twelvebears
10-07-2009, 17:29
Well I had a shockingly reassuring experience today.
A work colleague is a bit of a hi-fi nut too (his Dad very, very much so), and as a result we've got to know each other quite well. He recently offered me an old Technics tape deck he was going to bin (see here: my http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3236) and so I pop round to pick it up.
Andy has a pretty decent system by most people's standards; Linn Karik, Kairn, LK140 and B&W XT8s used as main speakers (OK, I wouldn't choose these tall AV biased speakers, but hey), so I settled down on the sofa for a quick listen to Picture Book by Simply Red, which is an album I love and know very well (unfortunately the only decent one from them before Mick's head vanished up his own arse).
Now I should just say that I normally live in audiophile isolation. None of my friends share my obsession (though they love to play when they visit), the nearest one get's is a love of AV and surround sound, so all I have to go on is my own opinion and memory of various stuff I've owned, heard at shows or in demos. To be honest, I was slight scared that it was going to sound bloody amazing and leave me utterly depressed that my own beloved system sounded shite.
I'm very, very happy to say this did not happen.
Really not at all.
It was kind of like the moment when you sit down to dinner at someone's house and with the first mouthful you realise something has gone terribly, terribly wrong but you can't say anything.
For a moment I thought something was broken.
I've always love the fact that my system seems to portray the life and vibrancy of a performance. Vocals shine through and there's a punchy, dynamic quality that I adore. But by comparison in sounded like the musicians were being sat on, or playing from under a duvet.
Clearly I was delighted and promptly bounced home to enjoy many, many lovely tunes with a silly big grin on my face, but unfortunately I have a social and hi-fi friend dilemma.
Andy is going to be coming round for dinner once we move to the new house, and unless he has ears of cloth, I'm a bit worried about the moment he will have when we start the music.
Perhaps all will be fine. Perhaps he really, really loves his system and will think mine is impossibly IN YOUR FACE by his standards....
Views guys? Any of you had any heart stopping moments when you've suddenly heard a system that's blown yours into the weeds and left you either wanting give it all up or rob a bank?
A work colleague is a bit of a hi-fi nut too (his Dad very, very much so), and as a result we've got to know each other quite well. He recently offered me an old Technics tape deck he was going to bin (see here: my http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3236) and so I pop round to pick it up.
Andy has a pretty decent system by most people's standards; Linn Karik, Kairn, LK140 and B&W XT8s used as main speakers (OK, I wouldn't choose these tall AV biased speakers, but hey), so I settled down on the sofa for a quick listen to Picture Book by Simply Red, which is an album I love and know very well (unfortunately the only decent one from them before Mick's head vanished up his own arse).
Now I should just say that I normally live in audiophile isolation. None of my friends share my obsession (though they love to play when they visit), the nearest one get's is a love of AV and surround sound, so all I have to go on is my own opinion and memory of various stuff I've owned, heard at shows or in demos. To be honest, I was slight scared that it was going to sound bloody amazing and leave me utterly depressed that my own beloved system sounded shite.
I'm very, very happy to say this did not happen.
Really not at all.
It was kind of like the moment when you sit down to dinner at someone's house and with the first mouthful you realise something has gone terribly, terribly wrong but you can't say anything.
For a moment I thought something was broken.
I've always love the fact that my system seems to portray the life and vibrancy of a performance. Vocals shine through and there's a punchy, dynamic quality that I adore. But by comparison in sounded like the musicians were being sat on, or playing from under a duvet.
Clearly I was delighted and promptly bounced home to enjoy many, many lovely tunes with a silly big grin on my face, but unfortunately I have a social and hi-fi friend dilemma.
Andy is going to be coming round for dinner once we move to the new house, and unless he has ears of cloth, I'm a bit worried about the moment he will have when we start the music.
Perhaps all will be fine. Perhaps he really, really loves his system and will think mine is impossibly IN YOUR FACE by his standards....
Views guys? Any of you had any heart stopping moments when you've suddenly heard a system that's blown yours into the weeds and left you either wanting give it all up or rob a bank?