Welcome New Members to ASR, introduce yourself here.

[polocolo]

Welcome!

Please make yourself at home in whatever threads you are inspired to post in.

If a post is better off somewhere else, we can always move it.



There are some very good storytellers out there.

For me, a story without any data or evidence is just a story that is easily dismissed. Anecdote can be fun, but it can't be confused with or used in place of evidence, at least not here.

Glad to have you join our merry corner of the world!

Thank you!

I believe fiction has its own merit – a lie is only a problem if you confuse it with truth!

 

[BDWoody]

Thank you!

I believe fiction has its own merit – a lie is only a problem if you confuse it with truth!

If it's presented as truth to those without the knowledge to see it as a lie, in other words to take advantage of both the goodwill and ignorance of the audience, I find that despicable and worthy of shame.

That's what too much of this industry does.

 

[polocolo]

If it's presented as truth to those without the knowledge to see it as a lie, in other words to take advantage of both the goodwill and ignorance of the audience, I find that despicable and worthy of shame.

That's what too much of this industry does.

I wholeheartedly agree with this, of course.

I was just saying that I, for my own sake, do not always need to discard evidence-less storytelling. I hate that it fools other.

 

[David1955]

Hello everyone,

I have been reading ASR for a little while now, and have been fascinated with hi-fi for years though I never had any money to actualise that interest!

I’m also a teacher-researcher in philosophy doing some research for a paper I’m writing on audiophilia (that I write for myself, I should add, on my free time – I have no intension to publish it in any journal). I suspected there was some philosophical challenges in the debates that animate the community but I didn’t anticipate so much.

I believe to have as little horse in the race as possible: on the one hand, I want you to be right for most things (the idea of spending more than 50 bucks on cables make me sick)… on the other hand, I admit to being sometimes charmed by the soft mysticism some – from « the other camp » – seem to be trapped in. I have yet to buy stuff, so I don’t need to be reassured regarding a large amount of money already spent.

I suppose I will probably only post in the master thread.

Cheers,

Paul

I think there’s quite a bit of implicit philosophy. I suspect the dark side of “can beauty be measured?” is responsible for some of the snake oil out there, which ties into a whole “truth vs beauty” thing lying behind the valve/transistor debate, while the ethics of ultra-expensive hifi is an interesting take on gluttony.

 

[polocolo]

I think there’s quite a bit of implicit philosophy. I suspect the dark side of “can beauty be measured?” is responsible for some of the snake oil out there, which ties into a whole “truth vs beauty” thing lying behind the valve/transistor debate, while the ethics of ultra-expensive hifi is an interesting take on gluttony.

Hello there!

Exactly! And the more I dive into it, the better it gets: idealism vs empiricism vs pragmatism ; transcendance vs immanence ; faith vs scepticism... you name it!

 

[JimmyJames123]

Hi folks,
I’ve been lurking for a couple weeks, definitely enjoying the opinions shared here. Bought a WiiM Mini recently based on the testing done here - wouldn’t have even known about WiiM without ASR - so, thank you for that!
I’m an American living in southern Germany. Been here for 10 years now and will most likely never move back.
We live comfortably, but the house is still not the size of a typical American home
Still, I managed to get a “media room” into the plans when we renovated a couple years ago.

It measures a cozy 3x4 meters. Current 5.1 setup as follows:
AVR: Marantz SR5015
Front: Nubert NuLine 264
Center: Nubert CS-64
Surround: Nubert WS-14
Sub: Nubert XW-700

Additionally, we have a Yamaha A-S500 with Nubert NuLine 34s, WiiM Mini and Rega RP3 in the kitchen/dining area (about 8x5 meters).

Mostly listen to Spotify, some vinyl. My interest in critical listening comes in phases, but I definitely appreciate the quality of music reproduction. Have very little experience with “high-end” setups though.

I plan to upgrade over time, though I fear that the current room is a big limitation at the moment. We sit against the rear wall :-/ and due to the door, etc. we’ll not likely move seating farther into the room. Maybe I can get out of that room for music though

Looking forward to spending time here in any case, regardless of how much we change and upgrade over the course.

