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Audiophile Priorities and Recent Topics

I'm increasingly fascinated by the number of threads that have been created lately by OP's who have joined over only the last 2 months with less than 30 posts that all seem related to the importance of wires and tweaks. While I'm not dismissing the notion that everything matters in hifi (including digital cable), it seems that these topics vastly overwhelm thread topics that clearly would have more influence to hifi audio sound such as discussions of the sonic characteristics of various amplifier topologies, the importance of simplifying the signal path, and identifying fantastic speaker/amplifier synergies, etc...

If some unsuspecting newbie were to stumble onto this forum they would likely come away thinking that a fuse or a piece of wire are the most important elements towards obtaining wonderful hifi sound. This is unfortunate. For example, my discovery of listening to a SET circuit years ago paired with speakers possessing a high and flat impedance greatly outshines any joy derived from identifying the finest digital cable produced by man. I'm simply questioning the hifi priorities that this forum seems to be obsessed with lately.

Is it just me?
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cleeds
5,714 posts
 
rufusluna
By far the place to make the most money is in tweaks and cables  ... Any idiot can start a cable business.
So when will you be starting your cable biz?
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments OP
2,097 posts
 
@cleeds +1

I too believe cables make a difference - and you need to be a "non-idiot" to produce a good one.  I just don't think they are contributing to more than 5-10% of my system's overall performance - and appreciate other's thoughts on the relative impact that cables and other items make on their rigs.
almosthome
40 posts
 
mike_in_nc4:58pmFinally, it’s easier to sneak a new pair of wires or set of fuses into the house than a new pair of speakers. That can be important to those who hope to be spared questions -- of cost and sanity -- from life partners.
Mike.
NOW you tell me? The trucking company tells me my speakers are on the way for delivery today.
Dead man walking...

unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma
919 posts
 
Three_easy_payments:

I started out in this hobby when I bought Dyna70 and DynaPAS kits and built the stuff myself at the age of 14, back in the 1960s.

David Halfer’s Dynaco was built on the premise of simple (simple!) high quality design that was affordable. That ethos had largely vanished in the audio world of today.

The system that I have today is built on the foundation that I started out with 53 years ago. The premise is the same: don’t spend much, carefully shop to get the most for the dollar out of each compatible component.

The biggest recent improvement was a consequence of moving into a new home that needed a gut restoration. I have a room that is semi-anechoic, and the sound quality went up by a whopping 25% to 30%. All for the amount of money I was to spend anyway for thermal performance, about $2000.

Which would you choose?
$2000 on a room treatment for 25% improvement $2000 on cables for at best 5% improvement

see https://www.theaudioatticvinylsundays.com

I have tried expensive cable in the past. You will see that I found cable performance to be so negligible that I don’t bother to include them in my system component listing.

I thought until a few days ago that all of my cables were generic, except for some bottom of the barrel Monster. It turns out I still have Analysis Plus in there, connecting the table/SUT/preamp/amps from the last time I tried experimenting with cables, about 10 years ago, and completely forgot about them. 

cheers - unreceivedogma

apologies to those who by now have heard my mantra over and over, beaten into them with a baseball bat.
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