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When it sounds good it sounds good!

vintage 5.0

vintage 5.0

vintage 5.0
I was reading a thread about a 62,000.00 system. The OP was not sure if he liked it or not. That got me to thinking when it sounds good it is good. yes it can always get better. I started years ago with vintage gear and over the years have worked my way into tubes and mostly new stuff. I like the way it sounds. I have two Dynacos biamped into a AMC 1030 tube pre. yes it is a really affordable setup. But man I like the sound. I have heard many amps many more worth alot more. But to me the sweet dynacos and the tube pre sound so great together. I have a couple of Focal speakers and it just sings. I know I could spend more and get maybe better gear but is it all diminished returns to some degree. I think for me it is better to sit back and buy some more vinyl to listen to. I have pretty much gone to strictly vinyl with some streaming music in there is well. I guess my question is do you all get to a point where you are satisfied or is there always a quest for that better system. Sometimes to me it seems like diminished returns.
 
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I'm pretty much ok with where I am at.I know there is better but I don't find it something I absolutely need.I'm still young enough where I have a job,kids and grandkids so I don't have the time or money to get totally consumed by the neverending quest for the grail.I have heard some higher end gear and came away saying I'm ok with what I have.I think I am also used to my sound and others don't quite feel the same.
 
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This hobby is unique in that there are many different trails one can venture down to attain different flavors of "good". Down each of those trails are other trails that can lead you to "great". Further down those trails are vistas to scale that will get you to "extraordinary". Indeed, it takes time, effort and (in most cases) more money to reach the summit, but the ascent can be remarkably fulfilling. I'm enjoying the hell out of it and still have some more climbing to do. And after I've enjoyed the view from one for a little while I'll climb down and have a go at another. :yes:
 
tomlinmgt said:
This hobby is unique in that there are many different trails one can venture down to attain different flavors of "good". Down each of those trails are other trails that can lead you to "great". Further down those trails are vistas to scale that will get you to "extraordinary". Indeed, it takes time, effort and (in most cases) more money to reach the summit, but the ascent can be remarkably fulfilling. I'm enjoying the hell out of it and still have some more climbing to do. And after I've enjoyed the view from one for a little while I'll climb down and have a go at another. :yes:
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If your trails are leading to an ascent, shouldn't you be going up them an not down? Just a saying.....:D

Regards
Mister Pig
 
I have a rather nice set up really but im never completely satisfied with it.

If i were to get a 40k set up i would still think there were better out there. but now and again i just LOVE what im hearing and this happens a few times a week over hours and hours of listening. after saying that, i still love what i have!
 
Cost and diminishing returns are easy subjects for anybody to have an arm chair discussion about. However one thing that outsiders in their arm chairs can barely comment or advise on is how close you're getting to chasing the sound you want. That's where things can really get expensive however that's also where nobody can make a valid comment concerning whether or not its worth it other than yourself.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
vintage 5.0 said:
I guess my question is do you all get to a point where you are satisfied or is there always a quest for that better system. Sometimes to me it seems like diminished returns.
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Getting to a point where I'm satisfied? :scratch2:

No ... considering the snails pace that I pursue upgrades to my rigs ... never going to a happen in this lifetime.

racing+snail.jpg
 
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I love my main system to pieces (the Fisher 800C / Dual 1019 / Wharfedale W90's combo), but I'm actually breaking in a new pair of speakers right now. The Wharfedale 80th Anniversary Denton standmounters. Truly-excellent speakers, but I HAVE been looking at solid-state amp options for it. Something in the 50-80wpc range that I can buy for $250, and for that reason, I'm thinking sale items, late models, and used modern stuff that won't need refurbing.

Hey vintage... How's that Music Hall amp treating you? I think another person who bought the Dentons is using one of those, so I've been wondering if I might be able to score one.

The nice thing is, it's all gravy at this point. I already got my "Make the music I grew up with sound incredible" dream system, and now I'm just adding a second pair of speakers to augment the big, monster-sized W90's. The standmount-sized Dentons actually have a response that dips lower than my W90's, but that doesn't stop my W90's from having a MUCH-deeper bass. In fact, for music made before like 1985, it's really not necessary to have a speaker that rolls off any lower than like 70-80hz if you ask me. I say this because that's probably where the W90's start dropping, and yet it's just the sort of speaker I want for '60's rock/pop, early '70's funk/soul & R&B, mid to late '70's disco, and late '70's to early '80's punk and new wave. The W90's do it all, and with cone-tweeters no less. They even shine on most '80's and '90's rap and rock stuff, but there is some music from that era and later that could really use a quicker speaker, such as modern electronic music, and that's where the new Dentons come into play. Sweet-sounding speakers too. Street price was a grand a pair, but Music Direct and Sound Approach both have them for $499 a pair right now with free shipping.
 
