Those who seek to deny access to information


Like many/most here, one of the main reasons I frequent audiogon is to gather information. I am looking for ways to enhance the enjoyment I get from listening to music on my system. The information most valuable to me comes from those who share their actual experience with products that I am interested in, but have not heard in my system.

The audio community is a diverse one, with many opinions, ideas and perspectives. Many of them differ from mine, and that is fine. Those who disagree with me are free to make posts and start threads about whatever they choose. This doesn’t bother me, I am free to choose what I read, and what I don’t.

What does rile me up up is deliberate attempts to deny me (and others) access to the information that I value. There are some here who repeatedly seek to disrupt, sidetrack, derail, and shut down conversations about topics and products that trigger them. They do not contribute any useful information or experience to the discussion, and make disparaging comments about things they have zero experience with. They are bullies who mock, ridicule and provoke those who use, make and sell certain products. They seek to stifle any discussions about, and especially positive opinions of, the products and people they clearly have a vendetta against.

They can start their own threads, and talk about what a fool I am all day long, I don’t care. Their deliberate and repeated attempts to deny myself and others access to the information we value, however, are intolerable.

tommylion
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@ozzy ​​​​@mikelavigne So true….. I frequent WB but don’t post much. My main hangout here is the music section. I don’t come to ANY Audio site to hear about the gold standard, the Fed, Cancel culture, Jordan Peterson, vaccines, a Chinese plot , hanging chads, etc….. 

Best 

jim

@teo_audio :

the next thing they need to do, is to deal with repeat (banned) offenders, that use the same IP over and over and over, with new ID’s. To do as some forums do. Ban IPs. Not users. IPs.

I fully agree with this. There was a dude not a long time ago who literally came back with a dozen usernames. A few times the same day the previous username was banned. Ridiculous 

 

Another feature I would like to see added is to be able to block a user. So that they would be unable to see my posts, and me unable to see their posts. Facebook has this, and many other sites.

 

 

@tomic601 said: " I don’t come to ANY Audio site to hear about the gold standard, the Fed, Cancel culture, Jordan Peterson, vaccines, a Chinese plot , hanging chads, etc…".

Amen.

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Audiogon is past the point of pulling it back to only serious users. it’s the wild wild west and you can’t un-ring the bell.

about the only thing i can think of that would change the culture immediately, would be to mix system page posts with the forum feed threads. all of a sudden then the system building activity would get attention, and the trolls and non listener know-it-all’s would be marginalized since they would not be relevant. someone’s personal system has a different vibe than a regular thread topic. it holds a person and a life. the members would push out rabble rousers.

that is how it was to begin with, and system pages got lots of action. it held serious users here on Audiogon. like me.

would it be good for Audiogon, Inc.? don’t know. you’d have to ask them.

btw; i have suggested it a few times but it went no where.

What are the hallmarks of a serious audiophile? Just curious.

@onhwy61

it has nothing to do with money. it is about having a serious interest in enjoying the best possible music reproduction. it’s about having the passion to appreciate the process of advancing toward better sound and musical enjoyment. and also to want to learn, or help others learn.

you don’t need to even own a system, it’s more a state of mind and attitude.

one of the most active passionate serious audiophiles i know does not own a system. but he is all in on the hobby and the music.

i could get into what it’s not, but one only needs to read this and other threads to easily see about that. people get caught up in all sorts of agendas or hang ups and miss the joy and fun of it. 

What are the hallmarks of a serious audiophile? Just curious.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

CANI

Continual
And
Never ending
Improvement

Music is "The Gospel" from man/woman to man/woman. It is a labor of Love from a few for all to enjoy.

"fag an benlach" Gaelic for " "Clear the Way" and the Bagpipes play on the Virginia battlefield. Singin’ cryin’ and dyin’. "fag an benlach" "CLEAR THE WAY"

The passion that sent them, brother against brother is the same passion in music.

WARS were fought over German vs Italian opera.

The greatest sign of all is "PASSION" in anyone’s PHILIA.

No mark for the one who is silent, speak up. The only thing between anyone’s passion is the fear of fear itself.

