Focus, constant incremental improvement, kaizen

[MikeMusic]

Thinking on various improvements I’ve made, seen and heard others doing on the AoS and prompted by Martin T’s Jaeger connector

Reminds me think of 2 things

The incremental improvements Dave Brailsford has insisted on and pushed through to bring British Cycling to where it is today.
He will not be swayed from the focus of making ‘it’ better. He is a PITA and happily admits to it.

A lot of us here are doing the same with music and hifi
The incremental gains add up to bring the total percentage gains to a winning combination
Take away some of the small performance gains from your own hifi, and British cycling and there is a bigger drop in quality because you spoiled the whole. It doesn't gel anymore

The constant improvements we have made in printing, even more in finishing off the complicated things we produce called CRFs, Case Report Forms is another example.
Like hifi and cycling my focus has been on how can we make it better and better, but even I have been surprised at some of the efficiencies we have gained and the turnarounds we now achieve. Brought into sharp relief seeing how others work. We have made significant improvements, then the focus has moved us onto to making another and another. Some of the improvements seem to come out of thin air, bonuses

Is your system ‘good enough’ ?
Is any system good enough ? I would say not. Never will it be good enough
There are too many variables some working against each other that can be improved.
The NHS ? - could stand some improvements.
Mostly because it is so big and complicated
I read recently that 60% of what goes on in any big organisation is waste.

Can we bring this into everyone’s mainstream life and have a better - everything ?
A bit of attention to detail, setup and *focus* really does pay dividends

“How’s that ?” Jimi Hendrix

[hifi_dave]

My experience with selling Hi-Fi for many years is that the vast majority of people buy a system and then live with it and enjoy it, for ever. They never make any changes or 'improvements'. They simply use it to get lost in the music.

Others are on a constant quest towards a 'better' system and are rarely happy for long. They listen to the equipment and not the music.

As for 'improvements' - how far have we come over the years ? A good system in the 60's of Quad, Leak, Radford amps with Garrard 301, Thorens TD124 plus Decca or SME arms and Quad ELS or Tannoy speakers, comfortably sees off most of today's gear.

We seem to be treading water at best and some would say that Hi-Fi is going backwards in terms of quality.

Anyone for an i-pod dock ? :doh:

[MartinT]

I was taught Kaizen when I was at Xerox. It's a very good, positive thinking Japanese philosophy. Don't focus on problems, focus on things to improve.

That Jaeger connector is a good example. Surely a good Neutrik XLR connector is fine for a 27V DC 1A connection? And yet the Jaeger does it a little better. Now think on Naim's use of XLRs for speaker connections...

I often wish I could look at my system through a special filter. Things working optimally would show as green and things sub-optimally as red. There would be a lot of amber intermediate areas. What this would do is highlight the weakest link in the chain, that small 'red' thing I could fix that would yield the greatest improvement, whether it be a dodgy connector, a poor fuse or some other issue. If only.

The reality is that we work blind and make assumptions. Testing those assumptions means working on an area not knowing if things will improve or not. The final arbiter, as always, is our ears. The skill is in 'seeing' those red areas without actually seeing them, by reduction or elimination as required in order to hone down on the problem area, and then fix it. Then listen. Not A/B blind testing crap, but really listening to music as an enjoyment. Because that's what it's all about.

[MartinT]

A good system in the 60's of Quad, Leak, Radford amps with Garrard 301, Thorens TD124 plus Decca or SME arms and Quad ELS or Tannoy speakers, comfortably sees off most of today's gear.

That system will, of course, play nice music. However, we have learned an awful lot about cables, supports, mains quality and room treatment since then.

[MikeMusic]

My experience with selling Hi-Fi for many years is that the vast majority of people buy a system and then live with it and enjoy it, for ever. They never make any changes or 'improvements'. They simply use it to get lost in the music.

Others are on a constant quest towards a 'better' system and are rarely happy for long. They listen to the equipment and not the music.

As for 'improvements' - how far have we come over the years ? A good system in the 60's of Quad, Leak, Radford amps with Garrard 301, Thorens TD124 plus Decca or SME arms and Quad ELS or Tannoy speakers, comfortably sees off most of today's gear.

We seem to be treading water at best and some would say that Hi-Fi is going backwards in terms of quality.

Anyone for an i-pod dock ? :doh:
I think you are right. Most people happily stay with the same system for years/ever. Some even play it !
I love improving the sound and often my comparing literally gets lost as I want to hear the whole album, and another, and that other one, and that other one, ooh and my favourite by ....

I'll take the improvements I can get. If I had more time there would be even more, but the focus is certainly the music (as in MikeMusic) the kit really is a means to an end for me
I'm a 'dark room' punter.
I use black card to hide the LEDs that show, find them annoying
The kit is 'there' only the music is real

Can't see a 60s system getting anywhere near current.
Be interested to hear a session comparing
I've got two rooms that we could swap between.....

Ever since I read about W. Edwards Deming I've been into constant improvement at work. A few years ago I realised non work, anything could be massively improved too

[MikeMusic]

I was taught Kaizen when I was at Xerox. It's a very good, positive thinking Japanese philosophy. Don't focus on problems, focus on things to improve.

That Jaeger connector is a good example. Surely a good Neutrik XLR connector is fine for a 27V DC 1A connection? And yet the Jaeger does it a little better. Now think on Naim's use of XLRs for speaker connections...

I often wish I could look at my system through a special filter. Things working optimally would show as green and things sub-optimally as red. There would be a lot of amber intermediate areas. What this would do is highlight the weakest link in the chain, that small 'red' thing I could fix that would yield the greatest improvement, whether it be a dodgy connector, a poor fuse or some other issue. If only.

The reality is that we work blind and make assumptions. Testing those assumptions means working on an area not knowing if things will improve or not. The final arbiter, as always, is our ears. The skill is in 'seeing' those red areas without actually seeing them, by reduction or elimination as required in order to hone down on the problem area, and then fix it. Then listen. Not A/B blind testing crap, but really listening to music as an enjoyment. Because that's what it's all about.

Yes please !
I want one of them red / green gadgets
Can I place my order now ! (now now now)
:)
I pick up my ideas (viruses) from the OCD lunatics around these parts !
:lol:
Oh, I'm one too ?

[MartinT]

Join the nut club ;)