View Full Version : Who has WHAT ? --- Poll ---
Audio Al
29-09-2012, 15:59
I was curious to know who has what in the way of SOURCE equipment ?
So thought I would start a Poll
Turntable
8 track
Cassette player
Reel to reel
Tuner LW MW FM
Mini disc player
CD player
Digital File based audio ( ipods laptops PC imac's etc )
Audio Al
29-09-2012, 16:04
I have started with 6 out of 8
No R2R or Mini disc in my system ( Yet ) :eyebrows:
Depends on what you mean by Digital? I don't have an iPod or similar, so I reckon I have zero in your list!
Perhaps edit to include file based audio, music streamer or suchlike ;)
I took Digital to include file based music, after all it is digital ;)
I took Digital to include file based music, after all it is digital ;)
I was blinded by that word iPod Dave - no way I could tick that :lol:
Canetoad
29-09-2012, 16:21
6/8 for me. :)
Ali Tait
29-09-2012, 16:30
NVA TFS is my only source.
NVA TFS is my only source.
Needs another category dun' it Ali?
Not being funny, but all the time and expense that can go into assembling a dedicated custom built file server, which is likely to sound better than many things in that list, cannot just be lumped in with an 'iPod' :rolleyes:
Where's John (Welder) when you need him, I would be very interested in his response ;)
Ali Tait
29-09-2012, 16:46
Aye, he's not been on for a while, hope he's getting on ok.
Yes, add a file server category please!
Yes, add a file server category please!
+ 1 from me too - without it my score is 2/8
File-based source option, daftees, duly added :)
Marco.
isuckedmandelsonslemons
29-09-2012, 17:20
Just a CD player for me. But I'm getting more and more tempted by a return to vinyl.
walpurgis
29-09-2012, 17:49
interesting poll results. Are there really people still using 8 Track? I'm not knocking it, just surprised!
Audio Al
29-09-2012, 17:53
But I'm getting more and more tempted by a return to vinyl.
It IS the future , Get in at ground level NOW :eek: While you still can :D
File-based source option, daftees, duly added :)
Marco.
That's not really what I meant Marco and its rather dismissive to lump the 'file based lot' all together. Bit like going to party and being waived away with a smirk into another room, because you're not wearing the right shirt! I think even you would agree there is quite a difference between an iPod, a general purpose computer (be it Windoze or MAC) and a purpose built player like the NVA. Then there's all the commercially produced players like the Linn DS etc. Audiophile's might dismiss it, but it is what people are buying/building and using along with their new turntables - how many 8 tracks get sold these days? I think the future holds a small but robust TT and vinyl market, together with file based audio. The rest will be ornaments and novelties kept going only to play archived and precious recordings, not available in any other format.
Too late now, but it would have been interesting to see how those categories broke down, instead of just an 'iPod' and anything else group.
Anyway, I'll get my coat . . .
Rare Bird
29-09-2012, 18:45
Turntable: Yes but only albums i have that's not seen the light of day on CDee yet (My hands are tied because of the sheer cost of the vinyl i want, you have to draw a line)
8 Track: I have but never use now
Cassette Player: Yes i do for tapes of live material mainly
Reel To Reel: Yes but not so much these days
MD Player: I have one but it's a portable used to use on the go, but redundant now
CD Player: Yep i hate CD but you can buy expensive obscure albums for peanuts & there's the Bonus material thing
Tuner Radio: I don't but the wife likes radio
File based system: Na never in the main system just with headphones/DAC while on the pooter.
Thing Fish
29-09-2012, 18:55
Turntable obviously and an occasional use tuner for the back room.
That's not really what I meant Marco and its rather dismissive to lump the 'file based lot' all together. Bit like going to party and being waived away with a smirk into another room, because you're not wearing the right shirt! I think even you would agree there is quite a difference between an iPod, a general purpose computer (be it Windoze or MAC) and a purpose built player like the NVA. Then there's all the commercially produced players like the Linn DS etc. Audiophile's might dismiss it, but it is what people are buying/building and using along with their new turntables - how many 8 tracks get sold these days? I think the future holds a small but robust TT and vinyl market, together with file based audio. The rest will be ornaments and novelties kept going only to play archived and precious recordings, not available in any other format.
