View Full Version : Is 'Equipmentitis' getting in the way of the music?
walpurgis
09-07-2012, 23:01
I think I may be the worlds worst offender here. I do seem to spend an inordinately large amount of my spare time tinkering and toying with my multiple set-ups of Hi-Fi gear and I'm sure I should be listening more to the music itself and not worrying so much about how everything is sounding. Anybody else in the same boat?
The Vinyl Adventure
09-07-2012, 23:30
It's a funny old mindset ...
Very difficult to break out of too
Took me buying my active speakers and realising that it wasn't gonna get any better without spending vast money...
Also realising that the missis was happy with the way the current set up looked and the corresponding happiness that came with that helped
Oddly I think discovering spotify and realising that I could spend hours listening to music that didn't sound quite as good but still enjoying it immensely might have played a part too
Ultimately it's a journey ... Some never find a way to get beyond the kit I don't think ... But that for some is as big a part of the enjoyment as the music it's self ... No harm, as long as it doesn't lead to bankrupsy
walpurgis
09-07-2012, 23:45
Nice reply. I've been bankrupt for years though. Too much car, bike, and Hi-Fi buying and nights in the pub!
I went and heard another members system on Sunday and mighty fine it was as well. I get home and despite the fact that the set up I had was IMO the best sound I have had in years, what do I do? Yup take it all down and substitute the speakers that I feel might give me a similar sound to what I had heard at this chaps house. Meant a change of amp as well.
Result - err no. Those speakers simply don't work well in my room. Remedy....put all the original stuff back. Of course now I have the enviable/unenviable? task of fettling the bloody lot again, you know....half an inch here....half an inch there. I need to be locked up!
realysm42
10-07-2012, 07:27
I went and heard another members system on Sunday and mighty fine it was as well. I get home and despite the fact that the set up I had was IMO the best sound I have had in years, what do I do? Yup take it all down and substitute the speakers that I feel might give me a similar sound to what I had heard at this chaps house. Meant a change of amp as well.
Result - err no. Those speakers simply don't work well in my room. Remedy....put all the original stuff back. Of course now I have the enviable/unenviable? task of fettling the bloody lot again, you know....half an inch here....half an inch there. I need to be locked up!
Ah but if you hadn't you'd never have known :eyebrows:
The Grand Wazoo
10-07-2012, 07:35
Next time you move your speakers, just stick some tape on the floor to mark where they stand.
It's two things for me, Geoff; my engineering background loves the thought experiments and practical trials around getting the best sound from my system. Working out the why and settling on what works best is fascinating. There are certainly not scientific answers (yet) to everything we hear, but experience helps us build a set of rules that works for us.
The second, and primary, goal for me is to listen to and enjoy the music. I love the emotional connection and no, the equipment does not get in my way. It has, over the years, enabled me to hear and appreciate more than ever before. The combination of playing music at home and attending a goodly number of gigs and classical concerts help keep it real for me.
hifi_dave
10-07-2012, 08:59
It's a hobby. What's wrong with enjoying the music and the equipment ?
I first got into Hi-Fi (many, many years ago) to hear my music better and that's what it did. Since then I've thoroughly enjoyed playing with equipment, new and vintage. However, it shouldn't make you paranoid or broke, always looking for that little improvement.
Beobloke
10-07-2012, 09:30
It's a hobby. What's wrong with enjoying the music and the equipment ?
I first got into Hi-Fi (many, many years ago) to hear my music better and that's what it did. Since then I've thoroughly enjoyed playing with equipment, new and vintage. However, it shouldn't make you paranoid or broke, always looking for that little improvement.
Well said.
As many know, I buy loads of equipment and love playing with it all, but someone made a comment to me a year or two back to the effect that my system must be constantly changing. That's the point, though - my reference setup rarely changes - it's the stuff alongside it that is in and out like a yo-yo!
As an aside, I found myself in on my own last Friday and, with nothing on TV, I settled down in front of the system with a beer or two and just listened to some favourite tracks. I'm ashamed to say that this is the first time I've done this for quite a while and the first time in the new house that has no neighbours and thus no volume limit, other than the level imposed by my own ears and rattling window frames! Result - absolute bliss. I'll be asking Mrs. B to work late more often....
walpurgis
10-07-2012, 10:49
The two foregoing posts equate to my overall view.
