View Full Version : Why does one size not fit all?
The quick answer is that we are all different. We have different tastes in almost every area (probably) As regards music replay, if I have someone say they would like to hear my system I tell them that it is tailored to the way I think it should sound and this may be far from what you would expect it to sound like.
The thread that has prompted this is the "should I or should I not consider Naim".....or any other brand or topology of amplifier.
In my early days of "Hifi" I went to many shows, bought all the mags and was gullible enough to believe that a great looking component would of course sound brilliant. I realised that that was not the case. I chanced upon Audiojumbles of which there quite a few in different areas in the early 2000s and buying stuff there meant you could try stuff at bargain prices and do some mods to it and if it broke you hadn't lost a lot.
I have said before that DIYing stuff has been my way to go. It has given me far more fun than I ever expected and allowed me to try all sorts of stuff that I wouldn't have bought commercially due to the cost. I think my current system sounds great:lol: Other opinions will undoubtedly differ. I wouldn't have tried so many different amps, dacs and other gadgets by buying commercially.
Does it all sound and look as good? It does to me.
I have said before that DIYing stuff has been my way to go. It has given me far more fun than I ever expected and allowed me to try all sorts of stuff that I wouldn't have bought commercially due to the cost.
That works for me too - pretty much every hifi component I own is either built from scratch, a kit, or modified in some way. I could never afford the prices of 'high end' audio gear. However, I think fewer people indulge in DIY or modifications these days. In part that may be down to the increasing complexity of the equipment, more SMD devices, and reluctance to get out the soldering iron?
One size does not fit all, as many of our listening rooms are completely different from other members.
Is the size of the room really that important? Regardless of the size of room I know how I want a system to sound.
Pigmy Pony
25-09-2023, 18:53
Is the size of the room really that important?
It certainly is an important consideration, along with room shape, proportions and type of furnishing. Your set up, while sounding great in your room, may not work so well in mine.
Is the size of the room really that important? Regardless of the size of room I know how I want a system to sound.
move your system into a room with bare floor and walls and next to nothing in it beyond a seat and the equipment, it probably won't sound how you want it to sound.
You do see this with some people's set ups, you even see it in the advertising for many loudspeakers.
Harman International did some research on this and - broadly speaking - found that 80% of people do prefer the same presentation of sound.
Okay 20% is still a lot of people but the claim that 'we all have different tastes' isn't really validated. Most people like roughly the same thing.
I sometimes read other people's show reports and at least twice it has happened that their best in show was my worst in show. So when there are differences in taste they can be large!
I ought to add that when I started my interest in audio, I could not afford to buy ready-made commercial components, and had to build my own. So apart from turntable and cartridge (a Garrard SP25 with a Shure M3D), amp, preamp and speakers were all DIY.
dave2010
26-09-2023, 09:01
Most people like roughly the same thing.
OK - so I'm clearly not in the "most people" category. I don't like most pop music, I do like Wozzeck, string quartets, and some jazz of various kinds.
Doesn't invalidate your statement though, so what is it that you think most people like?
OK - so I'm clearly not in the "most people" category. I don't like most pop music, I do like Wozzeck, string quartets, and some jazz of various kinds.
Doesn't invalidate your statement though, so what is it that you think most people like?
think he was on about presentation rather than content... 80 percent is a strong majority of course but it still leaves 12 mil in this country liking it, at times, very different...
Pete The Cat
26-09-2023, 14:41
Our hearing differs too. If we can each have different faces, neurology, see colours differently etc etc then we can sure hear differently too. Even within ourselves day to day with mood, tiredness, cold etc.
Pete
think he was on about presentation rather than content... 80 percent is a strong majority of course but it still leaves 12 mil in this country liking it, at times, very different...
Yes, the study was on loudspeakers, not taste in music. They were looking to see what sort of speakers to make which would appeal to the widest possible market.
Our hearing differs too. If we can each have different faces, neurology, see colours differently etc etc then we can sure hear differently too. Even within ourselves day to day with mood, tiredness, cold etc.
Pete
Yes, my mood and temperament on any given day dictates what I want to listen to and whether it sounds good or not.
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