Emotional rollercoaster

I suppose most all of us on this here forum have had our moment at the edge of the Rubicon. It’s about what you want to hear, not what you spend.  You spend what you can to hear what you want to hear.  All the rest is the details. Last weekend at a friend’s house we all had a grand time listening to a plastic receiver and CD player and pair of pressboard speakers on my friend’s patio.  Someone said how good it sounded. They said that because it sounded better than they thought it should, given the obvious quality of the system.  In that moment, that very inexpensive and old stereo fit the bill. Perfectly.  The next day at home, listening to my system, well....  I was reminded I had already crossed the Rubicon, many years ago. 
Happy Friday, happy listening 

*L*(sympathetic variant)  @mid-fi-crisis...Your plantive post reminded me of a line in a concert vid I like....

"They know what they want, but they don't know what is what.....it just sucks.....WT*!"

One can spend phenominal $ 'chasing the spirit' of experience etched into ones' mind of a event in one's past.....

"It was like 'they' were Right There....in the room!  I could almost hear them breathing!"

Imho....like most things involving technology used to evoke experience...one can only expect varying degrees of success to do so.  The equipment, the room, the media can only get one so far....beyond that....

It's like a movie, a book, the 'thing' that lets one forget that you are involved with the suspension of disbelief....acceptance of a recreation of an event, a performance, that which carved a groove into your synapses....

Music, and the performance of it, is a funny thing in its' way.  It has this way of penetrating deep into ones' psyche', invoking all manner of responses.  Like a odor, a word, a thought, it triggers responses you'd thought improbable or forgotten.

And....it doesn't surprise me in the least that some or one can spend inordinate amounts to reprise these states...*S*  And yet, be surprised that those same responses can suddenlly be invoked by something as basic as a car radio....or a desktop Bose....or an ancient receiver driving an old pair of speakers. ;)

That mass betwixt your ears is a marvelous thing.
And it will never cease to amaze you. ;)

Perhaps a case in point...if you're up to it....*beckoning finger, curling*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEutbPu2YwI&feature=emb_rel_end

@ 34:15, an 'intro' to the familiar...the woman on the left @ 34:50 certainly feels so....*G*
@39:35, one is reminded of Fate....;)

For Someone @ that event....it's their 'high water mark', whether you agree or Not.....and the latter doesn't mean anything to anyone but You.

BTW.....FBS is only 10ish yrs. younger than yours truly.
I prefer excitement in my artful noises....;)
But, I'm just like that....*G*
I like my rollercoasters steep.....
Cheers, J

Hello asvjerry,

     I may be showing my age, but what the heck does *G* mean in your posts?  Giggles?

Thanks.
 Tim

glupson,

’If we ignore speakers. do those British magazines ever do group tests of other higher-end equipment?’


No, sadly they don’t - and never have as far as I know.

For sure experienced reviewers like Ken Kessler will cover high-end products. I don’t know how well he’s known in the US, but being originally from the states he’s more likely to cover lesser known products from further afield but he’s a rarity, and doesn’t do group tests.

Other experienced reviewers like Alan Sircom will also take the occasional look at more esoteric gear but again no group tests.

In fact the UK press was so resolutely insular that many of us had no idea of what a Mackintosh amplifier was. Even a monumentally important companies such as Acoustic Research and JBL got very scarce coverage. Magnepan, Thiel, Macintosh, Wilson etc all got similarly short shrift.

For a long time 70s through to 80s the print media continuously pushed a very simple system building philosophy.

For a turntable you started with either a Dual cs505 or a Rega Planar 3 and then upgraded to a Linn LP12 when funds allowed.

For an amplifier you could start with either a Nytech / NAD 3020 and upgrade to an A&R A60 before moving on to pre/power stuff from Naim Audio.

Speakers were more complicated as there were various options ranging from AR, Heybrook, Mordaunt Short, Celestion, Gale, Goodmans, Wharfedale and many more.

Unsurprisingly many magazines still suggested Linn (who had an entire range back then) as a final loudspeaker destination. Thankfully I was never tempted to buy one. Especially so after hearing the fabled Linn Isobariks for the first time in the mid 1980s.

The feeling of being underwhelmed upon hearing such a highly vaunted (and highly priced) loudspeaker has never left me.

As I write this it becomes clear that there was a method behind the machinations of the British press, one that probably still applies today.

It seems as if they were only really interested in products which were available in the UK. That’s where their advertising came from, so it was in effect a cartel of UK manufacturers and UK dealers pushing mainly UK goods.

I think it’s fairly well known now how Linn/Naim in particular, financially pressured dealers with almost draconian measures to stock their products whilst excluding those from their rivals.

Bear in mind there was also considerable barely disguised hostility towards foreign products all in the name of misguided patriotism. In particular Japanese goods (cars, motorbikes and hi-fi) seemed to get a very bad press during the 1970s /80s.

Nevertheless they were able to eventually overcome these handicaps through mainly word of mouth and the odd helpful consumerist programme on TV such as ’That’s Life!’

It also didn’t hurt that they were giant multinationals too. Lesser companies, UK or overseas must have had a torrid time getting a look in.

I bet they still do, on both sides of the pond. I’d go further and argue that there is still a cartel in operation today comprised of manufacturers/dealers and press that renders it extremely difficult for newcomers to succeed.

In fact what are the big new audio success stories of recent times? I can only think of 2 - PMC Speakers and Zu Audio. So congrats to both!

Everyone else could do worse than carefully study them both.

barts,

'I'm not on another upgrade path....this is it, the last rodeo, just like every other time. Time to sit back and and reap what I have sown.'

cd318 ,
"Yes, but what if a loudspeaker finally comes along that does most things right?"

Good question, here's my analog (no pun) to that:
Say I go out and buy a new Porsche 911 Turbo S and it's fast as hell, a blast to drive, blows my dress up, makes me smile and never stops impressing me.   The following year Porsche comes out with a new version that has 25hp more, is better on the skid pad and is raved about in the auto rags.  My take: My car is still as fast, still is a blast, still blows my dress up, makes me smile and never stops impressing me! I am completely satisfied with its performance, couldn't care less about the newest bestest thing on the block.  That's my approach to many things in life: bikes cars stereo house wife. I'm just a complexly simple guy.