The Ultra-Fi thread

[FlyWf]

Dude, making sweeping statements is not trolling, and I carved out the exception for actual components.

But since you're Johnny on the spot here, what do you think about double blind testing?

owsley- What?

Oh, and since I'm editing, here's the link to the power cord roundup:
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/sh...ad.php?t=81533

[owsley]

The next thing we know Flywf is going to be lecturing us on how a top end BMW isn't actually worth 75k more than a toyota. Revolutionary.

[cwsiggy]

I still stand by my diminishing returns statement. It's a well known fact. As far as cabling - I noticed a difference, though subtle, when I switched rather basic wires with Nordost Blue Heavens (in retrospect - probably not a good match for my Jm Lab as they are both "zippy" and bright sounding. Cables do make a difference though.

Yes - good systems make a huge difference in the sound - Everytime I go to my bud's house a put on stuff - I hear sounds I never heard before on recordings.

I think with all the millions and millions of people having their music now at their fingertips(thanks Steve) there's a large untapped potential for high end audio (at least from the digital front) and you are starting to see it with companies like Olive ---- http://www.olive.us/home.html?PHPSES...b9b8e14a6be712

[FlyWf]

See? Otherwise intelligent people can think cabling makes music "zippy" and "bright sounding." There's a legitimate policy concern here that fits in with Nielso's stated purpose of the thread, people need to know that companies like Nordost are scam artists.

[Nielsio]

[ QUOTE ]
As far as cabling - I noticed a difference, though subtle, when I switched rather basic wires with Nordost Blue Heavens (in retrospect - probably not a good match for my Jm Lab as they are both "zippy" and bright sounding.

[/ QUOTE ]

How much did you pay, and can you explain where the difference comes from, from your understanding?

[mosta]

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Would an average person be able to hear the difference between the ultra high fi and say a midrange system? Do you need some special physical gift for hearing. Would a middle aged person be be able to hear this stuff? Additionally, would you have to be a musician yourself to really appreciate this?

[/ QUOTE ]


Have you ever listened to a song on the radio in your car and mistook it for a real concert?

...

PS. I'm listening to Mozart - Requiem album at the moment, on headphones, and it's giving me shivers all over.

[/ QUOTE ]

I spent a couple grand to get a decent (you might disagree...) system. But I'm not sure I should have b/c the things that give me shivers tend more often to be things like WWII era bootlegs of long dead conductors. Can the same person be into that and into finding the speakers that make, say, the just perfect shimmer of a brushed cymbal? When you're into "music" over the sound (though of course they're not ever separate), can you ever have the audiophile ear? It's hard to evaluate the timbre of a brass section when what you fixate on is the harmony and the counterpoint, eg.

And as far as cables etc go, the frustrating thing for me is that when I dismiss, say, power cord mongers, I then see that it's the same people designing amps (eg PS Audio). So if they're FOS on cords, why take their amps seriously? And can you trust anything? (Yeah, you want to listen yourself...but for some it's hard to have much opportunity to audition and compare.)

[Nielsio]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Would an average person be able to hear the difference between the ultra high fi and say a midrange system? Do you need some special physical gift for hearing. Would a middle aged person be be able to hear this stuff? Additionally, would you have to be a musician yourself to really appreciate this?

[/ QUOTE ]


Have you ever listened to a song on the radio in your car and mistook it for a real concert?

...

PS. I'm listening to Mozart - Requiem album at the moment, on headphones, and it's giving me shivers all over.

[/ QUOTE ]

I spent a couple grand to get a decent (you might disagree...) system. But I'm not sure I should have b/c the things that give me shivers tend more often to be things like WWII era bootlegs of long dead conductors. Can the same person be into that and into finding the speakers that make, say, the just perfect shimmer of a brushed cymbal? When you're into "music" over the sound (though of course they're not ever separate), can you ever have the audiophile ear? It's hard to evaluate the timbre of a brass section when what you fixate on is the harmony and the counterpoint, eg.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not following. If you love music, then hearing the music distorted is going to degrade your experience. It's like watching at a beautiful sunset with sunglasses.

For example: would you rather listen to the bootleg or would you rather hear it right there in the concerthall, in the best seat?

[suzzer99]

When I worked at the high-end audio store, we sold a $400 gold tipped cable that connected the CD player to the main unit. AFAIK this is a pure digital connection. I assumed it was pretty much a scam. Please discuss.

[suzzer99]

Also I think if I became a big audiophile, I would still place a ton of importance on the aesthetics of the room. Saying looks don't matter is like saying presentation doesn't matter in fine dining. For humans, the visual experience is a huge component IMO, even if the primary sense involved isn't visual. I'm not sure I'd feel that comfortable sitting in a room with some of this ugly-as-sin stuff or gangly wires running everywhere.

I used to deliver the absolute latest amp, speaker, etc. to this dude who literally lived on his bed in his parents' house. The bed was covered with clothes and [censored] and he had just enough room for himself. With all the speaker crap in the front. It was pretty hilarious/frightening as hell. Bread-and-butter.

[Nielsio]

[ QUOTE ]
When I worked at the high-end audio store, we sold a $400 gold tipped cable that connected the CD player to the main unit. AFAIK this is a pure digital connection. I assumed it was pretty much a scam. Please discuss.

[/ QUOTE ]


Gold actually conducts worse than other materials (IIRC).