Peter A
I am sorry for calling you an idiot. It was out of line.
However I do feel that you have limited experience with alternative types of less than super expensive equipment. You need to get out, and hear many more properly setup systems.
Have you any listening experience with tall panel speakers (electrostatic or magneplanar) in a home? You never discuss the sound field in your home. Does your soundstage extend beyond the walls?
You never seem discuss "projection" of sound toward the listener, in front of the speakers, or 3D imaging of vocals.
You turn our nose up at the recording quality of non classical music, as if you never listened to what most Americans did when you were young. You must have had a "sheltered" life.
You have an elitist view of audio, and have the common "group think" so prevalent on this site. "All super expensive equipment is the best! Period!"
That view is grossly unrealistic, and held by the many "inexperienced rich" on this site.
Enjoy your "midgets suspended in air" from tiny box speakers on stands.
I gave up on boxes decades ago, like I gave up on MM cartridges, when I went to MC.
2" Magico dome tweeters do not beat 5 foot long Magnepan ribbons EVER! I have never heard "magic" in Magic speakers IMO.
Last time I looked at a map there was no city named "Greater Boston", you eastern snob Al M.
I have no desire to visit Boston and meet Peter, Mad Floyd, or Al M.
Enjoy your delusions, all you folks on What's Best Forum.
Dear Don,
Welcome back to WBF. I am sorry that you will not be visiting me or some of my audio friends in the Boston area. Our respective systems vary by quite a bit, in approach, in sound and in cost. Just two days ago, Al M. and I had the pleasure of visiting Ack and hearing his system again. He has large panel speakers from Martin Logan. They are in a home setting, and I think they are pretty well set up. They are about as tall as I am. I have heard his panels a few times now and I have heard other panels at shows with my own music.
Ack, Al, and I discussed the fact that for the last few years we have actually not bought new gear, but instead we have focused on improving the sounds of our systems by modifying our existing gear and paying particular attention to set up, room acoustics, adjustments, and various low cost tweaks. In each of our cases, sound indeed improved and we spend very little money. We all three enjoy this aspect of the hobby.
Some of the systems I hear regularly have small two way monitor speakers, some have full range cone speakers, one has the ML panels. Some have tape, others vinyl and digital. Unfortunately, I have only heard three horn based systems in my life. I agree that my experience is limited, and I would like to travel more to hear other people’s systems.
I grew up in a small industrial and farming town in Illinois. I went to rock concerts and bought records like all of the other kids. Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin were my favorites, but I also liked Ronnie Montrose, Cheap Trick, Queen, KISS and many others. My parents drove me into Chicago to hear the symphony. I did not particularly like classical music at the time.
I lived in New York City during my 20s and listened to a lot of jazz at clubs and met some musicians. I tried to learn to play the clarinet but failed miserably. Next week I will go to Vienna to listen to midday rehearsals and evening performances at the Wiener Staatsoper and Musikverein. I still love my Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, though.
Though my experience is limited, I have written quite a lot about live music and audio and shared my thoughts about sound, imaging, and staging. The origin of the sound and its location is distinct from the sound as it is projected into the listening space. You can look up various WBF threads I started on the subject. They are called:
How Real Does it Sound?
Do Members use Live Music as a Reference?
Sweating the Small Stuff for Big Returns.
You can also read about my views on gear and sound in my system thread:
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?12853-Sublime-Sound
Given all of that and the fact that this is a thread about an audio dealer, you may be interested in reading about my latest experience with Reno HiFi here:
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?24398-Pass-Labs-XP-22/page5 In that thread is a review I wrote about how two Pass preamps sound different in my system. You can read about the music I used to evaluate those differences and the methods I used to test the gear. MadFloyd and Al M. joined me for some of the listening.
I just decided to trade in my eight year old Pass preamplifier for a new model, in the middle of their range. I discussed the decision with Mark and then placed the order. Mark gave me a very generous trade in allowance for my old preamp toward the new model. He also extended the in home audition period so that I could be really sure before I made the purchase decision. I can not write or say enough about how good the service and communication are at Reno HiFi, and I strongly recommend that you contact them if you are at all interested in learning more about the company or any of the Pass products.
I watched a vey entertaining movie with my two daughters the other night. One of the characters speaks a particular line which I repeated to them in the hopes that they will remember it and perhaps be guided by it in their future. I hope to raise them, as my parents raised me, to be considerate and polite to all people, and not to judge others before knowing more about them. That wonderful quote in the movie is: Manners Maketh Man.
Don, I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year’s Day and a happy future with all things audio.