I do tend to have one basic 'flavour' of system that I tend to stick to and muck about with the rest.
I must start hearing and buying some more music though. This might seem daft for an old git like me, but I've really got into listening dub/psy and psy/trance, as the best is incredibly well recorded and very cleverly conceived. Shpongle, Flock of Bleeps, Younger Brother and UnionJack spring to mind, it all sounds amazing through my system. I think it was Ozric Tentacles got me headed in this direction when members of the band formed Eat Static. I listen to loads of other types of music though, anything from June Tabor to Kate Bush and Leonard Cohen, with plenty of rock and a bit of classical and jazz along the way.
My new moving coil SUT arrived this minute in the post, I had to stop typing in this post to open the door to the postman. So that's another day or two of tinkering with decks and cartridges coming up!
Oh, new toys! What SUT have you got, Geoff? :)
Marco.
Wakefield Turntables
10-07-2012, 11:35
Macro did you ever finish reviewing the new silver core sut?
No back to this thread. I must admit that my main system has remained pretty static now for two years. I have a second system that I like to experiment with and to some extent this is where I get the greatest joy, the other being when an upgrade improves my reference system. I love messing around, the internal regs for my 1210 still prove to be a moot subject but I have a pair of celestion dutton 44 speakers that I want to fettle... :eek:
Andy
walpurgis
10-07-2012, 11:37
Hi Marco.
Its actually pair of transformers and an Art Audio product I'm informed. They have no markings and I have no data on these at all, but I have used a pair of them in my system before, as my best mate has a set which I've borrowed and found to be outstanding and a seemingly good match with any of the MCs I've tried. He paid several hundred quid, so I think I may have a bargain. I'll find out when I try them. I would be very grateful if anybody knows these and has any info they could give me. I've attached a thumbnail.
realysm42
10-07-2012, 11:53
For some, perhaps the joy is in the tinkering more than the overall listening experience.
Some people buy cars to drive them, some tune them to get the best 0-60mph time.
I love music and I love aspiring to trying new bits of kit to further my pleasure, I don't see "Equipmentitis" as an issue.
Hi Andy,
Macro did you ever finish reviewing the new silver core sut?
Who's Macro? :eyebrows:
Yes, I've finished assessing it now and the upshot is that I'm keeping my Ortofon ST-80SE, as still I prefer it over the Silvercore (excellent though that is). I'll be writing up my conclusions on the thread in question soon.
Both are certainly amongst the best SUTs I've heard, in conjunction with an SPU.
Marco.
Its actually pair of transformers and an Art Audio product I'm informed. They have no markings and I have no data on these at all, but I have used a pair of them in my system before, as my best mate has a set which I've borrowed and found to be outstanding and a seemingly good match with any of the MCs I've tried. He paid several hundred quid, so I think I may have a bargain. I'll find out when I try them. I would be very grateful if anybody knows these and has any info they could give me. I've attached a thumbnail.
I haven't seen those SUTs before, Geoff. You need to make sure that, in terms of gain and loading impedance, that they match your cartridge properly, and that's before you get down to deciding if you like their sonic signature and/or how that sound synergises sonically with your cartridge.
What cartridge are you using them with? :)
Marco.
Wakefield Turntables
10-07-2012, 16:32
Who's Macro? :eyebrows:
Marco.
Sorry mate! :lol: Thats what you get when you use an iPad to answer forum questions. Personally i think macro sounds quite cool but I better stick to Marco. Cant wait to hear your write up regards the new SUT. I'm still waiting to review one, which I think is a bit crap. I may just end up with the ortofon SUT which I can get quite quickly from my usual hifi store.
I think I may be the worlds worst offender here. I do seem to spend an inordinately large amount of my spare time tinkering and toying with my multiple set-ups of Hi-Fi gear and I'm sure I should be listening more to the music itself and not worrying so much about how everything is sounding. Anybody else in the same boat?
