After all the engineering and science is embedded into Audio Research Amps, they leave the final say so to Audiophiles who don't even know Ohms law; why is that?
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In regard to technical mumbo jumbo, I earned a living as an electronics technician, consequently I believed in specifications and I wondered why those dumb "audiophiles" paid so much money for tube electronics when my SS audio was so much better according to specifications.
After going to a high end audio emporium and listening, I discovered that specs don't tell much when it comes to audio, and every since then, I realized that my two ears can tell me more than all the specifications they can throw out.
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I'm so happy my golden ears never heard of any of that stuff; they know ignorance is bliss, and they only hear good music when it's present. I hope they never get educated.
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My golden ears told me that WAV is better than FLAC when I compared the two HD down-loads; now I no longer use HD down-loads because they only offer FLAC.
How brilliant of you to note that I can only speak with authority on my rig; you got anymore mind blowing observations left?
That's my lock-down sense of humor coming out.
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Since I down-load my reel to hardrive for playback, I think I can speak to the difference between the two with authority.
The direct reel playback is better by a hair, but not so much better that I don't enjoy the computer playback from the hard-drive. BTW, I use WAV which is the highest resolution and no longer available for HD down-loads.
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We don't listen to measuring devices we listen to music. Ages ago when I was all about specifications I agreed with the SS people for just that reason; however, if my musical ears tell me one thing while electronic meters say another, I'm going to go with my musical ears and consider all else of no importance.
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For me, it's more about transistors versus tubes as amplification than it is "digital". The PC can reproduce analog quite well; it's the SS amplification that's my primary problem in reproducing music.
It seems that only a real music lover can hear the difference between SS and tube amplification. |
As much as we tout R2R, I don't think this is the time for someone new to get in.
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I did some recording at 15 IPS and considered it to be a waste of tape for recording LP's; 7 1/2 is quite sufficient.
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Music has always been very important to me, when I was in high school it helped to visualize my fantasies about this girl or that girl, or how marvelous my life would be when I became an adult.
Now I just enjoy the music without the fantasies. My music is sounding better than ever because of "the quiet grid", I'm also listening more intently as a result of "the lock-down". Before I became an "Audiophile, combination Musiophile"; I had to add that music bit, because music is still more important than the equipment. The purpose of the equipment is to faithfully reproduce the music, not recreate it.
BTW, I've been to numerous electronics schools as part of earning a living, I mention this because when I got into audio it was all about the "specifications" for me; I was always curious as to why those "dumb audiophiles" were paying so much for inferior equipment, when according to specifications my SS was far superior.
It was not until my most prized SS preamp bit the dust, and I wandered into a high end emporium did I discover why those "dumb audiophiles" were spending so much money. "Specifications" be damned, it's all about what it sounds like. As a music lover, I quickly discovered "tubes" were what's happening regardless how much some pay for their SS equipment; SS may reproduce beguiling sounds, but not music.
As far as I'm concerned, people who spend tons of money on SS equipment are hooked on beguiling sounds as opposed to the music that the artist created. As a matter of fact, I am of the opinion that most of the people on this forum are equipment lovers as opposed to music lovers; consequently, "if" I had the money to audition the ultra expensive equipment they review, I would probably be most satisfied with what I have.
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"The point of entry to reel to reel is so much more affordable than getting into vinyl."
That sentence is about as ambiguous as a sentence can get; entry level to vinyl is a waste of money, and although I've been into reel since the 70's, I don't have a clue as to what "entry level" is now.
Due to present shipping problems, I don't recommend getting into R2R.
As someone who is as addicted to R2R as a junky is to his stuff, I will comment on my present problems. I was working on my reel, and due to pre-occupation with COVID 19 problems, I goofed and caused major problems; now I have to find parts, and that's where I am now.
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Some people have the ability to hear but not the ability to "listen". I've noticed that my rig is sounding extra special; that's because of "the quiet grid". This means that almost everyone else's rig is sounding better, they just haven't noticed.
This "lock-down" has produced what might be the quietest grid in history. All that activity that's normally on everyone's AC outlet diminishes a "black background" and holographic imaging. Those are two very expensive items that are produced to a great extent by the expensive power supply on high end equipment, and now you're getting the end result of all that expense for free.
If I'm getting all this improvement, I feel certain you are too, because of the decrease in activity on your electrical grid.
Do some critical listening and tell me if you notice an improvement in your rig?
