[Syan25]

Holy - you make good points but huge lettering makes takes up so much space...

 

[zaphod373]

 whether through a speaker or a headphone, music should be enjoyed and quite frankly a lot of people are not enjoying their set ups, rigs , equipment. There seems to be a constant search for the ultimate rather than enjoying what you have until upgrading or trying something else. The original thread starter suggested that headphones will never be speakers, yet both can be enjoyable. Hanggliding will never be the ultimate in air travel but it is enjoyable, computer f1 racing will never be real f1 racing but is enjoyable, Try to enjoy what you have, as one day you may not have it anymore, EG your hearing, health , hifi ,and so on

 

[TheGomdoRi]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Golden Ears /img/forum/go_quote.gif

It is always "To each his own" or we would all have the exact same systems...if we could afford them. But there is a reality check here. Let's be logical... a 12 year old isn't exacty going to be fantastic at picking out fine scotches..
 
Also someone who has only had  a $350 system as a reference isn't likely going to be amazing at system matching components in a $40,000 system.
 
The fact is...BETTER exists. It simply does... and if that 12 year old kid can't tell the difference between say Grey Goose and Popov vodka... great for him...ignorance is bliss.. 

Many kids would rather eat chicken fingers than Chicken Milanese. That does not mean chicken fingers are better...chicken fingers suck.
 
In the end ..."to each his own" is ,,,,about right as people buy what they feel is justified with their money.  Just don't spend your hard earned cash on chicken fingers.

 
I can agree that "better" in terms of higher quality exists. But I will have to disagree with you on the chicken or picking out fine scotches examples.
Maybe I didn't word it right but "ignorance is bliss" wasn't my initial point. There may be people who just don't know and don't want to know, perhaps. But then again, there are people who can afford the "better" stuff, but still choose to go with X because of (insert reason here), which brings them maximum personal satisfaction.
 
I don't see why a scotch connoisseur must prefer an expensive single malt from relatively inaccessible producers because it is "better". (Just a fun fact here lol I read that Dick Cheney and Winston Churchill's choice of drink is/was Johnny Walker Red. Which is pretty funny to me because it's probably the worst tasting scotch I've ever tasted in my life. I'm sure these gentlemen would(have) know more and can(could) afford "better" as you speak.)
I don't see why one must prefer chicken milanese over chicken fingers because it is "better".
I don't see why one must prefer otoro over maguro just because it is "better". (Personally I prefer standard maguro over otoro after tasting otoro & chutoro many times.)
 
"To each his own"  is about right as people doing what they believe is best for them. Simple as that, no correlation to knowledge or money and I'll give most people the benefit of the doubt that they know and can afford more than I can, and they still choose upon their personal satisfaction.
 

 
 

 

[Currawong]

Apply the chicken fingers example to recording quality I say. 

 
GE's last rant hit home. My main room also doubles as the dining room, kids play-room and livingroom. Acoustic treatments? Are you kidding me? That's what the shelves are!  I'm not sure if it is really a good idea to put Harbeths in there in the future and, not to mention, whether I'll really be getting the most out of them with HeadRoom's Class D monoblocks.

 

[DivergeUnify]

Maybe not, but for 395 bucks I can get a pretty damn enjoyable experience.  Maybe when I'm out of college and have my own place, I'll consider speakers

 

 

[Golden Ears]

Quote:

Apply the chicken fingers example to recording quality I say. 

 
GE's last rant hit home. My main room also doubles as the dining room, kids play-room and livingroom. Acoustic treatments? Are you kidding me? That's what the shelves are!  I'm not sure if it is really a good idea to put Harbeths in there in the future and, not to mention, whether I'll really be getting the most out of them with HeadRoom's Class D monoblocks.

This guy has the right idea. Put the sound system in the area where you spend 70% of your indoor time and you might listen to it 50% of the time. If you put the sound system in a room where you spend 10% of your time... you might listen to it 5% of the time.
 
Just try to figure out a way to convince your wife that a collapsable dinging table is a "great idea" to "protect the kids (from sharp corners) and the table from damage by the kids" as a large dining table makes simply awful refections.
 
Buy the kids huge foam blocks as building blocks too. Challenge them to a building competition replicate the great wall of china  on each side of the room.
 
Get insurance for yours speakers... and don't worry anymore.
 

 

[jax]

 
Quote:

It is always "To each his own" or we would all have the exact same systems...if we could afford them. But there is a reality check here. Let's be logical... a 12 year old isn't exacty going to be fantastic at picking out fine scotches..
 
Also someone who has only had  a $350 system as a reference isn't likely going to be amazing at system matching components in a $40,000 system.
 
The fact is...BETTER exists. It simply does... and if that 12 year old kid can't tell the difference between say Grey Goose and Popov vodka... great for him...ignorance is bliss.. 

Many kids would rather eat chicken fingers than Chicken Milanese. That does not mean chicken fingers are better...chicken fingers suck.
 
In the end ..."to each his own" is ,,,,about right as people buy what they feel is justified with their money.  Just don't spend your hard earned cash on chicken fingers.

