to be be inadequate. I think that the term "audiophile" is a self assigned term. I also think that folks get into the hobby for many different reasons, none being wrong as it is a hobby. 

 

[davide256]

23 hours ago, mordante said:

 

I agree.

 

I don't think I can or want my home audio system to sound like a live music. Live music, what is it even? Is Slayer playing a for 10.000 people the standard, is it a U2 stadium concert, is it a chamber music (cello piano violin vocals), or is it a Wagner concert in the royal Albert?

 

The cheer size, dynamic range and decibels of a live performance is not what I could ever want in my living room. This weekend I was at a Sleep concert. Their backline would fill most of my living room.  

 

Actually I want my stereo system to sound better than most live concerts for un-amplified music... so many venues have poor acoustics vs a studio recording.

 

Agree that amplified music is often a "wall of sound" experience, which if duplicated at home in most cases would generate neighbor and HOA issues.  Better done in surround sound at a volume that doesn't require ear protectors.

 

[accwai]

1 hour ago, Audiophile Neuroscience said:

That explains it then

 

Oh yes, RCM grade levels do not match with those of the school systems. Once beyond RCM grade 8, you're basically at university level music courses. ARCT is pretty much upper year university. It's easy enough to get close to 100% at RCM grade 8 exam, but once beyond, you more or less need to put yourself into a tunnel vision kind of state a couple weeks before an exam where anything you hear and any scribble on paper is music. And beyond Grade 9, if you can still keep marks in middle 90s, you probably have a shot at the RCM theory gold medal.

 

I have a day job, so ARCT level courses are just far too intense. But there are lots of highly educated experts here on CA. I'm sure it's nothing to these smart people. The thing about internet is it's a very big place. No matter how lofty one think one's ideas are, there will always be somebody so far beyond that one can't even conceive of what kind of mental world they're in. So I usually just sit back and try to learn whatever I can.

[plissken]

$3K (not taking the room into account) can get you an accurate, full range setup. Talking DAC, Speakers, Amp. 

[beancounter]

this weekend on Craigslist, near me: Speakerlab K-horn copies, $500.  Pilot console pull, tuner/pre combo and stereo PP EL84 amp (different layout than the SA232, but looked like the same transformers and tube compliment), gone over by a tech, $400.

 

That's darned good sound for under a grand. Just add source. Not perfect, not for everybody, but accessible.

 

 

[GUTB]

My current system:

 

ProAc D30R: $4,000 (used)

Odyssey Stratos: $800 (used)

Schiit Freya + NOS tubes: $800

MoFi StudioDeck: $1,000

AT-OC9ML/II: $500

IFi Phono 2: $300 (used)

Holo Cyan DSD: $1,000

Custom PC + parts/PSU: $1,500 (approx.)

Cables: $1,500 (approx)

Room treatments: $1,000 (approx.)

 

So, current real value including used savings: about $12,400. In terms of price vs performance I judge it to be a pretty good value...if you don’t count the thousands of dollars spent getting there. Now, I intended the Freya and the Stratos to be fillers for a high end integrated or possibly separates — but the Stratos plays so well with the ProAcs I’m starting to question if I even want to upgrade. I’ll listen to some high end at THE Show this weekend. I really liked the Mark Levinson No.585 integrated at AXPONA which seems to pop up used a few times for around $7k. Other high-end integrateds on my radar are the Gryphon Diablo, Esoteric F-05 and McIntosh MAC7200 on the lower end. There’s that new $10k "affordable" Constellation. I’m not stuck to them so if anyone knows of some superior integrated please don’t be stingy.

[SteveKershaw]

At some point it would be cheaper to hire real musicians to play for you in person. Well, I guess that depends on what kind of music you like.

[Summit]

6 hours ago, mansr said:

I hate to repeat myself, but:

 

 

That’s true, but we also have audiophiles that not even use it for music and instead mainly use their equipment to conduct measurement analyses ??

[Ralf11]

6 hours ago, accwai said:

... I only have music theory/history up to RCM Grade 10 and have First-Class Honours with Distinction across the board only up to Grade 9. And then I got lazy and didn't take any ARCT theory/history classes, only sat in most of them. That really sucks by the high standard around here in CA right?

 

Yes, it sounds like Brit-Fi or something

[Ralf11]

5 hours ago, plissken said:

$3K (not taking the room into account) can get you an accurate, full range setup. Talking DAC, Speakers, Amp. 