James

 

[marin.weigel]

Hi there, everyone!
Been lurking for years but decided to register only just now.
Music and HiFi DIY enthusiast since my youth.
Been playing the keyboards way back then with not too much talent, but honking around on my DIY didgeridoos every now and then these days.
Recently left Roon to go back to LMS after a 5 years' sub, due to them not fixing some acknowledged quirks in core audio replay functionality, but rather exhausting development resources on nice to have bells and whistles instead.
Due to ASR's tireless effort in explaining and objectively quantifying HiFi equipment performance, we live to see the best price/performance kit emerge from the bulk of overhyped product - thanks to everyone, contributing to make these days brighter for music reproduction enthusiasts!
All the best, Marin

 

[Alexei]

Hello all,
Yet another Aussie here who’s been lurking and reading for over a year now. Finally decided to register.
My quest for understanding why speakers can be specified relatively similarly in freq response yet sound so obviously different has led me here and many hours of reading! I had my ‘theories’ but it’s been nice to be able to have them either reinforced or quashed by science-based explanations found on this forum and Erin’s site. So many knowledgeable and experienced people and very little esoteric voodoo.
I don’t own any high-end stuff. Now newly retired, will probably always be limited by the law of diminishing returns.
I started as an audio tech/Master Control Room Operator back in 1986 in radio stations; then later in TV. Exposure to expensive, state of the art monitoring speakers in those days (eg JBL 4320) awakened me that realistic audio reproduction was not about the most boom and tizz, common thinking when you’re young and have never been able to afford anything more than portable vinyl players.
I went through a lot of equipment as soon as I started working and could buy stuff. Soon concluded that speakers were the component that made the most audible difference to me so a forum like this is like a nirvana and awakening for me. Thank you all.
My current dilemma is whether to take the plunge on Kef q Concertos. I heard them at Eastwood HiFi in Syd recently on a comparator with R3 Metas and was really impressed. I know how well regarded the R3Ms are but to me they sounded like beefier LS50 OGs which I have and just can’t warm to. They’re like a Fiat 500 Arbarth. You’re amazed at the performance and handling initially but would very quickly tire of the noise, jarring ride and impractical size if it was your daily drive. I find the Kef signature sound too screetchy for me despite the incredible measured performance. This has been the case in both completely different homes with different shaped/sized living rooms and floor coverings.
When I heard the q Concertos, I found them to have a much sweeter, delicate upper mid and treble end which I really liked. Incidentally they also had the LS60s set up and I thought they sounded very similar to the q Concertos (with a better bottom end of course) so I can understand the high preference ratings.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Amir will also measure the q Concertos soon and also provide his subjective take on these. Always good to have a 2nd opinion!
Had Jamo Concert VIIs for 31years which I loved except for their lack of dynamics. I also have Adelaide Speakers 3-way Transmission Line floorstanders but they’re just too big to be practical in an apartment now.
My current drivers are Wharfedale Diamond 10.2s which I love nearly everything about. They interface really well with my room modes and sound great here despite being really boomy and boxy at my last place. I just wish they had the same upper treble dynamics that Kef (and former Jamo) metal domes manage. Makes cymbals sound more real to me at least.
As the Kefs are currently cheap at an introductory discount, have the bass alignment that will likely work well here, i’m fighting the urge to just jump on them. We don’t have good returns policies in Aus!
Dilemma: FOMO vs diminishing returns on the existing Wharfies. Spookily Wharfedale just discounted the Linton 85th by $1000 Aud over their initial original Australian introductory price and have now released the Super Linton for much more. Tha makes them incredible value but I struggle to tame the overwhelming bass response from the 10.2s. I have a huge but pleasant 38Hz primary peak at my listening position. Even with amp’s bass control at a minimum, they sound huge. Can’t imagine the Lintons would sound palatable. Their best feature of extended, pwerful bass would probably be a liability here. What a dilemma.

 

[pablolie]

Welcome, and enjoy! ASR is not a uniform conglomerate, plenty of disagreements - but they very seldom get out of control, and the moderators here are awesome at what they do.

