Are we engineers?

[magiccarpetride]

A friend, who is an engineer, visited my listening room last night. He got mighty intrigued by my Maggies. Wanted to hear them play.

After the playback, he pulled out his phone, activated the flashlight and the magnification, and started examining the speakers from all possible angles. "How the hell does it work? How can it emit such powerful bass?" he asked me.

I shrugged and wanted to pull a Seinfeld quote ("I listen to them. I don't explain them.") So I told him I have no idea how do planar speakers actually work.

That confession utterly shocked him! "How can you not be curious?" he wondered.

But you see, I'm not curious, because I only focus on getting audio components set up so that I get the best possible sound reproduction. Once I achieve that, I stop thinking and pondering over 'hmmmm, how does this shit actually work?"

But he was the exact opposite -- he was not in the least concerned about the quality of sound, he was totally zeroing in on the fact that it can produce such voluminous sound from what appears to be paper thin membrane.

That made me wonder -- are most audiophiles mostly engineers, or merely connoisseurs who only want to enjoy the final products?

[IHP]

Fine question Alex. I have sometimes pondered how an audio signal passes from my Tivo box via an optical cable (ie light) into a DAC, then to an amp (with valves, I don't get them either !) through bits of wire to speakers to make fine music. Speakers I get the basic principle of, the rest is just an utter mystery to me. This ponder came when I first connected the optical cable and noticed actual light emitting from it.

If we're stating our position, I'm firmly on the side of the fence that sits back with a beer and enjoys !

[Macca]

I was too thick to be an engineer but I am curious about things that interest me so I try to learn how hifi works, at least in layman's terms.

Even if it doesn't help specifically it helps in general outlook. I mean take a look at your speaker cables when you have something playing. You don't think that is actually musical sounds running through them do you?

Might sound obvious to the brilliant amongst you but it took me a long time to come to that revelation.

[magiccarpetride]

Fine question Alex. I have sometimes pondered how an audio signal passes from my Tivo box via an optical cable (ie light) into a DAC, then to an amp (with valves, I don't get them either !) through bits of wire to speakers to make fine music. Speakers I get the basic principle of, the rest is just an utter mystery to me. This ponder came when I first connected the optical cable and noticed actual light emitting from it.

If we're stating our position, I'm firmly on the side of the fence that sits back with a beer and enjoys !

I'm with you -- just want to sit back and enjoy the music with beer or a glass of wine...

My biggest mind boggle in the realm of audio reproduction tech is the vinyl grooves and the cartridge with the cantilever and the stylus. I can grasp the fact that, as the instruments are playing/people are signing, the mechanical vibrations in the instruments/vocal chords are pushing the air molecules. Those molecules then travel around the room, exciting other air molecules. Eventually, they hit the microphone membrane. The membrane vibrates commensurately with the air molecule vibrations. The membrane vibrations generate electrical signal that travels via the wire and into the recording machine (i.e. magnetophone or digital recorder).

So far so good. Now for the juicy part -- when switching to the mass production of the sound carrier medium (the vinyl LP), the magnetic (or digital) signal stored on the tape or on the hard drive is played back. That playback results in the electrical signal that is identical to the original signal that was produced during the original recording event (I'm oversimplifying here and ignoring the mixing/mastering etc., but bear with me). Now, the electrical signal is causing the record cutting head to move, and that motion is used to cut the groove on the stamper (oversimplification again).

The stamper is then being used to mass produce LPs. What I cannot for the life of me grok is how is it possible that such massive wealth of intricate musical details gets stored in such tiny, microscopic grooves? And furthermore, how is it possible to mechanically retrieve most of that information from such a tiny, wobbly source that is susceptible to so many crude interferences as it spins around?

[sumday]

"Are we Engineers"?.....sounds like a great name for a indie-punk band.

debut album "Semi detached retina" currently being recorded.....on a valve desk.



I'd buy it.

NIGE.

[Beobloke]

Why can't we be both?! I'm an engineer by qualification and profession but I'm an audiophile who cares very much about the sound as well.

I personally think the two can co-exist quite happily and my equipment choice is led by a mixture of objective and subjective criteria - namely, if it doesn't measure well then it doesn't go onto the shortlist, but the final decision is made using my ears. I want to know that it works properly AND sounds good!

[walpurgis]

Why can't we be both?

Exactly!

[Pharos]

I agree, but in Britain in particular the word covers a wide range of depth of involvement and abilities.

I didn't go further than T.Eng. level, due to self doubt, but there are many without formal quals who have done exceptional work.

A related question to the objectivist and subjectivist;
Does analysing the art add to or detract from enjoying it? The mind is differently configured in each process IMO.

[magiccarpetride]

Why can't we be both?! I'm an engineer by qualification and profession but I'm an audiophile who cares very much about the sound as well.

I personally think the two can co-exist quite happily and my equipment choice is led by a mixture of objective and subjective criteria - namely, if it doesn't measure well then it doesn't go onto the shortlist, but the final decision is made using my ears. I want to know that it works properly AND sounds good!

Knowing that it works properly (within the expected parameters) and knowing how it works may be two different things.

[narabdela]

From an early age I've always been fascinated by electronics and how audio and television works.

I can understand the "I don't care, I just sit back and enjoy" viewpoint, but I feel that this can leave you open to all the foo out there. There are plenty of charlatans making a fortune out of those who don't really understand the science behind their hobby.