Laying it on the line


After years and years of reading and posting on Audiogon, I want to lay a few things on the line about equipment and sound. I am no expert by any means but I think my experience has taken me to places where nobody else has ever been. I want to share some thoughts and I will probably get all kinds of comments some kind and some no so kind but hey, like the title of my forum thread says, I'm laying in on the line. I hope this will be helpful to some anyway as I have been guilty of most of this also.

Here goes:

Over the years I have read the tube versus SS camps. Read about different sound descriptions such as warm, musical, lush, liquid, soundstage height and width, NOS tubes, capacitor upgrades, speaker placement, cables, cables and more cables, isolation thingies, matts, dampeners, AC treatment, cones, spikes, room treatment, placement (you get the idea). Then there are sources, DACs, preamps, amps, speakers, shootout after shootout, comparison after comparison, system/component matching, upgrades, modifications, etc., etc., higher priced gear versus value, bang for the buck, etc., and PC audio versus CDPs.

So where am I going with all this. Most of what I read here is IMO a waste of time. To me it all comes down to your source and then down the chain in the line of where the signal goes and ends. Cables, tweaks, etc., are the last thing to me and to be honest, I don't use anything special as the improvement versus the cost was poor if any. I see to many threads where the people replying to them have high priced speakers and a so-so source or vise a versa, etc. I am guilty of not posting my system until recently and while recently reading threads I see lots of comments/suggestions but many commenters don't have their system listed. What are the best threads are really funny because most people are comparing components that they heard at a dealer or in their own system. Upgrades/modifications are funny to. The last several years my partner and I began building a tube preamp. We both learned so much from the experience especially when we used all the recommendations about NOS tubes to try, capacitors to try, volume controls to try all based on forum threads. What we came to realize is that most of the recommendations were a big waste of time. Most of you don't really know crap probably because your system limits you to hear only what it can produce. I cannot tell you how many times I have had recommendations about something only to try it and be totally unimpressed. So I kept saying to myself why this is. Do these people need hearing aids? How can they say this about that and I get the product and it does nothing in my system? It became clearer as my partner and I began the journey in building our own preamp and repairing/upgrading/modifying components.

OK, OK, what is this really all about and what did I learn. I learned that most manufactured components are built to a price point and many manufacturers really don't know sound. When you look inside a $10K preamp, the parts are nothing special such as capacitors, resistors, volume controls. I see many comments about how someone upgraded the RCA jacks and IEC and how much of a difference that made, holly crap! I see upgrades costing $2K-$5K, holly crap! I know parts are expensive but come on, most of the sound improvement could have been achieved with a lot less if someone really took the time to experiment to see what part really had the biggest impact on the sound versus replace every low priced part in the component. I have read about how different people who modify gear are geniuses? Really, I found most of them to just do more of the same old. Few if any changed the design of the component so are better parts really that much of an improvement? How do they know what capacitor or resistor works they best in that component, did they try them all? How do you know if they like the sound that you prefer? I changed the filament resistor on a power amp recently to find that it made a huge impact on the sound. Why didn't the manufacturer just use this $.99 resistor? Well that is because AC voltages differ in the different parts of the country so they picked a universal value. Holly crap, it was that simple and I did not have to upgrade RCA jacks, the IEC, tube sockets, capacitors, resistors, power cable. BTW if you send me your amp I will do the modification for you for $1K!

OK enough of this, here goes:

The price of a component means nothing to me as it relates to the sound (bigger isn't better, only sometimes).

Most upgrades are a waste of time if you are just swapping out the parts, sonic benefits yes but generally not versus the cost of someone doing your modification.

Your source is the most important component IMO so take the time to get that right first.

I don't like SS preamps. I have not found one that gets the piano correct (I’m gonna get slammed for this). Most of the tube preamps I have heard are nothing special unless they don't use capacitors in the signal path. Capacitors produce a sound no matter what so get them out of there (yes there are capacitors that are better than others – I am really gonna get slammed here to). They are what most of you are hearing when you compare preamps. They color the sound so that makes it hard for you to know what the system is doing (sounding like). That is most likely why you hear what a cable in your system does but the same cable in another system does not sound like it did in your system. The hump in the mid-range/lower bass may be all caused by the cap in your preamp and not your speakers or room. Your preamp probably limits the sound coming from your source in areas such as resolution, soundstage, clarity, depth, TONE (did I mention TONE), speed, edginess, hardness, sounding SS or digital, bass definition, air, openness, etc. Also, the chassis has a sound, at least dampen it.

