Can you buy it?

[dallasjustice]

I had private discussion with an imminent member which led to this poll.

Let's face it; audio playback is a high dollar hobby. Even modest DIY systems can cost several thousand dollars and the upper end systems have exceeded one million dollars. That's a lot of money for anyone, IMO.
The question is whether audio playback is the same type of high dollar hobby as other high dollar and high performance collection hobbies focused on luxury items/services such as watches, artwork, boats, cars, helicopters, women . . .

How is music playback different? Is it different at all?

 

[iridium]

I had private discussion with an imminent member which led to this poll.

Let's face it; audio playback is a high dollar hobby. Even modest DIY systems can cost several thousand dollars and the upper end systems have exceeded one million dollars. That's a lot of money for anyone, IMO.
The question is whether audio playback is the same type of high dollar hobby as other high dollar and high performance collection hobbies focused on luxury items/services such as watches, artwork, boats, cars, helicopters, women . . .

How is music playback different? Is it different at all?

I am not able to vote because "Yes, but only from the right audio dealer or other professional" is just to wide open for the normal rip-off. Just consider what is presented on other forums.

>>>Yes, but only from the 1 in a 1000 totally vetted audio dealer or other professional<<< would be better.

So, I might vote NO if the choices stay the same.

iridium.

 

[TBone]

I've spent 1000X more on other hobbies, so who am I to judge.

It's no different than any other hobby, if the interest & money, and perhaps more importantly; your better half looks the other way, fine, spend away ... the music remains the same.

 

[Thomas savage]

I think high performance playback and the luxury element don't follow each other as reliably as one would imagine.

Dealers sell boxes and cables that make them money, if your lucky they will sell you good ones but even then they rarely take responsibility for what then occurs in your listening environment.

They tend to run away with your money and leave you to it, if your luck they might help set the speakers up( by ear).

No measurments in sight, no putting on dynamic music and testing for clipping, no putting on bass heavy music and looking at LF response in room.

The whole industry Seems to rely on a huge shared delusion of epidemic proportions. Seems to be one big exploitation racket.

 

[Purité Audio]

Thomas that is not true of all dealers, the vast majority yes!
I sell products that are designed to work with the room or fix any issues or in the case of the Beolabs take the room out of the equation altogether.
Keith

 

[dallasjustice]

Thomas that is not true of all dealers, the vast majority yes!
I sell products that are designed to work with the room or fix any issues or in the case of the Beolabs take the room out of the equation altogether.
Keith

Even if the Beolabs have perfect directivity over the entire frequency range, the room and the listening position will always be a big factor in sound quality. This is particularly true with 2CH systems.

There's no easy button.

 

[Thomas savage]

Thomas that is not true of all dealers, the vast majority yes!
I sell products that are designed to work with the room or fix any issues or in the case of the Beolabs take the room out of the equation altogether.
Keith

Yes Keith but your SPECIAL

It's not just dealers its manufacturers too... For me a truly integrated intelligently designed solution like the beolab 90 should be the norm not the exception.

 

[Purité Audio]

As well as constant beam directivity they also have room correction,PEQ and shelf/peak filters.
Try and grab a listen Michael.
Keith

 

[dallasjustice]

As well as constant beam directivity they also have room correction,PEQ and shelf/peak filters.
Try and grab a listen Michael.
Keith

It doesn't matter. It's still two speakers sitting on a floor in a room.

When you get them setup best in your room, take a sweep and post it.

 

[Purité Audio]

I will ,have you seen he polar response of the Beolabs?
Keith

 

[dallasjustice]

I will ,have you seen he polar response of the Beolabs?
Keith

Keith, you are making the same logical error that Bruno made trying to sell the kii audio speakers. The claim is that the room is taken out of the equation because the speaker has perfect directivity; or something like that.

That claim simply demonstrates a lack of understanding about how rooms interact with speakers, particularly at low frequencies.

 

[Thomas savage]

Well when Keith gets his kii threes he can post the results of his sweeps. We will soon find out if the logic holds sway.

That's what we are here for, to test these 'new' ideas in a practical home environment and discuss the results.

 

[Purité Audio]

Look at the Beolab white paper, the spare drivers are used in the same manner as your subs, all frequencies are projected in a narrow beam ( if you choose) , admittedly you still have standing waves to deal with ,but they have built in DRC .
I have listened to them now in two different rooms, best bass and imaging I have ever heard, every other speaker is old hat to be frank.
Keith

 

[Thomas savage]

Look at the Beolab white paper, the spare drivers are used in the same manner as your subs, all frequencies are projected in a narrow beam ( if you choose) , admittedly you still have standing waves to deal with ,but they have built in DRC .
I have listened to them now in two different rooms, best bass and imaging I have ever heard, every other speaker is old hat to be frank.
Keith

Don't be frank.. He's quite mad

 

[dallasjustice]

Well when Keith gets his kii threes he can post the results of his sweeps. We will soon find out if the logic holds sway.

That's what we are here for, to test these 'new' ideas in a practical home environment and discuss the results.

The kii audio 3 speakers will have a serious floor bounce. Bruno told me there will be bigger kii audio speakers in the future which can reduce the floor bounce.

The beolabs will have Allison effects just like any other speaker pair has. There's nothing in a "white paper" I've seen which demonstrates how this speaker can eliminate that problem.

The beolabs and kii audio will also still have room modes to overcome, especially length modes. DSP can only do so much there as well.

I'm not saying these aren't good speaker designs with good intentions. My objection to them is how they are marketed. There's no 2CH speaker technology which can eliminate all room anomalies.

 

[NorthSky]

Ask Frank, I'll vote the same. ...Or Tim, or Richard (Opus), or AJ, or Mike (Blizz), or Steven (krab).

 

[Thomas savage]

Ask Frank, I'll vote the same. ...Or Tim, or Richard (Opus), or AJ, or Mike (Blizz), or Steven (krab).

Franks currently sedated, state intervention I believe...

You might have to make your own mind up Bob.

 

[NorthSky]

Lol, Frank ain't sedated...the guy's well alive North of the frontier.

My own vote is quite simple; you can put a system together for almost free if you really want to and it will sound superlative with some tweaks and ingenuity.

 

[Sal1950]

The question is whether audio playback is the same type of high dollar hobby as other high dollar and high performance collection hobbies focused on luxury items/services such as watches, artwork, boats, cars, helicopters, women . . How is music playback different? Is it different at all?

In the realm of "high performance" very little difference.
Any moron with the money can pay someone to put together a high performance audio system.
As can anyone buy the worlds highest performance boats, cars, helicopters, women.
But do they have the chops to appreciate them and to use them at the highest level, that is a bird of a whole different feather.

Now artwork, that is a very subjective thing. Unless your choosing on the basis of a long term investment that's like the stock market. A roll of the dice dependent on too many variables. As to value in beauty, a subjective position. A large part of what's considered "art" many folks wouldn't use for toilet paper.

In the end all collections have very different meanings to different people.
High Fidelity holds no special place except in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Elite? Sure. You just need money. High performance? No. There's so much BS in high end audio, that if you don't know what you're doing you could easily end up with a six figure mid-fi system. Or a hifi system and a ton of empty expenditure.

Tim