Taking the bad with the good


While many of us share what we think are good components and combo's of gear, is there any specific system(s) that you've heard that you thought was utterly attrocious ?

Personally, one of the worst "mega-dollar" systems that i've ever heard was the demo system that Linn used here in Chicago at Hi-Fi '99. It was actively tri-amped using the infamous Linn CD player, their "flat as a pancake" sized power amps, Linn speakers, etc... The sound was SO "flat & sterile" that it made me think that i was in an elevator listening to a piped Muzak.

This all started out with the Linn rep's giving us a big schpiel about how technically excellent this system was, what the benefits to using components from one manufacturer were, how "system synergy" could be maximized, etc... This went on for some 20 - 30 minutes. Quite honestly, i was surprised at how full the room remained during this WAY too long of a sales rap. Finally, they ended up playing some music.

As i mentioned, everything sounded as if it had been "bleached" i.e. the music had no body, soul, colour, feeling or dynamics. By the middle of their first selection, over 60% of the crowd had turned around and walked out of the room. My brother and i stuck around as i wanted to give them the benefit of doubt. Onto the next selection. More of the same. Even more people got up and left. By the end of the demo, there was about 20 - 25% of the original crowd left.

I ended up talking to one of the sales reps and told him what i thought. I did this to let them know that they might want to try listening to the system from the consumers point of view / listening point rather than near the equipment or off to the side. Obviously, in my opinion, something was drastically wrong.

First of all, he did not know what the term "sterile" meant. He then went on to tell me "well, you're probably just used to listening to coloured equipment. Now you know what real music sounds like on accurate equipment." My only response to him was that most of the crowd must not like "accuracy" either, as they all split right away. If they were there to sell their product, they were doing more harm than good. Otherwise, the room would have still been full and people would have been asking "how much" and "where can i buy" rather than mumbling under their breath and heading for the door.

Anyone else have a similar story / experience ? Sean
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sean
Interesting post, Sean. I never attend the shows or spend much time in the shops, so I will refrain from commenting on specific systems. Also, the 'sales job' you describe here speaks for itself, and so requires no elaboration from me.

I would, however, like to note what I feel might be a reason for the phenomenon you describe of audiophiles perhaps more typically reporting on successfully synergistic systems than combos that fail to ignite.

We have all read disclaimers about how tough it is to achieve good sound at shows in particular, but there is a factor which may go beyond that probable truth. There is in audio, as in science or philosophy, the matter of not being able to prove the negative.

If you audition a system and it sounds great, then you know without a doubt that the combo is capable of excellent performance under the right circumstances. But if you hear a system that you and/or others think simply does not work as it ought to, you cannot be certain that there does not exist the possibility of one or more "X" factors causing the resultant sound to be worse than the combo might be optimally capable of.

I think audiophiles as a group tend to realize this, whether consciously or not, and accordingly refrain from passing total judgement when they hear something that they feel doesn't get the job done. Unless comparisions are done in a controlled environment, over a period of time, with known variables to complement the unknowns, I think most folks will quite rightly cut a little slack before drawing hard conclusions, especially for gear with a high reputation (or, let's face it, price tag).
Interesting Sean -- strange though it may be, I remember the "pleasant" surprises. Maybe because I relegate the "mediocre" to the back of my mind and I don't remember the atrocious... A recent "mediocre" system was an all Quad system (pre, powerx2, cdp, 9's). I have NO idea what was amiss in the set-up -- but s/thing obviously was. The combo was SLOW (unbelievable w/ those speakers); I remember cellos sounding like electric bass, lack of upper extension... boom-tizz galore! And this was demo'ed at the local importer's who also sells grand piano's (so you'd think they had an ear or two for reasonable acoustics!).

But I love the sales rep's part about you being used to coloured sound! By inference, live music, if "alive", is coloured. Ergo: if we wish to come closer to the live event thru our system, we have to choose a "coloured" combo...Cheers
Ok, I went to two shows years ago,both here in LA. I, like others have heard or read about pee poor setup within the rooms. I think it was "Brooksie"--(Brooks Berdan LTD) that said most don't have a clue. I have heard or read more than once about speakers where the glue that holds them together wasn't dry. Amps where the solder wasn't cooled--in an effort to "make it to the show on time"Last minute snafu's QQ,whatever all plague their efforts. They just think having the product on displayi.e.a presence is "all".