Havent we hashed the same topics out dozens of times already? I know I am just as guilty as anyone else but still cant help but wonder why do we regurgitate topics over and over? Its like we are trying to figure out something that cant be figured out, or atleast we keep debating topics that there is no clear concenious on. I suppose it keeps us talking and entertained somewhat like a hamster on a wheel or like watching Bill Murray in Groundhog day. Question like "Do power cables sound different", "Will a DAC help?", "How, who or what got you into this hobby", or "Is it the journey or the destination?. Dont you ever feel like just saying hit the damn search button?, we just argued about this a week ago! There is so much great info here and worthwhile topics to explore that I guess I just get tired of seeing the wasted space and lack of self education with a simple use of the search feature. I know folks are new and have what they feel are completley original thoughts and questions so you have to be welcoming and help out but geeesh. OK I am bored and a bit down, Liz in hospital and I am not myself so be kind.......afterall I dont think this has been asked before :)
It would definitely be nice if people would actually use the search function instead of asking the same inane questions over and over. Then, if they want further clarification or want further assurance regarding their specific case they can start a thread indicating that they have read the older threads and what their additional concerns are. I guess the easiest solution though is just to ignore the rehash threads and force the poster to use the search function.
This hobby is mostly stuck in a time warp. Phonograph records, CD's, tube equipment, hookup wire, passive crossovers, and the like are nostalgia, not serious attempts at state of the art, or even its budget imitation. I like old stuff as much as anyone, but the dream of vastly improving sound reproduction has almost gone lost. Where are the high end digital recording downloads, the update software for audio hardware and the high-res ipods? Digital amps are beginning to be accepted, but only in very conventional forms. Serious improvements,like digital room acoustic correction schemes, are ignored by most, while they purchase expensive analogue tweeks which do less and cost more.
I see it two ways. yep there's plenty of redundancy on the surface, however...
Things change.
Newer components arrive, new cables are made, and improvements in digital comes at leaps and bounds. Power conditioning too has moved onward and upward just recently. Some well respected models are discontinued too.
Naturally, lots more inquiries tend to follow. Personally, I don't find the vaunted 'search' function all that functional. I've spent hours trying to find info on some subjects only to find threads with one or perhaps two responses, or not entirely pertinent to the intended search.
True, it does yeild some good input now and then, but also many dead ends. Normally I will begin my research there though. usually.
Further, some of these rehashed items have enabled me to make some really good acquaintinaces here too so although some threads may be reheated now and then, the spin on it does tend to morph and different posters jot down their now, 'new' thoughts and so casts another light upon the old topic.
Five years ago, who would have thought a <$200 multi format player would be able to compete with units costing four or five times it's price? or that power conds could achieve the efficiency some now have? Consequently questions regarding matching and or (oh my god...) "what's best with a ....?" have different answers now than they had even 2 or 3 years ago... as well they should.
A lepoard can't change it's spots, but the spots on one are different than the spots on another.... and of course, there's U tube if one needs a break from the same old, same old.
Like many aspects of our lives today, people want immediate gratification. Maximum results with minimal effort.
Searching the archives can take an hour or so (most cases less) which apparently is too bothersome and time consuming for the members who know the system.
The exception are the newbies who aren't familar with the feature and should be cut some slack.
Sorry to Hear Liz isn't well I hope she recovers soon so you can get back to feeling better!!! I'm not sure everyone realizes the amount of information that can be accessed or they are just lazy, half the fun is the journey through the information(Goners experiences and systems).
