audiophile products that make you say WTF!

[contoursvt]

I like my music and my home stereo (Rotel preamp, threshold power amp..etc) but I dont consider myself an audiophile and I definitly dont consider myself stupid. I feel more stupid though after reading through this link. Its so funny :)

http://www.ilikejam.dsl.pipex.com/audiophile.htm

[Scarlet Fever]

some people have faarrrr too much money. As if anyone would get a $6000 volume control!

[iMeowbot]

Oh, yes. These. (http://www.westernelectric.com/pricing.asp) They're tubes, and simple ones at that.

[CanadaRAM]

OK, not audiophile per se but I just got a killer deal on eBay for a Korg Legacy collection, which is a bundle of three software based synthesizers (MS-20, Polysix and Wavestation VS) and a cute little keyboard controller with knobs on it which is styled like a Korg MS-20. I'll date myself badly when I admit to drooling over these when they first came out in the 70's...
http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_prod_no=Legacy&category_id=1

The sound is killer, takes me back 20 - 25 years in a heatbeat. I've just spent three hours with headphones on (AKG K240's natch) and giggling my fool face off.

$250! Brand new unopened! Woo Hoo! Korg has a bundle deal where you can get these with theri $4000 keyboard.. and the seller apparently didn't want his, so its mine, mine, all mine!

Told my wife that she bought it for me for my birthday.

giggle

giggle

:D

Now if you really want WTF! action have a look at the new Buchla modular synth
http://www.buchla.com/200e/index.html
Leading edge vintage - only $20,000

[Lacero]

I think I might pick up a pair of these Opus MM speaker cables.

They look really great and I hear they perform much better than regular speaker cables.

http://www.aurant.com/feature/signatureFull/images/Opus_MM_family_650x406.jpg

Link (http://www.aurant.com/signaturefeature.php)

[bousozoku]

Here I thought the Griffin PowerMate was expensive at $39. :D

I could see having better cables, especially speaker cables with banana plugs on the ends.

[ScruffyTheMac]

Now if you really want WTF! action have a look at the new Buchla modular synth
http://www.buchla.com/200e/index.html
Leading edge vintage - only $20,000

That was fun to read. I'm a big fan of Morton Subotnik (Touch, Sidewinder, Wild Bull, etc) - he used Buchla synths for a lot of his work.

[WinterMute]

Here I thought the Griffin PowerMate was expensive at $39. :D

I could see having better cables, especially speaker cables with banana plugs on the ends.

30 amp mains cable does the job just as well, if you're paying more than £15 per meter for speaker cable you're being ripped off...:D

I've got some nice 760 strand oxygen-free, mono aligned Monster cable on my speakers, but I didn't pay for it and it's a lovely copper colour.

[MattG]

30 amp mains cable does the job just as well, if you're paying more than £15 per meter for speaker cable you're being ripped off...:D

I've got some nice 760 strand oxygen-free, mono aligned Monster cable on my speakers, but I didn't pay for it and it's a lovely copper colour.

I agree...any quality cable terminated well on the ends will do the job just as well as any of these crazy-expensive cables. In the end it's all copper. I think a lot of the people that say they can hear the difference between "Cable A" and "Cable B" are just hearing what they want to hear... :rolleyes:

[Counterfit]

I agree...any quality cable terminated well on the ends will do the job just as well as any of these crazy-expensive cables. In the end it's all copper. I think a lot of the people that say they can hear the difference between "Cable A" and "Cable B" are just hearing what they want to hear... :rolleyes:
For the price of the Opus MM cables, you could fly to any city in the world, and hear any orchestra play just about any piece you wanted, in some of the best halls in existence. Heck, you could go see the BSO next week for no more than $98 (for one seat anyway.) I'm sure Symphony Hall in Boston sounds better than any room in your house.

I just remembered that I got a catalogue in the mail today. It's from Edwards Instrument Company (http://edwards-instruments.com) (a division of Getzen). They make custom trombones (and trumpets). Joseph Alessi, the principal trombonist for the New York Philharmonic, and one of the best players in the world uses one of their horns. You can get a horn just like his, custom made to your preferences in material, finish, bore size, valve system, and almost anything else, for under $6000. Heck my euphonium (http://www.wwbw.com/Besson-BE967-Sovereign-Professional-Euphonium-i22006.music) lists for almost $8000, and the next model up is just over $9000. My father's tuba lists for $10,128. And yet, that's still less than one third of what someone has probably paid for that cable. Stop being lazy people, go buy a horn, pay for some lessons, and buy a crapload of sheet music with that 30 grand instead of being a leech on creative people.

