Men primarily use only one side of their brain. Patience, Michelle.... 😂
Why no Virtual System pics??
I’m surprised that not more people have pictures off their set-ups... there are very few contributors, some regular contributors, some long time members, with zero pictures of their systems..
Why do you think that is? Are they worried that someone is going to steal their stereo because they see pictures of it? Or are people ashamed of their systems?
I don’t get it. It’s much easier to understand where someone is coming from when you see their setup!
post some pictures people!!! Sheesh
It’s like showing up to the basket ball court with no ball. Going to the ski slopes, sittin in the lodge, talking about how awesome the powder is with no ski’s.
Why do you think that is? Are they worried that someone is going to steal their stereo because they see pictures of it? Or are people ashamed of their systems?
I don’t get it. It’s much easier to understand where someone is coming from when you see their setup!
post some pictures people!!! Sheesh
It’s like showing up to the basket ball court with no ball. Going to the ski slopes, sittin in the lodge, talking about how awesome the powder is with no ski’s.
130 responses Add your response
Jaytor, no turntable? Real audiophiles have turntables:) Mike, nobody has ever given me the finger listening to my system. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten it in the 911's. On the bright side I get just as many thumbs up. As for my system? I guess I just haven't gotten around to taking pictures. It is also sort of boring. Everything is hidden. It doubles as a theater so distractions are limited. The speakers look like the monolith in 2001 A Space Odyssey. The subwoofers are rectangular lumps of solid surface material. All the amps are under the floor. Whoopee. In the middle of it all is a 113" Stewart Screen. It is the most boring thing you have ever seen. Must sound terrible. But what is the point? Are systems to look at or listen too. Notice that I had no problem describing what my system looks like. How can you describe in words what your system sounds like? You can't. Others have to hear it for themselves. It is all relative. The only thing I can say that others will understand is that it goes REAL loud. There are many important concepts that have to be followed to get the best out of a system and I think these have to be understood intellectually not visually. There is also a vast landscape of mythology that has to be debunked. Then there are just plain misconceptions that need a little research and correction. I have had quite a few over the years. All of us have. There are subjects in which I have very limited background knowledge like electronic engineering so I require input from people that do. I can get some of that here. Some of us seem to be more inclined to make their system look pretty. Pretty does not necessarily mean sound better. I do not care at all what a system looks like only what it sounds like and I love listening to other peoples systems. I rarely look at pictures of systems. If something really improves a system's performance there is a darn good reason why it does. If it is not readily apparent the improvement is an illusion. Illusions in Hi Fi are never permanent. |
I described my audio system appearance in my room with some word of 4 letters that make my post erased by moderator... :) I am ashamed of my system look in my very full room.... But make no mistake, I am very proud of the S.Q. for the price over the roof...Read my audiophile laws in my "virtual system" page.... No money is necessary at all to enjoy Hi-Fi.... It is a myth.... My virtual image are there to illustrate some of my homemade tweaks controls methods for the 3 embeddings that's all....Hope for the poor audiophile... :) |
Mike, nobody has ever given me the finger listening to my system. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten it in the 911’s. On the bright side I get just as many thumbs up. to be clear, not everyone likes my system or even the pictures, nor need they like it. lots of people have different tastes or preferences. sometimes i feel i should have not gone as far, but too late now i guess. when i have visitors the idea is to have fun. and i think visitors do have fun listening to my system, the music rises above the gear lust, or lack thereof. my most regular visitor and friend has different gear tastes than me, and his feedback always helps me. i do like my system, and i do enjoy it. |
Based on my observation of this resource, many folks feel ashamed or inferior to post their system, especially if it doesn’t have Pass, Luxman, Vitus and Gryphon in it (let’s be honest, it’s been years since majority has been bringing up only the same brands). Also, there are posters who are here simply for shilling, flaming or trolling. I think anybody who has the ability to recommend something MUST post his/her system, otherwise, personally, I won’t take their opinions as serious. Others shouldn’t either. |
@mijostyn said: Jaytor, no turntable? Real audiophiles have turntables:) I know you're asking with a bit of tongue in cheek, but I'll answer anyway since I get the feeling a lot of people here share this opinion. In the 70's and 80's, I had a lot invested in my phono playback system and record collection. I probably went through 8 or 9 turntables including a Linn Sondek, Oracle Delphi, and Goldmund Studio which were pretty high-end tables in their day. In the early 90's, my job took me from MA to CA and then to WA with several houses along the way. I had little kids at home and no safe place to set up the turntable so I had to simplify my system. After moving my several thousand records to the third house in three years without ever unpacking them, my wife convinced me to sell them. I don't really regret leaving vinyl but do feel a bit sick to my stomach when I think about how much more money I could have gotten for