Audiophiles - You're wasting your money!
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You can comment on this video at YouTube
Monday July 3, 2023
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
@scottbaxendale323: As an aging record producer I could never believe that a million dollar hifi system could ever sound better than how it sounds in the mastering studio.
@Sir2wired: In my experience, the key piece of HF system is the room (acoustic treatment is a must have for serious listening). Otherwise you going to waste your money, indeed!
@TheZaxanoid: Love it! Common sense! I'd still go by the logic of get the front-end right 1st (to as good as you can hear is better), because if you lose quality there, you can't fix it later. once the front-end and amps are as good as you can hear, then choose speakers. Wish my hearing was as good as it used to be, but at least I can save money nowadays!
@jamesedinger4956: And one stray hair in your ear canal will wipe out all the audiophile money you spent.
@DeKemp: White eggs are better though. As the chicken who lays white eggs has a better food conversion compares to brown laying chickens.
@smokeylake6732: They are like watch collectors, never satisfied.
@alanhogan1916: Probably not a unique comment as I don't have time to review thousands of comments but he starts off talking about electronics anamolies and imperfections and then shifts to the subjective discernment of the audio mixing engineer. A true audiophile judges the listening environment, not the ability of the imperfect human ability to translate the recorded sound to high quality media that will be distributed for consumer consumption. It is possible to take a high quality recording and use archaic recording methods such as a vibrating needle on a wax platter and compare it to a true studio, super high def, analog recording. Would that be a fair comparison?
That is the true purpose of an audiophile investing in high end equipment.
@alanhogan1916 replies to @alanhogan1916: A friend of mine just weighed in with a concise comparison. It's like you took a Radio Shack receiver kit you built for $10 and comparing it to a $$$$$$$ system you bought to accurately reproduce every nuance of a performance from the singer/ guitarist take a subtle breath as he backs away from the microphone to the gentile slide of his fingers across the wound strings under his fingers. IT IS WORTH IT!!!!!
@jaychen2000metal: I'm perfectly fine with my Yamaha RX series receiver with my Pioneer Sp-Fs52 Speakers for $300 a pair and running Spotify through a Bluetooth receiver into it.
@0087adi: Well, while my wife can't hear any difference, I can - and I wear a hearing aid. No idea whether to call this being "blessed" as I spent a little fortune with my Hifi equipment. And I was able to hear the cable difference - to a point while a friend of mine claimed to also hear the difference with the power cord used, which I clearly could not. And I found the phono pre-amp for my turntable was much better spend money than spending so much more on the cartridge. This said an expensive equipment doesn't make any poor recordings sound great (and a lot of frequency compressed music these days sounds horrible, indeed) , but great recordings can become a true revelation, almost getting a private concert. But your mileage may vary ...
@LL-te7wn: Can't be any happier. I invested in a decent pair of small speakers that came with the boom box many years ago. Your video confirmed it. Thanks
@poitiers2853: Audiodidlers. Isn't there a law against that?
@AudioMasterclass replies to @poitiers2853: This joke gets less funny each time someone thinks they’re the first to tell it.
@JTC549: I’m a drummer who owns our pa but our bass player does sounchecks as he has better ears as I’ve lost bit of top end.gear better than your ears.love that quote dude.
@russ-p1: I’ve experienced speaker cables having more difference in sound than amps. I’m not sure if you mentioned it but forget hearing for a second, what about people who simply cannot hear a difference with normal hearing? That tells me it’s an issue in the brain more than anything.
@Pkilla80: Well i swotched for Sony sscs5 bookshelves to R5000F towers. I think that will be good enough for me
@Pkilla80: Thanks paul McCartney
@Rayyman: I have an average sound system. Marantz system with a phono preamp. 7 channel pushing Golden ears speaker with a def tech center and rears and what i look for is good recordings. I have an audio technica turntable. Nor high end. I can play an album from the 70s and it sounds better than current albums. Traci Chapman's cars sounds incredible and if it wasn't for maybe a pop you would swear it's a CD. I'm not an audiophile who always needs an upgrade. Too expensive. I don't roll like that. I have tons of CD'S and some sound better than others.