[Counterfit]

Oh man, I just looked at the knobs. (Hey hey, no giggling you silly English people :p) $485 for a piece of beech and bronze. I could make one of those for less money. Hell, I could probably make 50 for less money. From the info page: "Dynamics are better and overall naturalness is improved."
You want to improve naturalness of the music you listen to? GO SEE AN ORCHESTRA! Support the arts, sleep with a musician. :D

[Dr. Dastardly]

How can people have this much money and still be stupid enough to buy this junk.

I rip my my music at 192kbs and thats the ways I likes them!

Also "Audiophile snakeoil" is now my new favorite term! :p

[JeffTL]

Any quality piece of wire -- well-shielded 16AWG lamp wire with banana plugs tacked on if you want -- will sound just as good. As has been said, buy some concert tickets with what you save.

[OutThere]

I can't believe people aren't making vacuum chambers for you to put your equipment in, to keep it safe from harmful overtonal radiationalizing.:p

[savar]

some people have faarrrr too much money. As if anyone would get a $6000 volume control!

I agree, its insane for me and most other people. But some people really can hear the difference.

Eric Johnson, one of the most amazing guitarists to have ever lived, can hear the difference in various guitar cables and so is picky even about what brand and model of 1/4" phono cable he buys. I could never approach that, but I do believe its real.

Cheers

[Counterfit]

I agree, its insane for me and most other people. But some people really can hear the difference.

Eric Johnson, one of the most amazing guitarists to have ever lived, can hear the difference in various guitar cables and so is picky even about what brand and model of 1/4" phono cable he buys. I could never approach that, but I do believe its real.

Cheers
Heh, that's why I play brass. It starts at your lungs, ends (more or less) when it comes out the bell. After that, you can bitch about the hall/room if you want :p

[MattG]

I agree, its insane for me and most other people. But some people really can hear the difference.

Eric Johnson, one of the most amazing guitarists to have ever lived, can hear the difference in various guitar cables and so is picky even about what brand and model of 1/4" phono cable he buys. I could never approach that, but I do believe its real.

Cheers

Eric also claims that he can hear the difference between batteries in his effects pedals, and will only use Duracell!!

[greatdevourer]

But this applies to AV people, too. I mean, monstor cables? Sure, they probably make the best speaker cable commercially available, but their AV cables? Marketing oxygenfree copper and gold plating as worth $100, but it's a copper wire through tin solder to a gold connector - you may as well have tin all the way through. It's much cheaper just to make your own, which usually turn out of better quality.

[MattG]

Seriously, I'd be interested in someone conducting a test. Get a bunch of audiophiles together in a room and have them blind-test a bunch of audio cables. See if they can determine which are the 'low grade' ones and which are the 'high grade' ones, just by listening to them. I'd be willing to bet money that most of them couldn't do it. No disrepect to audiophiles or anything, but I just get the impression that a lot of them equate good sound to high prices, and that's just not always true.

[bousozoku]

Seriously, I'd be interested in someone conducting a test. Get a bunch of audiophiles together in a room and have them blind-test a bunch of audio cables. See if they can determine which are the 'low grade' ones and which are the 'high grade' ones, just by listening to them. I'd be willing to bet money that most of them couldn't do it. No disrepect to audiophiles or anything, but I just get the impression that a lot of them equate good sound to high prices, and that's just not always true.

I spent an afternoon near NYC listening to speakers with a group of supposed audiophiles. The man had 4 sets of speaker cables as well as his set of speakers and a pair for much, much more money.

While it wasn't a blind test, I must have missed something because they constantly found the more expensive equipment better and congratulated each other, even though to me, the more expensive speakers were "cloudy". I grade most everything by being able to tell the piano being played since I've played quite a few.

They would change cables and smile and nod at each other. "Did you hear that?" "Isn't that great?" "Wow! Amazing!" "Ummm, okay. I guess they're okay, but not for the money."