Too late now, but it would have been interesting to see how those categories broke down, instead of just an 'iPod' and anything else group.
Anyway, I'll get my coat . . .
Lol! I take your point, Tim. However, the Digital Expressions section of this very forum (read the description underneath the title) also sees quality file-based audio 'lumped in' with iPods, etc, simply because, one way or another, it's ALL a form of digital audio ;)
Therefore, there was no 'audiophile snobbery'/elitism, as you're implying, attached with how I edited the OP's poll earlier - it was simply factual. If you or he would like the choices amended in some other way, then I am at your service! :cool:
Marco.
Fair enough Marco and thanks for taking the time to reply. From my point of view and as an advocate, it would have been interesting to see how many members were using;
An iPod or similar
Plain vanilla computer
Custom built file server
Commercially produced player
All moot now as a lot of the voting is done, so no need or point in updating the poll. I just had to respond as there would IMO have been more merit in the above, than knowing who still has an 8 track ;)
No problem, Tim. I think that the contents of the poll merely reflect the biases of the OP, much in the same way as the selection above reflects yours :eyebrows:
Also, bear in mind that a large proportion of the membership of AoS leans towards using vintage gear. Therefore, in that respect, there's just as much merit/relevance in finding out if people are still using 8-tracks, as if they are using a computer to stream their music ;)
Marco.
It would b e snobbery to NOT lump iPod with a high-end file server wouldn't it?
Afterall, they all play file based music so the only distinction between them is some idea within the individual of one or other not being good enough.
I ticked that box cos I plug my phone in to play flacs and my iPod and also my PC - all play the same files (well the iPod could if I Jailbreak'd it) and plug in to the same basic jack to phono lead.
Spectral Morn
29-09-2012, 21:30
I have and use all bar an 8 Track - never seen or heard one in the flesh
6/8 for me (I have my Sony NH1 minidisc hooked up but hardly use it). Could be 7/8 but I don't have any R2R tapes so never in the system! Shame cos its a nice Tandberg TD20SE
Casette is only a cheap 80s Sanyo a friend gave me - his childhood deck that just keeps going. My fancy decks all need repairs or servicing.
I have and use all bar an 8 Track - never seen or heard one in the flesh
My parents used to have one in the lounge, during the 70s, and my dad also had one in the car too, in those days... The tapes themselves were massive! Sounded pretty good, though :)
5/8 for me on the poll.
Marco.
You always miss the point being made don't you Nat and feel the need to have a snipe - quite a knack to be honest :doh:
I have responded with turntable and CD player only, because they are primary sources for me. Yes, I can do Spotify through my Touch, but that's just for checking out music that I want to buy. There's also Sky HD through the Bushmaster, but again I don't consider it for primary listening.
Fair enough Marco and thanks for taking the time to reply. From my point of view and as an advocate, it would have been interesting to see how many members were using;
An iPod or similar
Plain vanilla computer
Custom built file server
Commercially produced player
All moot now as a lot of the voting is done, so no need or point in updating the poll. I just had to respond as there would IMO have been more merit in the above, than knowing who still has an 8 track ;)
Why not do another poll?
It would b e snobbery to NOT lump iPod with a high-end file server wouldn't it?
Afterall, they all play file based music so the only distinction between them is some idea within the individual of one or other not being good enough.
I ticked that box cos I plug my phone in to play flacs and my iPod and also my PC - all play the same files (well the iPod could if I Jailbreak'd it) and plug in to the same basic jack to phono lead.
Really not sure what to say - presume this is just a wind up? :scratch:
Did the poll. See my signature for my gear, since joining this forum I've expanded both the digital and analog capabilities of my systems. This year has seen me add a turntable and tape as well as new DACs and amps.
