Is live reproduction the goal of audio?

I guess if you own a stereo you qualify ,but why dump on bose then?

Touche! I dump on Bose because I know that for the same amount of money you can have a much more rewarding investment. But that's just my opinion, as is everything I'm putting out here. I am not under the illusion that my opinion should be applicable to everyone. Fact is there's nothing really wrong with Bose that a sledgehammer and a dumpster wouldn't fix. Oh damn, there I go again. I didn't learn the lesson you were teaching. Back in the early 80's when I popped my audiophile cherry I had a good friend with a pair of Bose 901's hanging in his Brooklyn loft. Powered, no doubt, by some mass-market SS system. It sure filled the loft with sound, but had no redeaming qualities I can recall other than being capable of playing loudly. Around the same time I was introduced to some modest systems that were probably less expensive than the Bose rig, yet were very memorable. Some I recall to this day with great fondness. I'd like to send them cards and flowers every year, but I've lost their addresses.

On the other hand, my neighbor was showing off an airplane to me that he's building in his workshop . While I was there he had a little boombox thing playing some music. For a garage boombox it didn't sound too bad. Beter than you average boombox. It was a Bose Wave radio. Go figure.

Marco

There are a lot of different type of sledge hammers and in my little town there are three companies who can provide dumpsters for bose speakers.
Are there any sledge hammers that are better than the others, or is it all height and weight dependant? What color dumpster works best for bose speakers, or is that model dependant?
If one speaker is a bigger piece of crap does it require a larger dumpster even though the speaker dimensions are not any larger than those of another speaker?
The advice I get on Audiogon is so helpful in so many aspects of my life.

You see ...that's what the thinking is. If someone in the know puts the so so system in an room that is to die for sonicly then we are not talking the same game. Then then the logic is if we spend 100000 in an environment that can do the same for the cheaper stuff then it's the best.

When any engineer ....from cars to hi-fi wants to go to greatness he must forget the logic and and start removing the "mass" ....light and powerful etc. In hi-fi the more we pay to justify our spending the more thing weighs tons. The only field that goes against science. Look at the old type boat anker amps ....sales are dropping. Look at the new "less mass" generation.

From computer to car to homes and ipods ....better lighter engineering. Hi-fi 1000lbs systems are old school.

C5150: you lost me bro'. Sorry but my puny brain can't cope with your exposition on boiled steak.

Hey we're in this particular universe at this time, who knows where or what universe we might end up in the next moment? But art, and especially music, that exists in time, frequency and dynamic range is the most kinetic of all art forms. There is no spatial element to boiled steak, dynamic range and maybe time to chew and injest, but the frequency response is very limited. And one bite may be as boring or exciting as the next.

I don't think one needs to spend $100,000 or even $10,000 to achieve sonic satisfaction, but earbuds with MP3 lossy encoding plain SUCKS and I can hear it and detest it. So don't tell me that your iPOD is nirvana, cause I won't buy it. And I'll tell you something else, when all those kids with their earbuds and iPODs do grow up and realize what they're missing, they'll be stocking up on those horrible boat anchor amps and good speakers simply becuase they SOUND BETTER.

Definitely go for the industry standard green dumpster. 9 out of 10 professional sanitation engineers can't be wrong! You can tenderize your steak before you boil it using the sledge hammer. When it's done, throw it all in there with the Bose speakers and we'll have us a little piece of heaven in a dumpster served-up Audiophile style! 5-star chefs will turn their backs, while Ferarri mechanics try to figure out where the engine is, but we'll all be happy cause we've got everything we need in that green dumpster.

I don't need anyone to tell me what I should like C5150. Specialists, critics, 5-star pros, Oprah, nor the Pope have no clue as to what makes me tick, or what I enjoy...shit, Oprah doesn't even know me, and the last time the Pope was over he fell asleep on the couch and snored all night. If I go out and buy the latest list of Records to Die For from the recent Stereophile I could almost guarandamntee you I'll dislike more than half of them. If I go out and watch all the movies that Siskel and Roper give a thumbs up to...well that'd probably be just about everything they review...there would certainly be quite a few I'd dislike. You may have some magical technique to cook steak, but it ain't necessarily gonna' make everyone happy. Critics may agree....top professionals in the field even...unimpeachable authorities may make declarations to end all declarations...none of it will matter cause you or me or anyone on this list will experience it in a unique way, whatever it may be. Shoot, just take a look at any of the hundreds of threads that ask the question "What is the best __________" and take a gander at the wide variety in the list of answers. I want to start a thread asking simply, "What is the best answer?!"

Agree with Stevecham about the MP3/iPod combo...you can keep it, and better pick up a bottle of Advil if you plan on listening to it for any length of time. The op-amp in iPod leaves much to be desired. Line-out is not nearly as bad - if you go into a good headphone amp, use WAV or Apple Lossless and some good cans, you've got something quite listenable. Still, I'd trade the combo for a nice solid boat anchor with a good DAC and speakers any day. Ahoy matey! Blast yer' scuppers! Haul in the mizzenmast! Weigh anchor, we're off to sea!

Marco