I'm obviously not the audiophile type.

[Counterfit]

Eric also claims that he can hear the difference between batteries in his effects pedals, and will only use Duracell!!
I can hear the difference in batteries in my Bluetooth mouse! :eek:



:rolleyes:

[WildCowboy]

some people have faarrrr too much money. As if anyone would get a $6000 volume control!

Well, if it goes up to 11, who wouldn't want one at that price?

[Counterfit]

Pff, I'll make one for $400 that goes to 12 :rolleyes:

[James Philp]

Let's have a Scale. 1-100, say.
You can get to 95 buy buying high-end kit (i.e. stuff that costs less than $1000 per unit and speaker cable for less than $25/m with good power cords/blocks and all that Jazz). The price you pay for the extra 5 will set you back perhaps tens to hundreds of times more than what you paid to get to 95. And you may only hear that extra 5 if you have truly great ears, truly demanding music (so a fraction of your collection) somewhere to listen - like a sound proof booth etc. (Heck, why not just re-fit your living room for the money!
I'd love to sketch out a sort of exponential graph right now to demonstrate simply the relationship between genuine tangible quality and price. 30,000 for a speaker cable!? No way! Perhaps if you were in australia and were playing the record in London!

[iPoster]

:eek:

*eyes his $90 JBL CreatureII's, shakes his head and walks out*

:rolleyes:

[SummerBreeze]

Damn, $30,000 for a cable is ridiculous. My car was only $20,000 and it came with an entire stereo!

[MattG]

There's got to be a certain point where price outweighs quality. I mean come on...$30,000?

[sushi]

Reminds me of the time I saw an older Japanese man purchase an audiophile stereo system that cost well North of $250,000.

Only a turntable, receiver, amp and speakers. And of course the connecting cables.

A quarter of a million dollars!

Sushi

[Lacero]

I think a lot of these audiophile products are a bunch of hot air.

For MSRP of $249,995.00 you could buy a 'Runco' digital projector...
http://www.aurant.com/feature/signatureFull/images/MBX-1_medium.jpg
but for that price, they could at least do a better job designing that hideous, amateur looking logo. And reading the specs of the machine, it comes off as a bunch of BS designed to fool rich old men.

These products are more for show for multi-millionaire playboys than it is for the pursuit of the utmost in AV quality.

[sushi]

I think a lot of these audiophile products are a bunch of hot air.

For MSRP of $249,995.00 you could buy a 'Runco' digital projector...
http://www.aurant.com/feature/signatureFull/images/MBX-1_medium.jpg
but for that price, they could at least do a better job designing that hideous, amateur looking logo. And reading the specs of the machine, it comes off as a bunch of BS designed to fool rich old men.

These products are more for show for multi-millionaire playboys than it is for the pursuit of the utmost in AV quality.
I believe that Sony's version looks better.

And the price has dropped from 250K to just North of 100K.

Sushi

[dops7107]

This (http://virtualdynamics.ca/products/MAS/POW) is the best one:

http://virtualdynamics.ca/images_products/MAS/mas_pow_1_large.jpg

And the funniest part - this power cable incorporates "Speed of Light Technology"!

[Zanike]

I won't defend these people, but imagine musicians if you could impress people like this to back your band. Thank goodness they got tax cuts this year so they could spend $20,000 for their amp power cables. Yeah!:D


They are considered a bargin at $325,000 a pair by some audiophiles. (not including shipping). The most expensive speaker I have seen on Audiogon (retail) was for $750,000 but I am sure there are more expensive speakers around. Heck, I once sold a pair of speaker cables for ($35,000 special order of course). The mark up on the cables was only 15 points but that still made my commission check happy!

If you look at this setup: its great but then look at this setup and if you love audio you will be in paradise: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1036349020&read&3&4& http://www.acapella.de/german/images/spharon.jpghttp://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/s/f/1106507274.jpg

[howesey]

I have been in the hi-fi retail business for many years (taking time out at the mo though for other commitments such as doing a degree), and most of the things you think are stupid really do make a difference. Most of my time was running demo's for customers, which is a very good way to get used to equipment and how it sounds. We would perform blind folded or with the equipment behind a curtain so they didn't know what was being used in the test.

