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Why is your equipment on the floor?

Sined

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This. I also have my monoblock amplifiers behind my speakers and my equipment rack close to my listening position. My speaker cables are short and the balanced XLR cables between my preamp and the amps are relatively long.
From a technical point of view, it should be the opposite.
From preamp to the amp, the signal is very low voltage and can suffer more from long cables than the high power signal coming out the power amp.
 

LarryRS

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From a technical point of view, it should be the opposite.
From preamp to the amp, the signal is very low voltage and can suffer more from long cables than the high power signal coming out the power amp.


Please read. Especially the posts by Doug Sclar.
 

syn08

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Expensive electronics should never be on the floor of a ground level room. A simple failed hot water tank or toilet hose could ruin everything. Or a big storm and some flooding.
I don’t see the price as being a variable in the placement decision. For the same reasons, I would not let a power bar directly on the floor.
 

Katji

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No, unless Sod's Law increases the probability with higher price.
 

Kal Rubinson

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not just multiple trip hazards but remove the covers on the amplifiers too so there's an additional danger of death.

Wouldn't want to negotiate that lot on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Makes you wonder if they strip body panels off of their cars, doesn't it?
 

Grumpish

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Because that is how they have seen it on the audiophile reviews, and because it makes it makes it easier when they have to upgrade their$1k cables to $2k cables because the cheaper ones didn't actually improve anything.
 

Rottmannash

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Sal1950

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Cause we can't lift them any higher. :p
 

clearnfc

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A lot of people talk about audiophile snake oil here, but there is one question that seems to have escaped mention that always surprises me about audiophiles, why is their stuff on the floor? Is there some relationship between having your stuff on the floor (usually monobloc amps and the like) and better sound, or is this just some unusual tradition?

I have to say, to me, not only does it look ugly and messy, but takes up valuable floor space, and most importantly is it really wise to have your gear on the floor when a fall at 60 years old (most are closer to 60 than 40) could result in a broken hip/ankle/arm, taking many months to heal.

Trip hazards are not good any time, but are really unwise in one's later years, add to this the (near ubiquitous) mega-thick cables snaking around and it all just seems like an accident waiting to happen.

Regarding monoblocks, most of them easily weight 40-60kg or more. So, i dont think you can simply lift it up and place on the shelves.
 

Sined

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Please read. Especially the posts by Doug Sclar.
Thanks for the info, but sorry, I still don't share this point of view: I certainly can be wrong !
A typical length of good speaker cable has a very very low resistance (in the range of 0,1 ohms), so I don't think it matters significantly in the total impedance that the amplifier sees. On the other hand some very low voltage of small recording details that could be loss in a long or bad interconnect will never be amplified, no matter the amplifier quality or speakers cables you may have.
 

Kal Rubinson

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Thanks for the info, but sorry, I still don't share this point of view: I certainly can be wrong !
A typical length of good speaker cable has a very very low resistance (in the range of 0,1 ohms), so I don't think it matters significantly in the total impedance that the amplifier sees. On the other hand some very low voltage of small recording details that could be loss in a long or bad interconnect will never be amplified, no matter the amplifier quality or speakers cables you may have.
Everything I know would say that you are wrong but unless you present supporting data, I will reserve comment. (FWIW, any "bad" component is not relevant to anyone's argument. Defective components are unacceptable and replaceable.)
 

Sined

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Everything I know would say that you are wrong but unless you present supporting data, I will reserve comment. (FWIW, any "bad" component is not relevant to anyone's argument. Defective components are unacceptable and replaceable.)
Hi Kal, no I don't have any supporting data and I invite you to provide us yours. My reasoning is simply based on the law that a low amplitude voltage is likely to be more affected by its transmission line than a higher one; this is why electricity transport is done at 750kV instead of 120V.
 

mhardy6647

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I don't think any of mine is on the floor -- 'cept some loudspeakers.

EDIT: Oh, and I'll add that I am pretty much the polar opposite of Steve Jobs in any imaginable respect.
 

JSmith

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I won't link the video so no views are sent to it, but ol' Paul claims they don't care about dust and dirt at PS Audio when equipment is on the floor... supposedly it adds to the imaging.


JSmith
 
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