@tonywinga My first turntable was a Dual 1209 and a 1960s tube Kenwood receiver! I was 13 years old. I had tubes with cages to protect against my young daughter (vice versa).
My last 31 years, I've had a dedicated pair listening rooms with closed doors because for 24 years I have used high voltage uncaged tube amps with top caps (.6P7S - 6BG6 G Beam Tetrode power tubes). Only my wife and I turn the amps on/off and the cats who occasionally enter with us ignore the equipment (sleep in front of the speakers).
@kota1 I have gone to revival movie theaters to view 30s and 40s movies from safety prints where I experienced close to what audiences saw when they were new. I have two 4K 75" Sony LCD TVs which are were top models 3 and 5 years ago and are quite nice still. Too bad I haven't combined the audio and video rooms together (I use a Yamaha CR620 receivers hooked up to a pair of MB Quart 980S and ADS L620s). Eventually, I will replace the MB Quart with Legacy Signature IIIs.
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I do not trust @crymeanaudioriver opinion(s). ASR site is replete with anecdotes and foolish statements concerning cables, especially digital cables. I've tried half a dozen digital cables and none of them sound the same, not even close. I bet they measure the same though, 75 ohms, similar capacitance, resistance, inductance although I have no tests proving that other than a voltmeter. I decided based on listening. None of the cables had specs although five had extensive explanations concerning their construction.
I am very interested in hearing Atma-Sphere GaNFET and AGD Productions GaNTube amplifiers. I've heard a few Class D amps that sounded very good at audio shows, better than many solid state A/B amps, especially high powered older SS. I suspect they measure well even if they don't measure "perfect". ASR hasn't measured an AGD amp (probably too expensive). Both of my custom built tube amps sound better than the Atma-Sphere tube amps but the latter are very good (and very hot running). Who knows, Atma-Sphere states that the new Class D amp sounds better than his tube amps. I'd like to hear both his and AGD's.
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@henry99 Requoting you:
There has been NO ONE who says that measurements, ASR measurements or any measurements are useless!
Most seem to be like my (and Henry's) view. They aid in the evaluation of equipment, but I do not rely on them alone.
What has been the issue from the 1st page (of this forum) is the CULTURE of ASR!
And that to that, you keep reiterating their point again and again, ad nauseam.
For a man who flaunts his education, I would think you’d get it by now. (@crymeanaudioriver).
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@tonywinga I love your analogy of a color blind man not seeing green traffic lights. If it weren't for their usual location at the top of the signal, he would be a danger on the road. That's Amir.
@Amir My tests are extensive and include measuring the output of audio devices to see if the waveform has changed at all. I recently started to play music through them and perform null tests showing the cable made no contributions whatsoever.
Reports like yours persist not because the facts are different, but that you think listening with your eyes wide open is the same as doing so without them. Until such time that you can provide reliable evidence of sound only, what you are saying has no value
HA HA HA!!! He started to play music through them (I bet they weren't the digital cables I've tried and use) and couldn't find any contribution. Hence, what I say have no value. That's both stupid and funny. I can't hear. My opinion has no validity without measurements. And here's a guy who can't hear differences in cables. He obviously has a defective ear(s)/brain, really bad audio equipment/cables/system or listening capability. I struck out your opinion because that's what I think of it and so does 90+% of this forums members think of it (ASR members posting negative opinions here make up most of the rest). You have a tin ear! Digital cables all sound the same-what a rube!
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@Amir Keep your fans on ASR. Can't hear differences in cables that measure the same=something is very wrong here. One doesn't have to believe any online person; however, based on the enormous "subjectivist" opinions, people actually do hear differences, right or wrong, personal preferences included, regardless of measurements and decide to what sounds best to them, in a system, in a room. Nothing you say will change that. Your advice based on measurements is not something audiophiles/music lovers agree on because, apparently, they choose wrongly, equipment that doesn't measure up to your standards or is too expensive. I listen in the dark with all lights off when I want to immerse myself in the music, just like a movie theater. I don't see differences in sound, I hear them.
Dismissive of older equipment not measuring as well as cheap current equipment is as wrong as dismissing older recordings because they used older technology with distortions and reduced resolution, etc. of tape versus superior hi-res digital.
You think you are superior to nearly everyone who posts on Audiogon because your opinion is based on measurements (except when you don't find a measurable difference ala cables, tweaks, etc). The overwhelming majority do not think so. I am just one music lover with recording/performing experience and a high end audio reproduction system.
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@juanmanuelfangioii +1 He tales the joy out of the hobby. It is a hobby for most of us, not a vocation.