Things such as power cable CAN really make a difference. Good speaker cable, and even good coax cable for digital interfaces such as SPDIF can make a big improvement. Cables are more than just copper cuvered in a plastic sheeve. The materials used, and the way they are manufactured which make them different. All cables sound different, some will have less treble, some will be more open sounding - you have to match the cable to your system... I'm rabling on.

My point, do not knock it till you have heard it.

[iMeowbot]

I won't defend these people, but imagine musicians if you could impress people like this to back your band. Thank goodness they got tax cuts this year so they could spend $20,000 for their amp power cables. Yeah!:D
Oh. My. I have some giant ancient Atlas horns that look exactly like those! I unbolted the elements years ago and attached stool cushions to them. They make comfy chairs.

[JW8725]

A friend and I had the misfortune of inviting a guy from the local hifi shop round to listen to my setup. Now we're hardly stupid, been into hi end audio for years...etc.

The 1st thing he did when he came in the room was to hold his head and yell "ohh noo noo noo!". He unplugged £200 mains cable and declared them to be made for only kettles. He took out all my interconnects (Chord Signature) and rambled on about how his home made ones were better.

Then he went on to reposition the speakers, infact he moved everything about to attain quote: "an acoustical synergisc position". This was even though everything was bang on how it should be. Then when he had completely changed the cables he was adamant he'd improved the hifi and quoted something like £500 for all his cablewarez.

Just because the system sounded "different" didnt mean it was an upgrade. Now had I been some rich, dumbass playboy..etc I would have said wow wee your right bud heres the cash and a bit on top for you. The point is, this guy was a good sales man and an even better actor.

In the industry this is known as snake oil, Now I shall name and shame a Russ Andrews! Yes this really is a £1500 Ikea style rack he sells:

http://www.russandrews.com/product.asp?src=google&lookup=1&region=UK&currency=GBP&pf_id=4010&customer_id=PAA0374014906627WVQHJVJGOMFOFVJX

[gangst]

I won't defend these people, but imagine musicians if you could impress people like this to back your band. Thank goodness they got tax cuts this year so they could spend $20,000 for their amp power cables. Yeah!:D


They are considered a bargin at $325,000 a pair by some audiophiles. (not including shipping). The most expensive speaker I have seen on Audiogon (retail) was for $750,000 but I am sure there are more expensive speakers around. Heck, I once sold a pair of speaker cables for ($35,000 special order of course). The mark up on the cables was only 15 points but that still made my commission check happy!

If you look at this setup: its great but then look at this setup and if you love audio you will be in paradise: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1036349020&read&3&4& http://www.acapella.de/german/images/spharon.jpghttp://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/s/f/1106507274.jpg


I saw those speakers in a certain adult magazine. lol.

[Scarlet Fever]

Eric Johnson, one of the most amazing guitarists to have ever lived, can hear the difference in various guitar cables and so is picky even about what brand and model of 1/4" phono cable he buys. I could never approach that, but I do believe its real.Sometimes a good lead can make a difference, but it is nothing major (at least to my ears). I like the Planet Waves (http://www.planet-waves.com/) leads, because they seem to have a clear sound, and they don't fall out of my bass all the time


Eric also claims that he can hear the difference between batteries in his effects pedals, and will only use Duracell!!lol i wonder how much he was paid to say that. Probably enough to buy himself a couple of $30,000 speaker leads :p

[Blue Velvet]

Things such as power cable CAN really make a difference.

How? And can anybody point to some lab tests?

Will my Mac run better with better power cable?
After all, it's also dealing with bits and bytes.

[faintember]

How? And can anybody point to some lab tests?

Will my Mac run better with better power cable?
After all, it's also dealing with bits and bytes.
Well the power cable is important if you are working with clean power (i.e. conditioned power)...if the power cable is faulty, then the AC line conditioner is pointless.

I dont think that there would be a difference in computer performance, but there might be.

Spend what you can afford on audio equipment, no more. Unless you have perfect pitch, ears like an owl, and a exact environment that mimics the original recording space, then you are not really "hearing it". As others have said, come support the musicians and composers in person.

Regardless, some people have way too much money to fuel their auditory egos.

[howesey]

How? And can anybody point to some lab tests?

Will my Mac run better with better power cable?
After all, it's also dealing with bits and bytes.
They work great on CRT monitors.