them if I had hung on to them for another ten years. These days, I really enjoy finding new music and get a bit bored listing to the same music over and over. A good phono system with a record library large enough that I wouldn't be bored silly with it would cost me well into five figures. And I'd probably listen to it a fraction of the time I listen to digital because I really like the ability to find new music and the convenience of not having to deal with changing records, cleaning them, keeping my turntable in perfect tune, etc. Roon and Tidal (and now also Qobuz) are what rekindled my interest in 2-channel audio. I love having access to such a huge library and being able to set up playlists, or just let Roon choose for me. And my digital playback system, while not being state-of-the-art, sounds incredibly good. If I'm going to spend this much money on audio, I'd much rather have the funds available to improve other aspects of my system. |
@mitch4t , yhanks for the trip down memory lane! I remember seeing photos of your room years ago and thinking “wow, that is one cool listening space”... and still do. @uberwaltz, you win! Even without the “best” room, to share your passion with your young daughter like you have, and for her to embrace it like she has, for you to more than likely have passed a love for audio on to her and for her to take it and run with it, you Sir win! 🎖🥇🏆 |
@tomic601 , ok buddy, now you’re just showing off. Those Treo’s In your condo are simply gorgeous! I’d like to add too that no one should be ashamed of their system here and no one with any class would ever put someone else’s system down; I’m not saying that I haven’t seen it happen, I’m just saying that no one with any class would do so. As for getting a middle finger in the 911, I would actually consider that as an offer 😂. Who really cares what anyone thinks, your driving a 911 👍 |
B_Limo my Parents got me hooked when I was 4 with some gear pictured here... and Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra... https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7106 |
@tomic601 , thats awesome! Great parents 😀 I was raised by a single parent, my Mom. She supported my audio hobby at age 12 and would drive me to my 2 different local brick and mortar stores any time I wanted. They are still in business here in Colorado Springs. The Sound Shop and Listen Up. I was mesmerized at a young age by the high end rooms in the basement of Listen Up’s old location. I bought my entire first system with the help of my single Mother, who was really struggling to just put food on the table at the time, yet she found a way for me at age 12 to piece together a close to $2,000 system. I learned at an early age the importance of speaker placement, quality speaker cable and an amp with high current. I had a pioneer laser disc player at age 12! My hats off to the parents that support their children in this hobby! Sorry that this was off topic but I wanted to share 😁 |
Very beautiful and touching story indeed... When I was 12 years old I delivered each days the newspaper to the doors of all my neighbours... This was my first job.... We were also very poor without even a bath for 4 children..... But my mother let me with the newspaper money bought my first stereo system, a turntable and speakers integrated in a wooden furniture.... That was paradise....My first vinyl was military music, it was not my choice it come with the purchase. :) It seems we had some common ground with motherhood.... |
Seems single moms with budding teenage audiophools have a lot in common here. My mother could not afford to help my quest for audio BUT she never asked for a single penny of my meager earnings from my Saturday job and evening odd jobs at 14/15 even though I’m sure looking back it would have made things easier. In retrospect I was obviously a selfish git but what can you expect from a teen with audio stars in his eyes. It all turned out good though and we still had bread on the table and I had music. |
Yes Jaytor, very tongue in cheek. That is what the smile was meant to convey. I still have my turntables but they are digitized so they can run through my digital processor. How evil can you get. Moving is certainly a major PITA. Since I had to move 8 foot speakers I guess ten orange crates of records was no big deal. You just rent a larger truck. But I can appreciate your situation and you are right, starting up a record collection now would be silly. I probably would not do it either. I buy most of my music on line at HD Tracks. I personally do not like streaming. More than anything I am a music collector at heart and every album is a work of art. I want to be able to listen to the whole thing a few times to get the full message. I dislike fracturing it into songs. I do have playlists that I use for background music. Easy to do in i Tunes on an apple computer programmed with Pure Vinyl. |
There is nothing like beating up the road in a 911. 911 owner are a very different group of people than Ferrari owners. 911 guys are always under the hood working on their cars. Ferrari owners would never get their hands dirty. Their in their cocktail jackets smoking cigars. But the cars are beautiful works of industrial art and do not deserve the scorn (jealousy) 911s you can use as a daily driver. I have a picture of Smiley (yellow C4S cup car) with 200 board feet of mahogany strapped to it's roof racks. People were hanging out of their cars taking pictures. |
Must have a different breed of 911 owners here in Florida, most of them I know would not even know where the hood was or where to even find the motor....... Been there and done that and moved on. Maybe I did not buy the right one but my 911 experience was luke warm. Had always lusted after one and eventually bought one, an early water cooled one if I remember right, 2001 or so? Now my Cayman.... that is another story entirely! But back to audio not Car & Driver.... lol. |
