See, cables do matter!!! (Yeah right) (1 Viewer)

[RobertR]

Thanks Angelo

 

[RobertR]

I'm one of them.

 

[Chu Gai]

Now that looks like a nice and inviting beer. Round 9 shall we say? Only one more round till voting time

 

[DavidLW]

Wine drinkers do not get drunk from reading wine reviews and audiophiles do not go deaf from reading TAS or Stereophile (they may already be blind and dumb ). I know of no High End audiophile that plunked down $10,0000 or even $2000 for an amp or speakers without first auditioning them. In fact most of them bring home demo amps to hear on their own system before they make the final choice (I did). Many audiophiles bring their own amp and pre-amp to the audio store so they can hear the speakers that they're considering buying with their own equipment (I did). Just because an audiophile reads a "glowing" review doesn't mean he's going to order the equipment online without a listening test. Audiophiles may "trust " a reviewers ears when it comes to advice but not when it comes to parting with his money. For audiophiles shopping for an amp it's just something to add to the list of possiblilities not the final word. Or as Stereophile likes to put it " a nice sounding amp surely worthy of your consideration".

Now on the other hand, how many people on this forum have bought their AVR online without ever hearing it ? How many of these people have posted threads asking for advice on HK,Yamaha, Rotel, etc and then bought the one that got the best "reveiw" among the posters? Are the "reviews" here any more informative than those in "audiophile" magazines? How many people here have ever took their AVR an audio store when auditioning speakers? How many people here heard the AVR they bought hooked up to their own speakers before they bought it? Is shopping for an AVR with the assumption that they all sound alike within a certain price range the best way to find the best AVR for your speakers? Are the "reviews" given here by members of this forum to be taken in lieu of an actual listening test? I can find dozens of people that bought an AVR without knowing how it sounds. But I don't know any audiophiles that ever bought an amp without first hearing how it sounds (often at home with a demo). Does spending less for a piece of equipment excuse you from spending the time it takes to find the best AVR for your system?

So who's here is guilty of blindly (deafly) following some else advice? Audiophiles that reads a "glowing" reveiw" and then going out to listen for themselves. Or the AVR purchasers who orders one online based on the "reveiws" they read here?

To many audiophiles, "reading" TAS, Sterophile and the likes is kind of like "reading" Playboy. We kind of just look at the pictures.

 

[Chu Gai]

And with that, the last of my picture postings. Shall we take a vote as to which delivered the best numbers?

 

[Chester II]

Chu Dude,

Round 2 girl wins it by a mile. Her slim physique, enhanced frontage, and killer smile are reason enough to pop the cork of my favorite bottle.

Dude,

Chester

 

[RobertR]

And so goes the backing off. They don't really "follow" anyone. They don't really "trust" someone else's ears (if they did, why bother auditioning?).

You're safely back in the comfort of High End orthodoxy.

But I still don't doubt that some people like some stuff just because Harry Pearson gives it his beatification.

 

[DanaA]

Really, it's fun to read the reviews and the testimonials by posters, but, in the end, one had better at least audition any gear they buy.

It's funny though, as pertains to Robert, he and I once were going back and forth on amplifiers, but have to say he presented a solid enough argument that it made me at least consider his point of view. I don't think anyone would argue that differences exist between amplifiers, as pertains to parts used, build quality, warranty, and the like, but personally it would also be difficult to argue that we aren't sometimes influenced by the appearance and brand name stamped on a piece of gear either...or, for that matter, that we don't come into a shop with a preconceived notion about the quality/performance of that piece of gear based on what we've read on forums or in magazines or even from advertisements.

But, I'm off topic here. Sorry, now to get to what this thread really is about.

I have to say Chu that, once again, you've gone above and beyond. I have to say that, if I let my libido soar, I'd have to vote for number 10. I don't think I'd come away from a tussle with her unscathed.

 

[Chu Gai]

That's a lot of good points Dana. I was browsing the web some time back looking at various asian manufacturers mostly to see if I could recognize any of the products that might've been sold domestically. One thing I found, as I'm sure some are aware of, is that there are factories in China cranking out parts and subassebmlies. One site in particular caught my eye. It was a factory that made cases for audio products. What I noted in particular were the words used to describe their products. They spoke about how thick and heavy their cases were in order to give that audiophile look to a finished product. It seemed pretty obvious to me that they were marketing a product that would not only enhance the appearance of someone's amp but would allow that someone to take a relatively ordinary amp and transform it simply by appearance into something that could be sold for considerably more. It certainly gave the appearance of a unit that had considerable build quality.
For a few dollars, a minimum order of something like 200 pieces and a cleverly designed website or ebay listing, you too, can sell this product.

Price it high enough and it'll attract some attention. OTOH, maybe someone is already selling it

 

[Angelo.M]

Speaker wire or jumper cable? You decide!

A brew for today, fellas...

 

[DavidLW]

Sadly the fine hobby of tinkering with cars have (like so many other things) gone digital. You no longer use screwdrivers, feeler gauges, wenches and socket sets. Now a days you need an EPROM burner and some knowledge of programing. If you can't program your own chip you can buy "special" chips (on the internet) to replace the ones in your automobile computer control system to increase HP by changing the fuel mixture and altering the data that controls smog devices like oxygen sensor and EGR. Reminds me of the way the Turntable gave way to the digital CD Player. It's funny though, that there's more quality Turntables availble now than ever before. I think it's because people that kept their vinyl collection intact are beginning to realize what a gold mine they have. Since many spent a lot of money to upgrade their audio system because of CD, DVD and HT (something that they weren't willing to do when they were mearly playing vinyl) they now hear their vinyl collection a little differently. And many like the difference they hear. But this is a discussion for another match on another day,

 

[Scott_N]

David

It's ok for HT guys to buy components without hearing them first because everything sounds the same.

 

[Jerry Parker]

Scott_N, in my opinion, I would agree with that except for turntables and speakers need to be auditioned

 

[Craig_Kg]

No way pal. Hooters all the way!