My next project will be to make a main conditioner/regenerator. the only good power cables I have used work as filters, they normally have ferrite cores and/or powerder between the inner and outer sheaves. These cables work for obvious reasons.

[bigandy]

i recently upgraded the speaker and power wiring on the hifi in my car to oxygen free, balanced cables, that cost me almost £50 / metre (unfortunately my car isn't small, and the cable runs aren't short) but it's improved the quality as much as it improved when i first installed everything.

there's a bang & olufsen shop opened in my town (because it's within 1hrs drive of 80% of the highest earning population in scotland) about 200 yards down the hill from my house. i was in there yesterday talking to a friend who works there, and listening to their BeoLab 5 speakers - £10,000 a pair, but my god they're the most amazing speakers i've ever heard. and they don't care about room acoustics - the sweet spot is wherever you put them, and wherever you sit. which is amazing, really amazing. puts my £2,000 Denon system to shame...

[howesey]

i recently upgraded the speaker and power wiring on the hifi in my car to oxygen free, balanced cables, that cost me almost £50 / metre (unfortunately my car isn't small, and the cable runs aren't short) but it's improved the quality as much as it improved when i first installed everything.

there's a bang & olufsen shop opened in my town (because it's within 1hrs drive of 80% of the highest earning population in scotland) about 200 yards down the hill from my house. i was in there yesterday talking to a friend who works there, and listening to their BeoLab 5 speakers - £10,000 a pair, but my god they're the most amazing speakers i've ever heard. and they don't care about room acoustics - the sweet spot is wherever you put them, and wherever you sit. which is amazing, really amazing. puts my £2,000 Denon system to shame...
One thing about B&O, they put design before sound/picture quality (which even B&O admit). Lovely stuff though.

[Lord Blackadder]

I removed the power cord from an old lamp and used that as speaker wire for years. One day a friend of mine gave me an expensive set of "monster" cables he no longer use and I couldn't tell the difference. <shrug>

There is no way a cable/wire should cost tens of thousands of dollars. Even if it was made of platinum with a unicorn hair insulator it wouldn't be that expensive.

[corywoolf]

30 amp mains cable does the job just as well, if you're paying more than £15 per meter for speaker cable you're being ripped off...:D

I've got some nice 760 strand oxygen-free, mono aligned Monster cable on my speakers, but I didn't pay for it and it's a lovely copper colour.
Are they hypoallergenic though?

[greatdevourer]

Well, I just bought a pair of Zalman headphones (and their CNP9500-LED heatsink - overclocking time!) for £50

Ah... 6-channel goodness :D

[Counterfit]

I saw those speakers in a certain adult magazine. lol.
It looks like they cut the bells off some tubas a euphoniums, then stuck some drivers on the end.
Spend what you can afford on audio equipment, no more. Unless you have perfect pitch, ears like an owl, and a exact environment that mimics the original recording space, then you are not really "hearing it". As others have said, come support the musicians and composers in person.
AAAYYY-MEN! *high five*
Keep in mind, generally, unless you're a prodigy, it takes years and years to acquire perfect pitch.
and even good coax cable for digital interfaces such as SPDIF can make a big improvement.
Er, being digital, bits go in -> bits go out. It's binary, yes or no. There are no "maybes" or "kindasortas". 0 and 1 are your choices. The $20,000 system would be better spent getting the best seats to every BSO or NYP concert. (well, almost. they do a few concerts with the same program).

[Leareth]

This kind of reminds me of the old joke that if you position your ethernet cables down towards the downloading computer from the uploading computer you will get faster speeds. Now believe it or not we tried this one , and all other things being equal there was a speed increase in the download speeds.
So back to the cables, yes they probably do increase the quality of sound but would the average person really notice ? and especially since most of us have our music libraries as mp3's wouldn't the distortion cause by lower bit rates annul any benefits attained from the cables...? :confused:
As a side note I had the pleasure of being at my collegues house who has one of those Super-CD sound systems where each section of the orchestra has its own channel and speaker , so it sounded like being at a live performance...nice but can't aford that, never mind the discs being a few hundred bucks each...:D

[Blue Velvet]

Things such as power cable CAN really make a difference ... My point, do not knock it till you have heard it.

