← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · madrussian
Thread ID: 20289 | Posts: 9 | Started: 2005-09-19
2005-09-19 02:33 | User Profile
Are there audiophiles on board? How much is your stereo equipment worth, including headphones etc.?
Since my music collections has grown, and I got sick of the stock headphones that came with my iPod (haha, most people on this board will look down on someone with an iPod), I am investing in a pair of cans. In the process, I found out that you need a dedicated amplifier to use with a portable audio device to get high output without distortions.
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2005-09-19 13:26 | User Profile
I love music, but I don't have the money to blow on high-end stereo equipment at the moment. Currently, I have a Pioneer amp, some KLH floor speakers, and a Sony powered subwoofer. The amp is competent, I think, but the speakers need to be upgraded. I have heard good things about Athena speakers. Any advice?
2005-09-19 15:12 | User Profile
[QUOTE=madrussian]Are there audiophiles on board? How much is your stereo equipment worth, including headphones etc.?
Since my music collections has grown, and I got sick of the stock headphones that came with my iPod (haha, most people on this board will look down on someone with an iPod), I am investing in a pair of cans. In the process, I found out that you need a dedicated amplifier to use with a portable audio device to get high output without distortions.
Share.[/QUOTE]My MP3 player broke a couple of weeks ago. It was no big loss as I was getting bored with all the songs I had loaded and have run out of more songs that are good enough to listen to over and over and over again.
Have you listened to those new Bose headphones made for the iPod?!! It's like an out-of-body experience!!
I never had a problem with sound level. After I downloaded the MP3's I loaded them into audio software to restore/enhance, and normalize the sound. I could play them through my car stereo (w/ a tape adapter) and through a Bose radio.
2005-09-19 16:01 | User Profile
[QUOTE=madrussian]Are there audiophiles on board? How much is your stereo equipment worth, including headphones etc.?
Since my music collections has grown, and I got sick of the stock headphones that came with my iPod (haha, most people on this board will look down on someone with an iPod), I am investing in a pair of cans.
[/QUOTE]Music is a very important part of my life -- especially metal. But because I'm a long-time guitar player who takes that hobby pretty seriously, I've put a lot more money into guitars, amps, and an effects processor than into my stereo.
My stereo is a simple JVC mini-system with a 3-CD changer. It's all I need, along with a boom box in the bathroom to listen to while I shower and shave.
I also have a 40-GB iPod with nearly my entire CD collection on it. (I don't see why anyone should look down on iPods -- they're really very nice to have.) I've also copied all my CDs onto an external hard drive and use the iTunes software (which comes with the iPod) to play them through my computer speakers, which aren't anything very special: just a basic three-speaker set from Boston Acoustics. I frequently play guitar along with songs from my music collection, and it's easier to just use iTunes to pick songs and play them with the computer than repeatedly swap CDs in and out of the stereo. I should probably invest in a higher-end set of computer speakers at some point.
In the process, I found out that you need a dedicated amplifier to use with a portable audio device to get high output without distortions. Wow -- how much output do you need from those headphones? Be careful not to damage your hearing!
2005-09-19 16:15 | User Profile
It's not a matter of how much, but how much without distortions. Also, higher-end phones have higher impedance.
I suspect there's a lot of pseudo-science and wishful thinking in high end equipment, but some arguments do make sense. For example, I doubt an iPod has circuitry good enough to aplify the signal to high levels.
As for Bose equipment, online reviewers are unanimous in deriding them for being overhyped and overpriced. Because there's so much subjectivity in this, how you market plays a big a role in peoples' perception.
Really good headphones cost upwards of $400, but you have to be a serious audio freak to tell the difference from $200 ones, probably. They say Grado SR60 or SR80 are a good deal for the money, and they both are sub-$100.
2005-09-19 17:43 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Quantrill]I love music, but I don't have the money to blow on high-end stereo equipment at the moment. Currently, I have a Pioneer amp, some KLH floor speakers, and a Sony powered subwoofer. The amp is competent, I think, but the speakers need to be upgraded. I have heard good things about Athena speakers. Any advice?[/QUOTE]
Stay away from prestigious speaker brands. The markup is insane. Wait for sales because for speakers, sales are often "good." Bose prohibits sales. Any small satellite system with subwoofer is going to have serious trouble covering the spectrum.
My home theater system is made of JBL tower speakers for satellites and a room-shaking Cerwin-Vega subwoofer for the low-frequency channel. I have a JBL center channel.
For people on a budget, skip the center-channel speaker. Look for decent bookshelf speakers.
Back to speaker brands, the way I see it, all the important patents have long ago expired and computer modeling makes designing good speakers trivial. There's no reason why a no-name speaker company can't produce an excellent speaker for a good price. In other words, the easist mistake to make is spending too much. The next mistake is buying such a cheap speaker that it's built with low-quality parts.
2005-09-19 18:41 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Happy Hacker]Stay away from prestigious speaker brands. The markup is insane. Wait for sales because for speakers, sales are often "good." Bose prohibits sales. Any small satellite system with subwoofer is going to have serious trouble covering the spectrum.[/QUOTE] I agree. In electronics, it is all about finding the sweet spot. You don't want cheap crap, but above a certain price point, you get vastly diminished returns for your money. On some audiophile forums I sometimes visit, I have heard very good reviews of these [url="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002H6M12/qid=1127155000/sr=8-4/ref=pd_bbs_4/103-7744886-0822263?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846"]Athena speakers[/url] as having unbeatable bang for the buck.
2005-09-22 14:23 | User Profile
My audiophile days died when my Bang and Olafsen turntable ate itself. Still in for repairs.
Amp and pre Amp: Carver. Tuner: Carver. CD Player: Sony (86 vintage) Casette tape player: Denon. Never got a reel to reel, my dad has a Revox he swears by.
Speakers: Paul Klipsch, La Scala. :redface: I love them.
Headphones: Koss, but I am saving my pennies for Bose noise cancellers.
AE
2005-09-22 17:02 | User Profile
[QUOTE=madrussian]It's not a matter of how much, but how much without distortions. Also, higher-end phones have higher impedance.
Just for the record, the impedance of the speakers or earphones needs to match the impedance of the amplifier output for maximum performance. Although, it it doesn't match, it's better that the earphones have a higher impedance.
As for Bose equipment, online reviewers are unanimous in deriding them for being overhyped and overpriced.
Bose reminds me of Saturn cars when GM was trying hard to push the brand. They have a certain charm (e.g. dent resistant sides), but because of Bose/Saturn pricing policies, they're not worth the money.
Because there's so much subjectivity in this, how you market plays a big a role in peoples' perception.
Bose reminds me of Barney the purple dinosuar. It's not that Barney is so bad for its intended audiance, but Bose/Barneyt just rubs the non-intended audiance severely the wrong way.
Really good headphones cost upwards of $400, but you have to be a serious audio freak to tell the difference from $200 ones, probably. They say Grado SR60 or SR80 are a good deal for the money, and they both are sub-$100.[/QUOTE]
I have a $20 earphones from Walmart, and they work just fine.