Been there, done that, got the T shirt. Now I mostly leave the system alone unless something sounds obviously wrong (eg, when my cartridge needed rebuilding last year) or to add another source (ie the Squeezebox Touch).
walpurgis
10-07-2012, 18:55
Marco, the SUTs will mainly be used with my ZYX R100 H. As I mentioned, I've borrowed a set of these before and they work well with my various ZYXs. The pairing will feed my ERA V Gold phono stage.
Cant wait to hear your write up regards the new SUT.
You might be waiting a while, Marco's famous for his write ups that never seem to happen :lol:
I'm quite enjoying my system at the moment but i still want to go up to 15 inch Tannoys but thats only building on the sound i have now.
walpurgis
12-07-2012, 18:38
Jon, I see you use Tannoy Sterlings. Which type of d/c driver are they? Pepperpot compression driver tweeter or dual magnet tulip waveguide type? I don't know much about the Sterling. Geoff.
Tulip wave guide Geoff, bottom of the range but very good, i've had and heard some very serious amps on the end of them they certainly don't discrace themselves
walpurgis
12-07-2012, 21:20
I heard the Stirlings many years ago at an audio show when they were a new model and lusted after them, but never ended up with a pair. I keep three pairs of other Tannoys though.
Is 'Equipmentitis' getting in the way of the music?
In essence, yes it can do, but it is not necessarily the case. The same issue exists with cameras and photography. There are a great number of amateur 'gear head' photographers whose primary' focus' is technology led and who take/produce a large number of technically capable, but artistically barren, pictures. However, the very same equipment is capable of genuine artistry in the right hands (not mine, I have no direct interest in photography as such). My point is that the equipment is not to blame for the manner in which it is used/viewed, it is down to the individual who owns/uses it. If you feel the equipment is ultimately more important to you than the music, and this seems wrong to you, you need to consider your motivations/values a little more closely.
I believe I’ve mentioned before that my primary interest is audio reproduction.
This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy listening to recordings. There seems to be some perceived high ground in the claim that it’s all about the music. I have doubts about both the claim and its perceived high ground status in many cases.
Stereo sound reproduction is my hobby.
walpurgis
13-07-2012, 09:10
Nicely summarised John. There is no real 'best way', to enjoy your Hi-Fi and your music, it is like any other interest. You do it your own way! Any artistic merit rests with the music, not the listener and playing around with Hi-Fi equipment is a pastime which at least has a justifiable end.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have an issue with people who's primary interest is technical or about the 'gear'. As said, there is no 'right way' :).
daytona600
14-07-2012, 02:26
Oh, new toys! What SUT have you got, Geoff? :)
Marco.
speaking of SUTs liked they look of these yamamoto ones
2 off dual mono way koool
6945
Pete The Cat
14-07-2012, 05:15
There are worse vices than "equipmentitis".
Funnily enough there are times when I enjoy the family room system more than my main rig, no great expectations just music.
Pete
Maybe this will push up prices, but anyone wishing to step on the Tannoy DC ladder should look at DC2000's and 3000's. HUGE fun, beefy smooth presentation and a lovely huge-hearted sound you can't help but love. Plain boxes though but who cares :lol:
walpurgis
14-07-2012, 18:43
Yeah, I've used the DC1000 and DC2000. They are fun and surprisingly punchy and at the price they can be picked up, well worth messing about with. The smallest model, the DC1000 being actually the purest sounding. That second bass driver on the 2000/3000 seems to thicken the sound through the mid a touch for some reason (its not an ABR by the way).
But, you can't get away from that plastic cone honk that the DCs have and when I bought a cheap pair of (later) 6.5" Tannoy professional i6 drivers and put them in my own cabinets the little buggers completely blew the DCs away for sound quality.
There are of course bigger models in the DC range that use pulp cones and not plastic, but they are rare and much dearer.
walpurgis
18-07-2012, 21:14
Marco, the SUTs will mainly be used with my ZYX R100 H. As I mentioned, I've borrowed a set of these before and they work well with my various ZYXs. The pairing will feed my ERA V Gold phono stage.
The Art Audio pair of mono SUTs has now been in use for a few days and as expected, they sound very nice indeed. Currently being fed by my ZYX R100.
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