"Better" is a concept conceived entirely by humans for humans and it exists only in the minds of humans.  "Better" does not exist independent of humans. Tree falling in the forest, and all that.  Better for you, may not be better for me, regardless of whether we both have 30 years of audio experience or are both common sewers of vodka or scotch.  There's no absolute here that applies to the way human beings respond - it is entirely relative to a whole lot more than just age and experience.  There are an infinite number of factors that come into play.  The only level I'd agree with you on is that "better" does exist as a concept within each of us.  But as you have illustrated, it will vary from person to person - there is no universal. 

 

[Syan25]

I had better shut up then and keep my thoughts to myself...hmm hmm hmm:rolleyes:

 

[daisangen]

I bought my first real speaker setup (a pair of Genelec 6010A in nearfield and a 5040A sub, $1200) some time ago and it sounds better than any headphone rig I've heard.
 
I'll be keeping my headphone rig for late night listening but I doubt I will be upgrading it anymore.
 
I'm a believer.

 

[log0]

If I should ever hit the lottery, I think I may call upon you GE. I enjoy reading your posts and seeing things from your perspective which I don't think I can truly appreciate seeing as you have much more experience in listening to fine theaters than I. I have neither the time nor the inclination to learn about optimal room sizes, which acoustic material is best, optimal positioning of speakers, etc. Had I such lofty goals that I could build a man cave and turn it into an audiophile room, I would prefer to give you a load of cash and let you have your way with it as I'm sure you can maximize a budget better than the common man can. I'm comforted by the fact that at least I can enjoy a fine audio setup even if I don't know the painstaking precision that went into building it. Ears are the most important part of any audio setup thank goodness.
 
I can relate to the point of listening to audio gear in less than optimal places with inferior equipment. I have several thousands invested in audio gear, but most of my music listening happens in my car or on in the gym using $7.99 Philips headphones I bought from Marshalls department store...blasphemy I know. Maybe I should focus my money on better gym headphones, but it's tough to find those that stay on your head. I think wearing my LCD-2's to the gym with a portable amplifier would turn some heads. It's just a shame after spending so much money and doing research as to which source, amp, and speaker are the best we spend so little time getting a return on our investment.
 
Anyways, thank you for your posts. As long as you continue to write I will continue to read.

 

[snickerpop]

That was a very interesting read. 

 

[Hero Kid]

An interesting read indeed!  All this talk of room conditioning has prompted me to have a critical look at my current listening room which I think leaves a lot to be improved.
I might dedicate a weekend to tweeking my system within my room (read: moving stuff around and listening all day) to try and get the most out of it.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

A good compromise for the "multipurpose room" and for those worried about losing money on investment for permanent fixed acoustical treatments is to avoid permanent installs and go with the many varieties of portable devices made for the job. Even a little attention to room treatments in the form of 4 corner traps (at the top of the ceiling in the 4 corners of the room) can do wonders for a room and remain unobtrusive (can be painted to match wall color) and best of all easily taken down and used in a new room/apartment whatever. I think what has been lost in the latest round of talks about acoustic treatment is the simple fact that one does not need to go all out...a little bit of tuning (that is WAF friendly) can elevate the SQ of the system in that multipurpose room without aggravating anyone or alienating anyone. The treatments are equally effective with movies and the like. There is no min level of treatment but there certainly is a maximum level that has to be negotiated between the rest of the family ...cost and looks are always a factor even with dedicated rooms but there is no reason to worry about losing money on an install if you choose products that can be easily removed and used in your next home/apartment etc...Bottom line is to combine what GE talks about in terms of placement- gear selection /synergy some careful calculations in terms of room use furnishings etc combined with whatever level of acceptable acoustic treatments you can afford to add as well as using available technology to electronically manipulate the response of the room where your acoustic treatments/placement etc do not cover.
 
In other words a judicious approach taking into account and by exploiting all three factors (synergy/gear/ speakers maximizing placement in half decent multipurpose room, some electronic room correction using affordable tech, and some non permanent but eye pleasing treatments ) can yield a very satisfying multipurpose experience that is easy on the eyes, easy on the pocket book and most of all sounds far better than it should on paper considering that most of us are stuck with rooms and use of those rooms that is far from the ideal (in terms of all out approach vs what is practical).
 
A set of 4 corner traps is the by far the best bang for buck treatment I know of which does not detract from the room's usage, it's looks nor does such a treatment cost a whole lot. it's a win win for everyone IMO.
 
Peete.

 

[kiteki]

My only IMHO here is that speakers, headphones and IEM's all sound different, speakers might have the best sound overall but IEM's are more intimate, and you can use them on a train, in a park, shopping centre, overseas, etc.

 

[IndieScent]

stumble upon this thread, and I must also admit in the end a reasonably good speaker setup is what I want.
but since when I joined here, a speaker setup is not possible(being in typical japanese apartement and all) and I also kinda spend more time outside the room. portable and headphones become my aim. and thus my head-fi journey began... and the wallet started crying and begging....