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The post in which Darko basically tells anyone who isn't a rich rube to ignore him and audiophilia in general

Robin L

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There is actually some decent advice if you change the title: BEGINNER audiophile? 8 things to IGNORE (until later)!

  1. Ignore expensive "audiophile" USB cables.
  2. Ignore expensive "audiophile" power cables.
  3. Ignore "burn-in". For some reason he calls it "running-in."
  4. Ignore worrying about jitter and noise when buying a DAC. For the most part, this is good advice since we rarely see issues with jitter, and most modern DACs have acceptable SINAD.
  5. Ignore audio formats above 16 bit/44.1 kHz, i.e. don't worry about MQA.
  6. Ignore DAC manufacturers bragging about the ability to handle formats with resolution above 16 bit/44.1 kHz.
  7. Ignore isolation discs for turntables. I have no idea whether this is good advice.
  8. Ignore adding doorstops on top of your DACs.
#7: Ignore turntables.
 

phoenixdogfan

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Mr. Darko is looking pretty rough. The apartment is tidy though. He's pitching to people who lean toward obsessive-compulsive. Even if you disagree with just about everything he is pitching, you are a lost cause when you watch this shit because eventually you start buying into a deep and wide string of unstated presumptions that underlie the entire conversation. The unexamined presumptions that are the foundation of supposedly 'serious' talk/speech get taken in (by you as observer) even while you actively think you are discarding the chaff. You see, you have an unstated presumption that seriousness and earnestness can be trusted, or that it can lead to some clarity. There is a presumption that seriousness and earnestness is certainly better than naked women parading a product on a stage. And if there is seriousness--which is a posture--there is sincerity and the possibility of truth...or some kind of truth at some level) which hides the fact that the entire production down to the books in the bookcase, and the colors on the wall and the eyeglasses are a stage set and fraud. That is, even it it is shot in Darko's home and we see the true reality of Darko's home, the truth is Darko himself is lost in fashion and the current fads and glossy surfaces. We pick up cultural/social clues in how to portray ourselves. You cannot be nothing. You have to fabricate and construct yourself and so you pick and chose from the clues that engulf us. Heaven help the person who declares that he is above all that 'influence,' and who declares he is his own man. If the presentation or conversation makes sense to you and you can follow it, and it speaks in your terms, then you have subscribed to and live within the milieu of presumptions that are the foundation of that social/cultural clique that used such language. Just giving the pitchman your time and attention compromises you. I can hear you all saying "No me. I'm able to cut out the bullshit." Sure you are. You have to live in some milieu, and present yourself in the language of some milieu--if you aren't an actual schizotypal personality disorder person. The pitchman relies on the fact that you are caught up in the need to ascribe to some social clan, and so he leads you by the nose to sell you the clan that you aspire to...which always looks better than the one you are in now. The grass is greener on the next half-step up in the social hierarchy.
In other words, you get sucked into his metaframe.
 

BostonJack

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OMG. Totally off topic, but I used to mogul ski to Beverly Hills Cop and the Pointer Sisters. Still fun music.
My older brain somehow doesn't need a soundtrack anymore and I can just bump ski to the beat in my head.

More on topic: Darko is entertaining if you just believe the correct 10%.
 

Joaquin Dinero

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Looking forward to his next video where he cobbles together a cheap secondhand rig on Ebay and explains how its plenty good enough "unless you're some kind of X Men mutant with the hearing of a dog."
 

DeepFried

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USB cables. really? people buy 'special' USB cables for audio?

I don't really know much about cables, but i'm pretty sure the only time you need to worry about the quality of your cable is if you're running long lengths, like up to specification limits lengths. Ok so you can have noise in your power be it USB or mains, but a cable isn't going to improve that.

I understand wanting an aesthetically pleasing cable with good build quality and materials, but I don't expect that to sound any different, unless the jack just doesn't fit properly to make good contact or its in some other way defective.
 

North_Sky

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Mr. Darko is looking pretty rough. The apartment is tidy though. He's pitching to people who lean toward obsessive-compulsive. Even if you disagree with just about everything he is pitching, you are a lost cause when you watch this shit because eventually you start buying into a deep and wide string of unstated presumptions that underlie the entire conversation. The unexamined presumptions that are the foundation of supposedly 'serious' talk/speech get taken in (by you as observer) even while you actively think you are discarding the chaff. You see, you have an unstated presumption that seriousness and earnestness can be trusted, or that it can lead to some clarity. There is a presumption that seriousness and earnestness is certainly better than naked women parading a product on a stage. And if there is seriousness--which is a posture--there is sincerity and the possibility of truth...or some kind of truth at some level) which hides the fact that the entire production down to the books in the bookcase, and the colors on the wall and the eyeglasses are a stage set and fraud. That is, even it it is shot in Darko's home and we see the true reality of Darko's home, the truth is Darko himself is lost in fashion and the current fads and glossy surfaces. We pick up cultural/social clues in how to portray ourselves. You cannot be nothing. You have to fabricate and construct yourself and so you pick and chose from the clues that engulf us. Heaven help the person who declares that he is above all that 'influence,' and who declares he is his own man. If the presentation or conversation makes sense to you and you can follow it, and it speaks in your terms, then you have subscribed to and live within the milieu of presumptions that are the foundation of that social/cultural clique that used such language. Just giving the pitchman your time and attention compromises you. I can hear you all saying "No me. I'm able to cut out the bullshit." Sure you are. You have to live in some milieu, and present yourself in the language of some milieu--if you aren't an actual schizotypal personality disorder person. The pitchman relies on the fact that you are caught up in the need to ascribe to some social clan, and so he leads you by the nose to sell you the clan that you aspire to...which always looks better than the one you are in now. The grass is greener on the next half-step up in the social hierarchy.

Wow, you've just described him to the teeth, including his underwear.
 
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North_Sky

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Darko's gig is to promote the snake oil his advertisers are selling to keep the ad dollars flowing in. It's all about the $$, and it's all very cynical and tiring.

There, you've just said it; that was so simple. The guy's just funny, like most audiophiles.
 

carlosmante

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Right, notice he cleverly avoids providing any reasons why beginners should ignore these 8 things because he would have to concede that, having mastered the dark arts of audiophilia from studying ancient German artifacts under the Sith Lord Guttenberg, he can hear the difference between USB cables. He also turned comments off.
There are Not any "ancient German" artifacts. Germany just came into existence in 1871. "Old German artifacts? Yes, but Not ancient.
 

A Surfer

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Berlin is supposed to be amazing with culture and a very affordable city relative to other large European cities. The affordability is likely a major reason so many artists live and work there. It is definitely a city I would like to live in for a few years given the chance.
 

preload

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I don't know how he has confused himself into thinking he has a "high-end" audio system. The high-end audiophiles I know would slash their wrist and jump off a tall building if you took their system away and gave them what Darko has! LS50 speakers? Are you kidding me? A speaker doesn't become "high-end" until it costs north of $25K and ideally , north of $50K or $100K.

If he gets enough clicks, he might be able to upgrade to the LS50W. Ultra high end.
 
OP
Jimbob54

Jimbob54

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Looking forward to his next video where he cobbles together a cheap secondhand rig on Ebay and explains how its plenty good enough "unless you're some kind of X Men mutant with the hearing of a dog."

*or loaded
 
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