 

 

ok, specifics please - esp. about those full range speakers

[Ralf11]

1 hour ago, SteveKershaw said:

At some point it would be cheaper to hire real musicians to play for you in person. ...

 

 

would you want them in home??

 

... maybe if they used the side door

[davide256]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

 

 

would you want them in home??

 

... maybe if they used the side door

hmm, that's actually scary. Walking dead rock musicians coming in to the home for a reprise of their great performances of the 60's and 70's.  Wait,

I'm not sure I could tell live or dead with the Rolling Stones.

[plissken]

2 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

 

 

ok, specifics please - esp. about those full range speakers

 

DAC Presonus 2|6 $199

Amp Crown XLS 1502 $399

Emotiva Air-Motive T2 $999

HSU VTF-2 MK5 Subwoofer $549

 

 

[fas42]

10 hours ago, marce said:

 

I find it all depressing, so depressing that I am serious I don't want to be an audiophile, I want to listen to music and a system is just a tool to achieve that, it seems being an audiophile is more about the system than the music.

 

Exactly, it's just a tool for listening to the music. Unfortunately, the industry and the researchers into what's important have largely failed to fully comprehend the issues - and we have the current situation where nearly all playback is significantly compromised.

 

So, for the moment we have a number of options: accept what conventional replay does, that's "as good as it gets", and be happy with that; or, go bananas with money, and use the very best items out there, spend oodles on gizmos which squeeze ever more goodness out of the rig; or, spend smart, and buy things like the best fully integrated active speakers, which can get most things very close to optimum; or, understand what the failings of a conventional rig are, and sort them, using DIY skills. As should be abundantly clear, , the last option is deeply disturbing to many people, who struggle with the concept - a small percentage do grok it though, and then are able to extract excellent "value for money" from their gear.

[Ralf11]

huh - I didn't even know Emotiva made speakers -- they are really moving to be a one stop low priced audiophile shop...

[GUTB]

Yeah, the Emotiva speakers are probably awful. Notice how they will have a room at audio shows but somehow not manage to have a system set up.

[Audiophile Neuroscience]

6 hours ago, SteveKershaw said:

At some point it would be cheaper to hire real musicians to play for you in person. Well, I guess that depends on what kind of music you like.

 

I tried this with live musicians in my house once. It didn't work out. They kept on protesting with me tinkering and fiddling with them to make them sound better !?

And when I touched their 'instrument' , well

[Audiophile Neuroscience]

6 hours ago, GUTB said:

So, current real value including used savings: about $12,400.

 

So not High End then

 

Re the Gryphon Diablo. I have heard it but only at a dealer but very impressive. It is said to trickle down technologies from the Mephisto and Evo

[Nordkapp]

59 minutes ago, GUTB said:

Yeah, the Emotiva speakers are probably awful. Notice how they will have a room at audio shows but somehow not manage to have a system set up.

I hate to trash stuff, but if one is going to go entry level, emotiva is not the way to start off. Rotel/NAD and entry level B&W loudspeakers is where I'd start and actually did. The cost/quality ratio is really favorable with these brands. I am generally wary of products manufactured in China, with the exception of only a very few Chinese high end brands.

[mansr]

7 minutes ago, Nordkapp said:

I hate to trash stuff, but if one is going to go entry level, emotiva is not the way to start off. Rotel/NAD and entry level B&W loudspeakers is where I'd start and actually did. The cost/quality ratio is really favorable with these brands. I am generally wary of products manufactured in China, with the exception of only a very few Chinese high end brands.

B&W, with the exception of the 800 series, is manufactured in China. They probably keep a close watch over the production facilities, though. The troublesome Chinese stuff usually comes from unsupervised contract manufacturers that no reputable company would use.

[Nordkapp]

21 minutes ago, mansr said:

B&W, with the exception of the 800 series, is manufactured in China. They probably keep a close watch over the production facilities, though. The troublesome Chinese stuff usually comes from unsupervised contract manufacturers that no reputable company would use.

In that case I rescind my B&W recommendation. Although NAD and Rotel are probably the same.......

[Audiophile Neuroscience]

2 hours ago, Nordkapp said:

In that case I rescind my B&W recommendation.

 

They do have a signature sound some attribute to the crossover not being phase coherent and moving the tweeter one half wavelength forward in the 800 Diamonds (restoring phase in only one freq?) - also poor on off axis responses with 6.5" driver used too far into the HF.

Not sure about the Chinese construction being damning tho. Even my "american" Baldwin piano is made in China by Baldwin