On the file based side its 3 computers, a tablet, an iPod and a phone with music capability. All of these sources vary widely in quality and listening enjoyment.
You always miss the point being made don't you Nat and feel the need to have a snipe - quite a knack to be honest :doh:
Eh? Do you have a previous greavance?
The "point" in the thread as I understand it fro Audio Al's OP is to guage what music sources (i.e. formats ) people can play in their system, or at least regularly use.
Whether I play a flac on a jailbroken iPod or a dedicated media server I've worked hard to perfect is neither here nor there - the point of interest for the poll is that it is a file, not 8-track tape or a physical CD or slab of vinyl.
If you have spent a lot of effort perfecting your file based player and so feel that effort is being dismissed by including iPod in the same catagory then that's your own issue, nothing to do with the poll IMO.
Do we then have to have a catagory for people with a DIY, 5 box mega CD player in case it gets lumped in with a bashed 90s portable plugged into the system?
Maybe snobbery is not the right word then - not sure what other word to use to describe the need to differenciate your better player from a more lowly one. Help me with that if you like.
Just a fun poll.. :cool:
Really not sure what to say - presume this is just a wind up? :scratch:
If the poll wants to know if you play files rather than a physical CD but one feels the need to cry out loud that your file based player is much better than a crappy iPod then I'm
not sure what else to call it.
It's irrelevent to the poll as far as I can see :scratch:
Factually it is playing a file and that is all that is being asked..
Personally, I find the poll gives you a sense of how people on the forum interact with their systems.. that's all it's about. Plus I suppose it helps to know what to talk about on here - won't get much response about 8 track but vinyl's a better bet than CD.
The Grand Wazoo
29-09-2012, 23:14
I'm sorry but I don't see the difference.
When I selected 'turntable' in the poll I didn't feel the need to specify whether I use my great aunt's hand me down Dansette with a knackered ceramic stylus or a high end audiophile turntable costing £140,000. I expressed the fact that I have a device which plays records.
Why differentiate between types of (non-CD) digital sources?
The only thing i dont have is an 8 track!
Only 4 people of the 52 so far don't have a turntable... interesting. Thought it would actually be more than that.
Well in that case why have 3 different types of magnetic tape?
The Grand Wazoo
29-09-2012, 23:26
Because the carrier is significantly different in all 3 cases.
I think we should get Nilson or Gallup in and have them do the poll properly and scientifically. Whip round from all members should only be about £40K or thereabouts, Marco will stump up most of it..
Oh yeah - Turntable, tuner, and a CD player...
Because the carrier is significantly different in all 3 cases.
And there isn't a significant difference between playing an MP3 file out of the headphone socket of an iPod compared to playing a FLAC file from a dedicated music server into a DAC?
Well in that case why have 3 different types of magnetic tape?
:doh:
If the poll wants to know, then who are we to argue? (yes the Poll is now a god like form of it's own)
Actually, hold on, no let's reduce the poll to just 2 options:
1 electrical equipment
2 acoustic equipment (includes wind-up gramaphones, pianolas and organ grinders with monkeys)
The Grand Wazoo
29-09-2012, 23:44
And there isn't a significant difference between playing an MP3 file out of the headphone socket of an iPod compared to playing a FLAC file from a dedicated music server into a DAC?
That's just the same as playing a badly recorded record isn't it? I can play it on any number or standard of record players. You can play the digital file on many different standards of devices or components. You can't play a 10.5 inch tape on an 8 track or a cassette deck.
I was only trying to explore (perhaps selfishly) that it might be interesting to find out what those 'digital' sources were? But you are all quite right it is a digital format - maybe my delivery was misunderstood, but it sure wasn't snobbery or anything to do with value, more to do with sound quality.
Anyway, I've moved on and am enjoying some Rachel Taylor-Beales on my digital player ;)
I quite like Martin's idea though of a Gallup poll, maybe Marco will invite us round for 'tea & tiffin' to announce the results? :D
:cool:
And there isn't a significant difference between playing an MP3 file out of the headphone socket of an iPod compared to playing a FLAC file from a dedicated music server into a DAC?
