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  3. 1059834824

Audio Diversity - What is it?

I've noticed that there are always alot of threads put up about "this vs that", tubes vs transistors, analog vs digital, cone vs electrostat, high price vs high value, cables make no difference, etc, etc. It seems that there is a wide variety of opinions as to what actually sounds good or better than the rest. Sometimes this elicits very strong opinions.

My question is why is it, that there is so much difference of opinion on this subject? Doesn't everyone hear the same music? Is it something to do with some other factor like, whether they never really heard many other things, or this was all their dealer had so they think it's best, is it listening skills, or what? Or is it ego, pride of ownership, and protecting resale value of their equipment, that is coming into question here? If that is the case, then are people lying about it to support their self-esteem or bank account, by exaggerating the quality of their systems to others? Do people who can only afford low-fi state that there is no difference in gear, only to make themselves feel better that they have just as good gear as the guy who paid $50k? Or are we all just imagining differences? Or perhaps, some of us don't want to get "closer to the music", but would rather have certain "airbrushed" qualities to it that they like, but take it further away from truth? Personal preferences? I don't know.

It seems to me that if 2 people listen to the same system in the same room at the same time, there should be some consensus about whether it is better or worse than some other system they compare it to. But yet, we seem to not be able to agree on this. There is always this and that getting in the way. But I say it's either closer to the music or further away. It should be easily determined. When 2 people look at a red car, they both know it's red. Nobody has to measure the reflected wavelengths to know that. One may like red better than the other, but there is no doubt that the car is red. Can't do that with audio systems. When 2 people listen, one says better, another says worse. Why?

What I would like to know is, what you think is the reason for such large differences in opinion about what sounds right and what doesn't. I don't want to start an issue about one particular type of equipment vs another, but I want to focus on why we don't seem to hear things the same.

I think this is at the root of alot of our discussions here on this forum, and I'd like to hear some opinions on it, which will likely be just as diverse.
twl
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Ah, Twl is in prime agent-provocatuer form...I will agree with him, thus disproving his theory. :-)
theaudiotweak
2,796 posts
 
Ego is a prime candidate for deciding which is better, the one I built or the one you built. Time, energy, experience, knowledge even money to maybe a smaller degree all interfere with two parties hearing the same thing. I am very proud of the unique Frankenstein I have assembled over the years. Some of these parts may seem old to some but much of the chase is to make what you have the best it can sound. Taking a stock chassis and making a race car out of it, example my still almost barely Dunlavy SCIV's. All that I have done with these now radical speakers could be applied to and I feel improve many other fine speakers. That was years long gestation period as well as a great learning process. Oh that ego part of me speaking... I feel I have learned much about passive room geometry enhancement because my perfect room 10 years ago turned out to be imperfect. Passive acoustic room cures much like managing the airflow of an automobile manifold have mitigated much of the problems I originally had. Sounds really good looks really cool. A recently added pull down movie screen was encased in another acoustic device much like the first but designed so as to capture resonance and disperse it to the ceiling studs as well redirect energy off the ceiling and back to the listener. I have tried to preserve the natural dynamics with out the negatives of dampening.. These journeys into and out of audio madness I feel have made me a better and more knowledgeable listener. It also keeps me out of the strip joints...Tom
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
"It also keeps me out of the strip joints...Tom"

You're just getting old.

Ever hear of Yohimbe bark? It's sold in health food stores. Give it a try--a capsule in the morning and a capsule in the afternoon. Walk every day for a week, go to the strip joint and report back to us!!!

With psychic power and primal intensity,
theaudiotweak
2,796 posts
 
Yea, I do that bark stuff. It does make me howl. The strip joints, well thats to protect my monetary position..Tom
golden_ears
224 posts
 
Most people, and that includes a large number of the people who post here, don't have the experience with enough equipment to be able to offer a valid opinion on the differences between, and the quality of, "high end" components.
At least some of them admit that "I haven't heard those other models, but..." Others don't even do that; they just want to offer an opinion.....for what that's worth.
A person of experience can see what some of these people are raving about and just shake their head in disbelief. Some of us have heard the equipment that others rave about and know that it's just not that good. The sound of that equipment might be a revelation to the inexperienced, but they haven't heard the better stuff yet. Why do you think there is so much stuff being sold on Audiogon? People want to try something different, they're looking for Audio Nirvana and failing to find it, choosing the wrong equipment based on other (inexperienced) peoples' opinions or they have realized after awhile that the piece wasn't as good as they thought it was.
If two people can't agree on what they're hearing, it could be a hearing deficiency that they're unaware-of, or one or both don't know what to listen-for. It takes experience and a good teacher to point those things out. That's also why a good dealer (or a good demonstration) is important; the good dealer has experience listening to different equipment and can point out the differences in equipment and performance. Once you've heard the things you should be listening-for, you don't forget them, and eliminating the lesser components is made easier.
Highest price doesn't automatically mean highest performance either; there is a lot of high-priced crap out there. As twl has mentioned, ego and status come into play and the owners would be loathe to admit that anything sounds better, at any price, and especially if it's cheaper; it would be too embarassing to admit one spent all that money and obtained a product that can get its ass kicked for $20,000 less!
Then there are people who have very good equipment and are STILL not happy. They dump it to get the latest greatest thing that they read about here. Then a couple of weeks later, they are asking about where they can send it to get that "great" modification done by some twit who is crowing that he can make it better than the manufacturer can. Then they have the mod done, screwing-up any warranty in the process, and often find that the performance wasn't improved at all....like they're going to admit that? Not!
Then there's the question that begs asking: if the latest greatest was so good in the first place why the heck are you looking to modify it?
To finish things-up here, I'd just like to say that although I love Audio and music playback, and I like what a very good audio system can do, I have no illusions. It doesn't sound like the real thing and anyone who raves on and says that his system sounds like the real thing is either seriously deluded, lying, or hasn't heard any live music lately - if ever!! It really hits you when you are walking through the halls of a CES listening to all of this high-priced gear, then from around the corner or down the hall it hits you - someone is playing live acoustic music on real instruments. It's unmistakeable..and THAT's what you should be trying to hear in your audio system.
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