I only accepted a small fee for one recording/mastering session out of 250+ recordings because I love music so much (sometimes performing as well) and being around so many creative people (composers of many movies and music loving actors as well).
I am fortunate to have several friends who I consider to have golden ear hearing and two that have been employed in remastering of LPs for Kevin Gray and Chad Kassem's labels. One finds digital recording just another format, the other hates it and sticks only to analog. They both can detect anomalies/distractions in a sound system and possible solutions in acoustics and mechanical devices (not electronic) very quickly. It's great to have those friends who are so picky about sound. They have been nit-picking my system for decades but provided me leads on improving it to the state is in now which they say is all I need. No guest leaves my house after listening without wanting to return to hear more. I have to set time limits.
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@crymeanaudioriver Well that was stupid! How many actors have great inventions? Paul WInchell, Hedy Lamarr come to mind? No. Winchell became the first person to build and patent a mechanical artificial heart, implantable in the chest .Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress and inventor who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today’s WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems.
I am not a genius, but I am very smart from book learning and experience. Touche your greatness!
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@cd318 What have I repeated infinitum. I at least want manufacturers to post test measurements of their own rather than puffery or minimal specifications. Furthermore, high end cable and nearly all tweak manufacturers have no specs. That’s why I opened another forum.
Another thing, since when is older, used equipment to be dismissed in place of new equipment? For those who want great sound without breaking the bank, I strongly suggest good to high quality used equipment instead. This goes for amps, pre-amps, phono stages, SUTs, speakers and cabling. Why pay top dollar (or even bottom dollar) when there are ample alternatives. I made this point yesterday. No comments about it.
@prof You’re doing it again, twisting my words. Most music listeners (many friends who perform music as well) don’t care about measurements or audiophile equipment. If they like what they hear they will buy it. (Often, if they like what they see, buttons or nice finish, they may prefer that). You can’t change our minds refers to people hearing differences. We are not deluding ourselves although many audiophiles do have problems hearing and/or do not have sufficiently trained to hear or understand what differences there are to be heard. Dramatic differences can be heard by (nearly) everyone. Subtle differences are of course more difficult for most people. My golden ear friends are better than I am in ascertaining subtle differences but after 50+ years of listening to so many systems and making recordings, I am quite good at detecting and comprehending differences. Dramatic differences are like hearing Disney Hall versus Dorothy Chandler or Wilson versus Magnapan speakers. How about Bose versus Magicos? That's how dramatic a digital cable change can be. Amir hasn't heard it. Sad!
@kota1 Loved your link. Great quote-Every scientific genius in history was been subjected to viscous derision by the scientific dogmatists of their generation who were often laughably wrong in retrospect. History is filled with examples and this debate of break-in/burn-in is no different.
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I don’t think you understand. Dramatic differences should be heard by most listeners. Subtle differences are more nuanced and may require some musical and or audio (learned) abilities beyond what most people can easily detect or appreciate. If you think that dramatic differences cannot be heard, that's your opinion and certainly not the majority of Audiogon members.
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@prof I don’t really find it hard to acknowledge when someone has expertise that I lack. Well, I believe I have that expertise in listening that you may lack. Other posters find some of your statements so unusual that they cannot respond. I’m sorry that you lack my capabilities after 50+ years hearing high end audio to denote something that is superior from that which is inferior, and I don’t mean on a subtle basis. Dramatic to me is much more than most high end reviewers commonly allocate to something new in the marketplace to sell. I’ve been fooled by subtle differences and mostly avoided costly purchasing errors. I don’t need test measurements to prove my listening results when a DRAMATIC (and positive) change is heard. However, to justify my own results, I have two golden ear friends and other friends and family to listen and approve or disapprove the change. When it is a subtle change, I can get a mixed review, sometimes it’s worse. When it is a dramatic improvement, I only receive accolades. Since I moved into my custom listening room, accolades are the typical reaction-listeners don’t want to leave. Who leaves the last spoonful of gelato in the can without finishing?
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As to the Benchmark L4 versus the CJ pre-amp, one of the comments was The LA4 certainly isn't "lacking" anything. It's just transparent. But I could say it does 'lack' certain things in the sense of comparison to the CJ tube preamp. Based on my experience with both brands, I found CJ to have a house sound, not one that I or my friends prefer. The Benchmark, on the other hand, stock is clean and clear but lacking in areas the CJ excels-body and warmth of expression.
There is a cure for the Benchmark. Replace the computer quality, cheap-ass regulators, power and filter caps, maybe parts of the audio board, the Op-amp, etc. with audio (much more costly) parts. Benchmark products are only okay stock but can be great when modified. Their HDR-1 DAC is a great example of a terrific design with mediocre execution. It is a giant killer when modified.
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