All that is wrong with "HiFi"

Try Rega gear on all levels, except their top of the line Osiris amp.
I had the Osiris. First audio component when I got back into hifi. It was all Fd up. Rega dumped a load of crap on me with tbat one. Similar issue to a Mcintosh. When the volume was low, the left speaker would be 4 to 8 db down. Rega claimed that was acceptable to them. I new their equipment was garbage when they claimed specs so awful were in compliance.
 
I had the Osiris. First audio component when I got back into hifi. It was all Fd up. Rega dumped a load of crap on me with tbat one. Similar issue to a Mcintosh. When the volume was low, the left speaker would be 4 to 8 db down. Rega claimed that was acceptable to them. I new their equipment was garbage when they claimed specs so awful were in compliance.
Note , I recommended only "budget"-mid range Rega gear, except for Osiris (which I also owned, although it worked flawlessly in the short time I had it).
 
Once I get the new components for my turntable broken in and tweaked, I will turn my attention to recapping my phonostage and dac for smoother and more natural sound.

Since the '70's, I have modified nearly every component I have owned in order to achieve my stated sonic goals.
 
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Note , I recommended only "budget"-mid range Rega gear, except for Osiris (which I also owned, although it worked flawlessly in the short time I had it).
I had an RP6 with Fono. Got an Allnic H1201. A lot better. Then I yanked the motor off the plinth and remote mounted it with a white belt. Again, much better. I changed the tone arm to a Vertere SG1. Small change.
When I bought the STST Motus II, I was shocked how much better it was. Same arm, cartridge, stand, phono pre. Just changed the table.

I would try a RP10. I bet it has a fun sound.
 
@SoundMann, it sounds like you want a smooth, musical system with a warm tonal balance where you can listen for hours without fatigue. A classic Dynaco tube system could deliver that in spades and still fit within your budget. I am referring to a Dyna PAS preamp, ST70 power amp and A25 or A35 speakers. I had such a system many years ago and enjoyed many hours listening with it.
 
I think one advantage of the streaming world is that high quality equalization is extremely easy to apply now. Roon has 64-bit equalization available with a point and click interface. This morning, I was listening to some poorly recorded international music. Turned on Roon's parametric filters, and a high frequency shelving filter and another bandpass filter turned an unlistenable album into something much more musical.

Peter Walker was famous for his belief in the importance of tone controls, rather aggressive ones in his early Quad II and Quad 33 preamplifiers. He never believed in "straight line" electronics, of course in large part due to the poor quality of source material in his day. The only exception he made was on FM radio broadcasts of live concerts from the BBC, where he felt the quality was high enough that the tone controls could be disabled. Now, thanks to high quality streaming, and Roon's 64-bit equalization system, it's possible to use tone controls easily and effectively.

Of course, you might not get all the "tube magic" with tone controls, but at least you don't have to suffer through bright recordings played back through hyper bright audiophile loudspeakers with their metallic tweeters that ring away....
 
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@SoundMann, it sounds like you want a smooth, musical system with a warm tonal balance where you can listen for hours without fatigue. A classic Dynaco tube system could deliver that in spades and still fit within your budget. I am referring to a Dyna PAS preamp, ST70 power amp and A25 or A35 speakers. I had such a system many years ago and enjoyed many hours listening with it.

This system would certainly be going in the right direction. But with my warm and grainless BGW amp, wonderfully musical yet transparent Acoustats, and an overachieving tube phonostage with very high potential I have too much invested to switch the entire system at this point.

I feel that I am only a few more changes away from satisfying results.
 
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What the hell is wrong with me?

I'm buying a pair of MSRP US$200k loudspeakers.

Haven't heard them directly.

Only heard the smaller bookshelf version of them last year.

Although i have to say I have been using a couple of models of previous bookshelf and floorstand designs of the same designer person over the last 25 years.

Paid 50% deposit.

They just started placing orders for the internal components.

Expected construction finishing Jan 2025.

Need to fly to Annapolis, Maryland to listen to them.

The amps I just ordered to match them is 4 piece monsters I have yet heard as well, although I got good prices on them, and they belong to the same brand of amps being used by the designer as his reference amps.

I seem to be straying further and further away from my dream of building a system comprising time aligned, high efficiency loudspeakers coupled with low-watt, non-metallic chassis amplifiers.

I'm out of cash so I've got to drop plans to order the custom Galder/Odin with Delrin Platter and Polymer Plinth.

Wish me luck everything go smoothly no hiccups during delivery of the new loudspeakers.
 
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No. It actually began with the use of high feedback in the pursuit of vanishingly low harmonic distortion. This inturn led to the focus of designing solely by numbers as a dominating criteria instead of listening to what truly sounds good, and what doesn't.

Perhaps there and with loudspeakers lacking sensitivity and having lower-than-4-Ohm impedance dips.

The audio market will respond with what people want to buy. I don't know if there is a 'problem' with 'HiFi' as much as a problem with audiophiles not knowing what they want and driving the market on that basis.

