A thread to discuss things related to what and how we hear. System Building too!

[PeterA]

I know microstrip and the feeling is mutual: We must meet in real life... Soon

Now about the thing at hand.
I have for most of my audiophile life been partial to planar but I have witnessed cone speakers getting better and better to the point that they IMO surpass the planars or most planars I have heard.. The Q3 for example is just my cup of tea. I could live with this speaker for a long time.. I have come to remove my prejudices toward horns, there is something very special about the delivery of horns when properly set-up. THe high sensitivity and the complete absence of power compression is difficult to not get addicted to. They're the bomb! I like what they do more and more and believe they could be a new experience in music reproduction for me... no more than an old Voice of the Theater to remind you on how good they were/are . i do find these VoTT form time to time on e-Bay. but they're old big and ugly .. Geddes? I like his approach a lot... THere is a person that uses Geddes Abbey with Atmasphere 60 watters with great results it seems.. One of my favorite speaker of all time is the Acapella Sphaedron .. Obscene in price... but man! they sounded incredible when I heard them several years ago...
Moreover I would like to think this thread is not about my need but a place for some to discuss what is going on with their views on system-building. Again I don't cotton to the notion of "expensive electronics" as a standard of quality. and that you know nor do I believe in synergy. So your views are welcome as usual.

Frantz, why don't you just buy a pair of Magico Q3s? I'm also a tea drinker. They are available used and represent excellent value. You could build your dream system around those speakers.

 

[PeterA]

marty, isn't it the way?!! ... .

It is a disease to think that just by changing something, putting in a bit that's "superior" to what you currently have, that automatically it has to be better!! Noooope ... , .

The trick is to get a system into the "zone" ... and then, tread very, very lightly!! Don't stop trying things, but be 100% sure at any point that you reverse any "damage" done - always be able to go back to what did work, recover from the "mistake", . Exceptional sound is very, very fragile - it has to be nurtured, taken a great deal of care with ...

This is SUPERB advice, IMO, Frank.

 

[bonzo75]

What a wonderful thread! A very enjoyable read.

What I am looking for is rather simple. I want to hear a system that I don’t have to think about. I want to listen through it and let the music do the talking. I’ve been fortunate to hear such a system a handful of times. And most of those systems were far humbler than mine. That’s the eye opener! They really need not be ne ultra plus systems. I’m not sure I can agree with wanting a system that is “accurate” in the sense of being able to reproduce what I hear in the hall, since what I hear in the hall varies greatly depending on where I sit. Do I want to reproduce what’s on the master tape? Perhaps, but doing that well at 75dB is very different from doing that well at 95dB. Just plop me down in a chair and play music at satisfying levels that puts a smile on my face. Is that too much to ask?

Now here’s the rub. I may have been fortunate to have gotten there with my own system a few times. But thanks to self-deception and human frailty, I have occasionally made changes that took years of wandering to get back to a place I was happy at previously. I don’t think I’m the only audiophile that has experienced that. I speak primarily of myself when I say that audiophiles are often their own worst enemy. Perfect can definitely be the enemy of good. Will I ever learn? I hope so. The journey continues and hope springs eternal.

But that's why we are audiophiles, because tweaking and discovery are part of the hobby. Sometimes it's okay to go backward as long as you find something new to satiate curiosity