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Mister Pig said:
If your trails are leading to an ascent, shouldn't you be going up them an not down? Just a saying.....:D

Regards
Mister Pig
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Wait, I thought donkeys (or was it ducks...ahh, too much Looney Toons, maybe) were the smart asses...not pigs??? :headscrat
 
I agree, if it sounds good it is good!

Also: I would rather listen to good music on my old mono table radio than test tones on a system that costs more than my car.

Additionally: I think there's a sweet spot - that I haven't quite achieved yet - where you have components that are all "pretty good" and you actually have full range frequency response (I'll define that as the accepted 20-22K Hz but you can choose your own definition if you don't listen to demanding stuff) with fairly flat response, decent enough THD and imaging and listen to anything on it and be happy. Sure you can go beyond that and get better, louder, etc. but there's diminishing returns. I think that if I got a better sub I might just be there.

I'm not going to ever try to argue anyone out of upgrading an already good system if they think it's going to make them happier, but there's plenty of ways to enjoy music or movies... if yours is "good enough" then enjoy it and smile.
 
tomlinmgt said:
Wait, I thought donkeys (or was it ducks...ahh, too much Looney Toons, maybe) were the smart asses...not pigs??? :headscrat
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Wabbit season duck season wabbit season duck season wabbit season wabbit season duck season....BLAM!!! Duck picks his bill up. Don't think the duck was the smart one... pretty sure it was the wabbit.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
N8Nagel said:
Also: I would rather listen to good music on my old mono table radio than test tones on a system that costs more than my car.
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I know a number of people that use test tones on their system, including me, for various reasons. However, none I know listen to them in the way you imply relative to listening to music on the radio.
 
Mister Pig said:
Wabbit season duck season wabbit season duck season wabbit season wabbit season duck season....BLAM!!! Duck picks his bill up. Don't think the duck was the smart one... pretty sure it was the wabbit.

Regards
Mister Pig
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Then the wabbit has been wubbing off on you, Pig! :D
 
whoaru99 said:
I know a number of people that use test tones on their system, including me, for various reasons. However, none I know listen to them in the way you imply relative to listening to music on the radio.
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Yeah, I didn't get the point of that comment, either. :headscrat
 
tomlinmgt said:
Yeah, I didn't get the point of that comment, either. :headscrat
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All I meant was that to me commissioning/tweaking a system is work. Listening to good music is relaxing.

If you're one who enjoys tweaking, more power to you. We all enjoy things in our own way. I'm not in that camp :)
 
^^^

Running my business and the daily toil that includes is work.

Tweaking my system is relaxing.

Listening to my system and knowing I took it to a higher level as a result of my efforts...that's rewarding. :yes:
 
I am a firm believer that if you think it sounds good, it does.

I have two audio buddies that have both been into audio for a very long time. Although they both don't know each other, they separately come over from time to time and we end up listening to my system. Although I never ask for their input, they both seem obligated to give it. One of them is always very complimentary and likes the direction and progress I have made in finding a good sounding system. The other one is not necessarily negative, but he focuses more on the gaps in my system that keeps it from being perfect.

Sometimes I think both these guys don't really care about the music I am actually playing but only on how the system is playing it?

I appreciate both of their inputs to some degree but I have to say I have learned to mostly ignore both of them. Just because one of them is satisfied with what he hears does not mean I am, and just because the other is not satisfied does not mean that I am not. I think audio expectations are a very personal thing and completely subjective by nature.

I guess it is a complement to me when I go to their homes and they go out of their way to get feedback from me on their systems. I just say it sounds nice. Then I focus on talking about music and listening to some.... Drives them both crazy!

I guess it depends weather you have a system so you can listen to music or have music so you can listen to your system. :smoke:
 
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N8Nagel said:
I agree, if it sounds good it is good!

Also: I would rather listen to good music on my old mono table radio than test tones on a system that costs more than my car.

Additionally: I think there's a sweet spot - that I haven't quite achieved yet - where you have components that are all "pretty good" and you actually have full range frequency response (I'll define that as the accepted 20-22K Hz but you can choose your own definition if you don't listen to demanding stuff) with fairly flat response, decent enough THD and imaging and listen to anything on it and be happy. Sure you can go beyond that and get better, louder, etc. but there's diminishing returns. I think that if I got a better sub I might just be there.

I'm not going to ever try to argue anyone out of upgrading an already good system if they think it's going to make them happier, but there's plenty of ways to enjoy music or movies... if yours is "good enough" then enjoy it and smile.
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Is this real life?

How many people do you personally know that have $10,000+ systems that mostly listen to test tones?
 
My system sounds good, is good and I am completely satisfied with it.

This does not mean that I won't upgrade it further, however.

Despite the theory of diminishing returns, which I think is generally true, my last upgrade (to my cdp and after audition) was quite significant, so there is encouragement to experiment more.

Steve
 
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