Achieving much better sound could be just one component away :)

[markie]

I thought you guys would be amused, and perhaps intrigued, by something I just found on AudioCircle. A guy has a sweet rig, including vinyl and tubes. But he finds that music coming through his cablebox of all things puts it all to shame! Why exactly this at would be is a still a mystery. But it tells me something is wrong somewhere in the chain, because his system *should* sound better than his cablebox!

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=121535

It also goes to show that reasonably conscious people are not slaves to expectation bias!

Mark

[GirgleMirt]

Define 'better'... Better is subjective right?

As for me I'm not surprised. Vinyl and tube technology is rather ancient now. It's funny when you think about it, that in audio some still think it's better than current technology. LOL

What I find surprising is that someone who seems to have been quite into vinyl and tubes has the honesty to admit that his vinyls and tubes actually might sound worse than digital and solid state. Most don't have that intellectual integrity and the fact that they've wasted thousands of dollars is far too frightening to admit. So they'd just reject that possibility.

[markie]

For sure, better is subjective when it comes to appreciation of audio. But when the vast majority of listeners say something is better, then, well, we can pretty much say it is just ... better.

In the case of the person who posted that his cablebox sounded better, it was such a noticeably positive difference that I have very little doubt that the vast majority of listeners would agree with his assessment if they were to listen for themselves. An assumption on my part.

I happen to believe that the great majority of people *do* have the integrity to admit when something sounds much better to them than their own prized system, even if it costs much less.

Mark

[GirgleMirt]

Define 'better'...

For sure, better is subjective when it comes to appreciation of audio. But when the vast majority of listeners say something is better, then, well, we can pretty much say it is just ... better.

You've not really defined 'better', looks to me like you've done more of an appeal to the masses rather than define what 'better' actually is. "Argumentum ad populum", it's a logical fallacy.

Popular does not mean it's better. For instance, B053 or Monster are more popular than Ascend. Does that mean they're better? If by better you mean they've sold more units then ok... But that's not 'better'.

I happen to believe that the great majority of people *do* have the integrity to admit when something sounds much better to them than their own prized system, even if it costs much less.

I disagree. I believe most vinyl/tube audiophiles would not allow themselves to prefer digital/ss above tubes/vinyls. Just like Apple iCrap, Monster Beats, etc., it's often a status/fashion statement more than actual performance. If it's analog it's better, either you know this or you're lower-class and/or not a true audiophile.

I'd bet a thousand bucks that in a DBT test, a listener couldn't tell the difference between the same mix played on a vinyl pressing vs a WAV file with added snaps/crackles/pops & EQ'd as to match the vinyl+turntable FR aberrations.

It's the same thing as when people taste wine, the most expensive wine always comes out on top, even when they're drinking cheap wine, just the fact that the bottle is labeled 50$ instead of 7$ makes it taste a lot better.

[Harro]

It's the same thing as when people taste wine, the most expensive wine always comes out on top, even when they're drinking cheap wine, just the fact that the bottle is labeled 50$ instead of 7$ makes it taste a lot better.

You mean that guy on the side of the road selling me wine for 100.00 in a cardboard container stating it was the best, really was only grape juice? :P

[GirgleMirt]

lol, u dont want to know where that bitterness came from

It's always surprising, the tube thing also spread other places. Guitar for example, so many guitarists so deeply believe tubes sound better, some companies included tubes on some pedals where the tubes weren't even part of the circuit... Simply there for guitarists to believe they were analog and so better sounding than ss...

Another 1000$ wager I'd do; real tube amp vs solid state with tube modeling. I'd bet nobody could tell them apart...

[petmotel]

Yep, add a pair of Ascend speakers, and you're there! Oh wait that might be two components?

Jay

[markie]

Speaking of two components, today I read an article at cnet which asked the question : can it pay off to get separates (amps + processor) instead of a single receiver? Steve Guttenburg thinks it does, at least in the case he evaluated. Oddly, the two Emotiva components were exactly the same two I'm planning on getting.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57...eivers-part-2/

As the Ascend speakers get more revealing, the upstream components become that much more important.

Mark

[markie]

Another component to consider are the audio cables. As someone shared recently here, some people have discovered that their supposedly high grade audiophile cables were at fault for introducing surprisingly high noise or other unwanted artifacts into the sound. Another possible problem is with an unsatisfactory contact of the speaker wire with terminals. I've heard that banana plugs provide better than average contact.

Mark

[markie]

This last weekend the AXPONA audio show took place in Chicago. It may be the second largest such show in the US, behind Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. As is usual at such shows, vendors are left scrambling to get their rooms sounding the best they can. Often a room will sound relatively poorly on the first day of the show, but by the end of the show tweaks to the system/room have greatly improved the sound.

What did the vendors do to improve things? It really varies. But the point is that significantly better sound in the same room can be achieved with some effort.

This is an enjoyable video from AVshowreports, where two veterans who clearly love music and good sound report on what they heard at AXPONA. (I just recently discovered AVshowreports and plan to watch many more of their videos!) Starting around the 6:35 minute mark there is a fascinating discussion about the difference going from digital to analogue made in a room that had both.

But more than anything the video interview gives one an idea of what seasoned music lovers value in their listening experience. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrmbTDbvHPA

Mark