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911 guys are never "under the hood working on their cars." The hood is in front where the trunk is. Under the hood is luggage. Its not a car, its a Porsche. One does not work on a 911. One details, polishes, tunes, modifies, and maintains. Mainly though 911 guys are driving, tracking, and autocrossing- and admiring- their 911. Bear in mind it is the most divisive car in the world. The 911 divided the world between those who could drive - and the rest. |
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B_Limo. Would you believe the wife bought me that, no idea what she means........ New system pix up....lol This will be updated on probably a more regular basis. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8740 |
I just joined last year to follow a couple forum threads for listening and equipment ideas. I didn’t even know about the Virtual Systems option until recently because I never had the time to poke around site. The first Virtual System I found was @uberwaltz, then @mikelavigne . So ... intimidating. But I posted my humble system anyway this past week. Maybe I don’t meet some people’s definition of audiophile, but maybe there are like-minded people out there who rather focus on music, miniminalism and conviviality. |
I agree, it’s been a frustration of mine for years that people don’t take the time to take a photo or two of their systems, especially with how easy it is due to cell phones. I researched a lot before having the money to get my system and frankly I only listened to those who took the time to show what they had and could speak from some semblance of authority. I learned a ton here and think that this hobby can bring people together as we are all passionate about music. Music is the only thing that enters our brains without any preconceptions of what we should experience. It just ‘is,’ no filters. We need inclusive experiences that bring us together, like music, now more than ever. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/6301 Thanks, Steve |
@ b_limo You were one of the few to comment when I first posted my system on Agon. Thank you! If anyone else is curious then it can be found at https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8266 or at www.tomsmultiinterest.com As you, I enjoy looking through the many posted systems and commentary. |
I have spent a few moments checking through everyone’s system. Even more intimidated now, but at least I have some ideas. Kinda like looking at new Porsche 911s even though I drive a 2010 Honda Fit. I have what I need to get things done, but it’s nice to dream for that lottery win. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8722 |
I'll say it again. This website is hilariously glitchy and difficult to navigate. There's apparently nobody in the office to offer gentle tutorials on how to post pictures or just generally keep things on an even keel. Who came up with the term "virtual systems" and why is it a section of the website that seems inaccessible except via links found in individual posts? Why must it be so difficult to create paragraphs? Heck, compared to this website, it's easier to calm my ever shaky fingers so I have enough coordination to maneuver the tweezers necessary to adjust the location of my Alphason's anti-skate hangman's noose. |
I posted more pics of my system today. They aren’t the quality I was hoping for, as when I got my camera to take pics, the batteries were dead. Worse, I had a very difficult time getting the battery compartment open — I had left batteries in the camera after I last used it a few years ago! The batteries had leaked all inside and had adhered the cover closed. I had to pry the cover off, knock the batteries loose and then start picking through the crystalline paste. I got out every bit I could and cleaned everything with isopropyl alcohol, put in new batteries, but nothing. My old camera I had given to my ex-girlfriend, so the only working cameras I have are a video camera and the crappy Android phone camera. I used the phone and took better pics than the first one I had posted, but not a lot better. This has been a trying weekend for me. Got into a political argument with a friend and ended up calling him a mofo and hanging up. Finished cleaning the last on my record albums — 328 in total and most were cleaned, listened to and then cleaned again, by hand. Then I cleaned up the debris in my listening room, from cleaning records, snacking, and just being a slob, so I could take nice photos. Only to find that my good camera is screwed. Oh well, there is always tomorrow . . er, today. |
The front is called a frunk. The hood of a 911 use the be in the back. In the new cars there is no hood. You have to take the car apart to get to the engine. The Cayman is a great car but it is not a 911:) People keep 911s for decades. Old cars always require work. I just replaced the variocam solenoids on my 2006 car. I'll do anything that can be done on jack stands. All you have to do is keep a 911 running properly, avoid accidents and the car is always worth money. Usually more than you paid for it. By 15 years 911s are usually worth what was paid for them new. The older air cooled cars are worth even more. They do require more work. The engine has to be rebuilt every 80k miles or so, a 15 to 20k job. All my cars are water cooled. They'll go 250k easy. If you don't work on your own car you will spend at least 4 times what it cost if you do the work yourself. You can get OEM parts for a fraction of what the brand name cost. As an example a Bosch alternator in a Porsche box costs $1500.00 The same alternator in a Bosch box costs $450.00. The labor to put it in is $250.00. $1750 vs $450. Now you can see why a 911 enthusiast of limited income would work on their own car. The same mentality applies to Hi Fi. I would never let anyone mount a tonearm for me. I make my own cables saving thousands of dollars. |
