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Observations on Audiogon Posts

There has been something that disturbs me about the posts I see on Audiogon. I am specifically talking about the posts that ask members to make suggestion's on equipment.

Here is the problem I have. I rarely (and I mean I can count on one hand the number of times) see people post what kind of sound they are looking for. Instead people ask if such and such a piece will sound good with these other twenty pieces in their systems. What's the problem? Well, how do we know what you are looking for? Is sound-staging the most important thing to you? For some people it is. Do you like a forward aggressive sounding presentation or do you like a more laid back sound? Is musicality the most important thing to you? Do you want a system that produces accurate timbres? Knowing what you're looking for can save you thousands on equipment that doesn't fit you're criteria. It also helps us in making suggestions.

It seems to me that if more of us spent more time on what we are trying to get from our systems then on what brands we should buy we would all be a lot happier.

Just some food for thought.
nrostov
nrostov OP
199 posts
 
Onhywy,

Actually I don't think the average music lover can hear the difference. This isn't a put down of them it's more of a sad commentary on how obsessive we are.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
4,163 posts
 
They can hear it. They won't use the approved audiophile language to describe it, but they can hear. As a musician friend of mine once responded when I pointed out the depth of the soundstage -- "So?" But then again, without prompting the same friend on another song described the electric guitar amp and the approximate control settings.
nrostov OP
199 posts
 
Mine can'. Maybe I need better friends.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
perhaps, we can agree on definitions so that when people seek a componet with specific attributes, it is easier to assist them.

i'll start.

warm: slight dip in the upper mid/lower treble region walong with a slight peak in the range 100 to 200 hz.

transparent: a lack of audible coloration in a frequency range. for an example, take a speaker which is so-called flat between 50 hz and 20,000 hz. if one cannot detect any distortion in the aforementioned range, the speaker would be deemed transparent. of course it is not that simple, but at least its a definition.

hopefully others will discuss other attributes and a discussion can ensue.

ultimately these definitons can reside somewhere accessible to all.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
4,163 posts
 
Nrostov, whether they can hear it or not really isn't that important. What matters is whether the audio minutiae is musically important? Sometimes it is, but just as often it's not.
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