Video Tour Of Extreme Audiophile Mansion...

[Colonel7]

I like that he said (my words) that what makes you an audiophile is the enthusiasm that you have to make the most of the music and equipment you got.

He did start out talking about "audiophile metrics." After careful analysis I've determined it is trip hazards per square foot

 

[CtheArgie]

It is.

 

[mightycicadalord]

Not a fan of excess, all that money there could've done some good in the world. Whatever, rich people gonna rich. I don't envy someone like this at all.

 

[FrantzM]

While the Ferrari and the Nissan both accomplish the task of taking you from A to B, the way both provide the movement does not feel the same.

With audio, strictly speaking (no visuals involved), you can get the same (sometimes even better) experience for a fraction of the price.

My experience with cars with great renown is scant. I had a Mercedes G-Wagon, I dreamed of it and .... it was the most unreliable car, I have ever owned. My experience mirrored that of most G-Wagon owners. The car is known to be fussy, unreliable and basically a POS... any engine or model be it Diesel or gasoline= expensive P.O.S. Moved to a Lexus GX 460 and it is by all metrics a better car, by far. by several miles, in another continent... And you just start it every morning... and everything will work...

I dread that most Ferrari may not be as performing as a Subaru XT or Nissan GT or...
There doesn't seem to exist the equivalent of ASR in the car world. It is needed, would be welcomed. ...

Back to the Original Post/Topic. I used to fall for Audiophile Porn... I have come to realize, with some sadness, that most High End Systems are All Show, No Go. I have owned some expensive systems of the High End Audiophile persuasion. The best system I've had so far, is my current one: Denon AVR3400H, JBL LSR308 for LCR, LSR 305 for surround and a pair of Dayton Audio SUB-1500... I listen to music mostly in 2-Channel with the subs.

I won't watch the video.

Peace.

 

[RayDunzl]

 

[Zaireeka]

Not a fan of excess, all that money there could've done some good in the world. Whatever, rich people gonna rich. I don't envy someone like this at all.

Or could have gone to heavy acoustic treatment, because right now he is driving his Ferraris on dirt tracks...

 

[Vacceo]

My experience with cars with great renown is scant. I had a Mercedes G-Wagon, I dreamed of it and .... it was the most unreliable car, I have ever owned. My experience mirrored that of most G-Wagon owners. The car is known to be fussy, unreliable and basically a POS... any engine or model be it Diesel or gasoline= expensive P.O.S. Moved to a Lexus GX 460 and it is by all metrics a better car, by far. by several miles, in another continent... And you just start it every morning... and everything will work...

I dread that most Ferrari may not be as performing as a Subaru XT or Nissan GT or...
There doesn't seem to exist the equivalent of ASR in the car world. It is needed, would be welcomed. ...

Back to the Original Post/Topic. I used to fall for Audiophile Porn... I have come to realize, with some sadness, that most High End Systems are All Show, No Go. I have owned some expensive systems of the High End Audiophile persuasion. The best system I've had so far, is my current one: Denon AVR3400H, JBL LSR308 for LCR, LSR 305 for surround and a pair of Dayton Audio SUB-1500... I listen to music mostly in 2-Channel with the subs.

I won't watch the video.

Peace.

Reliability is another factor I did not consider and that is another element for anything audio, expensive or not.

 

[Waxx]

Reliability is another factor I did not consider and that is another element for anything audio, expensive or not.

That is what i'm affraid of for a lot of those new chipamps that are rated high down here. They often look weak build (could be misleading from a picture) and will not last a decade or more i think. While more mainstream brands like Marantz, Sony, Denon, ... make stuff that is way better build.

But of those new stuff will get as old as some of the stuff i got, i doubt it. My luxman C-02 preamp (1982) was first recapped after 34 years of use, and is for the rest fully original and technically ok. I have a 1974's Marantz 1030 (on loan with a friend) that is also just recapped but for the rest fully in perfect shape. My mint Technics SL1500 turntable is from 1976 and not even recapped yet, everything but the cell and needle is original, ...

I don't see those modern devices do that at that age. Not even the so called "hi end" stuff like in that video.

 

[voodooless]

So, what the hell are those “grounding boxes”?

 

[Haflermichi]

All that time and money and he can't get a servant to change the battery in the beeping smoke alarm?

 

[MaxBuck]

What's your take? Is this another occasion to roll your eyes at someone being taken in by dubious, irrationally expensive audiophile products?

Yes, that captures it pretty much entirely.

