Thanks for the great responses so far. Maybe I'll end up just referring him to this thread! To be clear, I don't know that his curiosity stemmed from the dollars and cents, as it did from wanting to understand the motivations of the folks like me who use this gear, and just what it was that made one box better than the other one. Money never came into the discussion.
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Yeah, that one's outt'a here! So much for referring Dad to this thread! As I said, he wasn't questioning any investment. I actually haven't spent anything on my system in a very long time so it's a non-issue. |
Mr. T - That's really not an explanation at all of what he's asking about. He loves music too. His wife is first chair viola in an orchestra for over 40 years and teaches music at home. He was asking to understand the boxes themselves and why one was considered better than the other, why one is more expensive than the other, and what goes into making them that way. Tobias hit it on the head, thank you; yes, the guy sincerely wanted to understand about the pursuit of perfection in this hobby and what things motivated it and defined success in that pursuit. I certainly did not feel the need to defend myself as many here seem to be implying. I also didn't feel like he was implying I needed counseling, though that may not be a bad idea :-) Still enjoying the responses, regardless. Thanks! |
So I did actually sit down and write out an email to my FIL, which did start an bit of a further dialogue on the subject. I think he got it. It remains to be seen if he'll take the time to sit down and listen, and whether or not it will mean anything beyond the effort to acknowledge his caring. Here's the main body of that email: The primary motivator that drives audiophiles is to recreate the illusion of live music within a three dimensional space in their home. That is to hear the performance as if there were a stage in front of you with a singer at the center, drums in the back and to the left, a cello to the far right and mid-stage, a mouse scurrying across the wooden floor in the back of the hall stage right, etc. The ideal is the full illusion that the performers are there in front of you in a space that is is not really there. In fact a better recording on a good system can give the sense that the music was recorded in a stone church, or in a large hall. That is the goal of stereophonic recording - an illusion of presence, naturalness and reality. How effective that illusion is depends entirely upon those boxes and what's inside them, as well as on the wires that connects them and the space they're setup in (much the same as the space the orchestra plays in has a profound effect on how they sound). I think most folks don't take the time to setup their system to take advantage of that illusion, either because they don't care about it, or are not aware it is possible. What makes one box better than another is whatever the 'one' does to make the sound coming out of the speakers sound more like live music. To refine the performance of any of the boxes means to design the circuitry better, use better components, and make the components you do use synchronize well together. Much like designing a performance race car, or a fine musical instrument. You cannot just randomly throw together the best parts available for the task. To succeed it requires great skill and knowledge, and even some creativity combined with that awareness of how those parts interact with each other to create "the whole". To really appreciate this, as far as the stereo is concerned, you'd have to actually sit down in the right spot (the sweet spot), and listen yourself. Nothing could explain it better, or not explain it at all should you not hear or appreciate the illusion. Just as one may not hear or appreciate the differences in two violins, the same holds true for a stereo; you may not hear, and or care about any differences that exist. Anyway, if you have time when you're next over I'd be happy to demonstrate it to you if you are interested. It is not something you'd appreciate very much at a distance from outside of the sweet spot, though certainly there are many qualities that extend to listening elsewhere which make the music occur as more natural and present. None can match the qualities you'd hear sitting in the right spot. Please feel free to keep your own comments coming. I've enjoyed the input. |
Great feedback and LOL. I think I'll keep my johnson in my pants and out of the conversation. Measuring tools will likewise be left out of the dialog. As interested as he was in finding out more about my motivations, I do believe there is a line in the sand that one just does not cross and Knownothing must know something to make that sage observation as (s)he has. I'm afraid I don't have a clock radio for demonstrative purposes. ..would a Clever Little Clock do? Oh, my, don't get me started there. |
Have you considered medication Joey? No, seriously, I appreciate a personal visual aesthetic and it seems like some of my best friends are obsessive about one thing or other. Live and let live. One man's blinking LED's are another man's sharp stick in eye. |
