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That seems to me to be a dubious distinction. Instruments voices and speakers generate sound. All of them do so ultimately vis converting vibrations into variations in air pressure - whether it’s the vibrating string of a guitar, vibrating vocal cords, or a vibrating diaphragm of a speaker...

Along similar trains of thought.. I became very enthusiastic about buying Thiel 3.7 speakers….just after Thiel folded. I still ended up buying a pair, and then later replacing them with the next size down 2.7s, which were not produced in big quantities since Thiel folded close to the time...

I think you put it pretty well. As you say, higher quality presentation of any medium affects the experience. If I think of why friends and family enjoy coming over to my place so much to watch movies on my big projection screen and surround sound, it’s because it clearly is a different...

Which makes me curious: once we admit, we can enjoy music on lesser quality systems: what is it you get out of listening to music on your higher end audio or more accurate system? What are you looking for it to add to your experience and why… and does it?

I should probably be embarrassed by how much I enjoy listening to music, and actually like the sound quality, just via my iPhone’s built-in speakers. But I’m not :)

Agreed. Information about the benefits of room correction, subwoofers, etc. should absolutely be part of the discussion. The more information the better generally speaking, and then it’s up to somebody to decide how far they want to go. It’s just also good to zoom back out sometimes and...

is that in Europe? I’ve known a hell of a lot of audiophiles and listen to a lot of their systems, and I can’t think of one who didn’t achieve a system, if not more than one system, that they found incredibly exciting and compelling. I mean that’s pretty much why they became and remained...

Well put, and you are not the only one who feels this way. A lot of the expert advice suggests or implies various steps are mandatory or “ essential” (whether it’s correcting room dependant regions below 300hz, using multiple subs or whatever). And while it may be the case that might result in...

Yup. Audiophiles are gonna find a way to audiophile. One audiophile chases a “blacker background” (even even if imaginary) another chases the perfect room response. Different ways to obsess. (Not that everybody is similarly obsessed in either camp). I agree! Follow your bliss. When I spent...

I looked into it, contacted Soundsmith about it, but in the end since it wasn’t going to cost much more for a brand new Benz with their trade-in policy, and since I knew that the original was just the sound I wanted, for me it made sense to do the trade-in.

Well, you’ve hit up upon the fact that audiophiles of any persuasion can run into audiophilia nervosa. Not sure I can offer a solution since the solution I think differs between individuals. I think the first thing I’d ask is: what is causing this? A lot of audiophiles seem to feel pressure...

I’ve certainly got nothing against audiophile humour, but I didn’t find it very funny the first time I saw it it, and somehow it hasn’t become more funny after thousands of times seeing it posted. If you go to any forum discussing vinyl, you know you’re going to have to see “ that” goddamn...

Which could also miss some other important real features of the phenomenon. There are countless attestations by people who have gotten into vinyl about the value they get from it they don’t get from streaming, and which aren’t simply about nostalgia. If one’s theory feels a comfortable fit for...

While you make a number of good points, I think you are still underestimating the significantly increased demands of setting up and integrating multichannel systems into a home, even for an audiophile. If they go for surround speakers on stands, that can be quite cumbersome in terms of...

I enjoyed Herb’s writing about your system recently. I got a good sense of some of the strengths of your system from his descriptions. Must be spectacular!

The majority of vinyl sales are now driven by people who did not have a memory of records. They are experiencing something new. And someone like myself who grew up with records, moved onto CDs since the 80s, and then got back into records again… I’m not having to rely on memory, I’m having...

This cartoon should be banned from all vinyl forms. It’s like hearing the same joke 1 million times.

I got my turntable and first Benz cartridge in 2017. At one point it was time to replace the cartridge. I traded my old cartridge for a new one.

I grew up, listening to KEF 105.2 speakers, powered by Carver amplification, and the Carver C-4000 “ Sonic holography” pre-amplifier. (we also had a pair of rear speakers as well, since the carver allowed you to dial those in too). Back then, I found the Sonic holography a neat trick. But I...

I think there’s some truth in that, in the sense that I’m not sure how many music mixers are actually concentrating on creating the specific three-dimensional layering of the sound. From my limited experience in music recording, it is really mostly about balance - the balancing of the...