Power amps, they amplify the sound. My old Lafayette KT-550 tube amp made way back in the day still sounds and competes with current power amps today even in stock form with old caps and resistors and nothing special tubes. An old FM Acoustics SS amp beats most SS and tubes amps that I have heard. My dare I say upgraded Counterpoint amp competes with current amps today (cannot believe I set myself up for this one but the old amps are just unreliable because of the mosfets)! I am not sure but so far IMO, the amp seems to be the least important component in getting the best sound from my system. As you can see by my comments, my experience is limited in this area even though I have heard tons more amps than most of you will ever hear. If I ever decide to build an amp I will probably learn more about them and be able to make better informed comments. In doing some modifications to amps and repairs I have begun to understand how certain upgrades change the sound but I do not have a definitive recommendation on it all yet. I’d have to think about it some more and then maybe a little more.

Speakers. I searched and searched for the perfect speaker. There is none. They all are limited to and reproduced what the components send to them. I have three pairs of speakers and they each do something that I like over the other ones. When I upgraded my source and preamp I found that the sound of the speaker changed and so did some of the issues in the sound that were now eliminated. Funny, I may have sold a few of them until I changed those components. That is why I find comparisons of gear not to be trust worthy. I recently went to hear the ZU Audio speakers. Based on all of the comments here on Audiogon, I thought that I was going to hear something very special. At first take after I heard the first two pairs of speakers, I said to myself, what the heck are you Zu speaker people hearing. They must all be deaf. BUT understanding what I have been trying to say in this thread, I thought to myself, the speakers cannot be this bad and looked to see how the line of components was affecting the sound. I told a few listeners that the amp was the issue; it could not drive the speakers even though they are very efficient. Someone in the group swapped out the amp and there was now such a huge improvement in the sound. Now we are taking I thought to myself. So you ZU speaker fan boys can really hear! I was almost guilty of the same old, same old.

In conclusion, if you are posting your opinion here on Audgiogon that is fine but list your system so we can have a base to understand how the sound is produced in your system. Post helpful comments and stop all the pissing matches; your pecker is not really that big (mine if the biggest). Know that hearing a speaker at a show does not represent how it really sounds. Understand that sound comes down the line of the components and it ends with the speakers.

Last, in all honesty, I did this forum thread because I read a thread today that mentioned a well-known reviewer and that his thingie did not work out the way he said it did in a particular system. Well probably not in that system. So should I think that that particular reviewer is dishonest, cannot hear, sold out to the man? In my limited experience reading reviews and meeting a few reviewers, I have come to realize that they are in a no win situation. They fall into the love’ m or hate’ m camp. Most of you have not heard the sound from a reviewers system so you will never get to hear what they hear. I only trust a few of the ones that I have met and have been able to hear what they hear in their system. My system will probably never get there no matter what I do. The first time I heard one these systems, my thought was to sell it all and just get a Bose Wave Radio because I will never get there. But I love music and all I need to do is build a system that I like to listen to and forget about that comparison. I like many of you want the best from my system and that is the love of being an audiophile. Like I have stated above, if you begin to understand the line of components in the system, you can get a better understand of what they are hearing when they do a review. Don’t hate them for this, learn from it. This is a business, like it or not. Reviewers do get perks! So was the comment on the thingie that the reviewer showed another piece of snake oil? Well no, not to me as that same thingie worked well in my system.

I do cherish the people who I have met on Audiogon and consider many friends. I did not post this to be a prick or know-it-all, but just to help many understand why their system may sound the way it sounds and to keep an open mind when others post comments. Opinions are opinions but also please understand that a few of us know when you are posting BS or are a fan boy of a manufacturer.

Happy Listening.

Bigkidz

bigkidz
"Most of what I read here is IMO a waste of time" Including your post IMO. I have put together many systems for myself and friends. Early on I started from the source and worked my way to the speakers. Then I decided to start with the speakers and worked towards the source. The latter has always produced the most satisfying results. Someone here said that the speakers determine 80% of the sound. I have always said 75%. If you have a crappy speaker and great electronics you still wind up with crap. Great speakers will maintain most of there greatness even with very average electronics.
Alan
OK I put the rant up to spark some discussion. Like I said it came out of a thread I read about a reviewer’s thingie and the comments made about it. A few people who responded got it, and I also know where they disagree with me. I did that on purpose to see what responses the remarks would get.

In reading many threads I don't want to sound like a complete jerk but many comparisons are of the same type of component. CJ vs. AR type of comparisons. My point is that they are the same except for a few caps and resistors essentially. They do sounds different but are the same IMO. People keep asking which one is better. To me they offer different sounds, and have strengths and weaknesses so it is really personal preference. I know everyone gets that but you are not really improving the sound of your system.

