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Class "A" sound, as related to Stereophile.


It's all about the sound.

It's all about sound, not how much it cost; when I got into "high end", I knew right off the bat I couldn't afford it, but I had to find one thing for sure; how do the various components sound in regard to Stereophile's classes, or ratings? In order to know this; I had to acquire the ability to identify "Stereophile's" class "A" class "B" and class "C" sounds, and the only way to do that was: first, subscribe to Stereophile, and next was to go to every high end audio salon within driving distance; there were 5 well stocked "high end" salons within driving distance. (Since I didn't take my wife, that created some problems)

After a few years of subscribing to Stereophile, plus auditioning equipment that Stereophile recommended, I knew the sound of those recommendations, and I absolutely concurred with them; "If you want to hear the music, you got to pay the piper". While that's true, it's possible to get class "A" sound with class "B" bucks or less.

At this moment, I am looking at 8 capacitors that cost $25 dollars each, plus 2 mono blocks with an instant resale value of 6K. Once I take the covers off and go in with my soldering iron, these mono blocks are worth a resell of O; my mission must be a success. After a successful mission, the resell is still 0; but those mono blocks will deliver class "A" or "A"+ sound, and that's some sweet music.

I have to visualize and hear music in my head before I can modify a component to deliver class "A" sound; but that's the only way for me to get what has become a necessity.

The pressure someone is under when they modify, is great, but the rewards are glorious. On these mono blocks, they are too small for the huge capacitors, therefore I have to figure a way to make the case larger. My reward is "sound" with absolutely no relation to money. I often wander if someone with a fat bankroll can identify the sound, or only how much they paid for each piece.


Happy listening.

orpheus10
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Hey o,

If you look closely at that DIY article that you linked, it gives the absorption coefficients at different frequencies for those 3 types of rigid board products. They are different at 125hz and 250hz. You might want to try to get a good handle how your room sounds in these frequencies and pick the one that best suits your desires in those ranges, if you have a choice on which you can buy locally.

Also, author says that he used 1"X2" furring strips for the frame but he also says that the Roxul he selected was "softer and has a less regular shape" that the others. I used 1" X 3" board with the Owens Corning rigid fiberglass and added some wooden corner supports inside the frame behind the panel for rigidity.

Best to you o,

Dave
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Dave, I appreciate your advice; I'm going to purchase enough material to make a batch of them, and experiment on wall placement. With something like this, I've discovered nothing beats experimentation, plus good observation and record keeping.

A successful mission of this nature requires attention to detail and "patience".

I'm sure anyone who's following what we're doing will enjoy their music ever so much more after completion of this project,  I know I will.


Thanks for the heads up.
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Good plan o.

Dave
erik_squires
16,180 posts
 
Audio Research has warmed up over the last 10 years, at least to my ears in both solid state and tubes.

Still not the euphonic classic CJ sound by any means, but lean and sterile have moved over more towards Ayre than before.

Best,


Erik
orpheus10 OP
8,668 posts
 

Erik, it's good to hear that. These big name brands evolve over the years from their "signature sound", therefore an audition is absolutely necessary before you buy.

Some thoughts on "Stereophile's" classification system; they rest their foundation on that, while people might criticize, if they found something truly substantial wrong with the ratings, that would be a black eye for the magazine.

Sometime a component will rate "B" in one issue, and "C" in the next issue, and then return to "B". This means that component is "borderline B", and from my experience, is always a good buy; consequentially, I will quite often own that component. Good buys are rare in the high end.

The widest range of products exist in Class "A"; that is also where you can find the widest range of prices. "Koetsu" is the only really high priced high end cartridge I have ever auditioned, and it was magnificent. I don't recall which one, but I'm glad I remembered that because there are other cartridges in Class "A" that get recommended more, and I was considering one of them without ever having heard it.

That's an option we are faced with far too often; I'm going to take my own medicine and go with what I know; "Koetsu" if I'm ever in that position.

I will do my best to offer advice on components I know about that have been rated by "Stereophile". This is not a recommendation for the magazine, just a point of reference that we both can relate to.

No one understands better than me, about audiophiles with limited "pocketbooks", and I have no problem admitting it. Now to go along with that problem; "How are you going to audition the thing", is another problem. One option I can think of, is to buy a lesser priced model used, and sell it back for what you paid for it. You can usually rely on the current "signature sound"; that is the most important element in cartridges.


Enjoy the music.


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