An iPod has a buit-in DAC so do we have to argue whether it is good enough to be compared with an external DAC? Start listing seperate CD transports as a new catagory?
What about an iPod/iPad into a DAC then? (digital dock or via camera connection kit to USB)
Or a dedicated music server via line-out ?
All gets silly and all because one wants to differenciate their gear from stuff they think is inferior. The Gallery is there for being chuffed and excited by your own gear and achievements..
Audio Al
30-09-2012, 00:16
O dear :doh:
I only started the poll to see how many members had what from the list of 8 options , to see if there was a huge swing to one source , also to see the variation in listening sources
I use all my options in rotation
One day the TT , next the CD and so no sonetimes 2 sources in a day , they all get used
No intention to start WW2 1/2 :scratch:
Please chill out :D
Don't worry Allen I'm all cool here, things can often go south when Nat pipes up - anyway it added a bit of spice to an otherwise quiet Saturday night.
So overall you can gauge it a success on that score, nowt wrong with a bit of healthy audio debate and it's highlighted that it really is time I bought a TT ;)
An iPod has a buit-in DAC so do we have to argue whether it is good enough to be compared with an external DAC? Start listing seperate CD transports as a new catagory?
What about an iPod/iPad into a DAC then? (digital dock or via camera connection kit to USB)
Or a dedicated music server via line-out ?
All gets silly and all because one wants to differenciate their gear from stuff they think is inferior. The Gallery is there for being chuffed and excited by your own gear and achievements..
Well there's no point in going round in circles, and I've not once suggested anything is superior or inferior. In my main system on input 2 I have a laptop, convertor and DAC for playing FLAC files, Spotify, internet radio, DVD-A etc - input 4 is connected to an iPod doc for playing low quality digital files conveniently from playlists. IMO they are two very different sources, and I don't see why wanting to differentiate between the two is anything to do with "being chuffed and excited by your own gear and achievements.." but I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree! :)
6/8, still looking for the right R to R to replace the 2 track Teac I had a few yrs. ago.
Will never own an 8 Track, it was the analogue equivilent of MP3 in the 70s.
Stratmangler
30-09-2012, 11:26
That's just the same as playing a badly recorded record isn't it? I can play it on any number or standard of record players. You can play the digital file on many different standards of devices or components. You can't play a 10.5 inch tape on an 8 track or a cassette deck.
You can't play a FLAC file on an iPod without jailbreaking the iPod first.
Interesting that after thirty years of digital audio "progress", the one thing that seems common to nearly all of us is vinyl.
Indeed, but it's not surprising on a forum full of discerning listeners and genuine music enthusiasts ;)
Marco.
Stratmangler
30-09-2012, 12:08
Indeed, but it's not surprising on a forum full of discerning listeners ;)
Marco.
That sounds so much better than calling us all a bunch of old gits who retained our record collections when everyone else was ditching theirs :eyebrows:
Lol... Indeed, although that doesn't apply in my case, as I ditched 95% of my old record collection in the early 90s, to make way for CD, which I embraced using solely, to the highest level, sonically, until I got into vinyl again, around 10 years later! ;)
Marco.
I can understand people letting their vinyl collection lie fallow when they 'embraced' CD but I can't understand why anyone would sell it unless they were really strapped for cash or had to move abroad and there was a limit to what they could take. Even then there is the option of leaving it in the custody of a friend or maybe their parents.
I can understand people letting their vinyl collection lie fallow when they 'embraced' CD but I can't understand why anyone would sell it unless they were really strapped for cash or had to move abroad and there was a limit to what they could take. Even then there is the option of leaving it in the custody of a friend or maybe their parents.
In my case Martin you have nailed it, a lifetime of moving, a spell in the Royal Navy and at some points living abroad too - its something I sorely regret now :(
I can understand people letting their vinyl collection lie fallow when they 'embraced' CD but I can't understand why anyone would sell it unless they were really strapped for cash or had to move abroad and there was a limit to what they could take. Even then there is the option of leaving it in the custody of a friend or maybe their parents.