@sukadukaku: When I went to 2nd Music Shop in Japan, I heard a nice, smooth and detailed music sound that I have never heard before..
and of course I am not what they call Audiophile, I never spend money on things like Amp, or HiFi, I only spend money on Guitar LOL...
I saw the sound came from Lumina 2 Speaker, then I decided to look for it when I came back from Japan.
I just bought it 2 days ago... So, what should I do? To build my own HiFi? My budget is around 15000 - 25000 USD (Pre Am, Amp, speaker, etc.)
I believe being an Audiophile is a waste of money. When I was in college (electrical engineering - High Frequency), I learned that different types of cables can give different signals or pulses too, especially if the material is not significantly different. It is hard to see the difference, power loss, modulation/frequency loss. It is hard to know unless we have an Oscilloscope or other equipment.
I believe that there is no big difference when you use good/premium cables and High-End Cables, because we use short cables to connect others. Otherwise, we use long cables for equipment, on stage, etc., that's a different story.
@Car-guy307: Don’t agree, an Exposure pre/power matched with Epos speakers from the 90s plays 70s to 90s Music in way that it makes you smile always 😊
@CarnivoreJim35: We are wasted money, was listening to people saying I needed matched surround sound speakers when I was born the music and gave up the speakers that I really loved and now I've been searching and building to get those back. Finally found what I had before but now I need to foam them great video
@proud_canadian67: This is spot on. Enjoy your music. If you have to squint to hear a difference you are at your hearing/perception threshold. I think 94.5% of all listeners, would be very happy with a good system for $1000, maybe even $800 if they either have a decent component already, or buy some used components, and know how to position speakers and correct for bad room acoustics. The other 3.5% have probably spent way too much money on their systems. That last 2% will never be happy. I miss the days when we had electronics specialists, like Mend it Mark who could diagnose and fix electrical components. There are some out there... give them your business please.
I cleaned and de-oxidised my daughter's violin teacher's amplifier. No components changed, no re-capping etc. He called me then next day and asked what I had done. The sound had opened up completely. He and his wife had taken their tea in the listening room because they couldn't stop listening to music. And this is a professional musician who has played in some of the finest orchestras was now hearing the music again. He had well designed components which needed a little TLC.
I also once made some interconnects from some old TV antenna/coax cable someone was throwing out after a renovation. Put it up against some $300 interconnects. You could hear a difference when A-B testing, but no one could say which one was actually better in my system. Maybe with the Wilsons :-).
@5ltrclubby: I'm far from rich. But I love music and I've had all kinds of systems. But to me the best sounding stereo system was my dads Kenwood hifi 4 speaker system had a record player amp cassette decks and a cd player and all the slides for all the frequencies. I love the sound of older stereos. Anything from late 80s is a banger
@gordonharless: I must admit to picking apart my stereo instead of listening to the music. Its old marantz and i cant hear a watch ticking. I got a grip and just listen. Much happier.
@ageoflove1980: I think the problem lies with the word audiophile itself. To love sound can mean many things. When I go for a hike I ditch my headphones because I just love the sound of the forest way more as I walk through it. Its way more immersive to hear the birds, the wind in the trees, perhaps a slight bit of rain hitting the leaves... I mean, the most expensive headphones in the world simply cant beat that. So if you truly love sound you are already mistaken by seeking it in your living room. Another example, Im from Amsterdam and the main hall of the Concertgebouw from 1888 has some of the best acoustics in the world. So a true audiophile wouldnt spend his time and money in equipment. He would spend it on travel, to visit the best concerthalls, the most beautiful secluded parts of nature and all that. Because lets be real here, no matter how good the equipment is, it will always be an imitation of the real thing. And a true audiophile would never settle for that.
@dhpbear2: 5:20 - Tube power amps are as useless as teats on a boar. How can you trust a device then when no load is connected, the secondary of the output transformer arcs over and goes into 'meltdown'! ?
@jayroland9481: @4:00, how can your hearing be better than an amplifier? That sentence simply makes no sense.