I think ASR stands for a desire to not sheepishly accept the BS self-declared "audio luminaries" have inflicted on the audio community, with voodoo science and claims of having super-hero hearing abilities... which of course they are always unwilling to showcase publicly.

And of course, it's a great way to establish for yourself how to interpret measurements - watch the educational videos!

 

[ZCD]

Secondery System mainly for Desktop/PC and also enjoying Stereo as a variety since its nearby the main system giving the options to play with.

Amp - Rotel RA1570
Speakers - Kef LS50
Sources - PC (USB>Rotel)/Cambridge CXN V1 (XLR>Rotel)/Audiolab CDQ CD Player (opt.transport>CXN>XLR>Rotel)/LG Oled (opt.>Rotel)/Vinyl (switch>Rotel)

Main system with sources


Secondery system

 

[OldschoolADS]

Hello everyone. Long time lurker and fan of Amir’s reviews

Building some crude bookshelf speakers with Raal and Focal drivers.

 

[Guitarfreak]

Hello this is Daniel from germany,

since i have been reading here more frequently in the last weeks, i decided to officially join the forum.

At the moment i use the following setup:
Shanling Cd-S100MKII CD-Player
Hifiakademie Netplayer/DAC
Canton AM 5 Active Speakers

In the future i like to change the Speakers to KEF LS50 (META) with Icepower or Hypex PowerAmp.
I also would like to add a diy active subwoofer (speakers and poweramp are already here).
Also i am thinking about ways to add Dirac to my Setup, but did not find a proper way yet.

Best regards
Daniel

 

[JSmith]

since i have been reading here more frequently in the last weeks, i decided to officially join the forum.

Good idea... welcome.


JSmith

 

[Rob_Gordon]

Hello there,

Amateur musician here, been reading this forum for a while, got my eyes opened on a bunch of things and might have some questions to ask!

All the best to yall!

 

[musichunter1x]

Hey there!
Nowdays I am just a "music lover", after being almost audiophile a few years ago... I found my love mostly among stereo speakers, which I no longer search, coz I am happy with what there is.
I was reading this forum a few years ago, which allowed me to sell some stuff. I am back to finish my quest of finding something smaller and cheaper or not rare, which may allow me to sell Sony mdr-ex1000 used with qudelix 5k, coz I am not using them most of the time due to size and its rarity.
I also had short experience with borrowed MDR-Z7 + PHA3, which was mind blowing in some tracks, but It is even bigger, rarer and more expensive. This is my another sound I want at some point...

 

[tamzeed]

Hey Everyone. Tamzeed here from Bangladesh. The forum discussions here helped me with my recent purchases (Denon x4800h, SMSL SU1, Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 V2) and I am very grateful.

Happy holidays!

 

[Jim Taylor]

Hey Everyone. Tamzeed here from Bangladesh. The forum discussions here helped me with my recent purchases (Denon x4800h, SMSL SU1, Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 V2) and I am very grateful.

Happy holidays!

Glad to hear you've been helped! Happy Holidays to you, too and Welcome to ASR!

 

[in_Flanders]

Morning all

Paul here. A Brit living in Belgium.
Currently looking for a new DAC and learning a lot going through the forums!
Very interested by the measurement-based approach of ASR.

Wishing you all hours of enjoyable listening in 2025!

 

[antcollinet]

Morning all

Paul here. A Brit living in Belgium.
Currently looking for a new DAC and learning a lot going through the forums!
Very interested by the measurement-based approach of ASR.

Wishing you all hours of enjoyable listening in 2025!

Watcha!

 

[kawauso]

Hello everyone on ASR. I enjoy home theater in Hiroshima and Fukushima, Japan. I’m a big fan of KEF and JBL speakers. On the other hand, I’m not very interested in equipment like amplifiers or DACs, and I have no interest at all in things like audio cables or power-related 'audiophile myths.' In the Japanese audio community, discussions often focus on over-spec’d equipment or such myths, which makes it difficult for me to join in those conversations. Although I don’t speak English, I’d love to connect with other audio enthusiasts. If you ever visit Japan, please feel free to stop by and experience my system