In my case, in those days, being stupidly sold by the notion that CD was the best and offered 'perfect sound forever'! :doh: :mental:
Marco.
In my case, in those days, being stupidly sold by the notion that CD was the best and offered 'perfect sound forever'! :doh: :mental:
Marco.
That didn't mean you had to sell all your vinyl. What was wrong with just boxing it up and sticking it in a spare bedroom? I've never sold anything unless I was desperate for cash or someone made me an offer out of the blue.
Audioman
30-09-2012, 15:28
I know this is re-iterating previous comments but surely Ipod and other MP3 devices should be seperated from hi-res file based audio. 8 Track is now irrelevant - it was considered crap and redundant by the mid 70's ! Amazingly 3 members actualy still have a player. Perhaps DAB and Computer Radio should be included as well as FM,AM. Also what about DCC and Elcassette? Some audiophiles still have these devices. Also DVDA/SACD/Universal players are pretty widely used and should be differentiated from CD only players.
Paul.
The Grand Wazoo
30-09-2012, 15:32
Al asked the questions in the poll, I'd assume that they were the things he was interested in knowing.
Audio Al
30-09-2012, 15:45
Looks like I should have asked everyone what to put in the poll :doh:
Al asked the questions in the poll, I'd assume that they were the things he was interested in knowing.
Tis' a good point Chris and well presented ;)
And one obvious from the start. IMHO
:ner:
Rare Bird
30-09-2012, 16:52
Lol... Indeed, although that doesn't apply in my case, as I ditched 95% of my old record collection in the early 90s, to make way for CD, which I embraced using solely, to the highest level, sonically, until I got into vinyl again, around 10 years later! ;)
Marco.
Exactly what i did.
That didn't mean you had to sell all your vinyl. What was wrong with just boxing it up and sticking it in a spare bedroom?
Indeed, and that would've been the sensible thing to have done. Sadly, I wasn't always sensible ;)
Marco.
The Grand Wazoo
30-09-2012, 17:07
Never mind, the silver lining was that all us old fashioned types who stuck with vinyl had a few years of cheaply hoovering up those useless outdated licorice pizzas that you lot abandoned!
isuckedmandelsonslemons
30-09-2012, 17:08
That didn't mean you had to sell all your vinyl. What was wrong with just boxing it up and sticking it in a spare bedroom? I've never sold anything unless I was desperate for cash or someone made me an offer out of the blue.
I was newly married and skint. There was also the small matter of over 1,000 albums that would have had to be stored. I used to do record reviews in the local paper so got most of them for free. Still breaks my heart and its the reason I can't bear to buy a turntable. Much as I want to.
It's also the reason I have nine beautiful bikes including a road bike for each day of the week. Won't make the same mistake again. They're going nowhere unless I'm on one.
Im fortunate to have missed the CD hype and wanted to play records because of all the cheap ones around at car boot sales, so bought my first deck off a school friend. Unfortunately though I still missed the boat when it came to cheap vinyl - should have spent my student loans on it rather than on keyboards.
. . . . cheaply hoovering up those useless outdated licorice pizzas that you lot abandoned!
bastards :ner:
walpurgis
30-09-2012, 19:28
Well, I kept my vinyl and got into CD as well. Still got them all (both formats) and love them all. I wouldn't want to part with my TT or CD! They're obviously different, but each sounds great in it's own way.
For me: turntable - always have had one, probably always will;
CD player - well, it's a DVD-A player really, but does the job;
FM tuner - yes, but used to stream from the computer these days;
file based - yes, films; photos & music streaming (use a DAC for music).
I use one of those FM transmitter devices (meant for in car use) hooked up to the headphone output of my laptop - I can then pick up whatever I want to stream on any of the FM radios I have dotted around the house - cheapskate multi-room.
