My feels about this forum

Tim F

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2018
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Hi all,

Thought I'd share some thoughts, and ask a few questions. I'm from the UK and have been into hifi for many years. Recently started to spend more time here having been mostly on pinkfish and hifiwigwam forums. Firstly thanks to all who've been really helpful, welcoming and friendly. I was looking for more expertise as I started to move into more expensive levels of kit.

There seem to be a core group of posters most of whom know each other and a lot of people connected to the industry. Seems like a good thing as you see a lot of friendships. I wonder if there's scope to listen to some of these systems? Are you generally welcoming?

As there are a lot of industry connected people, I have to take some recommendations carefully. How clear are people when they are posting that they're recommending products they sell?

Firstly, even though I have the best system of anyone I know, I feel pretty poor here. The kit typically being knocked around is vastly expensive. Recommendations for components and accessories tend to be extremely expensive with a default position to spending a tonne. The average forum doesn't recommend £1000 cables without a second thought. When offering advice do you think much about what people's budget is, and more to the point if you've come across lower price point bargains? I've just seen a recommendation for a $4k streamer to a guy with a £200 amp!

Anyway a few thoughts! No offence meant, in case you were wondering....

Thanks, Tim
 

Lagonda

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There certainly is no upper spending limit in this forum, but reasonably priced gear is discussed all the time. After a while you start to realize who is only promoting their business and who is also a true audiophile willing to share their experience and advice.The really good ones will actually speak well about gear they don’t sell some times :eek:
 

Bobvin

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Also consider a big ticket component that is a generation or two old can usually be had for 1/2 (or less) than what it cost new. This hobby is driven, often, by the pursuit of incremental improvements by those with resources, and often they get a change not necessarily an improvement. That makes a lot of used, very high quality and excellent sounding gear available at discounted prices.

The industry rags don't necessarily help, always touting the latest uber expensive as "the best sounding piece of kit" I've ever heard. Great sounding gear is out there at less than astronomical pricing, and a sweet rig can be assembled at about any budget level. You can get a lot of good advice from members of this forum who've been tinkering about this hobby for decades.
 

Ron Resnick

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Jan 24, 2015
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Hello Tim!

Thank you for posting, and for asking these questions!

You are right that many members here know each other. We like to think of the social and friendship aspects cultivated here as being at least as important, if not more important, than the music and audio component aspects of the forum.

Please don't in anyway be intimidated by the expensiveness of many of the components discussed here. Many members enjoy discussing and recommending individual components, and entire systems, at every price level. It is often more of a challenge to recommend modest systems to generate great sound quality than it is to throw a lot of money at the question.

Members who are in the industry are required to indicate as such by the label "Industry Expert."

Ron
 

bonzo75

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Feb 26, 2014
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It is often more of a challenge to recommend modest systems to generate great sound quality than it is to throw a lot of money at the question.

Ron

A slight correction. It is often more of a challenge for some to accept modestly priced systems can generate great sound quality than it is to throw a lot of money at the question.
 

cjfrbw

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Apr 20, 2010
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It's usually the trench coat that opens with plus 50K on up items that gives it away.

It's kind of like litigation. It never ends, and you will be upgraded down to your last penny.
 
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bonzo75

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This hobby is driven, often, by the pursuit of incremental improvements by those with resources, and often they get a change not necessarily an improvement.

This hobby is driven by curiosity, therefore the best dealers are able to sell components before the buyer evaluates them. Buyers are curious, and they have to spend periodically. Extremely few components are bought and kept forever, they have to buy the next thing they are curious about.

The other thing is that spending is often driven by previously anchored price. A budget of 2k seems expensive at a time, then creeps to 5, 10, 20, all of a sudden they want uber speaker with not much research. Budgets almost always go up as the previous price anchor becomes the normal.
 

Ron Resnick

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. . . It is often more of a challenge for some to accept modestly priced systems can generate great sound quality than it is to throw a lot of money at the question.

This is true, too! :)
 

Barry2013

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Welcome to the forum Tim.
I have been a member for about six years and during that time I have found it consistently interesting and helpful. As you get more deeply into this hobby you begin to realise how much there is to learn as you upgrade to more expensive components and your ears become more discriminating. A key thing to learn IMHO is that all new (including used) buys invariably sound different from what you had previously, but that is not always the same as better. My purchases have included a lot of used buys from well rgarded manufacturers like DCS and with appropriate due diligence have been very largely good buys. I have tended to go for equipment from well established manufacturers with continuing service facilities available if needed. They also tend to be items that hold their value well which makes a big difference to the cost of future upgrades.
IME members are generally very happy to let you hear their systems and hearing components in the home is a much better way of evaluating particular components. Although I didn't really appreciate it when I joined the forum the nature of the listening room makes a big difference to sound quality and thankfully the acoustics of mine are very good.
You are certainly welcome to hear my system once the current travel restrictions are lifted and full details of my system are listed on my profile.
I hope that is helpful and that you benefit from this forum as much as I have.
 

