If someone has access to international sales figures it would presumably clear it up. I could speculate about house sizes, or room size at least bring a driving factor.
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What electronic audio products you want tested most
- Thread starter amirm
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I'm not sure the intercontinental difference is that dramatic. There are many in North America who are music lovers, and therefore use stereo equipment, but watch TV much less often. That's certainly true for me. I'm more likely to go out to see a film, which is likely to be a documentary or 'foreign', ie. not American, and certainly not an action movie with especially noteworthy sound effects.
You don't know what your missing if you haven't heard a great multichannel MUSIC system.
I have tried surround music a few years ago and have rear speakers for watching films and so still can play SACDs through them (I use my main speakers for the front) but am not sufficiently impressed to put up with the wires or expense of doing it properly for the gain I perceive.You don't know what your missing if you haven't heard a great multichannel MUSIC system.
I know of only one single recording I like that is in multi-channel, I'm sure there a few more if I really looked, but not many. With no content there is no point.You don't know what your missing if you haven't heard a great multichannel MUSIC system.
It is the obvious area for the music industry to have gone when physical media was king, MCH releases of all the big selling pop/rock albums, which seem simple to do with multi-track recordings, and a whole new revenue stream opens up for them. Now with streaming it seems like more work for no extra money, it would probably take someone like Apple to get their earbuds to support it, then they would force the industry to produce content, and apple could sell more home-pods.
Humm, your music tastes must be very narrow, I believe your just not aware of what's actually available. My taste it to rock/blues/country and there is plenty in each. IIRC Member @Fitzcaraldo215 speaks of having a multich classical library numbering in the thousands. You might want to follow or scan this thread to get a sampling of whats available.
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/112-surround-music-formats/2616673-listening-now-surround.html
Beyond that upsampling offers a whole new world of listening enjoyment for your stereo library. No less than the audio luminary Floyd Toole talks of using multich upsampling for the majority of his stereo listening.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...standards-setup-thoughts-etc.3295/post-236411
It's there a more efficient way to search than a massive thread? My tastes are broad, but rarely commercial, and from a quick skim of a page of that thread more recent than the target demographic being catered for, but likely not for long, as I'm ten years past the shock of seeing 20 anniversary reissues of records I remember coming out.
You might try looking at AcousticSounds offerings in SACD but this is only stuff still in stock.
https://store.acousticsounds.com/c/10/Hybrid_Multichannel_SACD
For the out of print DVD-A this is a great list.
http://www.surrounddiscography.com/dvdaudio/dvdaudio.htm
The search box of ebay for the performer of your choice is great such as, Pink Floyd + SACD or DVD or BluRay or 5.1
That's just for starters.
https://store.acousticsounds.com/c/10/Hybrid_Multichannel_SACD
For the out of print DVD-A this is a great list.
http://www.surrounddiscography.com/dvdaudio/dvdaudio.htm
The search box of ebay for the performer of your choice is great such as, Pink Floyd + SACD or DVD or BluRay or 5.1
That's just for starters.
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My vote for DACs is really for multichannel DACs/interfaces. @somebodyelse explained why:
With how cheap consumer electronics have become, you'd think $500 could buy a decent 8-channel DAC with USB & AES67 in 2019. The cheap pro interfaces all seem to include a lot of extra-cost features & half-developed gotchas. Feels like a market fail, because you can sell the same DAC for surround with non-DSP speakers, too. </grumble>
With how cheap consumer electronics have become, you'd think $500 could buy a decent 8-channel DAC with USB & AES67 in 2019. The cheap pro interfaces all seem to include a lot of extra-cost features & half-developed gotchas. Feels like a market fail, because you can sell the same DAC for surround with non-DSP speakers, too. </grumble>
oldandintheway
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I would like you to take a look at some of the Chinese amplifiers. I recently purchased a Topping D50S DAC, my first Chinese component, and would never have done that before I discovered this forum. Ebay is full of things like Quad amplifier copies at attractive prices, the question is: are they any good. At a more advanced level there appears to be a genuine Chinese high end equipment market, at least I see them offering things like 4 figure turntables. But once again, without some expert evaluation and guidance... Thanks for your work!
@WolfX-700 can you also test class AB amplifiers from Chinese brands like Xindak, AudioGd, Yaqin?
I'm always seeing all manner of audio stuff on Chinese sites but have never taken a punt because there's just no information available. Members of my family in Hong Kong are into hi-fi but it's more money than I'd ever spend. I'd still be interested to see exactly how Chinese higher end components perform, rather than the usual Western suspects.
Whilst Western brands are prized, hi-fi being no different, there's a thriving home audio culture there and in mainland China at all price levels, where you'll see no western or Japanese brands at all, it's all proudly Chinese. It'd be good to see some "off-brand" Chinese products all the way to luxury devices tested, I'm sure there's plenty of undiscovered gems. It'd take a far keener eye than mine to see which ones are worth trying though.
As for this AVR thing, I'm in the UK and apart from the few friends/family who share my passion or I've pushed and setup with home cinema/hi-fi systems, it isn't common to see AVR's or even proper two channel any more. I'm just guessing but from what I've seen they're both on the decline in favour of sound bars and all in one music systems. Maybe a smart speaker or an all in one bookshelf system is the best you'll get. It's probably telling that if you buy a telly you're not going to be upsold an AVR, or a system in a box, it's always a sound bar.
Smaller houses and just how close neighbours are have probably influenced that. I mean this is large detached bungalow but I'm still wary of cranking my system in the evening, at least with the subs on, because I know for a fact the neighbours will hear it. When I'm in the Highlands I push it more, but I still can't crank it as much as I'd like. I'm not pissing off a Highland cow. Or its owner. Convenience/consideration for cows has won out.
Whilst Western brands are prized, hi-fi being no different, there's a thriving home audio culture there and in mainland China at all price levels, where you'll see no western or Japanese brands at all, it's all proudly Chinese. It'd be good to see some "off-brand" Chinese products all the way to luxury devices tested, I'm sure there's plenty of undiscovered gems. It'd take a far keener eye than mine to see which ones are worth trying though.
As for this AVR thing, I'm in the UK and apart from the few friends/family who share my passion or I've pushed and setup with home cinema/hi-fi systems, it isn't common to see AVR's or even proper two channel any more. I'm just guessing but from what I've seen they're both on the decline in favour of sound bars and all in one music systems. Maybe a smart speaker or an all in one bookshelf system is the best you'll get. It's probably telling that if you buy a telly you're not going to be upsold an AVR, or a system in a box, it's always a sound bar.
Smaller houses and just how close neighbours are have probably influenced that. I mean this is large detached bungalow but I'm still wary of cranking my system in the evening, at least with the subs on, because I know for a fact the neighbours will hear it. When I'm in the Highlands I push it more, but I still can't crank it as much as I'd like. I'm not pissing off a Highland cow. Or its owner. Convenience/consideration for cows has won out.
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I don't know how much of a continental divide thing it really is.
Everything you just said is true in my circles here in the US. I don't know of any family and only have one friend outside of my internet aquantiances that own any kind of hifi. Back in the 70-80s you weren't kool unless you displayed a nice stereo in the living-room, those days are long gone.. Most everyone I know today that actually plays music do so with "hey Google/Alexia, play me some X". The ones that think they have hot TV sound do so with a sound bar.
BTW Last I seen of Amir's "where are you from" the Euro members here outnumbered the US,
Can't seem to find it now?
digicidal
Major Contributor
@Frank Dernie & @JustPoo I think it likely has much more to do with my specific area, and the type of people from which friends and family come from... I wouldn't necessarily read more into it than that. No one in my family and very few of my friends are even that "into music" in general - and fewer still play an instrument or sing regularly. They do watch a ton of TV and movies however.
However, it is still quite surprising to me how even those that do (play or at least enjoy listening to) music - many still seem daunted by the idea of setting up a system for listening to it at home... especially a more advanced one. I have what I consider to be a very conservative CD collection (~800) but it's about 20 time larger than most. When I was young, my parents considered a second hand Panasonic all-in-one turntable integrated to be an "extravagant expenditure" to listen to their 5 LPs (all choir music).
Luckily, one of my friend's father had a killer setup with McIntosh gear driving Klipschorns... we really didn't get along that well - but I put up with almost anything to get a chance to hear that setup occasionally. As soon as I could, I was working toward buying my own (cheaper naturally) gear... only the specific components (and income, thankfully) have changed in the past 35 years - the purpose has not!
That's why I love being able to meet people that "get it" online - in forums like these.
However, it is still quite surprising to me how even those that do (play or at least enjoy listening to) music - many still seem daunted by the idea of setting up a system for listening to it at home... especially a more advanced one. I have what I consider to be a very conservative CD collection (~800) but it's about 20 time larger than most. When I was young, my parents considered a second hand Panasonic all-in-one turntable integrated to be an "extravagant expenditure" to listen to their 5 LPs (all choir music).
Luckily, one of my friend's father had a killer setup with McIntosh gear driving Klipschorns... we really didn't get along that well - but I put up with almost anything to get a chance to hear that setup occasionally. As soon as I could, I was working toward buying my own (cheaper naturally) gear... only the specific components (and income, thankfully) have changed in the past 35 years - the purpose has not!
That's why I love being able to meet people that "get it" online - in forums like these.
It would be pretty kewl to test a Sennheiser HDV820 headphone amp DAC or any of the Sennheiser headphone amps and amp DACs. The HDV820 uses a ESS SABRE32 DAC.
https://en-ca.sennheiser.com/digital-headphones-amplifier-hdv-820
https://en-ca.sennheiser.com/digital-headphones-amplifier-hdv-820
I spotted several AP analysers on a factory tour. I've got faith in these. Sennheiser also isn't a company that has esoteric bullshit claims.
One way to look at this is to see which categories are under-represented in the budget range. If I recall correctly, the only solid value integrated amplifier reviewed here is the Klipsch PowerGate (only because it's priced to clear). I would suggest this category deserves more attention. There's got to be more value out there.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #80
I have one in for review.
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