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View Full Version : Nice to discover that your system really does sound as good as you think!



twelvebears
10-07-2009, 17:29
Well I had a shockingly reassuring experience today.

A work colleague is a bit of a hi-fi nut too (his Dad very, very much so), and as a result we've got to know each other quite well. He recently offered me an old Technics tape deck he was going to bin (see here: my http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3236) and so I pop round to pick it up.

Andy has a pretty decent system by most people's standards; Linn Karik, Kairn, LK140 and B&W XT8s used as main speakers (OK, I wouldn't choose these tall AV biased speakers, but hey), so I settled down on the sofa for a quick listen to Picture Book by Simply Red, which is an album I love and know very well (unfortunately the only decent one from them before Mick's head vanished up his own arse).

Now I should just say that I normally live in audiophile isolation. None of my friends share my obsession (though they love to play when they visit), the nearest one get's is a love of AV and surround sound, so all I have to go on is my own opinion and memory of various stuff I've owned, heard at shows or in demos. To be honest, I was slight scared that it was going to sound bloody amazing and leave me utterly depressed that my own beloved system sounded shite.

I'm very, very happy to say this did not happen.

Really not at all.

It was kind of like the moment when you sit down to dinner at someone's house and with the first mouthful you realise something has gone terribly, terribly wrong but you can't say anything.

For a moment I thought something was broken.

I've always love the fact that my system seems to portray the life and vibrancy of a performance. Vocals shine through and there's a punchy, dynamic quality that I adore. But by comparison in sounded like the musicians were being sat on, or playing from under a duvet.

Clearly I was delighted and promptly bounced home to enjoy many, many lovely tunes with a silly big grin on my face, but unfortunately I have a social and hi-fi friend dilemma.

Andy is going to be coming round for dinner once we move to the new house, and unless he has ears of cloth, I'm a bit worried about the moment he will have when we start the music.

Perhaps all will be fine. Perhaps he really, really loves his system and will think mine is impossibly IN YOUR FACE by his standards....

Views guys? Any of you had any heart stopping moments when you've suddenly heard a system that's blown yours into the weeds and left you either wanting give it all up or rob a bank?

Spectral Morn
10-07-2009, 17:42
Steve

Its all part of the learning experience, yours and your friend. I wouldn't worry about it. Perhaps he will have a road to Damascus moment and realise his is not the way, and thank you when he sorts it out, or he will say nothing, or say he does not like your set up. Anyway it happens stay cool and enjoy the evening.

Regards D S D L

Joe
11-07-2009, 08:45
He will have noticed that your feet failed to tap when you were listening to his Linn-based system so will have marked you down as 'cloth-eared'.

Personally, even if I don't particularly like other peoples' systems, I can usually tune out the bad aspects and listen to the music. The exception is/was the dreaded early metal tweeters that would take the top of your head off.

As for systems I've really liked, one that sticks in the mind from many years back was a reel-to-reel tape recorder playing piano music via Quad electrostatics (no idea what make the amp was, but ISTR it having valves). I hadn't the room nor the money for either at the time, but I often used to go to the Sony showroom on Regent Street to drool over their top-of-the-range reel-to-reels.

sastusbulbas
11-07-2009, 11:29
I have heard quite a lot of systems and top be honest it is always the room speakers and amps in that order that do it for me.

One of my favorite sounds was an active PMC BB5/Bryston system and what I liked about that demo was it ticked all the boxes, and when I got home and played my system it felt I had achieved that on a smaller scale already.

There was also a wedding with a live harp performance, which reminded me of my system, and a bake off where I felt the percussive performance was not complete.

My own system is not perfect though, it relies on a Krell power amp to get the mid bass and percussion right, and I find my bedroom system is teh same, relying on Classe pre and power to give me a very enjoyable bass and percussive quality.

Of course my aim is for a neutral sound and even frequency response into the lower registers with a coherent and even tonality top to bottom, many find this sounds lacking and less impressive to what they have, but I believe this approach allows me to appreciate whats on the discs more.

I have had friends prefer their systems, and other friends bring their new music to mine for a listen, I guess that is the bigger picture, as many peoples systems are tuned to their own preferences and ears.

I would not worry about your friends opinion, just let him hear your system in all it's glory, it will either have him upgrade his own set up, or open his ears to a particular aspect of his own system he prefers, whatever his opinion listening to another persons system is a great experience, it's why we all go to hi fi shows and bake offs, without this experience we turn out bitter and condemn all sorts of debate we should know better of.