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Thread: Does anyone else suffer from this?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Oct 2011

    Location: London Town

    Posts: 2,441
    I'm Julian.

    Default Does anyone else suffer from this?

    Spent Xmas with my mum up in Manchester this year. She enjoys listening to her classical cd's on a 'modest' Naim system she has had for many a year - I think the cd player is a 3.5 and the amp a Nait 3. Speakers are old Chario standmounts. She has never wanted anything more sophisticated.

    I bought her some new cd's for Xmas and put them on to listen to. It was so enjoyable. I was able to relax and listen to them with a not such a critical ear. The sound wasn't 'perfect' (Charios do roll off the treble) but I just didn't care - it was very easy to enjoy.

    Back at home I listen to vinyl almost exclusively, struggle to find the quality of vinyl I want and having had a 'settled' system for some time find myself tweaking with with changes minor and major. I find it hard to relax with my system because I'm constantly being so critical in my listening, which detracts from the enjoyment of the music. Something needs to change, but not sure what ...
    Sonore Rendu - Cambridge Audio Edge W - Sonus Faber Venere 2.5

  2. #2
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    Yes, I am a fellow sufferer. I also find I appreciate music more on other's systems, because - I suspect - I know subconsciously I can't do anything about them.

    I'm getting my pre-amp modded, picking up some new speakers this weekend. My experience such as it is tells me this will be a step forward to getting what I want. If it isn't then I really don't know where I am going next. There has to be an end to it somewhere.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Hmm, don't have the problem myself as I love the sound I'm getting and never hear anything that sounds better (to me) elsewhere.
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

  4. #4
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: http://www.homehifi.co.uk

    Posts: 6,288

    Default

    I packed away my equipment in the loft in 1987 when my wife told me she was expecting. Since then I got to listen to loads of other people equipment. Few of them were however to my satisfaction. Before audio forums became a feature on the net, equipment buyers were heavily reliant on HIFI mags as a source of recommendation. Now with access to a lot more info from the net, many of the people I know have lashed together a miss match of gear recommended on forums that are supposed to sound good on their own. But they widely miss the mark when connected together. So I haven't been lucky enough to have heard anything from anyone else recently that I felt relax with listening to it. Maybe I keep the wrong type of company.

    When I finally powered up my own pieces again in 2006 it didn't take long to identify the bits that didn't sound anywhere as good as I remembered them whilst others sounded as good or even better than I could remember. I am very much into looks that appeal to me, as well as sound quality. That type of combination is not easy to get hold cheaply these days on the 2ndhand market, and certainly not new. So I have more or less settled with what I currently have wired up to the mains.

  5. #5
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,853
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

    Default

    Oh dear Julian! You sound just like a fellow audio-enthusiast friend of mine. Reads all the magazines, has some very good equipment and overall a good system (to my ears), a large collection of vinyl - yet doesn't really enjoy his system.

    Every time I go round to hear his system, he is constantly interjecting with comments like: "does the soundstage and imaging sound right to you?", or "does this recording sound noisy to you?", "is the balance right?" , etc. etc. etc. - you get the idea. The point is, I do notice the limitations of his system, just as I do my own (and almost any other system, regardless of cost), yet I never let this intrude too much on my listening pleasure.

    No one system is perfect: all we can do is put together a system that satisfies us most, that is, ticks enough boxes of our personal list of acoustic characteristics that are important to us. Putting such a personal system together that is satisfying is "The Art of Sound".
    Barry

  6. #6
    Join Date: Apr 2013

    Location: Granes - Haut Vallee de l'aude - EU

    Posts: 2,831
    I'm Richard.

    Default

    I am currently. But hoping its due to "essential repairs" and I'll come back to my senses shortly. In my case I think its tinged with a nagging doubt that dacapo is such a good dac that except for avoiding duplicates and the case of stand-out bad cd recordings there is no case for vinyl. So I've stopped listening to cds to maximise the pain.

    Btw your avatar is a bad influence at this point in the tax return season. Not helped by mrs s feeling very chuffed to get me the book on collecting Scottish whisky which my uncle david daiches wrote many years ago and a set of glenmorangie single malts for christmas.

    Roll on February !

  7. #7
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: Valley of the Hazels

    Posts: 9,139
    I'm AMusicFanNotAnAudiophile.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    Oh dear Julian! You sound just like a fellow audio-enthusiast friend of mine. Reads all the magazines, has some very good equipment and overall a good system (to my ears), a large collection of vinyl - yet doesn't really enjoy his system.

    Every time I go round to hear his system, he is constantly interjecting with comments like: "does the soundstage and imaging sound right to you?", or "does this recording sound noisy to you?", "is the balance right?" , etc. etc. etc. - you get the idea. The point is, I do notice the limitations of his system, just as I do my own (and almost any other system, regardless of cost), yet I never let this intrude too much on my listening pleasure.

    No one system is perfect: all we can do is put together a system that satisfies us most, that is, ticks enough boxes of our personal list of acoustic characteristics that are important to us. Putting such a personal system together that is satisfying is "The Art of Sound".
    From the sound of it (pun intended) your friend doesn't listen to the actual music
    Chris



    Common sense isn't anymore!

  8. #8
    Join Date: Apr 2011

    Location: Surrey

    Posts: 4,162
    I'm Mike.

    Default

    Mindset

    You don't expect much from your mum's system and it delivers

    I listen to a lower level system when in the kitchen/dining room and it's ok, nothing like my main system and I'm quite happy with it

    Some albums are made well and some not so that could be an issue

    There's always something to improve. Could be you have one item that needs an update.
    Mains is a good place to start - which is where I started when my system sounded poor
    TAD CD / DAC / Pre, Technics 1210, MCRU PSU, Mike New Bearing & Platter, Stillpoints LP1 weight, Speedy Steve Ebony armboard, Fidelity Research FR64FX arm, Ortofon SPU. Aurorasound VIDA Phono Pre Amp, TAD Power Amp, TAD E1 speakers. Coherent RTZ 3 Grounding box, Coherent grounding cables, Creaktiv racks. Coherent Mains Cables. SR Blue Fuse. Interconnects : Coherent and Yannis 223.5 Connect Litz. Coherent speaker cable. Audio Magic Transcendence Conditioner. Coherent mains socket. Mains Filters : , PS Audio Harvesters, Russ Andrews Purifiers, Tacima, Vertex. Black Ravioli and RDC supports. Electric Beach S1NX platforms for TAD CD and Technics. Ferrite chokes everywhere except the above. Ears, brain

    Mike

  9. #9
    Join Date: Oct 2011

    Location: Charente, France

    Posts: 3,531
    I'm Nodrog.

    Default

    We now have five systems of varying competence but.......in reality, they are all very good when it comes to playing the important stuff i.e. music.

    I can happily listen and get lost on any one of them without worrying about the actual sound.

    There is a big 'but' though. If I'm hearing a piece for the first time or something I am not that familiar with, I tend to play it first on the main system with the Quad 57s, valves and vinyl (if its available of course). Once I know the music, my mind appears to fill in anything that the 'lesser' systems may be missing out and I can just relax and let the music do its thing instead of trying to take it apart (that's the job of the digital stuff - my brain is analogue)

    As I have no doubt said before, I reckon hi-fi and music are two different hobbies. Your mum's system is not under your control so you can't fiddle or worry about it and so just relax and actually hear the music rather than your toys.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Gordon Steadman View Post
    I reckon hi-fi and music are two different hobbies.
    Never a truer word spoken!
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

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