@mickdean2256: You make a lot of sense. I'll just share one observation however - you say go to a proper hi-fi dealer and not just a box shifter. The problem inherent in that is that the hi-fi dealer will be the one selling all the overpriced unnecessary prime equipment you don't really need whereas the box shifter will be selling all the affordable equipment that will still perform well within the human aural spectrum and, these days, mostly beyond - gone are the days of Armstrad.
Anyone reading this I challenge you to a simple experiment - go to your favourite listening spot, get comfortable, and use your hands to cup your ears in the direction of your speakers and adjust them around to see just how many different 'audio experiences' you will get - providing you have reasonably good equipment you'll find perhaps the best ever extra audio equipment you'll ever own is a set of home-made ear cuppers designed to your listening preference, make them adjustable if ever you get bored of one sound. 🙂
@AudioMasterclass replies to @mickdean2256: Anyone who has ever shared a restaurant table with me will know that my ear cupping skills are second to none.
@mickdean2256 replies to @mickdean2256: @@AudioMasterclass 😂
@rbattson7171: Of course, if you have a hi fi set up, that you enjoy, thats great. The thing is tho' there might well be something out there that would sound better to you than your system, but if you never hear it, then you won't miss it! Thanks for the video.
@johnnybegood2002: This is my take on Hi Fi. There is no package that does it all when it comes to Hi Fi. When you play 70s and 80s music, you don't want to use equipment that are very modern and highly polished as you need to hear the grit to replicate the original sound as the sound engineer heard it in their now obsolete speakers. Depedning on what you listen to you need a different system so labelling one system better than another makes no sense to me.
I do agree for most people they won't be able to distinguish a £1000 Cd player with one costing £220,000 ! Although the electronic improvements are there if you really have to spend hours to notice the difference, then you spend more time as a critic rather than as a listener so the extra money it's a total waste.
@stephenino: I’ll give all of my preferences. The NAD turntable that’s a rebranded Rega 3. The audio I wanted to achieve was from a McIntosh amp with Bose 901 speakers from 1979 time period. The drums from Mick Fleetwood’s drum kit was spectacular clear and powerful. But then a hear in a audiophile room with a the top end B&W speakers with three McIntosh amps played on a 1500 USD turntable, and 180gm vinyl of Led Zeppelin. I was alone in a very comfortable chair. For the first time I could hear the separation of each instrument being played in the room which it was recorded in. It was better than my other experience. So since every audio gear set up was out of my price range I replace the factory stylus provided with my turntable. That alone gave me the drum audio from the Fleetwood Mac song Go your own way, that I’ve been wanting since 79. It also upgraded the audio enjoyment experience when listening to the first two double albums from the band Chicago. These are my preferences when listening to music. It’s what I can afford and I’m able to get into a trance of musical pleasure. Oh I have B&W book shelf speakers. I measure the gear by audio quality of a few select vinyl albums. Besides the two I’ve mentioned. I use Stevie Wonders track Us to know if I like the gear it’s being played on. I don’t care what others may think, but since it’s me that is listening to these musical selections, that’s all that matters.
@wtfatc4556: Aaa, we like gear. And music. But basically gear
@JDR-em1fw replies to @wtfatc4556: Agree. I used to be an audiophile, but a reasonable audiophile. I switched to photography because I had kids and wanted to capture their moments. Same in photography. People like gear.
@Bootrosgali: Got the ibasso DC-Elite, even after another much cheaper dongle, my iems were elevated to another level again. Sennheiser IE600s.. The separation and positiioning. Depth , height!. Incredible
@philradbourne: Great informative video.
@FRL2000: Yes, you can enjoy a cheap audio system. Also, you can enjoy your music on another level with better equipment. Believe this guy's nonsense if it makes you feel better.
@typ044: 99.9% of so called audiophiles never have their hearing checked. Next guy yappin about his high dollar system just start playing a 16 or 17khz test tone and chances ate they wont even notice.