 

[Ra1zel]

I always find the car analogy in regard to audio extremely amusing... since you know those 350k$ wavac monoblocks would be like Fiat 126 and 1.5k$ Purifi would be like a Bugatti Chiron, for some reason many think it's the other way. Obviously there is some luxury gear that also measures good like modern Accuphase or McIntosh, if we stick with this comparison those would be like Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

By the way this whole thread gave me a thought, are people split between those who like the sound of audible harmonic distortion and those who don't? I've seen that many say that harmonic distortion adds warmth... this always sounds like nonsense to me since in my blind tests I always find distorted music to be zingy, harsh and just unpleasant. Best I can hear is 0.01% harmonic distortion with 1khz sine with 95% confidence.

 

[MattHooper]

Yes, that captures it pretty much entirely.

Ok fair enough. I understand this forum is a place where lots of people go to escape the audiophile lunacy aspects of high end audio.

I'm curious though. Does that mean if you happened to be invited to a house like that, that it would hold no appeal whatsoever to sit down and take a listen to any of the systems he has put together?

 

[MattHooper]

I always find the car analogy in regard to audio extremely amusing... since you know those 350k$ wavac monoblocks would be like Fiat 126 and 1.5k$ Purifi would be like a Bugatti Chiron, for some reason many think it's the other way. Obviously there is some luxury gear that also measures good like modern Accuphase or McIntosh, if we stick with this comparison those would be like Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

I'm a car dunce. I struggle to even remember the model of cars my wife and I drive, so car analogies are rarely enlightening to me

By the way this whole thread gave me a thought, are people split between those who like the sound of audible harmonic distortion and those who don't?

I'm not sure it breaks down specifically along those lines. For instance I think some of the expensive systems depicted aren't using tubes (e.g. the one with the big Tidal speakers). I think the majority reaction is generally to the "over-priced" aspect (as well as some of the woo-woo stuff).

I've seen that many say that harmonic distortion adds warmth... this always sounds like nonsense to me since in my blind tests I always find distorted music to be zingy, harsh and just unpleasant. Best I can hear is 0.01% harmonic distortion with 1khz sine with 95% confidence.

I seem to quite enjoy the way my tube amps, and my tube preamp are distorting the sound in my system. I haven't determined exactly what is causing them to sound like they sound, but I do like the "warmer, fuller, organic tone" vs when I compare to solid state amplification in my system. (This held true with my recent blind test between my tube pre-amp and my solid state Benchmark preamp).

There's no accounting for taste...;-)

 

[syn08]

Does that mean if you happened to be invited to a house like that, that it would hold no appeal whatsoever to sit down and take a listen to any of the systems he has put together?

1. Not likely to happen.
2. If it would happen, then I would not accept the invitation. I have better ways to spend my time.
3. If I had to accept the invitation, then the last thing I would be interested is listening to his gear.
4. If I had to listen to his gear, then I would not be able to emit any SQ opinions.
5. If I would be forced to emit a SQ opinion, then I would leave before being thrown out by his butlers.

 

[Ra1zel]

I see, this is truly interesting to me, that there seems to be people like me that once they hear the distortion they can't unhear it thus the enjoyment is limited by constant awareness of "unclean" signal, and yet there are people who find tube-amps/vinyl pleasing and contributing to enjoyment. It's a recurring theme from my observations.

 

[MattHooper]

I see, this is truly interesting to me, that there seems to be people like me that once they hear the distortion they can't unhear it thus the enjoyment is limited by constant awareness of "unclean" signal, and yet there are people who find tube-amps/vinyl pleasing and contributing to enjoyment. It's a recurring theme from my observations.

I totally get that!

So if you are trying to understand why someone may have a different experience:

I actually gave a go at weaning myself off the tube amp colorations (at least of my preamp) by buying the Benchmark LA4. Whenever I A/B'd the sound (level matched) I could hear a bit of distortion stripped away by the more accurate LA4. I lived with just the LA4 for months, really enjoying it, and then I put the tube preamp back in wondering if I'd now be sort of allergic to the distortion (like you suggest). But, no, I just found "wow, no wonder I have enjoyed this preamp in my system for so long." It just added some things I really like.

I think that one reason I don't end up with the reaction you do is that I'm not seeking "pure accuracy" per se, but something that can at least remind me of the real thing, even if imperfectly. So for instance, I just came back today from doing what I often do: listening to some live street musicians playing - stand up bass, banjo, trumpet, tenor sax. As I always do I closed my eyes to question "what are the characteristics I'm noticing most, and like most about what I'm hearing in the live music." And what always strikes me is a sense of size, density, warmth of timbre, roundness and richness, clear, yet "relaxed."