Ok, hold on to your girlfriends, because this time we get seriously geeky. Last week we were talking about hi-fi company Russ Andrews, and their £30 power cable, which they reckon will improve the sound of your stereo. It's not a speaker cable, or a even a posh cable connecting your CD player to your amp. It's a power cable, from the wall socket to your hi-fi, a bit like a kettle lead.

I expressed doubts that this would do much good. It turned out it was just the tip of the power lead iceberg. Russ Andrews have another one for £140. Stone Audio will sell you the "Super Mains 25 HARDLINK Polished Rhodium Plated UK 13A Supergrip Plug" for £150. And Cheshire Audio will sell you the "Experience Mains 32a - possibly the ultimate mains lead" for a modest £470, although they don't make any specific claims about sound quality.

Now, interestingly, since last week, Russ Andrews have written in to explain how they believe their cable will filter out radio interference in the power supply, and so improve the sound of your stereo. Pay attention. They say their power cable has "a woven profile which takes advantage of the known effect of capacitive RFI cancellation of crossing wires, with the longer the cable and the more crossings in the weave, the more cancellation".

Basically, what they are saying is the twists in the cable mean that it acts like an electronic component called a capacitor. There is a geeky explanation for why this might filter out radio frequencies (to keep the pedants happy) and a simpler one (for those of you with a sex life).

The geeks' explanation, which I honestly suggest you ignore, is this: a capacitor will allow higher frequencies, like radio frequencies, to pass through it, and go to ground. That is, it will "short them out", take them off out of the cable, but will not affect the lower frequencies. I'd love to explain more about the fascinating subject of "capacitative reactance" to you on the news pages of a national newspaper, but I'd get the sack, and they'd probably give my job to the person who writes Ask Emma.

So here is a simpler explanation. You could think of this system as being a bit like suspension on a car: small, quick, one-inch-tall bumps will get filtered out by the springs in your suspension; but when you drive over a 200-yard-long one-inch-tall platform, your car does lift up into the air by an inch, while you're driving over it.

The radio frequency interference can be thought of as very quick small bumps in the electricity supply, maybe a million little bumps every second, which a capacitor could filter out; but the mains supply also has big wide humps going up and down very slowly, only 50 times every second (the "50Hz" of the mains supply), which are necessary for your equipment to work, but which the capacitor won't be able to affect, because they're going up and down too slowly.

That's the theory. But there are two problems with this. First, the people selling these cables are hardly the first people to notice that radio frequency interference in the mains power might mess up the sound of your hi-fi, so the power supply in your equipment will be chock full of all kinds of deliberate tricks to filter it out, and they are a lot better than a Boy Scout improvised capacitor made from a twisted bit of wire.

Then there is the most important issue. Forget the theory, however damning: can anyone hear a difference? I don't mean, can you "hear" it when you know how much it costs, and you know you're using it, and you know what you ought to hear.

No. What I want to know is: can you tell the difference between a £400 cable, a £30 cable, and a £1.50 cable, if you don't know which one is being used at the time? That is a double blind trial. That is what I plan to do, and I need hi-fi reviewers and pedlars: so far I have two promises, but I need more. It will take an afternoon, but it will be worth it, and I'll make sure it gets published somewhere. And if nobody volunteers I shall start choosing subjects myself. My email address is below.

· Send your bad science to bad.science@guardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,,1686293,00.html

[ChrisA]

Any quality piece of wire -- well-shielded 16AWG lamp wire with banana plugs tacked on if you want -- will sound just as good. As has been said, buy some concert tickets with what you save.

For many people you are right 16AWG is Ok but do a little math first. Assume an 8 Ohm speaker and let's say you are actually putting in 100 watts/ That's 12 amps. #16 wire is
to marinal if the lenght is long. as you do want to keep the voltage drop over the lenght of the cable to some small percentage. You may find you need to cut the ends off a #10 extension cord, (#10 having about 4x the cross section area of #16) the answer depends on the amount ofpower and the lenght of the cable.

[ChrisA]

i recently upgraded the speaker and power wiring on the hifi in my car to oxygen free, balanced cables, that cost me almost £50 / metre (unfortunately my car isn't small, and the cable runs aren't short) but it's improved the quality as much as it improved when i first installed everything..