"I would rather you be, HOT or COLD, but lukewarm I will spit you out of my mouth" Author GOD...

PASSION, commitment and sharing.

Regards

I dunno. My sense is Audiogon is gonna do whatever they do. This is tail wagging dog isn’t it? They don’t make money from the forum except I guess from advertising?

I think there is still a broad, worldwide audience for this site and occasionally see cross posts from other fora posted here. Somehow, I can manage to navigate through or past the contentious nonsense, but the real loss is a disappeared thread that got "deleted" and had good info until it turned into a train wreck.

My experience with other sites is that the stuff isn’t actually deleted, it is just concealed or "unpublished." But it would take time and effort to go back through those and curate them to restore them without the "bad" posts. And going forward, it requires a degree of moderation that simply isn’t happening-- another user pointed that out to me. That’s why, unless something is completely outrageous, I will not flag a post. And some stuff can go on for pages that is irrelevant to audio. I hate this saying, but "it is what it is." 

The culture of a board is made up by its users. The rules or terms of use are really there for the rule abiding in my experience. And it’s been a while since I looked at the TOU but it could be stronger. However, it comes back to enforcement and I don’t think A-Gon has the moderator resources. Perhaps with a clear set of rules and some volunteer mods, they could do better. I dunno. I do know that anyone who volunteers to be a moderator shouldn’t-- kind of like being the hall monitor.

I don’t see where the forums are stopping anyone from being serious audiophiles. It’s actually much easier to get really good sound these days than ever. So in that sense more successful audiophiles than ever. Times change. Gotta get with the times. Just keep it civil and be respectful of others! That should never change.  No need to never be satisfied in order to join the club. 

“ you don’t need to even own a system, it’s more a state of mind and attitude.

one of the most active passionate serious audiophiles i know does not own a system. but he is all in on the hobby and the music.’

Exactly so ! … Recently highlighted by Denny and his minions espousing that anyone not displaying a series of glossy images of their audio vanity project are not worthy of making comment on this forum …

@onhwy61 Dunno exactly what would constitute an acid test for “ serious audiophile “…. but this is a mighty fine physical enunciation….

 

 

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a very fine enunciation, however, this isn‘t a pissing contest, as it would appear some would like to turn it into.

))) ... THIS IS CAPITALISM GUY - A WAR FOR MONEY AND THE MARKET ... this does not imply honesty, friendship, generosity ... you are alone in the jungle of electronics ... (of course there are exceptions, but there are few of them against the general background) ... secrets are hidden in this system - otherwise you will not bring money ... (there are also many simply stupid people without experience and knowledge)

tsushima1,

You seem to comment a lot. Can you share what your system consists of?

ozzy

hope you're not holding your breathe oz...

@ozzy 

You seem to have missed the following:

” Recently highlighted by Denny and his minions espousing that anyone not displaying a series of glossy images of their audio vanity project are not worthy of making comment on this forum …“

I choose not to.

As do others …. No qualms here listing my associated gear, specific mods and or tweaks when asked, but the need to upload pics for the world to see is not my cup.

Reminds me of … trophy boasting 

tomic601, great example, that dude has his act totally together.  I wish I was more like him.

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I thought everyone knew that If you take pictures of your equipment it will steal it’s soul, thus degrading it’s ability to reproduce music. 

Lol @femoore12. If this were truth, please enlighten me. Huh! A now level playing field, how could it be …. 🙃

@dabel It’s true! It’s part of the never ending upgrade cycle. You have to buy new stuff since it won’t sound as good. That’s why they want you to post photos of your system….. they’re all in cahoots…

I always make sure I‘m packing my phone when I visit a dealer showroom

the download‘s the fun part..