If I still had a Troughline, I could genuinely call it "wireless streaming" :-)
Rare Bird
30-09-2012, 20:24
quite a startling poll really at the mo 87 voters, out of that 85 use TT's!
The Grand Wazoo
30-09-2012, 20:50
I resisted buying a CD player til the early 90's!
walpurgis
30-09-2012, 22:12
Got my first CD player about 1983, it was a tiny Toshiba top loading effort.
Chris, how are you getting on wth that G99/Decca combo? Bet it sounds great!
Redbook 16 bit 44.1khz only here, if done well it is thoroughly convincing.
Got my first CD player about 1983, it was a tiny Toshiba top loading effort.
Chris, how are you getting on wth that G99/Decca combo? Bet it sounds great!
We sold a truck-load of these 7327 when they came out.
Very versatile player with an inoffensive sound & the 1v output (instead of the usual 2v) which made it ideal for those had 60s & 70s amps that were not designed to cope with a 2v input.
I'm still using one with a 70s AIWA micro component system.
icehockeyboy
01-10-2012, 09:44
I've got a TT, a cassette deck, and an AM FM tuner, but they're not in my main system.
Maybe you should do another poll to include non main system bits?
walpurgis
01-10-2012, 09:59
We sold a truck-load of these 7327 when they came out.
Very versatile player with an inoffensive sound & the 1v output (instead of the usual 2v) which made it ideal for those had 60s & 70s amps that were not designed to cope with a 2v input.
I'm still using one with a 70s AIWA micro component system.
Yeah, that's the one. I sold it to a mate and as far as I'm aware, its still going strong.
I think what are used as primary sources are of most interest as the means by which we play music when we want good quality. We probably all have a plethora of secondary sources, but a poll based on those would become a very long list indeed.
quite a startling poll really at the mo 87 voters, out of that 85 use TT's!
Admittedly i dont use a turntable for regular listening, instead I use to to make good quality rips of my once forgotten record collection. Having these once forgotten tunes readily available as part of my digital library means they get played more often than they did when hid in a cupboard. For me its a means to an end and after having invested so much in CD and digital stuff over the years I couldnt ever imagine starting a vinyl collection again. Besides its so expensive nowadays. CD is supposedly the next 'dead media' format and I'm currently enjoying scooping up loads of them very cheaply indeed. Pre-recorded tapes are also pretty cheap and if they are decent I rip them too.
We sold a truck-load of these 7327 when they came out.
Very versatile player with an inoffensive sound & the 1v output (instead of the usual 2v) which made it ideal for those had 60s & 70s amps that were not designed to cope with a 2v input.
I'm still using one with a 70s AIWA micro component system.
Hey! I found one of those and is what my girlfriend now has in her system - yes she was vinyl only at home for a long while. Luckily had a 5pin Din for her Sugden A21.
Disappointingly she rejected the old early '80s Marantz CD54 that I found later - I thought looked much nicer but the Toshiba is hidden instead. Ruins the whole retro teak look that she has going on in that bit of her living room..
Hey! I found one of those and is what my girlfriend now has in her system - yes she was vinyl only at home for a long while. Luckily had a 5pin Din for her Sugden A21.
Disappointingly she rejected the old early '80s Marantz CD54 that I found later - I thought looked much nicer but the Toshiba is hidden instead. Ruins the whole retro teak look that she has going on in that bit of her living room..
So she had resisted going over to the "dark side" before she met you Nat!
And she prefers7333 to 7334 aesthitically, demonstrating both intellegence & taste;) YOU LUCKY SOD:D
WOStantonCS100
03-10-2012, 00:37
5/8
Turntable
Cassette
Reel to Reel
CD player (in the form of a backwards compitable high def recorder)
Files (in the form of a high def recorder - also backed up and playable on a PC)
Mini-disc - loved the convenience and on the spot easy editing not the sound; so, got out before HiMD came along :(
Tuner - have one; not hooked up... never use it... not worth it for only 1 1/2 decent stations
8-track - was given a stereo deck once, it didn't stay long
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