Are the new cable the same diameter as ther old ones? It's likey that simply upsizing the wire is what improved the sound

[iMeowbot]

These Handmade glass CDs (http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20061021p2a00m0et027000c.html) supposedly sound better because, you know, that digital signal is reflected better through glass than polycarbonate, or something. They sell for ¥98700 (US$830) apiece.

[Killyp]

Mmmm probably these:

http://www.stereophile.com/tubepoweramps/704wavac/

Only $350,000 for a pair of monoblocks. I think I'll get 4 sets to power my 4 way horn loaded $800,000 speakers :rolleyes:

That's just pointless though.


The one really expensive audiophile product (&#163;5000 +) that I don't look at/listen to and think "stupid amount of money" are the B&O BeoLab 5s. I have just never heard anything that sounds remotely like them. Amazing speakers! &#163;10,000 and you get 5,000 watts of amps built in too. They scan the room when you first set them up too :eek:

http://www.boshty.co.uk/boshtyfile/uploads/27636/b&o-beolab-576.jpg

They made me go WTF for the amazing sound they make, all you hear is the music, if you close your eyes, there are no speakers in front of you, just musicians. Bliss...

[bartelby]

30 amp mains cable does the job just as well, if you're paying more than £15 per meter for speaker cable you're being ripped off...:D

I've got some nice 760 strand oxygen-free, mono aligned Monster cable on my speakers, but I didn't pay for it and it's a lovely copper colour.


I know someone who has some Kimber Select speaker cable and it sounds lovely. I'd like to know who you buy your mains cable from if its as good!!

[Killyp]

I have some chord speaker cables which I bought for my B&W DM7s. £30 a metre :eek: Great stuff though, adds tonnes of bass weight...

[gnasher729]

Spend what you can afford on audio equipment, no more. Unless you have perfect pitch, ears like an owl, and a exact environment that mimics the original recording space, then you are not really "hearing it". As others have said, come support the musicians and composers in person.

Regardless, some people have way too much money to fuel their auditory egos.

If you want top quality on a budget: Invest in some really good headphones. You get the sound of $10,000 speakers from a pair of $1000 headphones. Or the sound of $2000 speakers from $300 headphones. You might have to re-import all your CDs at higher bitrate :-(

Spend a bit of time on positioning the speakers (same distance and angle from your head, directed towards your head, standing at the right height), and solve any acoustical problems (both naked walls reflecting everything and heavy curtains sucking up sound are no good, you'd try to keep the room balanced). You'll get much improved sound at no cost at all with a bit of care.

[Killyp]

You will never get the sound of £10,000 speakers from any headphones. You will never get the sound of £150 speakers from headphones, full stop.

Speakers are in front of you, presenting a soundstage with all the musicians (hopefully) correctly placed in the stereo image. Headphones however position the musicians right inside your head, not quite what you get when you go and see a band live.

The concept of audiophile quality headphones is fatally flawed. No audiophile would in his right mind put speakers either side of him...

[Shadow]

Who on earth would spend that much an cables?! For that I could pay my school fees (a lot), get a car, a MacBook Pro, 30" ACD, and a new telly!

[iMeowbot]

Mmmm probably these:

http://www.stereophile.com/tubepoweramps/704wavac/

Only $350,000 for a pair of monoblocks. I think I'll get 4 sets to power my 4 way horn loaded $800,000 speakers :rolleyes:
But the full review was hilarious! The religious listening experience reported by Mr. Golden Ears turns out to be heaps of distortion when it's plotted out.

[Shadow]

But the full review was hilarious! The religious listening experience reported by Mr. Golden Ears turns out to be heaps of distortion when it's plotted out.
Whats a monoblock?!

[iMeowbot]

Whats a monoblock?!
In real life, it's just a single channel amplifier (you need 2 if you want stereo).

[Dunepilot]

What makes all of these really expensive products laughable is the fact that people are spending nothing like these hundreds of thousands of dollars on recording equipment any more.

[WinterMute]

I know someone who has some Kimber Select speaker cable and it sounds lovely. I'd like to know who you buy your mains cable from if its as good!!