 

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regarding the posting of a user system, i have the following thoughts

- i can see both sides of the equation... there are folks who show their gear, there are those that don’t -- for either stance, there are right (honorable) and wrong (dishonorable) reasons for doing so

- for active participants here, i feel on balance it is good to show their gear, their setup... as it is indicative of their experience level, their depth of knowledge, their degree of commitment to the pursuit -- especially if they give a lot of advice and share alot of knowledge here ... like one’s track record of buying and selling here, it shows a) we are dealing with a real person, b) that person has had real dealings with other enthusiasts, and if the feedback is good, that that person is a good person... you simply cannot fake a mountain of only positive feedback over years, and c) that person has been at this passion for some time, and there is a base of experience behind the posts they make

- of course posting gear can be taken too far, and some people do it for the wrong reasons, to boost their fragile egos, kind of modern currency in the sad ’look at me’ culture, mistaking that a person’s worth and knowledge is measured just by material things owned - that said, a good hifi is made of certain well selected things, these are indeed things that are necessary to reproduce lovely music in our abodes, so for a user to show those things fill out a picture of where that person is coming from...

- the problem i have is, as ozzy points out, is when there are folks who come here, post ALOT, usually to tell someone else they are wrong and need to shut-up, they don’t know what they are talking about, they are trying to pull wool over others’ eyes, some folks keep jabbing and sniping, without relent, tit for tat, again and again, must always have the last word (as if there is such a thing...) -- that gets old for many of us here, it makes us wonder, so mr. hotshot -- who the hell are you? what is the basis for the high horse you are riding? are you actually credible in what you say? what is the base of your experience? not posting a system in this case, not showing any track record, not showing you are a real person... is a problem

- end of day, i feel, you want to lay low, don’t show your gear, your track record, then lay low, and be more careful, modest, selective in your commentary, so as to stay consistent with these very values you claim to espouse -- don’t try to have it both ways, people here aren’t stupid, they see through it, see the b-s

my 2 cents

I thought everyone knew that If you take pictures of your equipment it will steal it’s soul, thus degrading it’s ability to reproduce music.

INTACTO

 

Too much people are preoccupied by OTHERS persona and not enough by ideas in audio or in any other fields..

I love everyone here even those who are "annoying" and very difficult to love...

Any being is interesting anyway...

I am only interested by book, ideas, and in audio, by acoustic...

Gear upgrade to me is a dead end if gear upgrade replace acoustic methods...

Because  many people dont discuss ideas in any matter but only gives impressions and communicate their taste about gear, i am less involved or less tempted to be involved...I never essentially in my thread be promoting mainly the gear itself  save for their  exceptional ratio quality/price...

Censorship, or insults put me away....

And childish divisions between objectivist obsessed by measures and subjectivist obsessed by their tastes are a creation of conflicting marketing methods, not basic audio listenings experiments, then much of all audio thread are way less appealing...

Anyway i listen music, my system is finished....Upgrading is ridiculously useless for me....Even for sure if it is always possible....My system is 500 bucks though and anything more costly seems to me useless consumerism because basic S.Q. is already mine; thanks especially to acoustic which is something that interest very few people because we need a dedicated room anyway...

I will come to discuss ideas....Not tastes or costly tweaks....😁😊

My respect to all....

 

 

Hey pesky_wabbit,

I see the Robertson 4010 amp sold for about $200 and the Marantz cd5000 for about $160. Isn’t that what you have? Nothing wrong with getting a deal.

I see the Roberson 4010 at one time was rated class C in Stereophile.

What do you think of it?

ozzy

so it looks like you have been desperately raking thru all my posts trying to find some muck you can throw to discredit me. Why does that not surprise me?

Well yes Ozzie my Robertson does sound pretty fine within its own power envelope next to my AR REF150SE and Ayre V-5xe. Admiitedly it does have a few audiophile doodads in it thanks to partsconnexion, but I’m a solder slinger from wayback and I just couldn’t resist the temptation. My Leben CS600 and AR Vsi60 make nice mid power tube options, while the Classe CAP 2100 isn’t bad for a higher powered integrated. As for my Naim/Exposure collection from my Brit period, it is far too extensive to list here. Then there is the stuff I built.

The Marantz CD5000, as Lucas Lampizator rightly points out is probably the CD player bargain of the century as I was trying to bring to the attention of cash strapped audiophiles on this forum - especially when you take the output straght from the DA chip and bypass all the nasty output circuitry. And yes, it does sound mighty fine, if slightly outclssed when put up against my Wadia or Meridian transport and any one of about five far more expensive DACs (Chord, PS,Schiit, Alpha). My old Naim CD5XS still sounds pretty good downstairs.