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I have a SONY KA3ES that I like, they come with exceptional headphone outputs.
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I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to buy some NOS Telefunkens for my tube phono preamp.
You can go up the ladder, but it ain’t easy if you have to come back down; although I haven’t gone as far as that cartoon.
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"As to amplification, if the speaker is a difficult load, I would choose high powered SS"
I would have no objection to that, but my speakers are 92 DB and are easily powered by 70 watt tube mono blocks.
It seems that connoisseurs of good music, like connoisseurs of fine wine prefer tubes.
Funny story; I was with some connoisseurs of fine wines, and every time they opened a bottle they poured me a glass because 3 glasses came in each bottle. While they were going all "Ga Ga" over the wine, all I knew was that it tasted better than Mogen David, or Rosy O Grady. If it had been fine music I could have commented. |
Before I gave a thought to tubes or transistors, when I was in high school in the 50's, I listened to the radio. During this time the music sounded special. In the 60's, after tubes were replaced by transistors, it didn't seem to sound as good.
The most dramatic change was when juke boxes in lounges went all SS plus digital; people quit playing the jukebox, it was flat, no life.
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Raul, what you don't understand is the fact that for all of my life, I never listened to anything else but SS. My audio education was with Julian Hirsch and "Stereo Review", and neither him nor the magazine was into tubes; as a matter of fact, I don't recall anything but SS.
When we (my audiophile friend and I) auditioned that CJ tube preamp (loaner) that was obviously defective, with both noise and distortion, but the music sounded better; that SS preamp that I owned at that time was certainly the last SS preamp I will ever own. His ears were so keen that he could tell when I replaced interconnects.
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I have a Technics 2 Track 1500 that has been modified with Black Gate capacitors when such things were available, that I'm quite satisfied with.
My speakers are custom built to have 0 sound of their own. An "eccentric" speaker design engineer designed the crossover, and I picked out the drivers. They're so neutral, that you can immediately tell the difference between interconnects.
I've listened to many beguiling speakers that had a sound of their own, such as Klipsch La Scala, and many others that sound very appealing, but my speakers simply put out what you put in, meaning I get nothing but what the artist intended.
I have often wanted to compare my speakers to other speakers, but that's no longer an option since brick and mortar stores no longer exist in my area. If and when I get excess funds, I will buy some very expensive speakers that I have picked out and finally compare.
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Tubes reproduce the inner essence of the music, while SS reproduces a facsimile of the music which can be silent and noise free "sound" that many find quite appealing.
Homer has PrimaLuna integrated, while I have PrimaLuna Mono Blocks, and Audible Illusions Preamp; both are silent without distortion. Tube gear can be brought up a long way with careful selection of NOS tubes as well.
I borrowed a high end ARC SS preamp for audition, and me and my audiophile friend listened for only a few minutes before we decided to return it. That was the end of SS preamps for me.
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Raul, I'm an electronics technician, that's how I earned a living. There was a time when I lived by specifications, and SS was always the best.
When my highly rated SS preamp bit the dust, I decided to try tubes. A dealer sent me a a CJ tube loaner, it was a PV10. This preamp had "apparent" distortion, there was no mistake about it, but the music sounded better.
I invited an audiophile friend over to evaluate who hears better than me. He immediately noted that although there was both noise and distortion, the music came through all of that, and it sounded better "musically".
Some people like the "sound" of things while others distinguish how close whatever it is to live music; it's possible that the sound they like is not the closest to live music.
I believe what I say is "true", while you believe what you say is true. In the end, it's not about the truth, but what you prefer.
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Raul, I agree with almost everything on your most recent post, but it's impossible to have 0 distortion, plus 0 noise and good "music" reproduction with SS; that's because of the way SS amplifies signals as opposed to tubes. Pure music can only be amplified by class A tubes, while SS makes a facsimile of the signal that may sound ever so pleasing to many ears because it can be 100% noise and distortion free (according to measurements)
The big question is, "Are audiophiles equipment lovers or music lovers"? From most of the comments, I believe they're equipment lovers, but that's just fine with me.
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sdrsdrsdr134, I am so into R2R that I haven't posted on this thread in regard to R2R, but that was in response to "Raul" always commenting on distortion and noise.
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Raul, anytime somebody eliminates tubes, that tells me beyond any shadow of a doubt, that they like "sounds" as opposed to music.
While you get 0 distortion, 0 noise you're not getting pure music; only tubes deliver that.
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