Dr. John Watkinson has much to say on the properties of speaker cable, here's a link to a column he wrote in resolution Mag:

http://resolutionmag.com/pdfs/DRAGONS/SPEAKE%7E1.PDF

It does tend to make very expensive cable look bogus mind, so be warned....:D

[Sesshi]

Who on earth would spend that much an cables?! For that I could pay my school fees (a lot), get a car, a MacBook Pro, 30" ACD, and a new telly!


*half puts hands up, thinks better of it, puts down hand and shuts up*

[Killyp]

And in real life, you would maybe have 5 amps per side, one to drive each driver in the speakers, so you'd probably get let's say, 12 of those all together. You'd then probably spend at least $200,000 on a preamp, and let's say $25,000 on interconnects to go between them. Add an extra $100,000 for all the speaker cabling you'll need, and then $120,000 for the turntable, $20,000 for the tone arm, $4,000 for the cartridge, and $1,000 on a decent rack to put this all on. Oh don't forget room treatment too, which comes to a tiny $20,000 for a real professional. Not much really! :eek:

That's why I'm moving over to a B&O system. No hassle, it just works and sounds excellent...

[SeaFox]

These Handmade glass CDs (http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20061021p2a00m0et027000c.html) supposedly sound better because, you know, that digital signal is reflected better through glass than polycarbonate, or something. They sell for ¥98700 (US$830) apiece.

Interesting paragraph on that page:

Information on the glass CD is read by laser. Because existing plastic CDs are not completely transparent, information on them cannot be read perfectly. They are also susceptible to bending or warping if left in sunlight or humid areas, which leads to sound distortion.

It doesn't have to be completely transparent. It only has to be transparent enough that the lens can tell the difference between dark and light. That's the great thing about digital signals, they are either there or not, there's no laser reading a ".5" and distorting the info. It's 1 or 0, that's all. Unless the CD has speckles of spots that are literally one "pit" in size the CD isn't going to be confused, that's why you can "buff" scratches out of a scratched disk and get one that plays again even though the surface is noticeably cloudy. You've removed the scratches that refracted the light (keeping the laser from seeing it at all) and now there's just a haze that the laser can still see well enough through.

I can add a device, too. The last turntable you'll ever buy... ELP Laser Turntable (http://www.gadgetmadness.com/archives/20060518-elp_laser_turntable_nothing_touches_your_vinyl_but_light.php)

[killmoms]

About as far as I ever plan to go into "audiophile" territory is a pair of Thiel CS 3.6's (used, if possible, to save some coin) and the amp and CD player to back 'em up adequately. Great speakers and they don't break the bank. Well, in comparison to some of the stuff listed here. ;)

That's still way off in the future though. I need to be making more money first.

[Shadow]

In real life, it's just a single channel amplifier (you need 2 if you want stereo).
Ah k. In the theatre where I work we have only a single amp for all channels. Monoblocks must be expensive, esp when you have a load of channels!

[iMeowbot]

IIt doesn't have to be completely transparent. It only has to be transparent enough that the lens can tell the difference between dark and light.
Never mind the facts, they were still able to track down reviewers who say that they sound better :D

[dogbone]

Mmmm probably these:



Only $350,000 for a pair of monoblocks. I think I'll get 4 sets to power my 4 way horn loaded $800,000 speakers :rolleyes:

That's just pointless though.


The one really expensive audiophile product (&#163;5000 +) that I don't look at/listen to and think "stupid amount of money" are the B&O BeoLab 5s. I have just never heard anything that sounds remotely like them. Amazing speakers! &#163;10,000 and you get 5,000 watts of amps built in too. They scan the room when you first set them up too :eek:

http://xs308.xs.to/xs308/06433/bo-beolab-576.jpg

They made me go WTF for the amazing sound they make, all you hear is the music, if you close your eyes, there are no speakers in front of you, just musicians. Bliss...

Hmmmmm looks strangely familiar.

[DLZ]

I think these people who spend 100s of thousands of dollars on equipment are not music lovers. They are money lovers and want to get the equipment to impress those who can't afford it.

If they were true music lovers, they could afford to hire live musicians. :)

Enjoying the thread tho.

[ieani]

Id never spend that kind of money on speakers even if I had it to spend. My ears have been ruined by concerts. Yes where music is live, in front of you for $20 or $30. Instead of being reproduced on equipment that costs 100,000 times that amount and still doesnt compare.