Dear friends: IMHO in every area/product/service of whatever surround our life almost always exist the " best ". As a fact this " the best " is what impulse the same " the best " company and its competitors to offer/design/build a new service/item/product that can even and beats " the best ".
I think that we don't " grow up and improve " only by " magic " but on purpose and with precise targets to be/attain " the best ".
Of course that several " companies " even us does not care or just can't or don't have the know-how or financial resource or whatever to aspire to the " best " top step.
Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Ferrari, BMW, MB, etc, each one in his market " niche " " fight " to be the best to increment its sales or by be recognise on a top " status " level.
Lakers, Celtics, Yankees, Dodgers, Dolphyns, Steelers, etc, etc, works/fight to be " the best ".
M. Streep, J. Bridges, T. Cruise, K. Bacon, R. Williams, S.J. Parker, W. Smith, M. Ryan, N. Watts, R. Redford, Scorssece, DD. Lewis, H. Ford, J. Foster, etc, etc every one in his/her respective movie genre fight/works/improve to be " the best ".
The best is IMHO a synonymous of an attitude in constant action to achieve hard/especial targets to be " the best ", it is a challenged/competitive attitude that with out that we can/could live in the mediocrity where many companies and people belongs.
Nothing of these facts are un-familiar on the audio industry where things take action in the same way.
If you ask to an audio item designer/builder if he design to attain a product that can be know it like " the best " in its audio area, some of them ( designers ) will answer you that they want to be there: " the best ", that their hard work design, research, execution, etc are win that prize.
Some of them meet that target and several fail on that " quest ": maybe next time!
Deny that exist " the best " on audio is like deny our each one existence and IMHO makes non-sense.
That is really unusual to find " the best " does not means " the best " does not exist.
How the audio industry and in specific the high end audio niche grow up and improve with out existence of several " the best " through all these years? just by " magic " ?, certainly not: the high end industry has/own a very strong deep attitude on " the best " subject that gives the impulse to not only grow up but to improve over the time, it is what move/action the whole high end audio industry where we all ( one way or the other ) belongs, the audio industry area is not an island and not aisle from the " gravity laws " that command the Universe!!, no we are not so especial I can tell you.
Now, how I see this controversial " the best " subject:
all the " ones " ( like us. ) that belongs and live inside the high end audio " learn ", grow up and " think " according the high end audio establishment where exist several no write specific rules and myths that function like the four wall of the high end audio " room " and like attitude/behavior that norm the " life " in that room, these " rules " are the ones that permit to move inside the " room " at specific speed in a specific direction: are the " way of life "! .
part of these rules and myths in that high end audio establishment can/could be:
- tubes are the right " road ".
- SS technology is analytical, cool an un-involving.
- SE tube technology is the " heaven ".
- SUT are better for LOMC cartridge.
- analog source: only LOMC ones.
- TT's. the right road are BD designs.
- and if the Platter TT weights a " ton " the better.
- digital source is " untouchable ", does not exist.
- MM/MI cartridges: what is that?, has no quality status.
- amplifier output impedance: can I eat it?
- there is no " best ", does not exist.
- everything is system dependent.
- our earth planet is " flat/plane ".
- tonearm/cartridge resonance must be 10hz.
- Koetsu myth
- Gigant-killer: Denon 103
- etc, etc.
Who invent all those rules and false myths? Who cares!, we are here to write the history, our best time history.
we almost can't express something against the establishment because almost every one can/could stop you by the " rules " with out real additional arguments that can support those " rules/myths ".
what happen with our each one self audio/music education that we cultivate with care by 20-30+ years? what happen with our " restlessness " in different audio topics/areas where we want not only hear music through each one audio system but to enjoy it at " the best " by any standard.
All of us has very specific personal audio/music characteristics that shows as " good things ( virtues ) and bad things ( defect ) ", these virtues/defects are our each one audio luggage that grows through each one audio/music life experiences ( for the good or bad. ) and that conforms our each one learning curve audio/music ladder.
This audio/music each one knowledge/training is ( mainly ) what distinguish one each to other. Some are experts on tubes, other on TT's, others on quality performance audio system detection, others in cartridges, technical subjects, in all?, in music, etc, etc.
All of us own audio systems that ( in many ways and in different levels ) are more similar than different, why? we own it to enjoy music through system performance.
The link that gives sense to the high end audio and that join all of us is: MUSIC and the pleasure to hear it.
There are some characteristics that help for we can say: this is " the best ", one of those characteristics is an audio system almost free of quality performance limitations: this fact is a must ( many of you own this kind of audio home system. ) because you can't find " the best " if the system limitations stop/preclude that that " the best " shows you why is " the best ".
So only a few people can have the opportunity to hear " the best "?, IMHO NO every one has that opportunity what only a few people can is to find out " the best ": thank's to its knowledge, no-limitation audio system, non-establishment attitude , passion for music, desire to share it with us and no compromise but the MUSIC and how achieve the best to enjoy it.
The best always has top demands: demands from your music knowledge, demands from the audio system, demands that you dont give up, demands that first understand it, demands to you can discern if is the best , demands on the right and precise set up, etc, etc, demands " the best " of you!
A Ferrari Testa Rossa owner is speaking with a Honda Civic owner and is telling him that his Ferrari can run to 200 mph. Then both take a road with speed limit at 75mph. The Ferrari owner never can show the Civic owner those 200mph. When the Civic owner come back home he told his wife: hey our Honda Civic is like a Ferrari because today the Ferrari cant pass my Civic on road and Im running at 75mph!!!
What happen if you go and test that Ferrari at Maranello own speedway where the Ferrari can show you why is the best and where the Honda Civic shows all its limitations.
Got that?
This is exactly what happen when we have the best and we even know it because our system limitations and when we compare that true the best against what we own we think that the best only even what we have or even we think that what we have is better yet! This happens every single day.
So the best /Ferrari demands/a must the Maranello speedway/audio system and who can drive it ( fine tunning at its needs. Not what I like but what it needs. ) ).
The Technics EPC-P100C MK4 is not the best I heard but IMHO the best cartridge ever . Many of you that can drive the Ferrari at Maranello needs/status knows almost immediately when you are in front of not a better or excellent product but in front of the best , well this cartridge belongs to that top status. Lewm don't worry for the next " the best " cartridge that is part of the audio fun!
Of course that if you dont want or care about even if you can drive it you never find out!
Am I against the establishment or against whom support that establishment?, NO Im with the high end audio establishment but thinking in a different way to find out the real and true the best and not what the establishment ??? Want to makes me think.
Gentleman Im not anymore prisoner of that high end audio establishment.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