Against that criteria, I find all systems colored to one degree or another. Even the most neutral systems depart from reality in a way that I find an overall coloration, and once I've heard a system for a little while I know how it will sound with practically everything.

So then it becomes for me a "pick the coloration you can live with" and it turns out I keep tending towards a slight tube coloration. Many of those characteristics I observe in live music are precisely the aspects I find added by some tube distortion (subtly). Example: Yesterday I listened to some of my favorite old R&B recordings with the LA4 and what I hear is a very pristine signal, it sounds like a really excellent recording. But with the tube pre-amp in the chain, I can hear a little "burr" of distortion added, but it's sonic effects, to my ear, are that the horns become more solid and dense sounding, a bit more tonally forward, more filled out and round, like real objects moving air, and there is a slight exaggeration of presence giving a sense of "it's right there" clarity, yet at the same time a bit more "relaxed" and "timbrally warm" sounding. All these aspects mimic what I tend to enjoy in real instruments and voices. (And this is all a *subtle* coloration, not some hit you over the head stuff, but for me even a subtle nudge towards what I like is subjectively significant).

Anyway, I hope that helps explain an alternative perspective. Back to the Audiophile Mansion. (And, boy I'd get a kick out of hearing his stuff. It's even just interesting to me to hear what people like, and why. I have friends who do reviews, especially one good pal, and we don't always like the same gear, but it's so interesting to hear it nonetheless).

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

1. Not likely to happen.
2. If it would happen, then I would not accept the invitation. I have better ways to spend my time.
3. If I had to accept the invitation, then the last thing I would be interested is listening to his gear.
4. If I had to listen to his gear, then I would not be able to emit any SQ opinions.
5. If I would be forced to emit a SQ opinion, then I would leave before being thrown out by his butlers.

For me, it would depend on my read of his intentions of wanting me to hear the system. If he is a typical rich dude who just wants to see people ooh and aah over his 'rich tastes' - and when I was working in film in Hollyweird I was unfortunately in the presence of many such people - I would just say no and get on with whatever the business was that I was at his house for. If I sensed that he was honestly interested in audio and I could see that he put some of his own effort into assembling the system - as opposed to just throwing huge sums of money at some custom installer - then yes, I'd be more than happy to enjoy the system with him.

As an aside, I was in town visiting the my employer's facilities this weekend and spent Saturday at the LA T.H.E. HiFi show. Maybe I'm getting old and jaded from working in the audio industry but I was totally unimpressed with every system I heard, even the megabuck ones. They all sounded 'like stereos' to me - some bigger and some smaller, but all undifferentiated. I didn't get tears in my eyes, I didn't get goose bumps or any of the other things you hear the writers in Stereophile scream about. Just room after room of stereos.

So yeah, I don't think I'd be terribly impressed with that guy's system(s). I certainly wasn't impressed with the one below.

 

[MattHooper]

1. Not likely to happen.
2. If it would happen, then I would not accept the invitation. I have better ways to spend my time.
3. If I had to accept the invitation, then the last thing I would be interested is listening to his gear.
4. If I had to listen to his gear, then I would not be able to emit any SQ opinions.
5. If I would be forced to emit a SQ opinion, then I would leave before being thrown out by his butlers.

Thanks. I see your point of view and I'm not surprised ;-)

For me, it would depend on my read of his intentions of wanting me to hear the system.

I was trying...and I guess I could have made it more clear...to simply suggest a scenario in which one found himself in a situation to be able to hear those systems.
As in "The systems are right there in front of you; is it interesting enough to give it a listen? Or are you so uninterested in gear like this that you'd give such an opportunity a pass?"

I didn't want to get in to "will it insult the host" stuff or whatever, which aren't the question I was trying to get at.

Personally if I were invited to such a home knowing those systems were there, I'd jump at the chance. Just as I have many times before with other audiophile set ups.
I've never not had an interesting time, no matter how eccentric the set up.

Also: it's interesting that a common theme among audiophiles who attend audio shows is possibly being impressed by one or a few systems, but generally coming home to be all the more satisfied with their home system. It helps hearing mega buck systems that "aren't all that" to put things in perspective.

 

[syn08]

I didn't get tears in my eyes, I didn't get goose bumps or any of the other things you hear the writers in Stereophile scream about.

I may get tears and bumps from a musical content, otherwise I am not aware of any decent sound reproduction system that would induce or deny such reactions. Single malt is a well known tears/bumps helper.

I am stone deaf, I know.