@leenk4590: I bought my speakers about 20 years ago and I bought them second hand, the seller had moved to a smaller house and has no room to place these large transmission line speakers. The man was a piano tuner and restoring pianos and the sound of these speakers came very close to the natural sound of a piano what he told me. But more remarkably the music produced by these speakers touched me emotionally every time. I bought them and to this day have not regretted it for a moment and they will be here for another 20 years.
@leenk4590: There are people who strive for perfection but perfection does not exist because with these people it will never be perfect. There are also satisfied people who enjoy the beautiful sounds that music can produce and are emotionally touched by it. There are people who only listen to perfect recordings which I do describe as a wall of perfect sound.
My hearing is not good anymore and I used to be an audiophile and was never satisfied, but my speakers are still the same as from 20 years ago, a nice amplifier from 1995 and a new CD player, as well as a flagship turntable from 1974 with a Babele cartridge and DIY cables. To me it sounds perfect and can listen for hours without getting bored or tired, I learned from the past and spend my money better.
How come I'm satisfied nowadays? Age but also experience and almost dead experience, now I haveearn to accept what is and learn to enjoy all thing of life, it makes me a satisfied man who can finally enjoy the music and hifi stuff.
@arfawcett22: You should pick the amplifier with your favorite coloration.
Side note most music is recorded on pro equipment. Audiophile equipment will just bring out the weaknesses of the pro equipment. Also it will show the talent or lack of the recording technician in the studio. Remastered recordings are often not as good as the originals.
@suoquainen: Listening to lo-fi music with an audiophile setup must be funny. :)
@freekwo7772: #1remark - I can easyly hear my Naim Powerline cable when I put it in my Naim Nait. Otherwise I would not buy it. I have also heard differences with wireworld power cables, Stratus then Aurora, after that Electra which isn’t played good in my system. Then I have several din ic, but again, naim hi line was the best. It wasn’t hard to notice differences but it was harder to identify gains and loses. I don’t beleive it is a matter of only 1% people that cane hear the same thing.
@tkarlmann: One thing this presenter does not address is: "what equipment is appropriate for the Gigging musician?" -- where others are listening as well as yourself?
@tkarlmann: Down here with Common folk, as opposed to poofy "Audiophiles", I had a chance to listen to the same recording on CD and vinyl -- from a young man was somewhat of an 'audiophile'. I was with a co-worker at the time. BOTH of us preferred the sound we heard from the vinyl.
@jeffn1384: Everyone needs a hobby that they spend too much money on. It's called rewarding yourself for working.
@typ044 replies to @jeffn1384: Right, but it's the delusional thinking that usually comes with it. Nothing wrong with it if you're honest with yourself on what you're really doing.
@sunfromtheeast: I ended up with koss kph30i, no need to baby it.
@leisezechen5722: Everything has been measured. But the discussions never stop,because we love to discuss about our hobbies. I read measurements made under professional settings.... Nevertheless everybody is free to listen to their vinyl LPs and tube amps and assume that it is high end. Same as believing in flat earth. If it makes you feel good it's fine.
@luismartinez6408: Let your hair in your ears grow. If you want improve sound.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @luismartinez6408: Did you not check the description for my affiliate links? Nose and ear grooming products aplenty.
@zanermaidana5750: Tell me you are leftist, without telling me you are leftist hahahahaha
@jonfenton8146: I didn’t go as far as the 10. I got off the horse at a Rega Planar 8 with Apheta 3 cart. Sublime
@AudioMasterclass replies to @jonfenton8146: I have never ridden a horse but I can fully appreciate that at some point the experience is enough. Don't forget that the horse will need re-shoeing from time to time.
@jonfenton8146: My humble take on perfect speakers auditioned about 25-30 to get to this point. PMC Fact 12 Signature
@NoosaHeads: Hearing is extremely variable and some 80 year olds can still hear 12,000hz. (Admittedly, not many). If someone can hear 50hz to 8000hz (well) - then they can still enjoy music at a top level. We're told we can hear 20hz to 20,000hz at 18 years old. That would be unusual. A loudspeaker that gives excellent response from 50hz to 7000hz will usually delight the vast majority of people. A bad crossover that gives phase anomalies at the crossover point will muddle the sound awfully and provide a horrible audio experience. A well sorted out crossover is far more important than most people realise. A well sorted out crossover is also VERY difficult to get right.
