Interesting situation! Do we need this....


  I had a very interesting and unsettling experience that brings this hobby all together...or rips it apart. Recently,  I bought a pair of Fluence SX6 speakers, on sale at Amazon for $120 pair. A small, black, two way bookshelf speaker. Highly-positively reviewed. My plan was to pull the drivers to use in another project. I couldn't buy drivers and crossovers like this for $120(More on this later)...Anyways, I was listening to my new kit amplifier, AKITIKA Z4 that I recently built...Streaming Quobuz...The Fluance speakers were set up next to the KEF LS50 Metas as I had used them previously to test yet another kit amplifier, Nelson Pass' ACA Mini.....For six hours I was simply amazed at how great the AKITIKA kit amp sounded. Massive sound stage, tight, well defined bass, some of the best vocals I've heard, the "AIR" around jazz instruments was fantastic!.....a system to behold...playing through my KEF LS50 Metas....Six hours later, after all types of music, it was time to call it a night (or early morning)....As I go to shut down the system, I realize that all night I was listening to the Fluance speakers!!! They were placed side by side with the KEFs. Do we really need any of this high end equipment to really enjoy the music!

rbertalotto

wasn't a fan of the yellow drivers just based on looks. 

No YELLOW drivers..... Basic Black....I see the price has gone up $30!

 

 

I think Amazon read this discussion and realized a new market about to emerge...

I hate to tell this story. Years ago living in Huntington Beach, CA, my old stomping (and surfing) grounds. Had modded monoblock amps, tube pre, Museatex Meitner CDD transport and DAC, Triangle Antal speakers. Never a word when people would come and visit.

Monoblocks went down, so in the meantime packed it up and set up a Cambridge Soundworks by Henry Koss set of two small one way speakers with subwoofer, something like this

Picture 1 of 3

 

Hung those little squares up one on each side of the corner wall about two feet apart. Played one of those little darling Radio Shack DVD players that were all the rage through them.

Everyone who came in, all non audio people, comment how great it sounded. Funny thing is it was just a little bit incredible. However it happened, it was like the complete walls they were hung on disappeared, everything disappeared but the music.  Just one of those funny little things that happens when you least expect it.

High end gear is not required to get great sound that is truly a pleasure to listen to. At least for most of us. I’m finding now that I didn’t need to buy a 75" 4k HDR TV either. It’s nice and I’m not complaining, but when I didn’t have access to it while moving and had to use an older 55" LCD with some noticeable color issues I was still having a great time. You don’t need a high end road bike to enjoy bicycling either. When we got jobs in bike shops after high school me and my friends upgraded to top of the line bikes of the time. After a few months of riding my friend asked me, "Are we really having any more fun than we were on our cheap bikes?" The answer was clearly no. You couldn’t possibly have any more fun than we had in terms of riding. But the new bikes were fun to put together, and there was some pride of ownership, and the new bikes required less maintenance, so we were inclined to keep them. Since then I’ve limited my expenses on bikes even though I’m still super enthusiastic. I’ve done the same with audio equipment, and video equipment. If I could easily afford the very best then sure, maybe, why not? But I’ve got no fear of missing out on what I’m really after. Epicurus said something along the lines of "that which we really need to be happy is free or at least easy to attain."

@asctim , I cycle a lot. When people ask me about bicycles, I say there are 4 very important things. 1) Geometry. A bike that fits you perfectly will be comfortable.  2) Shifters that work properly and reliably. No one likes to fuss with difficult shifters.  3) The most comfortable seat you can afford. 4) Bike shorts.   Carbon this and that, aero wheels, a pound here and there .... how many of us are fit enough, or racing such that it makes a difference?  I do advocate for tubeless tires though. Better rolling resistance with less tire pressure makes for a more comfortable ride.

Audio systems are similar. How many audiophiles have a room properly designed and treated to extract everything that the electronics or speakers can do or get the most out of the recording? Few. How many optimize their bass with subwoofers and rooms treatment and active bass management? More, but still few.


I do like my big TV, but that is only because my eyes are not what they once were. I can relax in the recliner where I like to sit and not have to squint when there is text on the screen.