So there you have it Ozzie. Enough name dropping for you? do I make it into the club?

I know I’ve sure got a hoarding problem.

I forgot to mention that I have been building tube gear for over 50 years and do commissions (phono, line, pp, SETs), but I guess that wouldn’t count for much in your world.

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the saying goes…. “ no man having caught a large fish goes home thru an alley “….

frankly, i love seeing audio rooms, decor, art, exotic wood diffusers, listening chairs, various dogs, etc…..

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jjss49

You better stop making sense! :-)

As for the Amex card, PLEASE post the front and back on the Virtual System page. I'd like to use it too.

Regards

Well … there you have it, a guy who knows his way around a multimeter and a soldering iron Vs a guy with an overused Amex card

I have been an AudioGon member for over 20 years.  I enjoy coming to the forums and getting information on things that I am interested in.  Are there very opinionated people here? People who talk about products without ever having heard them? Who belittle other posters who disagree?  Sure, the forums have all of those and more.  But guess what?  That is just a microcosm of our society at this point.  There is intelligent discourse, there are morons, there are genuine people, there are bullies, there are shills for their own products, just like society (and especially, but not exclusively, the USA).  So I don’t think that the forums and AudioGon should be judged because it is a reflection of the world in which we live, albeit a group with a particular interest.   I have learned a lot here, but one has to take all opinions with a grain of salt, because all parts of a system and room affect the sound of one’s system, and a particular component may sound great in one system and no different at all ion another.  I still like to read about it though.  People should not be so thin-skinned.

Yeah well there are Aholes on every site .I like this crazy audio wacko know it alls...You guys know,  who they are...lol...

The irony of many of these posts seems to be lost on the posters.

I think “Thyname” refers to Iron Maiden, not religion.

it seems there are many who want an echo chamber with no indication of deviation from the party line.

There are quite a few products which simply run afoul of established engineering and science.  There are things we don’t know or understand fully yet.  And Everyone hears differently.  We are at the intersection of these differing realities.

Everyone could learn something if they opened their minds.  Might also save a few bucks.

finally, keep in mind there are some relative novices who read these posts and IMHO its important for them to be made aware of the differing opinions on these controversial products lest they be vulnerable to blowing their budget on colored fuses before they even have decent speakers…

Park the vitriol.  

 

@jji666 :

I think “Thyname” refers to Iron Maiden, not religion.

Spot on! How did you figure this out?

My favorite Maiden track since I was a teenager many years ago:

 

Edit: I just noticed your username. 666. I should have thought about this, and how you guessed "thyname" handle 😀

That’s because you’re to preoccupied elsewhere ... Hence the fact you are not observed in, "A** Kicking, Rock and Roll!" thread started recently by goofyfoot ;-)

Edit: Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker

 

It may perhaps be obvious, but I would only assume there are more like myself that specifically choose not to display their system(s) simply because of the vitriol. I am fortunate enough to have about 45k into a system I like. I am aware that some will tell me I am stupid for liking it for some reason or other. My concern is whether I like it or not, and how many OMG moments it can provide.

I come here to be informed and entertained (!) but in terms of access to information all I can say is (from my viewpoint) that there seem to be a lot more posts being "disappeared" lately. Since I am not the person responsible for the deletions I can't express an opinion as to why that would so, but it does make me wonder.

Now, if you double up on the lamp cords with precisely 7 twists, raise them, smear the ends with Furutech Nano Liquid, face East while tightening the bare wire...(this works well for 70's acid rock, only.)  All other genres and periods, re-insert brand xyz.  :)  

How your room interacts with your loudspeakers #1 focus here.  Laser ruler a must.

      Think Positive, Test Negative                      More Peace, Pin 

Another great source of information in my opinion  is Audio Asylum.

99% of the people there are very helpful, and tolerant of divergent views.

Audio Asylum -- Audio Reviews, Audiophile Forums and Stereo Reviews

 

mg16

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