@luke144: Tekton Ulfberht 15's are the perfect speaker in my opinion. For the price you can't get better. I would never spend more.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @luke144: Comment readers may note that Mr. luke144 is having fun. Even so, $10,000 is really only loose change for dedicated audiophiles https://tektondesign.com/product/full-range-speakers/flagship/ulfberht-15/
@JR-Designs-Ga: What do you think of Klipsch speakers? I have used many speakers in the past 40 years. Some of my favorite with Kenwood. that was in the 90s. in 2002 I was introduced to Klipsch They just have a unique sound. I haven't found many who compared to them. If I had to say, it would be bose. Klipsch aren't cheap. but I would call them a poor man's rich sound. I have found their well worth money.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @JR-Designs-Ga: I'm always reluctant to say if I like speakers for their sound, but there are sometimes special circumstances. I'd like to cover this in a future video. Well, I couldn't possibly cover it fully in any sense but there's stuff to consider. A lot of stuff.
@ryshask: this is why I have two 15" subs in my setup! :D
@AudioMasterclass replies to @ryshask: Say 15" subs in the wrong forum and you are in deep deep trouble.
@stevenwilliams6258: Once I downloaded a protractor for the Rega RP8, it sounded very good. I have a Transrotor Fat Bob Reference and a Kuzma 4Point arm and several cartridges including an Ortofon Winfield I got slightly used at less than half price, a Koetsu Rosewood and Soundsmith Sussurro mounted on Kuzma head shells. Each sound different with the Winfield simply sounding less busy -- fewer artifacts. All sound good. The Rega has a Sumiko Blackbird. A second arm on the Transrotor is a Series Six by Audiomods with a Soundsmith Zephyr Star MIMC cartridge. Sounds good too but different again.
The Rega motor had a problem putting noise into the pickup - mechanical, not electrically induced. I got a mod from Michael Lim in Malaysia that set the motor just off the plinth that solved that problem. The fast speed problem was fixed with two layers of paper medical tape on the sub platter. There is no adjustment for speed and I'm ready that Rega prefers to set the speed high rather than having it be slightly slow. It matters! The fix made music sound right.
@ses647: I like it super quiet when I eat my over processed junk food. Ah the good old days.
@gopalakrishnasrinivasan1162: Even if I have a 5000$ ears, the problem is that the devices cannot improve the quality of the recording on the medium (vinyl or cassette). Some LPs are far from perfect even in mint condition while a large number of them, though certainly up to the mark, are not exactly perfect. Many important recordings are simply non-existent in terms vinyl records in mint conditions and one may have to settle for CD versions. Cost of acquiring say 50 new vinyl discs is already 2500$. Used vinyl records? Well that is a gamble anyway! The point is that in the 1970s and 1980s CDs did not exist and we enjoyed whatever music was available to us but today the situation is markedly different and a mirage has come into existence. This mirage or perfection is constantly receding away as we chase it....
@gopalakrishnasrinivasan1162: Cheers from Mumbai. Really nice video. Thanks
@dizwell: I don't believe anyone really has ears worth more than about £1000 myself! And I think most people have £500 ears. No basis for any of that asserting, of course. Just a gut feel, based on the fact that most people I know with Rega Planar's are older than me and have worse hearing than me, and I've got left-ear tinnitus! I agree with your thesis about speakers being the critical element in any hifi setup, by the way.
@mikereilly2745: It is amazing and puzzling when you experience audio equipment that is truly super high quality . My brother spent many
thousands of dollars on a __ system , It sounds really good. My friend bought a Yamaha system for half of what
my brother spent. My friends system honestly sounded SO much better and was capable of much louder , cleaner reproduction without break up , without speaker strain , To this day , I'm still amazed. This comparison was back in
1988. My brothers brand is one we all know , a very big name. In 1999 a friend had a small pair of Yamaha speakers
They looked like bookshelf 6'' w tweeter studio reference monitors , Using a large , Heavy 80 lbs amp/reciever , He said
watch this .... I don't know how , But , The music was so loud that it felt like it would mess up your heart , Your eyeballs
would vibrate if you got too close. But , it was extremely clear , clean , incredible articulation , no distortion , I mean none
To this day , I have never experienced speakers like that , and I'm an audio / speaker nut. I watched waiting for the speakers to explode . The cabinets were also very different looking , They were very long ''deep'' picture a regular
bookshelf speaker , But , Make it 20'' longer , really odd looking. I wanted to see inside them so bad.
