Dear friends: Six-seven years ( even today with less frequence. ) ago was often read threads like this: " which is the best tonearm? " and everybody name it and gives opinion to answer it.
In tose times no one cares and I mean it no one cares about the tonearm " couple ": the cartridge.
Then I start to post(ed) something like this: " with which cartridge? " and the people ( not all of them but many. ) does not understand my question, today almost all take in count the so intimate relationship between tonearm and cartridge before ask it.
For those times too I start to support DD TT's as an option/alternatiive to BD TT's, in specific the SP-10MK2/3.
I can remember that the big Agon boys just laught about and I mean it too: laugh about.
Today that DD TT alternative is more alive than ever and many of those Agoner's that laughed of me are enjoying the music with the SP-10's TT's.
Four-five years ago I " remember " me that exist the MM/MI analog alternative and start to talk/post on the subject with no questions or answers almost no comment from the Agoner's.
Today exist a very confortable and wide audio community hearing/testing/trying and enjoying the MM/MI analog source alternative. This audio community is growing up faster that any one could wait and sooner or latter all of us will be touched by it.
Btw and for this MM/MI audio community: do you know that somewhere someone already call us ( this same year. ) : " lunatics "?, I read it and just ignore it.
In the same manner I start to talk about SS electronics against the tube option. This subject was and is defended by tube lovers like if they are going to lose his life.
Today, very slowly, people turn around its " face " to SS, very slowly for say the least.
All these are only a few examples, there are additional ones.
Why am I reffering to it?, all of us, some way or the other, are part of the audio high end establishment that has non writing " rules and norms and myths and lies and trues " that are what surrounded and what command our each one audio decisions and what put the " speed " and where the high end can grow up.
In all this audio high end establishment ( the whole audio high end industry.: designers, builders, retailers, reviewers, customers, etc, etc. ) there are good things and bad things and different level of those " things ".
Well, why six years ago I " receive " so many " bad and wrong " answers/opinions/people attitude?, easy what I was/am talking about goes against the " establishment ", the establishment was not " prepare " to accept those audio " subjects " in those times: were inoportune.
The " engine/gas " that make the establishment move on or change ( that does extremely slowly. ) is obviously what move on almost any human acctivity: money, nothing wrong with that if IMHO that establishment move on always with honesty that IMHO many times does not do/did it.
They likes to " control " we the customers and " they " use any " tool/weapon/false arguments " to achieve their " cloudly " targets and to make us think what they want it not what we want and deserve.
I'm not against the audio high end establishment because I'm part of it and my overall knowledge mainly comes " living " inside. What I'm against is in the deshonesty actions that many times the establishment use.
There are a lot of examples of that " deshonesty " I'm talking about and I call deshonesty because " they " are tell us lies in favor of $$$$$.
I would like to post a clear/precise example of it: three days ago a very reputable ( that I respect and even I recommended his tube products. ) Agoner and electronic designer/manufacturer posted somewhere in this forum:
+++++ " he's right. Tubes make lower-ordered distortions, much more preferable to the human ear than the higher, odd-ordered distortions of solid state.
Tube distortions can be dramatically reduced by careful design. " ++++++
well, today with this lie/false myth he want to " conserve " and develop his market niche ( $$$$$ ) against other technologies like SS.
Nothing wrong with $$$$$$ if what he posted was a true and not something not only controversial but totally falseo r orientes onloy for tubes and not tell us the whole environment where SS lives too.
This kind of post on the tube subject was and is exactly the same six years ago, this means that the SS designers/manufacturers does not grow up: full of " stupid " SS electronics manufacturers!!!! That cant do nothing to avoid odd harmonics!
