Regards,
Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse
I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work.... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -
Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?
“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".
“You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”
"You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”
“There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”
***SMILE, BE HAPPY***
I haven't been for years, but going round Hi-Fi shows used to be an eye opener. There'd be dozens of systems from various makers on demo and the one consistent thing was that most of them just didn't sound great. Occasionally, you'd come across something special and the 'rightness' of the sound would leap out at you.
But. I entered one room where a vintage system was in use. It was a display by minor cable maker I believe. There was a pair of 15" Tannoy Lancasters fronted by an older valve amp (can't recall which, could have been a Radford) a Garrard 301 with SME 3009 holding a Decca Mk.IV and remember thinking, 'this is going to be nice'. It wasn't. The sound was flat as a pancake and woolly. A big surprise. It must have been the room's unsuitablility I think. A real shame, as it had great potential.
When something sounds right, you just know. Spendor usually left a good impression, genuinely fine sounding as a rule. Avant Garde speaker displays always make their mark, they may not be entirely tonally accurate, but they sure make music.
One of the most enjoyable sounds I recall ever hearing was from C R Developments, their own CD player, and amplification, driving a pair of Jean Marie Reynard 'Offrande' speakers. This was just an amazing sound. Full bodied, sweet, detailed and really natural and transparent, strikingly so and easily the best of the show. It was definitely an 'I want' moment!
It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!
Location: gone away
Posts: 4,870
I'm joe.
Hifi is basically some over-priced boxes and wires, about which some people get their knickers in a twist.
I've only been to a handful of hifi shows, but my experience has been that the most expensive set-ups tend to sound worse than the less expensive, simpler ones. Whether this is down to the unsuitability of the rooms in which the equipment has been set up, I don't know.
I was at a wedding this weekend, and the sound system sounded so awful* that I realised to what extent I have become used to the sound of a good hifi system.
*Way too much bass, ear-piercing treble, shite music programme.
I think hi-Fi is of it's time. It is different things to different people. Hi-fi for the best part is a remnant of the 60's, 70's and early to mid 80's. To some it replaces train sets and reminds us so much of our youth and better days gone by. Hey, no harm with this. To others it is an ongoing Engineering project a strive for the lost chord and the will to put their design skills, know how and artistry to work and have the opportunity to demonstrate them or even sell them. This is amazing and along with the other elements here represent the best of what Hi-fi is.
However, there is also the male jewellery philosophy of which i have been guilty of myself on occasions where people display their Hi-fi like peacock feathers. This is the darker side of Hi-fi and not fot the none competitive. It can set friends against each other and create jelousy which is what happened to me. Once a new piece of equiptment is purchased it isn't long before your friend becomes a riveal and purchases a similar item a few notches up the product range. This is easily remedied by getting off the merrygoround.
Due to my age and thought process Hi-Fi to me is still the most enjoyable way of listening to music in the home.
Hifi is a separates system used to play music.
The music will vary from much loved favourites, experimental sounds which may be instantly discarded as a mistake or kept in the "collection" forever and of pieces the owner feels they should have or may just keep out of sentimentality despite never actually playing.
The same can description can also apply to the system itself ..
Linn Sondek LP12, Ittok, AT-F7
Schiit Mani MK1 Phono Pre-Amp
Nobsound NS-08P Bluetooth pre-amp
Marantz CD5004 CD Player
Pure DAB tuner
2 x Meridian 205 monoblock power amps
Tannoy T225 "Mayfair" speakers
www.paulridgeblog.com
Hi-Fi is a wonderful way to acquire stuff, play with it, fiddle with it and fill your house with lovely things.
It's the whole "playing music" nonsense that just gets in the way of this enjoyment, as far as I'm concerned.
Engineers: fixing problems you didn't know you had in ways you don't understand.
We all think our seperates sound best to our ears indeed as I write this I’m listening to OMDs new album on my pioneer PDS 505 stable platter CD player with Denon 350se amp and Tannoy V1 speakers on atacama stands sounds wonderful
Location: Oxford
Posts: 195
I'm Andy.
Lo-Fi - not worth listening to
Mid-Fi - holds my attention for a bit
Hi-Fi - absolutely captivating
Lo-Fi - can't tell what the song is (hello bluetooth speakers)
Mid-Fi - I might recognise the song
Hi-Fi - makes me want to buy the album
Lo-Fi - I don't want to listen to anything
Mid-Fi - I enjoy the song once or twice but then need to listen to something else
Hi-Fi - I can play the same track again and again and again and again...
Lo-Fi - makes me wince
Mid-Fi - makes me ask what the equipment is
Hi-Fi - leaves me spellbound
Lo-Fi - just turn it off already
Mid-Fi - turn it down a bit so we can chat
Hi-Fi - shut up, I'm listening to the music!