@mikereilly2745: 40 year Guitarist here , I have a friend that insists that his old coiled type 10 ft guitar cable is magical sounding , Way
better than a straight non coiled 10 ft cable LOL! His reasoning is the capacitance in the cable caused by the coils does
something special. I'm a musician , But , I also have studied particle physics for 45 years . I tried to explain to him that
the inductance, capacitance values are constantly changing as he moves around playing , The chord wiggling around
like a huge spring , As well as the other tiny differences compared to a regular non coiled chord . I'd like to hear your
thoughts on the ''Oxygen free copper'' cables etc that have been all the rage . Thank you
@mikereilly2745: It's extra cool that you share a very similar sounding voice as Paul Mcartney . To my American ears lol! You sound 98%
like him. I am very lucky , I'm a guitarist and have perfect pitch , But , I'm 58 now and can't hear above 13,500 Hertz
@sandysmith9869: I'm a cheap hillbilly with severe Tinnitus in both ears. I shop at thrift stores, and garage sales. I'm happy just to hear anything.
@ashleynew5499: Reading the comments, people are suggesting that speakers are the most important thing with people saying speakers first then amp CD player etc however this is very very wrong think of it this way crap in crap out so it doesn't matter how good your let's say £1,000 speakers are if you haven't got a good quality source and amplification you are only going to reproduce at the speaker end everything before it for example £200 amplifier £200 CD player or turntable £1,000 speakers this is not the way to do it the most cost / highest quality aspect of the budget should always be the source because this is the start of the chain if you don't get this part right everything after just repeats whatever sound quality the first link of the chain is and of course naturally every component thereafter the sound will degrade ever so slightly anyway as with every circuitry the signal has to go through the more loss you will perceive through to the speakers, therefore out of a £1400 budget plus cables, spend the highest proportion of the budget on the source then amplifier and finally speakers , what I'm trying to get at is that the sound quality starts at the beginning with the source, although this technically begins with the audio Mastering the way it was recorded the mix how well the transfer to source material was etc, however as we do not have control of this I will put this point aside.
@FariqKama: Finally....I am frm china designing iems. This guy speaks the truth... Like he read my mind... But of course l need audiophiles who loves wasting money... We get richer
@huckfin1100: I almost got sucked into the IEM earphones game awhile back but I bought 2 sets and went with the one that sounded really good to me, the ZSN PRO !
@brawlman: well done and an enjoyed topic that came full circle to emphasize the title, something others who use "Bait and switch", leaving one frustrated and wasting their time!
@stefannewels1823: Gold plated optical connectors, accidentally 😂
@miks564: You're absolutely right when you said different people are more sensible to different audio aspects in sound.
Back in the day, I was able to hear up to 20kHz or maybe a bit more (I remember being able to "hear" motion detection devices that didn't produce any audible sound to any normal person - that's what feels to hear near or above 20kHz. It's more sensing than actually hearing). However, despite that, I'm specially sensitive at the other end of the audible spectrum, strong bass sounds. Not deep and uncontrollable. They can be deep, but must be capable of being fast and precise. And with age, I've completely lost the high frequencies (my guess is that I'm not able to go much further than 16kHz if I still reach that), not the bass however! 😊😊
If I find a system where the speakers are able to reproduce strong precise bass in a satisfactory way to me, then I'm automatically less demanding about the clarity or separation in the highs. Good high frequencies are good enough for me. Best is not always better if that means losing the precise bass.
This is great to me as I can really appreciate music (and sound) forgiving limitations for example from lossy 'high quality' streaming services.
