I'm off to polish my mains plug right now

 

 

I gave up the never ending quest for audio nirvana when I saw this and realised that most of it was in the mind...and out of the wallet

http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/Me...roduct_Count=2

btw I really regret giving my brother my old mk1 Naim Nait...best amp I ever had

 

PMSL at "the ***" - $485

 

Not all bad recordings are bad,it may be your system just isn't good enough to get the best from it.The Joshua Tree is an example of a cd that needs a good system to get the quality out due to the way it was recorded.The recording engineer wanted a live feel,and if you play a highly compressed techno babble thing before it you may need be confused into think TJT is poorly recorded,when it isn't. edit; he used studio monitors to record direct,rather than headphones and then remix,it just went straight in

highly debatable.My speakers do not have bi-wire terminals,despite costing,2k.Many mid to high end manufacturers now leave just one pair of terminals,and some of those that allow biwiring admit its for marketing purposes.I have never heard any discernable difference with bi-wiring,bi-amping yes,bi-wiring,no.Imho,a quality single piece of wire is infinately preferable that cheaper bi-wire.

 

correct - wrong use of terminology

Bi/Tri Amping. not wiring.

Same principles behind active crossovers for studio monitors and PA. Studio use allows for the "acoustic tuning" of monitors for that room.

Dan

 

re: diminishing returns - of course this is true, but it's true of every pursuit. is a £100K car 5 x better than a £20k car? depends. i don't think you can say that, for example, a £2k system is as good as you need. it depends on who "you" are and how much you care about it. a £2k system should still sound pretty good, though.

 

That's how I run my Scoobs, I sell these (well the SSL's). Average £300,000 a go. Hey Dan, 'bout time you bought one isn't it?

In addition to what Dan say's, the public downloading and not paying for their music is ruining the industry, budgets are being slashed and records are getting worse and worse.

A major factor in all this is the mastering. It's not well known, but most recordings are taken back to analogue to master because of the superior sonics. Studios such as Metropolis have invested huge sums to ensure that their mastering consoles are awesome and then the mastering engineer is a very major factor....

BTW, if you want to find out about any of the above I've got a little website that may be of interest http://www.recordproduction.com

Mike

 

Classical recordings are the easiest way to test your system,double bass,violas,percussion,violins,big drums,etc etc,frequency extremes that will really test your kit,and of course 50ft mics dropped from a ceiling.Easy to mistake a classical cd as poorly recorded when in fact you just don't have the kit to make the music sing.Male vocals are also difficult to get right.

big leep to 5/6K though,and another over 10k if you go for a decent TT set up,after that I think it really starts to test personal preference and taste,although i don't have a lot of experience at that end,apart from what i have heard during HIFI shows.

HIFI is like car tuning,you can never have enough.................................

 

Mike, I'll have a 96 channel K Series please. The cheque's in the post
Will speak to you next week mate Planning to come and see you 1st week in August

Dan

 

 

True, for some people a £2k system will not be enough. It also depends upon your budget. We have a customer who has a £30k Naim system but upon hearing the £100k Linn system said "I must have one of those". He has heard that it is better, and he has the money so has decided to buy one. For some people the money simply isn't an issue. If there is something better, however small that difference may be they just have to have one. To them it would be like us deciding to buy a £10 bottle of wine instead of a £3 bottle.

 

Mastering is a major part of the process. An album can be made or ruined with this process. I have rejected quite a few "Masters" because the mastering engineer has done too much. Never had a problem with Metropolis though. Could I have a K series too please but will need lots of air-con to keep things cool..