For speakers, if you are using a Sony Play Station as your source, what will be the sound coming from your speakers? The recordings are important (agreed, see my comment above about the reviewers thingie) but the source has to pull the info and send it down the line. I posted a thread recently where I offered to replace the laser in a Rega CDP for the cost of the part. I only had two replies to the offer and I am scratching my head about it - still no takers. In all my years in this hobby, that laser replacement floored me and my friends in that it was one of the biggest improvements I have ever heard from any component in my system. If you know the Rega CDP, you should understand what sound it reproduces. Warm, musical and not digital sounding. The sound after the laser replacement was all about tone. Each instrument on the recording had better tone. Everything had solid placement in the soundstage. Clarity, imaging, air, bass definition and resolution were stunning. Micro dynamics were just excellent. I doubt anyone has experienced this before. With all of the CDPs and transports I have tired, only a few could reproduce this. Can anyone tell me why this happened? If you can, then you understand what I am ranting about. It is my experience but I learned why this made a bigger difference than trying to get there by trying other CDPs and modifying CDPs.

BTW Timrhu, I like the Meadowlarks and own the Nighthawks. I bet I could change your mind on the importance of speakers versus the source in your system.

As far as caps versus transformer coupled goes, there is no comparison. Most designs have been around for many years. The DHT design is very hard to implement. Once you hear one, I think most will find it hard to go back to a cap design otherwise you are just listening to the sound of the capacitor. Pick one Auri, Dueland, Mundorf, Clarity, V-Cap. Which one do you prefer? Essentially that is what you are hearing. I guess you can say the same about transformers having a sound also but IMO they reproduce sound in areas where caps just cannot compete. The design is important. I see many very good designs with flaws from well-known manufacturers. Take a look inside your amp and preamp and tell me how many of the resistors are attached touching the circuit board. And you wonder why the component blew taking out the resistor and burning your circuit board. How about those beautiful cases, funny how so many manufacturers did not leave enough space for the heat to escape. It sure sounded great for a while and perfect for the "expert" repairman to offer modification improvements!

"Don't take this wrong but your friendly rant (and I mean it in the best way) leaves me to doubt that you're satisfied (or can be), and that you've heard something good enough to call it quits for a while."

Is anyone ever satisfied? At times I thought that I was until I began understanding more about how components reproduce sound and why some manufacturers produced poor sounding equipment. Why is it that you cannot take the audio magazines A list and get a great sounding system? BTW my partner built a complete system that I could be completely satisfied with, unfortunately, you cannot get the exact parts to produce a second system, they are no longer available. It has taken us three years to develop a preamp and it still cannot reproduce the sound of the original version. That is also why the old Lafayette KT-550 amp I own cannot be reproduced. That amp was sold probably for under $500 and only a few amps can do what it does today no matter what the cost of parts.

"I think my experience has taken me to places where nobody else has ever been."

I see your point but in my lack of good communication skills what I was trying to say is that with so many opinions, and while just opinions, they lack the experience to be really helpful. Seems like everyone wants to express their opinion (I did that also) and be a reviewer. I am not sure if all these opinions are just that helpful. I used to attend audio meetings and found that most of the people don't know what they are listening for, even me. I took the time to learn and understand so that my opinion would mean something and I could help others.

Whatever "point" you are trying to make is unclear, despite the fact that you took a long time trying to make it; and your spelling is bad.

Roxy54 - What's wrong with my spellling? Unclear? I should have used Windex! I tried to check my typos but as you can tell, my grammar really sucks big time!

Yeah I took a long time to say nothing, I know so here is the point:

My wife always had an opinion on politics. It meant nothing to anyone because she did not learn about the subjects she had an opinion on. She thought that the NY Times was a conservative newspaper. She took the time to learn about the subjects she had interest in and now her opinions have more substance. Before she educated herself on the subjects she expressed opinions on, I would tell her that "she might not always be right, but she was never in doubt".

I am always looking for people in the NYC area to meet with, hear systems and music. Feel free to get in touch.

Happy Listening.

Bigkidz
Audio is like cooking. All you really need to make a tasty dish is a good recipe and some good quality ingredients that need not be the most expensive.
if the source is the recording, the best source with the worst stereo system will always sound better than the worst recording with the best components. if you start with garbage you end with it.

so lets all find master tapes and be done with it. who cares about the components in that case.

uh oh, in the real world you can't get master tapes, so its an amalgam of components and recordings which dtermines the sound. no new insight here.
Bigkidz,
Your comments are very contradictory. You tell a story about the positive change that was wrought by replacing the laser in a Rega CD player, and I believe you, but in your OP, you mock people who use other tweeks that you deem useless. That is wht I say I don't get your point, unless your point is that you know what is cost effective and others do not.