@in2caffeine: many musicians just use things like sony wh1000 xm5 headphones for "listening" to music like jacob collier. they generally dont care about audiophile equipment. in the studio, they use reliable monitors and heaphones not necessarily accurate, but reliable and faily flat to mix. their equipment and cables are not "audiophile" grade.
@rudolof8540 replies to @in2caffeine: Yep. And usually are the same audio technica, Senheisser,akg or sony MDR monitors.
@edwardgrabczewski: The moment you become an "audiophile" then you're wasting your money. The cure is to use your own judgement.
@Immersive-r4c: Wow, you’re smart! Every audiophile and audiophile/part-time audio fool like me who has wasted money on at least some components (some wires?😮😢😂) needs to consider your advisements. Realizing what matters most, establishing priorities, distinguishing our own lust from actual sonic need related to system goals, developing self knowledge, reflecting upon motivations 🤔….maybe I can be more thrifty.
@CrueLoaf: Very happy with my Wharfedale Diamonds. Playing Tales of a Topographic Ocean on original vinyl sounds beautiful to me. And they can make my windows shake!
@MSM4U2POM: I thought wasting money was the job description for audiophiles.
@VernalScott: When I look at you, my eyes see a resemblance to Paul McCartney. My ears, however, hear something well worth listening to, so thank you. In my experience, people like to hear different aspects of the music that they're into and from the equipment they choose, such as bass over mids, or treble over bass, volume over clarity, etc. Either way, if the original source recording is poor, then the end user loses out from the get-go. My wish is that music is produced with clarity, and the equipment is affordable so that the gift of music can be widely enjoyed as intended. My old Technics HiFi stack is nearly 35 years old, and it still works/sounds flawless. I've recently added Bluetooth capabilities and a sub, so it's now even better to my fussy ears. The price wasn't my concern at the time; the sound and look of the equipment mattered to my then younger self. Yes, when it comes to equipment, how it looks matters! Bling is a thing! Anyway, thanks for the video and topic. Sold!
@RalfWiggam: You are wasting my time
@stephenhill8806: Your missing a vital point here. A lot of the pleasure is simply being able to afford and own this equipment, often being stuff we yearned for and couldn't afford in our younger years. I say this as a collector of various things including hifi equipment. Even if our hearing limits our listening pleasure, we can still spot differences in sound.
@tankermottind: I remember my dad once had an enormous tube amplifier and a slightly less enormous tube preamp, and the sound got really harsh and "grainy" sounding at higher volume levels. When one of the amp's gigantic power tubes quite literally exploded in a shower of sparks and smoke (and scorched the PCB, destroying the amplifier), he got a solid-state integrated amp and the sound quality was worlds superior, it wasn't even close. Of course, all of these pieces were several thousand dollars and he probably could have gotten similar performance to that solid state amp for a lot less money...
I also noticed the same with headphone amps. My first headphone amp was a tube amp, and I eventually replaced it with a solid state amp from the same manufacturer that not only sounded a lot better, but it delivered more power to my high-impedance headphones and really made the bass come alive in them.
I do think turntables are probably the thing that benefits the most from big bucks (I am not about to sell my dad's turntable that I inherited and get some Technics or Audio-Technica unit), but cartridges don't. A good modern moving magnet cartridge like the Ortofon 2M Red ($100) or Blue ($200) is all you need even in an expensive turntable/arm setup, and the really high-end cartridges are much more sensitive to dust, wear, and pressing imperfections and can sound worse with records that aren't 180/200 gram audiophile fodder.
As for the perfect loudspeaker, no such thing could possibly exist because loudspeakers aren't just better or worse, but more suitable to specific room sizes and layouts and other use cases. A huge pair of speakers that cost as much as a new car would be wasted in a small room. A speaker with a very narrow projection (like most planars) are undesirable unless you want to remain exactly in one place while listening to music. And even with headphones, open back headphones can be unsuitable for very noisy environments, some people find over ear headphones more comfortable than circumaural headphones or vice versa, etc. (and there are some that just make no sense to me, like the quite expensive Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones, which I returned because I found their treble-heavy frequency response unbearable)
@iamnosheep4u: Er zijn nu eenmaal mensen die geen verschil horen tussen een goedkope set en een dure set,makkelijk toch ,of verschil beleven tussen een fiat 500 of een porsche 911.
