I dont know, i look at like a fish that gets hooked for the first time. The fish did not know there was a world above the water. The first time i got hooked was at Alma Hifi, in metro Detroit. 1989 BW801S2 and about 25 grand worth of Krell hardware backing it up. I could not belive the sonic images that were floating in front of me. I was hooked. Been mostly fun ever since. Maybe a little bit addiction/coping mechanism...ah.
|
@brettmcee / brett - Many thanks for yours posts here. Your description of the Jimi Hendrix reel-to-reel experience hooked me in, which brought me to the story you offered on our (individual) journeys to experience the music beyond its sonic properties. I couldn't agree more with your museum analogy, and every recording is indeed a gift.
It turns out some of my most cherished tracks are, in part, favored for their very obvious compromises in recording and/or transcription fidelity (i.e. 7th generation recordings....). Depending on the music and lyrics of a given track, a rough recording can be integral in delivering a more impactful experience than if the recording was clean and pure. Thank you for your thoughts!
|
@geoffkait i understand perfectly what you mean about ‘costs’ and ‘nirvana’.
i sat in front of my system listening to a beautiful copy of Jimi Hendrix Axis: Bold As Love on reel-to-reel, knowing that the tape would most likely self destruct at the end.
It did.
but it was the most beautiful live performance I have ever heard, in my own home.
|
« My wife always say that I talk too much when i speak to her»-G.M.
|
Confucius say man who spend time talking can’t hear at same time.
|
Nirvana is free if someone pay attention....
:)
|
brettmcee
Be careful with tubes. You can spend a lot of time and money with tube gear and unlike Solid State, tubes start to age as soon as you power up the device using them. And with my OCD i don’t want to worry about counting hours or testing tubes all the time.
>>>>>Everything has its price, including entry into Nirvana. 😇
|
Very beautiful and interesting post thanks brett….
All your thinking is also mine.....My best to you....
|
Hey Paul,
I started my journey--with focus--about 10 years ago...after i finished working on "Avatar" in New Zealand back in Dec. 2009.
Know that your journey is one of discovery on many fronts, so enjoy it!
You do not have to spend a lot of money to get excellent sound reproduction. Do your research, start with top-of-the-line vintage gear (20 yrs old or so, or even older) and work your way forward in time as you can afford it.
*Note: Find a good Tech/Repair shop and be good to them. You will call upon them often.
As an example, I have put together a system that is killer by 1999-2005 standards and at a fraction of original costs. Sprinkle in contemporary digital gear and you are good to go.
Clean power and balanced power designs (and interconnects) are worth while. Seek them out. Many will say that they are not necessary for the short runs one has in a stereo setup, but so far, I prefer balanced over unbalanced.
Simple well constructed cabling and interconnects will be fine. Look at what professionals use in studio as guide. I am currently using Mogami or similar designs/constructions.
Be careful with tubes. You can spend a lot of time and money with tube gear and unlike Solid State, tubes start to age as soon as you power up the device using them. And with my OCD i don't want to worry about counting hours or testing tubes all the time.
If you need/like tubes, try to keep them to your preamp. Find a preamp that promises 5-10 years of playback on one set of tubes. You can play around with adding them to your sources (tubed based digital players/streamers, phono pres, etc) but lemmetellya, get a DAC that is itself designed for high fidelity purposes. Don't skimp on the DAC.
Also don't worry about MQA or DSD too much. DSD is worth it sometimes due to the fact that some of the better mastering and restoration jobs are available in DSD/SACD. Just find a player that can decode some DSD but can output PCM for your DAC.
A good system doesn't 'reveal limitations' (god i hate when audio snobs say this), a good system lets you enjoy your music the way you want to enjoy it.
There is no museum out there to tell us what any recording is 'supposed' to sound like. It is our unique responsibility, privilege and joy as audiophiles to create our own museums or churches of sound, to illuminate to the best of our ability the history recorded in sound found on any/all formats.
Also don't let anyone tell you "that's a bad recording." Any recoding is a gift. We should cherish each expression captured and preserved for us and be humbled at its re-experiencing.
Reach out if you need a guide. This forum is a great resource as is Steve Hoffmans site.
Be well and rock on!
:-)
-brett
|
Paul to message a member directly just click on their name and at the bottom message user.
|
Haha, no worries. Yeah the Agon messaging feature isn’t as slick as some other sites, that’s for sure.
As you go up the ladder in sound quality, no doubt each further improvement costs more $$ than the last.
Many would say we’re crazy to keep chasing it
: ) |
I always wanted to give to myself an audiophile sound experience....For sure this is a relative experience...
But the idea is how can we improve the sound of the audio system we can afford with our limited amount of money....My discovery by way of homemade experiments is twofold: Most people dont know the potential S.Q. of their own system, and the way to improve it drastically cost peanuts...
|
People who haven't experienced good sound and the pleasure it brings to music reproduction never think about it, and from my experience, a surprising number of those who do experience it are not moved by it enough to acquire it themselves. |
The audiophile word is meaningless.
If you enjoy your system, and it makes you happy, you have already made it to ...ahem, cough,....cough,...audiophile land.
5k cables, a amps reviewer words, instruments floating on a cloud of fluffy bunny farts, etc etc, are just words from a paid magazine/reviewer! |
Your post is perfectly fine here. |
I'm new here. I was trying to send Kren0006 a private message. This was not intended as a post. But if it provokes some discussion, that would be great. |