I'm sorry to hear about Liz. I hope everything works out great. I think many of the veterans here need to have a little more patience...or maybe just don't reply to some posts if it somehow frustrates or upsets you. We ask questions because we truly don't know, don't have the time or resources to find out or truly value the expertise here. Try to take that as a compliment. Add to that the lack of choice in gear at local shops to actually do demos, and you can see how hard it is to make a choice, fix a problem, etc. Many, including myself, come here seeking info, an opinion, expertise with a problem. So we do searches and get sometimes over 100 hits. It's very time consuming to scrounge thru all the hits just to find out, in many cases, it was just a word match, with out info that actually pertains to what we seek. How much simpler it is to ask someone who's been there, and can fire off a very well informed answer. My work day is 12 hours long, and when you factor in workouts, and a social life, well, there's not much time left to surf, even for a very worthy cause like this place. As I said, take all of this as a compliment. Some of you guys/gals are quite sharp when it comes to this hobby. Thanks for being there for those of us who aren't, or don't have the resources.
I don't know what your griping about. Audiogon has this cool feature where you don't have to actually read everything... YOU CAN SKIP OVER IT. Nothing irks me more when someone writes "search the archives stupo." That's just going out your way to be rude.
As mentioned above, things change, new people see the thread, newbies discover the site and the last I checked, no two threads have ever been the same. Everytime I read a thread about audiophile grade breaker boxes or how to integrate a sub, I always learn something new. Why do you want to discourage this?
And besides, if we always have new and interesting threads, AudioFeil would have no one to roast. And then I would be bored, and that would be a shame.
It's the nature of the beast. Old-timers bemoan the same subjects while the newbies ask questions that've been asked many, many times. I find it interesting to go back (30+ yrs!!) to the old Absolute Sound mags and find the SAME questions/debates (blind-testing, reviewing gear that's too expensive, etc.)being discussed.
Although Igottatellya, Audiogon oughtta open a FAQ about the Oppo gear;)
Is Audiogon any different in this regard than other fields of inquiry? -- lots of repetition, a good bit of relatively minor insight and innovation, and the occasional striking insight and innovation.
If this is a fair description of what goes on here, it is also a fair description of what goes on in every academic field I am familiar with. And to judge, for example, by automotive design, it is true of much in industry too.
IMHO, people should definitely be encouraged to search, and politely directed to relevant threads, but people should also save themselves from what they regard as tedium by reading selectively, just as they would do in other areas.
If you think a question or general subject thread is dumb, endlessly redundant, or can be answered by s simple research, ignor it! Let someone else who would like to help or share step in and actually add something, not just edit.
If you already know everything why do you even visit here in the first place unless you want to help those who don't.
Oh, I know, bragging rights and validation. :-(
BTW, Charzo I couldn't agree with you more. FAQ's would be great and would save a lot of bandwidth as well. Now all you have to do is convince A-Gon that it will increase revenue and it will be added overnight. :-)
Chad, hopefully your wife is not battling some chronic condition which is deteriorating. I hope she is blessed with healing. No one finds fulfillment in audiophilia, and little things can be more bothersome when facing life situations like that. Hopefully, she can return home to you soon so that normalcy may be restored.
Lokie, they also have this cool feature known as Site FAQ which states "We may decline to post a question if: - The question has been answered many times in the past."
So its obvious in theory they dont prefer this repitition either and thats what I am "griping" about.
As far as your point of "search the archives stupo." That's just going out your way to be rude.-end quote
While I would never word it that way I would love to see it used more and enforced, if you think its rude to say use the search engine then I guess Google would never have been created. Telling a new member there is a detailed search function and suggesting they use it is not only NOT rude but its also giving them a tool that will help them far more than harm. Remember the old saying "give a man a fish and he eats once, teach a man to fish and he can feed himself"?
If you think this is bad check out a major newspapers sports forum! At least most of the writers here are sane. Some pomposity for sure, but mostly sane and polite.
As stated above, the search function is not all it could be. And we all start somewhere, getting feet wet with a thread or two. I see you had a thread asking about $200-$300 carts. Think that had ever been asked?
On a more important issue, hope your mate gets better.
BTW thanks for all well wishers, Liz is back home after 3 days in hospital, she went in with extreme Virtigo and then had a troubled Cat Scan, her blood pressure was 75 over 30 and that was more issues. While we still dont know all we would like she is home and comfortable, thanks!
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