@robertbeaman5761: Are you saying "herring" ?
@Jrer241067: Speakers ,again very subjective,to some a particular brand might sound fantastic,to others dull and lacking clarity. There is no such thing as a “best ever speaker “ as we are all individuals,and therefore all have different needs as to how a speaker satisfies that particular. Individual.
However,and I can only comment on what I have seen and read about, “Quads” generations of “electrostatic” speakers turn the norm on its head producing a very different take on “the Loudspeaker” they continually developed these over many generations,and seem to be the only manufacturer to continue down this path. I read that they are quiet accurate and precise in the presentation,however are “not great” when listening to the side of the “focal point”
Mazda ,have been very similar to quad in there dedication to a cause in the perfecting the Wankle Engine,despite all other manufacturers staying well clear. Mazda now due to emissions regulations use the Wankle in their hybrid cars.
So Quad Electrostatic, not the “best for everyone” but a different approach to purity.
@ingsterschmingster5768: thats nonsense
@dom3827: I have a sound i like an i equalize the sh out of the signal till is suits my hearing needs, regardless the speakers or amp.
@tallywhacker1: I tend to lean more towards the sound of German speakers.
@Just-An-AverageBear: You missed the entire point! No such thing as a perfect loud speaker! Top end speakers sounds different to another top end speaker!
Not sounding better at the Top end vs sounding different bro 😎!!
Top end turntables sound slightly different to the individual… each is top of the game!! They sound different!!
@Just-An-AverageBear: As your hearing abilities reduces, your brain also adapts accordingly!! I can hear the difference between the different cables! But I can’t price it!! That’s the point you are missing!! Sorry Mr expert! You views are to stir up controversies!
You ARE an exception salesman!! Exceptional can be complimentary or the opposite!!
@youngmike2553: Of course, I can tell the difference between 10-dollar RCA cable and a 100-dollar.
@erikjohnson8031: My ears are really good.
So, I will buy whatever speakers I want, thank you very much. 🙂
@nytnavn: Dynaudio confidence 50 is the best sounding speaker I have ever heard.
@mystikmeg: I feel like I’ve made it for now with my Hegel H190 and Kef LS50 Meta combo. Mostly just lossless steaming from my iPhone
@Ran_G: Interesting, I actually heard G-sharp. Tomato, tomahto—I guess.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @Ran_G: Your ears seem not to have equal temperament.
@michaeloconnor9465: Fancy marketing. Kef, do it very well with meta materials. Increased the price of their speakers by 40% plus for a ceramic disk.
@Cass48: A “good” salesman will sell you the more expensive items time after time and have you tell them you can hear the difference even if you can’t.
@RobertVoutiritsa: I enjoy your content, thank you
@dendiirwandi6954: I never take brand as a reference when buying audio devices. I try them. If I think it's good, I buy it if I have enough money. If not, I look for another one. Thanks.
@AF-rd2vf: We get it because to you everything sounds the same.😉
@DangeroudDaisyDillinger-qm6on: Paul McCartney?
@JAFO.: It would require more than $100 million in ultra-high end equipment to barely approximate reality, therefore the human ear is superior to virtually every audio reproduction system in existence.
@karachaffee3343: I don't hear much above 8kHz --however I can clearly hear the difference when designing with op amps in an analog stage for my DAC. I can hear the difference between an OPA627 vs. OPA 827 and an LME49990 vs. AD8597 and then one throws in a THS 4081 which was not designed as an audio amp, and it beats them all. And it beats them by sounding more real and dynamic , without sounding the least bit bright or harsh. Don't sell your ears short , even at 70 yrs old.
@rock3times: IMHO, audio gears like fast cars are status symbols .
So you are perfectly correct .
@mediascribble: It's not easy but it's best to audition a pair of speakers in your own environment for a decent period of time. If you're satisfied, keep them. Of course, you'll get bored.