Not knowing what you want is as much an issue as lacking a reference to guide you. Do you carry a steady notion in your head of the sound you seek, or do you have a reference against which you can compare what is before you?

It can take a while (years) to learn or discover one's preferences that will stand up over time. Do you have an idea of what you want and take time trying to find it? Or, do you discover what you want by going through different systems and components until you hit on it? I suspect the latter is the case for many. If you allow others to tell you what you want (dealers, media) you may find yourself bouncing around from gear to gear.
 
The audio market will respond with what people want to buy. I don't know if there is a 'problem' with 'HiFi' as much as a problem with audiophiles not knowing what they want and driving the market on that basis.
Agree.
Put another way, prices will rise as far as the market will bear and mediocrity to the level the market will tolerate.
 
I share the frustrations with modern gear that @SoundMann described in his first post (although I wouldn’t have described them quite as emphatically). However, I don’t think feedback is a major factor in what has gone wrong with modern hifi. The following factors deserve higher blame in my opinion:

Speakers with small woofers, narrow cabinets, metal cone drivers, spiked feet, and crossovers with film caps. Put these together and you get a lean, bright and edgy sound. Give me any day a 15” paper cone woofer with Alnico magnet in a wide cabinet.

Electronics with metal film resistors and film caps. Most (not all) sound bright and lean and give an artificial hyped sound.

Cables with rhodium connectors. Ditto with above.
 
I share the frustrations with modern gear that @SoundMann described in his first post (although I wouldn’t have described them quite as emphatically). However, I don’t think feedback is a major factor in what has gone wrong with modern hifi. The following factors deserve higher blame in my opinion:

Speakers with small woofers, narrow cabinets, metal cone drivers, spiked feet, and crossovers with film caps. Put these together and you get a lean, bright and edgy sound. Give me any day a 15” paper cone woofer with Alnico magnet in a wide cabinet.

Electronics with metal film resistors and film caps. Most (not all) sound bright and lean and give an artificial hyped sound.

Cables with rhodium connectors. Ditto with above.
Simply step back into the past, buy a Sansui tube or solid state amp, have it reconditioned and add a Altec/JBL studio monitor and simply enjoy music emotionally with all its strengths and weaknesses.
A few months ago I listen to a system like this and I have to be honest and say that to this day there has been no progress, no matter how much money you spend.
That's a harsh judgement on modern hi-fi gear, but unfortunately that's my opinion. I only buy old, good devices that are renewed and I enjoy the great sound.
Exsample
 
I think one advantage of the streaming world is that high quality equalization is extremely easy to apply now. Roon has 64-bit equalization available with a point and click interface. This morning, I was listening to some poorly recorded international music. Turned on Roon's parametric filters, and a high frequency shelving filter and another bandpass filter turned an unlistenable album into something much more musical.

Peter Walker was famous for his belief in the importance of tone controls, rather aggressive ones in his early Quad II and Quad 33 preamplifiers. He never believed in "straight line" electronics, of course in large part due to the poor quality of source material in his day. The only exception he made was on FM radio broadcasts of live concerts from the BBC, where he felt the quality was high enough that the tone controls could be disabled. Now, thanks to high quality streaming, and Roon's 64-bit equalization system, it's possible to use tone controls easily and effectively.

Of course, you might not get all the "tube magic" with tone controls, but at least you don't have to suffer through bright recordings played back through hyper bright audiophile loudspeakers with their metallic tweeters that ring away....
Much of the classical and jazz source material in PW's day was superb, and that's what he favoured. His TILT control was a stroke of genius, now available again in the reissued 33 preamp.

Of course "bright" is not a thing with Quad ESL.
 
In just three hours I will be subjecting myself to a wide gamut of modern sound as the first day of the Capital Audio Fest begins. To prepare my ears for the onslaught, I listened this morning to some favorite Gene Ammons LPs. Past experience says I won’t be hearing a saxophone at CAF that sounds as real as what I hear at home.
 
Simply step back into the past, buy a Sansui tube or solid state amp, have it reconditioned and add a Altec/JBL studio monitor and simply enjoy music emotionally with all its strengths and weaknesses.
A few months ago I listen to a system like this and I have to be honest and say that to this day there has been no progress, no matter how much money you spend.
That's a harsh judgement on modern hi-fi gear, but unfortunately that's my opinion. I only buy old, good devices that are renewed and I enjoy the great sound.
Exsample
Even worse, listen to old Western Electric speakers with modern SET (or Silbatone hybrids) and you will think speakers have done nothing in 90+ years.
 
Even worse, listen to old Western Electric speakers with modern SET (or Silbatone hybrids) and you will think speakers have done nothing in 90+ years.
You just described my system. Well, except for the SET part. My amps are Western Electric 124 clones which are a push-pull 6L6 design.
 
Even worse, listen to old Western Electric speakers with modern SET (or Silbatone hybrids) and you will think speakers have done nothing in 90+ years.

Would you have approved of the Westrex (Western Electric) 2326A speakers I bought 30 years ago for £25?
 

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