cjfrbw

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There appears to be a lot of money to throw at it in some of these well heeled audio segments. So, it allows the luxuries of lavish crafted items, not necessarily to be confused with sound quality all the time. There are a lot of gorgeous hi end museum pieces out there now, more than ever.

i've been getting extreme joy from some el cheapo flea powered amps lately. The intoxication of these on hi efficiency midrange ribbons is so extreme, I am glad I spend half the time at the other residence, it forces me to break away for a bit. I am sure an utterly exquisite Thomas Meyer work of high end art would look better and sound better, but it is hard for me to imagine much more transcendence or I will croak.
 

Ron Resnick

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Jan 24, 2015
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Dear Tim,

I forgot to answer your question about visiting members and hearing their systems.

YES! Many members enjoy hosting other members!

Among others I have heard the systems of two members in the Netherlands, four members in England, one member in the Philippines, three members in Massachusetts, one member in Washington, and numerous members in California!
 

Al M.

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A slight correction. It is often more of a challenge for some to accept modestly priced systems can generate great sound quality than it is to throw a lot of money at the question.

Or you mix components of vastly different price ranges together for the best sound, rather than being dogmatic about any particular price, or expectation of performance per price.

In high end terms, my CD transport and DAC are cheap, my speaker system, cabling and power amp are medium priced, and my preamp is very expensive (or on the low end of that price range). Oh, and power cables are less than $ 10 each.

Whatever works best sound wise within a certain budget, either predetermined or organically grown into.

And of course, there is the room. While some rooms need less treatment, mine needed a lot. In high end dollars, room treatment can be some of the most cost effective upgrade work -- even though it may be less sexy than the shiny new object in your equipment rack.

And don't forget speaker setup. Proper setup can give tremendous gains in sound quality at a cost of zero dollars, but perhaps instead a lot of effort and hours spent. But again, that work is less sexy than the shiny new object in your equipment rack.
 
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microstrip

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(...) It is often more of a challenge to recommend modest systems to generate great sound quality than it is to throw a lot of money at the question. (...)

I don´t think so. A properly used lot of money means a very high potential sound quality that will depend on a lot of variables that members can't control, including the owner preference.

But we love recommending our preferred equipment! ;)
 
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cjfrbw

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Al M.

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spiritofmusic

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Al, I've got some pwr cbls elevators for $10...
 

Empirical Audio

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As far as cost and selecting older used components: Some components can be old and still deliver very close to state-of-the-art performance, like tube preamps, speakers and even some tube amps. Older SS gear can limit the performance. I would avoid it.

When it comes to digital, you are better off to get the latest technology, but be picky. There are some giant killers out there that will save you a lot of money. Same with analog and digital cables. Get the latest technology, but find the giant killers. Forums like this one, audiogon, audiocircle and audio asylum can be great resources for identifying these giant killers. Don't ever buy everything from one company. This is not like matching clothing. Every company has it's strengths. Well-designed gear works well with other well-designed gear. The only critical synergy is between speakers and amps and that is because speakers are so imperfect.

I'm no expert on vinyl playback, but I think there are some really good values now in turntables and tonearms, like Pro-Ject and others.
 
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kach22i

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I think the prevailing attitude here is there are a lot of other forums focused on Mid-Fi, and this shall not be one of them.

What those Mid-Fi forums usually lack in my opinion is an understanding of making the best of what they have via proper setup, room layout and room acoustics (all the same?).

I often feel I have little to contribute until someone asks about top Mid-Fi or lower spectrum to the Hi-End.

I also often feel I have little to contribute because my equipment is +25 years old, vintage some would call it.

Accept the forum for what it is, and it is NOT one size fits all.
 

spiritofmusic

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Guys, I think the poster knows about cheaper gear. He's commenting on how high worth this forum is, 95% of gear discussed on it, and the systems of 95% of members.

No way would the humble MHDT dacs at 1% the cost of the MSB Select 3 dac get anywhere near the same oxygen of publicity, yet they are raved about as giant killers on other forums, and are the preferred dac of at least one high profile experienced audiophile I know.
 

Empirical Audio

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I consider this the elite audiophile forum of all the forums. The folks that have the ability to pursue the very best that audio has to offer, but also want to understand the technical aspects and tinker a bit themselves. This is a step-up IMO from the rich guy that walks into the bricks and mortar store and expects the salesman to outfit him completely for megabux. He did no research and does not know if what he has is really good or not, he just trusts the salesman...

Many of these folks (a few women too) seem to have the wherewithal and education to do the research as well. They are the cream of the audiophile crowd IMO. Very passionate. Like many wealthy people, many got there by being prudent with their money, so they are also interested in the giant-killers, but some tend to be suspicious of anything too cheap.
 

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