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referencing vs plug & play

This last couple of months more of you have been getting ahold of me, it's cool don't stop. I enjoy working on your systems and especially enjoy some listening together. Something though is coming up often and it's making me wonder if somewhere along the way someone has dropped the ball when it comes to comparing components. In talking with a few of you I've learned that a lot of you are dropping components into your systems and comparing without dialing your system into the new set of conditions. Back in the early days of referencing, before plug & play, when we made changes to a system we treated the system as if everything was starting from scratch. We knew that if making a component swap took place that we were going to need to make the rest of the audio chain suitable to accommodate the new signal path. "make a change anywhere in the flow and you've made a new flow"

When the plug & play audio clubs started popping up my friends looked at me as if these folks were off their rockers. I just figured they were doing something interesting but weren't really serious about club night, more than a chance to mingle. It's kind of the same thought as a trade show. You don't really take them serious, but it gives a chance to meet and greet. Saying this, I'm starting to think possibly I was wrong and plug & play has become the norm over actually referencing systems. My mind tells me this is nuts, right, but I'm hearing more and more that HEA folks are actually simply dropping components in mid chain and that's it. So I have to ask.

You do realize plug & play is different from referencing a system change don't you?

please be respectful to each other, thanks

Michael Green

128x128michaelgreenaudio
tjbhuler's avatar
tjbhuler
55 posts
 
If tapping on a component or shelf hurts the sound don’t tap on them while the music is playing. So I disagree that tapping gives you much of a clue about what’s going on.

I never said tap the chasis while the system is playing and nothing about shelves (this is another story) thats what Geoff is thinking which is way off then what im saying.

Its about tapping the chasis "without any music on" and hearing that resonance from the chasis itself. When you tap that resonance tells a story, what i will do is start to unscrew some of them just by a tad the idea is to get them to resonate at the same level or should i say hear that sound when you tap and get them sounding more or less the same. That will relieve the stress on certain areas of that chasis from your equipment.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
glubson

In other threads, people talk how "audiophilia" is an aging hobby. How wouldn’t it be? If it would require such measures as working on your outlets or changing something for each record/CD/file played, who would have time? Young people rarely have time to play with that, unless their job is to sell whatever is needed for "referencing". This is a "hobby" for retirees. Nothing wrong with that, but it surely is time-consuming when done any other way but plug-and-play.

>>>>>Oh, no he didn’t!!

Youth is wasted on the young.” - Old audiophile axiom
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
My Tru Tone Duplex Covers are actually ceramic acoustic resonators. Now the thing with resonators is they must be free to resonate. If they’re constrained they aren’t effective. Like a tuning fork. So, when I recommend loosening the two screws holding the ceramic Duplex Cover to the wall it’s to allow the Duplex Cover to dissipate the wall vibratory energy more efficiently. You want the ceramic plate free to vibrate in order to reduce the effects of vibration on the sound. Contradictory, ain’t it?
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
tjbhuler43 posts04-04-2019 8:14am
If tapping on a component or shelf hurts the sound don’t tap on them while the music is playing. So I disagree that tapping gives you much of a clue about what’s going on.

I never said tap the chasis while the system is playing and nothing about shelves (this is another story) thats what Geoff is thinking which is way off then what im saying.

>>>>I’m afraid you misinterpreted my comments. What I’m saying is people oft times overreact to the tapping test. The kinetic energy involved in tapping doesn’t exist in the room under normal conditions. I was partly joking about tapping the chassis whilst music is playing. Lighten up!
glupson
7,842 posts
 

Loosening electrical outlet screws may be to someone's liking, but what is the point talking about it without first establishing what material they are made of?

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