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I'm interested in hearing what "the best" systems sound like, where to go?

I have my system sounding pretty good now with a wide sound stage and good depth and imaging. I hear faint details that I have never heard in songs before. It took me three amps, two CD players, two sets of speakers and room treatments to get where I am. But the rabbit hole being what it is....I can't help but wonder....do I have the best it can be? I've been to brick and mortar, high end audio stores, but they don't really have listening rooms. Do any of you know of a place that has a good selection in stock that also has a good listening room to try them out? I would like to hear what is considered "the best". I would like a yard stick to use to determine if I'm getting everything out of the recordings that I can get. Even if it is thousands of dollars outside of my budget, I would like to know what I'm chasing.
baclagg

Showing 11 responses by geoffkait

geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
OK, in case anyone is wondering why is the sound at shows frequently so bad, aren’t these guys professionals? Well, yes and no. Here are the top four or five reasons why getting good sound at the shows can be rather elusive. 

1. Brand new speakers, electronics and cabling. I mean, come on people! That’s a recipe for disaster. 

2. Everybody is plugged into the same circuit. No they don’t have dedicated circuits for every room. 

3. Vibration isolation of all front end components is probably not common, I’m guessing a little here on that one. Seismic type vibration can be a real issue at shows, you know, what with all the foot traffic. 

4. Tweaks are not used extensively on most exhibits, again I’m surmising. Maybe I’m wring, but I doubt, it. Even room treatments.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
“Do you have a shirt that you really love,
One that you feel so groovy in?
You don't even mind if it starts to fade,
That only makes it nicer still.
I love my shirt, I love my shirt,
My shirt is so comfortably lovely.”
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I promise this won’t take long but getting back to the subject of the thread for just a moment I would like to try to express how much better the best system I ever heard, you know, the one that’s a couple Metro stops away, is compared to the next best system I ever heard. It’s like night and day. It’s light years ahead. It will make you think seriously about getting out of this hobby altogether and finding another hobby, maybe model trains 🚂 or macrame. 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Maybe it’s just me but isn’t MC copying Michael Green’s whole free wheelin’ Elmer Gantry way of talking? It’s that over the top Las Vegas 🎡 carnie thing. Naked and they dance. 💃 It’s uncanny.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I knew I shouldn’t have written that as soon as I did it. 😬 Tip for the day - clean all Schumann frequency wall outlet connections with isopropyl alcohol. I use white pipe cleaners. You can see the grime easier with white ones. 😛 Especially recommended for those with many Schumann resonators, I won’t mention any names. Clean contacts and Graphene enhancer if you can get some reduce that old bugaboo, micro arcing. 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I was afraid of that. My comment was misinterpreted. What I was trying to say was of course 70s speakers can sound better than big expensive modern ones. Of course the opposite is true, too, modern speakers can be made to sound better than 70s speakers.  I was only hinting at what the general reaction to that statement would probably be, “Are you out of mind?” This is similar to the sentiment expressed on another thread that - contrary to popular audiophile opinion - yes, older CD players can be made to sound better than modern players. All it takes is a little know-how, as they say. 🤗
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Can speakers from the 1970s sound better than big expensive modern speakers? Are you out of mind? 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I have a gut feeling those guys are not the tweaking kind. Most likely they are from the “only good solid engineering” school of thought.

”We don’t do tweaks here.” 🧐
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Sound quality is variable. It’s relative. You have to compare a system to something else. There are no absolutes. What might sound great to you could rather generic and mundane to someone else. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, “but my system sounds fabulous!”
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I know a place that represents the state of the art in SQ. Lucky me, it’s not very far. 🤗 Blow your mind. 🤯 I know a little bit about how to get good sound, you know, having been in Best of Show systems at CES at least three times.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
That gentle readers is the $64,000 question. Having had the misfortune to live in Dayton, I would be inclined to eliminate Dayton from consideration. 🤗
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