This hobby of ours

Rensselaer

VIP/Donor
Mar 23, 2021
572
456
275
69
I read a pretty good description of us in an Esquire article: https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/news/a8618/are-the-audiophiles-hearing-something-were-not/ and ask our members, do we hear something that others do not?

The article also mentions an audiophile with a dedicated room in Norfolk England. I am hoping that particular audiophile follows this forum and replies as I too live in Norfolk and would love to hear his system sometime (and he can hear mine if he wishes).
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,606
5,415
1,278
E. England
Another Norfolkian here. No idea who he is. Sounds like Fens madness.
 

Audiophile Bill

Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2015
4,293
4,093
675
I read a pretty good description of us in an Esquire article: https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/news/a8618/are-the-audiophiles-hearing-something-were-not/ and ask our members, do we hear something that others do not?

The article also mentions an audiophile with a dedicated room in Norfolk England. I am hoping that particular audiophile follows this forum and replies as I too live in Norfolk and would love to hear his system sometime (and he can hear mine if he wishes).

thanks for sharing the article - I enjoyed that a lot
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
16,017
13,347
2,665
Beverly Hills, CA
I enjoyed this article, thank you.

For those who enjoyed this article may I recommend to you what I think is the most passionate explication of our hobby every written? Please see this piece by Edward Rothstein in The New Republic, published December 30, 1985:

https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/...th-of-the-cd-and-the-miracle-of-the-lp.17951/

(Digital devotees should feel free to ignore the very early CD criticism embedded in the essay.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bartolo

MRJAZZ

Industry Expert
Jan 20, 2014
403
206
350
Excellent read......Very accurate in describing “Our Collective Obsession “....

Cheers......
 

Rensselaer

VIP/Donor
Mar 23, 2021
572
456
275
69
I enjoyed this article, thank you.

For those who enjoyed this article may I recommend to you what I think is the most passionate explication of our hobby every written? Please see this piece by Edward Rothstein in The New Republic, published December 30, 1985:

https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/...th-of-the-cd-and-the-miracle-of-the-lp.17951/

(Digital devotees should feel free to ignore the very early CD criticism embedded in the essay.)
I read the article you referenced and would like to quote a couple lines here (adding a few of my own) that I wish the recording industry would pay attention to before it is too late (if not already):

”… when recordings were made in the early days of stereo in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s (generally believed to be the best recordings ever made), … three microphones were used and were fixed in place and amplitude.”

”…the basic approach for all the processing of sound on records was the same as that used by Edison a century earlier. The grooves of the record contained minute wave forms that were ‘analogues’ to the wave forms produced in air by the sound. The record was a physical map of physical waves.” The objective of the recording was to get grooves in the record to mirror the physical waves hitting the microphone, and then to recreate those sound waves in real space as close to the real event as possible with the playback equipment available at the time. Remembering that LPs can last many years, perhaps for a century or more, the information is in the grooves, improvements in playback is the route to uncovering such.

”…digital recording … changes the wave form into a series of numbers, each number specifying a sonic location of some kind.” Each sonic location is converted into a sound, then each sound is played in succession at a rate fast enough to approximate the live event. The size (detail) in the sonic image and the speed at which these sonic snapshots are played back is the technology, but also the limitation. “The only way to raise our current technology’s limits would be to come up with an entirely new digital system” (there are many now). Such requires a replacement of all your hardware and software every time there is a new digital system.

The selling point of vinyl is that the vibrations from the live event, if recorded properly, will be recorded somewhere in the grooves, limited only by the technology of our playback equipment, and because “technology (for vinyl playback) is infinitely perfectible”, we only need to periodically upgrade the hardware.

As time goes by the ever-increasing sophistication in playback equipment will draw ever so much more from those record grooves in our cherished records and bring us ever so much closer to that live event.
 
Last edited:

MTB Vince

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2019
187
220
128
59
Dundas, ON Canada
That was actually a great read and an astute bit of writing. Thanks for sharing Rensselaer.
 

defride

VIP/Donor
Mar 28, 2013
307
199
1,185
I read a pretty good description of us in an Esquire article: https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/news/a8618/are-the-audiophiles-hearing-something-were-not/ and ask our members, do we hear something that others do not?

The article also mentions an audiophile with a dedicated room in Norfolk England. I am hoping that particular audiophile follows this forum and replies as I too live in Norfolk and would love to hear his system sometime (and he can hear mine if he wishes).
Enjoyed that, thanks, hadn't seen it despite knowing some of the characters

I recognize the Acepella & barn systems, names have been changed. The formers system is in storage awaiting a room build. Can put you in touch though, drop me a PM if interested, I'd think he'd be interested in your system
 

Rensselaer

VIP/Donor
Mar 23, 2021
572
456
275
69
Along similar lines, this great 2018 article by David Denby.
Have you ever read “The myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus? It too describes how life seems to be more about the struggle to obtain what we think will make our lives (complete, happy, fulfilled etc.) than obtaining that item which somehow falls short once we obtain it, necessitating another struggle for the next item.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thedudeabides

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,606
5,415
1,278
E. England
Reminds me of the brilliant Seinfeld line on the difference btwn men and women.
He parks up at a motel and gas stop. She says, fantastic, full the tank, a place to eat, shower and rest your head. What more could anyone want?
He looks at his fuel gauge and says they have JUST enough gas to get to the next stop...
 
Last edited:

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing