Do you have prejudices that you can't get rid of? (Lets stick to audio)

[Klonatans]

I have a preconception that AMT and ribbon tweeters are technically superior to dome tweeters.

 

[DVDdoug]

I have a prejudice against audio transformers. But a good one can sound perfect and if you have a ground loop they can be a good solution. (I think the only thing I own with an audio transform is a Shure SM58 microphone.)

I used to have a prejudice against lossy compression. I couldn't believe you could get good sound while throwing-away 75% of the data. Of course we've all heard low-quality MP3s and I think the 1st time I heard them it was a DJ setup and he might have been using cheap piezo horns and I was blaming the MP3s. I'm not sure if I was "cured" after reading about blind listening tests or when I found out that Dolby Digital was lossy... I didn't know Dolby Digital was lossy when I got my 1st DVD player and they sounded great! I've got a shelf-full of concert DVDs. Most of them have surround sound and if they also have a stereo LPCM track I'll take the lossy surround track every time!

I have a bias against tubes. Tubes are outdated and expensive, especially if you want good sound. And they age & die and tube power amps need an output transformer which adds to the cost.

I also have a bias against class A (power) amplifiers. It's a "silly" design. Originally, you could save one tube (or one transistor) and almost all radios & TVs were class-A. Now that electronics are cheap there are no advantages.

I have a bias against vinyl which is simply inferior to digital.

 

[ryanosaur]

While I haven't heard any 800 series Speakers, I have an extreme dislike of B&W 600 and 700 Series Speakers which I suspect to be incurable. Similarly, with the possible exception of the Demand Series, I think DefTech is a joke.

 

[sergeauckland]

I have a prejudice against small loudspeakers. I know that a 2.1 system can work (I use one in my study) but still prefer large 'speakers in my main system. As part of this, I just can't get to like loudspeakers with multiple small bass units, much prefer a single 12 or 15" unit even though I know that, visuals apart, there are advantages to multiple smaller units. I also have a liking for Tannoy 15" Monitor Golds in Lockwood Major enclosures, even though I know they're not great.

S.

 

[Thomas Savage]

I still love the sound of ESLs.

Me too , I think Quad have bought out some new ones .

It was my dream once to have a full Quad system with ESLs.

Alas my dream now is to wake up having slept for more than 4 hours , manage to keep my ibuprofen dose to less than 600mg a day , get to work without feeling like my body has taken a express ride round the Hadron Collider .

 

[Doodski]

I hate noisy microphonic headphone cables. Despise them!

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

My prejudice is against brand loyalty. I realize that some companies actually consistently make better quality products at the same price as others. I have difficulty accepting it emotionally.

 

[DavidEdwinAston]

Me too , I think Quad have bought out some new ones .

It was my dream once to have a full Quad system with ESLs.

Alas my dream now is to wake up having slept for more than 4 hours , manage to keep my ibuprofen dose to less than 600mg a day , get to work without feeling like my body has taken a express ride round the Hadron Collider .

Can't see any more recent than the 2912 Thomas

 

[Thomas Savage]

Can't see any more recent than the 2912 Thomas

There's a production model doing the rounds but it's not officially out until the summer .. 2912X .

 

[Frank Dernie]

Apps which need log in (I know in the present day of internet lawlessness and misinformation it is probably needed)
HiFi, cars or similar which get software updates nowadays whereas I have been listening to electronically reproduced music for over 60 years on equipment and driving cars which worked and work fine without.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

I have a prejudice against loudspeakers with lots of drivers. I especially don't like line array type speakers domestically (although they are excellent when hung from high frames at music concerts).

I have a prejudice against very large drivers (15" and larger).

 

[Count Arthur]

I haven't heard ESLs for a long time, but I remember liking them. I also liked a pair of big Magnepan speakers I heard once; I enjoyed the impression of sound coming from something so seemingly insubstantial.

Regarding B&W, I once auditioned some 805s alongside some similarly sized PMC, Spendor and Dynaudio speakers. The 805s were by far the most expensive and despite all the hi-fi magazines at the time raving about them, they were also, by far my least favourite.

I see Quad have recently released an updated version of the 33/303:

33 & 303 Series

QUAD

quad-hifi.co.uk

I wish they'd re-make the 34/306, I always thought that looked great, especially on its dedicated rack with the tuner:

 

[egellings]

I always tell myself that I have no prejudices, but in reality I do have them!! The hard part is to understand if personal tastes in reality are not prejudices or vice versa. However, there are some audio brands that I really dislike, it doesn't matter if they are excellent, if they produce extraordinary devices, I just can't stand them.... I won't name names obviously! There are some types of products that I just don't like, even if they are miraculous, I can't tolerate them. There are some forms of product that I can't stomach... yes I have prejudices, or maybe they are just tastes...

Prejudices, or just plain preferences?

 

[Titurel]

Prejudice against any composer or song writer who calls himself or herself an artist - extra demerits for artiste.

Similar prejudice against any song with fewer than 4 chords or a melodic compass smaller than a perfect fifth - extra demerits for opaque or pretentious lyrics.

 

[gberchin]

Had a prejudice against titanium tweeters because of the resonant peak around 20 kHz.

Lost that prejudice because I can't hear anywhere near that high any more.

 

[yellowshark]

Excerpt from my huge reservoir of audio prejudices:

Cable sound: big fat prejudice as I don't believe in it (True? I don't know)
70's Philips HiFi stuff in Europe: as bad as it was ugly (True? I don't know)
Russian, Eastern Europe HiFi stuff: terrible, unprofessionally built, 100% plastic (True? I don't know)
A weird, totally non-fact-based antipathy towards the company Onkyo
There's more but I've made my point.

I believe that prejudice as a concept is an integral (and destructive) part of human unconscious thinking/being.
We are all, to a lesser or greater degree, full of it all the time. A pity really.

 

[Keith_W]

I have a prejudice against anything made by Apple. In the past, I had nothing against the company or its products. I only disliked the fanboys. That all changed after they "invented" the iPhone. Suddenly they claimed to have invented the smartphone and started suing their competitors over frivolous patents like rounded rectangles. Then started blaming customers for their engineering failures (e.g. "you're holding it wrong"). Overcharging for upgrades like RAM, and preventing owners from repairing their own computers. Since I don't buy anything from Apple, you could argue that these changes don't affect me, but they do. Other manufacturers copy their stupid example and now my Samsung phone does not have a user-replaceable battery, no headphone jack, and new phones do not come with chargers. These are all wonderful Apple innovations that have worsened the lives of every tech consumer on the planet.

Horrible company. I wish they would shrivel up and die.

 

[Cbdb2]

Agree. Before the they started selling music (and ripping off everybody else that was involved in the music business) they were still a computer company. Then they figured out how to make billions off of music producer by barely lifting a finger. Then the phone. Last year we toured India. Even in the slums almost everybody had a smart phone. Chinese. Do you think they were paying $1000 for them. Rotten apple is screwing us as hard as they can.
Edit: Dont think this is prejudice, more of a fact.

 

[Multicore]

My prejudice is against the visual aesthetics that are used to indicate that equipment is audiophile or high-end. Occasionally there's a thread here that features photos from hi-fi shows and you can get a pretty good idea of what I mean by just looking at them -- I can't do better than that by trying to explain.

 

[Jimbob54]

I hate noisy microphonic headphone cables. Despise them!

I truly believe any form of fabric coating on an iem /headphone cable should be a criminal offence . I won't not buy a product because of but I will curse the fact I'll have to buy or scavenge a better one . See also angled iem connectors .