I don't posted anything against this lier ( two years ago, I did that. ) but other Agoner that I respect too give him a clear and precise and true answer ( an answer that is not promoted by the audio high end establishment. ):
+++++ " If you want the 2nd order distortions of the better triodes, you can have them with transistors too. It is a matter of design - not tube vs. Transistors. " +++++
but he ignore it and follow promoting his market niche with an additional post:
+++++ " The second order thing about tubes in general is only with SETs- when operating push-pull even-ordered harmonics are cancelled. The nice thing is that you don't get the 5th, 7th and 9th which are unpleasant and used by the ear as loudness cues. " +++++
Just pathetic!.
The audio high end establishment does not permit that we customers " learn ", grow up or take audio decisions ( $$$ ) against it, we are free of almost nothing.
Deny the existence of " the best audio item " goes against the establishment ( the no existence of " the best " is a false protection between all of them. It is a convenience. ) and goes against what the establishment already say to us and what already all of us learn.
Only a few of us take the challenge to think different/outside from a part of the establishment " rules ".
Many of yours answers in this thread against the existence of " the best " were already/inconcient conditioned by what the establishment put in our brains over the time.
They don't give us other " options " to think so we are unaware on subjects like " the best ", what really means and why we need several " the best " audio items out there.
I know almost for sure that some of you already think that your each one audio system is " the best " but are all to shy or don't have the the precise arguments to disclose in this forum. Remember the thread: How good is your system?, no focus/precise answers on anybody. Wonder why?
IMHO it is the audio high end establishment what already surrounded us of " mediocrity ". I hate any kind of " mediocrity " in this world but I have to live with. Today that establishment mediocrity promoted by " them " is what today goes against they grow up with a lot better $$$$$$ for that establishment.
The establishment push me ( thank you for that. ) to find better alternatives in audio to achieve the top pleasure that music always can give each one of us through our audio systems performance.
That's why we design the Essential 3160, that's why we are finishing our self universal tonearm design, an universal TT Mat, that's why we are in the amplifier design and that's why we decided to start a phono cartridge design project ( as you can read, this project " born " thank's to what some of you posted in this thread. ).
IMHO today the establishment is not ready to accept " the best " , we will see over the years to come: remember the tonearm/cartridge, the DD TT's, the MM/MI alternative, etc, etc.?
The time sooner or latter always puts things in the right place/perspective, where belongs.
In the mid-time the Technics EPC-P100C MK4 is today IMHO " the best " cartridge ever and my audio item Reference to our future phono cartridge self design!!!!!, period.
The next question is for all but especially for Dertonarm and people with that kind of audio/music knowledge and with top quality performance systems:
so you can discern/distinguish a different quality performance from similar audio items ( amplifiers, preamps, cartridges, etc, etc ) you can discern/distinguish better quality performance between similar audio items but with all those " heavy " audio/music " luggage " can't discern when an audio item achieve the " the best " status?!!!!!!!
I only want to add that " the best " is not a subjective ( I like it! ) main opinion, you can find a " the best " audio item that even does not like you and this can't IMHO diminish its " the best " status.
A main factor ( not the only ) to find " the best " is to follow not-writed/writing audio/music standards.
The music is well The Music: it does not matters if you like more Bach than Handel, boht are great and not because you like more Back this fact diminish the Handel greatness ( this is only an example not for argue about. ) )
Yes, there are only a few people that can attest about " the best ": it is something that needs specific " training " and it is not what you like it or not but what you learn/trained.
Take a job like the one of a Sommelier, he received an specific training to has the Sommelier status and to know if the Chateu Laffite 1986 is not only better than the 1978 but " the best " even if he does not likes Chateu Laffite but Chateu Margaux or Chateu Latour!!!
Ask this same Sommelier on the Mersault against a Montrachet and you will have a precise the best answer. Not what he like it but the best .
Can you tell me if Meissen is better than Limoges or Fabergé? Who is for you the best in a precise era/time ?, maybe only an expert that is trained in specific can tell us about.
Lalique, Baccarat, Vals st Lambert, Daum ? which the best ?, not what you like. Again only a trained person could has the answer.
Are you an audio Sommelier?, think about.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
