Digital Challenge - An ABX Study (1 Viewer)

[Chu Gai]

Done over 20 years ago, but some might find it an interesting read.

 

[Brian L]

You do seem to have an endless supply of these great articles Chu!

Of more recent history, Ivor, as part of an Absolute Sound round table including David Wilson (of Wilson WATT/Puppy fame) continued to argue his longstanding belief that the source is the highest priority component in a playback system.

Wilson recently did a demo at CES or some other hi-fi show, where he was secretly driving his high end speakers with an iPod through a low $$$$ amp. With uncompressed audio, no one suspected that the sound they were hearing was from such a supposedly (in most of the hi-end press) low-fi device.

Ivor, on the other hand argued that a high $$$$ front end playing through crap speakers would be preferable to just about anyone with two ears that work.

Oh well! When I am ready to blow a wad on a new hi-fi rig, I think I will stick with alloting a disproportionate amount of my $$$ to the loudspeakers.

BGL

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Anyone who’s spent more than ten minutes as an audio buff should know better. Way back when I was slowly assembling my first stereo system (remember those?) I had some low-end $50 speakers from a department store (remember those?). I concentrated on the electronics first, since they were each relatively small purchases, while good speakers would be a serious hunk of change.

When I finally got around to getting some good speakers, it was like “oh – my – GOSH!” My system immediately went from plain vanilla, as it were, to outstanding. I realized then I had been doing everything exactly backwards: I could have been enjoying first-class sound all those years if I had got the speakers first!

So – Ivor’s out to lunch

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt