Your vote: Most Useless Audio Adjective

"Best" ....do a search in the forums or the listings...you'll see this one being used ad nauseum. I get 20 hits on "Tubelike" and 300 on "Best" in the forums. "Mint" pulls up 164. Now in the listings I think "Mint" does indeed best "Best". I'd disqualify "Mint" though since it is almost always applying to the cosmetic condition, and not the actual functional qualities..."Mint" is actually pretty black and white when it comes down to it...it either is or it isn't. "Best", on the other hand, is ripe with arrogance, and relatively useless in a hobby based around entire systems that are mostly in flux on a continuous basis, and are entirely relative to oh so many factors in their success or failure... not to mention wholely subjective. I think this is the best answer ever, don't you? Jaw droppingly insightful! Self-effacing and tubelike with that SS slam most of you crave.

Marco

Speaking of useless adjectives; a while back, I designed a t-shirt (and other useless products) using quotes ripped right off these very pages (I swear...I copied them verbatim...plagerism, right here on the Gon'!! Imagine that?!). Check out the t-shirt here and click on "view larger" then "zoom in on image" in order to read a few many more useless adjectives in action.

(Pay no attention to the shameless plug for the cheap swag).

Marco

You "Pipe and Slippers" lot ought'a write yourself a manifesto to clarify your mission to the world. You'll need to come up with some additional categories to define other qualities of sound...maybe group them into classes...publish a regular journal of some sort to enlighten the rest of us. Here are a few suggestions of more adjective substitutes: Evil Klown (note the "K" substitution). Afro Pick, Close-N'-Play, Flying Monkeys, Good Humor Truck, Used Condom, Burma Shave, Crack Whore. Just give it a few years and you'll see the cover story in Stereophile picking up on the trend: "...this performance yet again puts the $30K Tri-Vista solidly in our Crack Whore category. If it weren't for the lack of pipe and slippers in the highest octave (it was my dog who had to key me in about this), it would go into the coveted Crack Whore riding the Good Humor Truck category (Buying that double-page spread ad in this months issue might have helped them achieve that status as well)." In the same issue you might see the iPod (generation XVII) go from hobo camp to used condom status. Personally, I recommend burma shave stuff for the best bang for the buck.

...Tristan Tzara would be proud.

Marco

To imply that it will take Stereophile as long as "a few years"

Ah, Zaikes, you obviously missed the operative preface in the headline: "yet again". Let me further predict that the follow-up issue will see a B&W speaker gracing the cover (AGAIN) declaring it has established a new plateau of performance worthy of the subcategory "rollerderby crack whore"

Marco

A post yesterday reminded me of another adjective I've never understood - 'vinyl' like. With all the different cartridges and phono preamp variations it can't be tonal, can't be that someone wants clicks, snaps, pops, and tracing noise, can't be the compression involved in recording.

It's really quite simple; it means, flat and black with a small hole in the middle. Some donuts are 'vinyl like'. Manhole covers are often loosely described that way, though their holes are more often towards the edges.

Your post gave me an idea for a descriptor for the manifesto, exclusively for vinyl playback devices and donuts: "Rice Krispies"!