Question on FR 66s

So we had to reject those measurements other than the traditional ones that serve almost for nothing

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Hi Raul,

Thanks for the detailed description of you experience! However, it seems, in the end of the day, your conclusion still only depended on your hearing!

I am not sure how your method of testing could totally eliminate personal preference and be completely neutral. But even if you could, your conclusion “might” not apply to all of us, as most of us (at least I) would certainly have our own preferences.

several years ago when we designed the Essential 3160 " second to none " active high gain Phonolinepreamp…..

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This is exactly one case in point! If I remember correctly, several years ago, when your Essential 3160 was introduced, you did a tour to some well-known members of this forum. I am not sure how many of them bought it finally, but at least some of them decided to keep their original equipment, some way more expensive than the Essential.

I mention more expensive here not because I believe more expensive automatically means better sounding, but just to point out that those forum members could sell their equipment and purchase the Essential, should they wanted to, and still had cash left over in their pockets. So, price was not likely their concern.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to talk down on the Essential, as I have not auditioned it yet. As a matter of fact, I was following the development with interest. Only that there was no way for me to have a demonstration here in Hong Kong.

So, my point is that, while you believe the Essential is second to none, some forum members think differently! Are they simply wrong, or have less trained ears? I would rather believe they just have different preferences!

I found Soulution/Magico rather unmusical. Impressive sound but it does not move me emotionally

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Hi Suteetat,

I have exactly the same feeling as you regarding the combo, but I don't think this is a matter of less distortion. If any system failed to move you emotionally, then there is something wrong, or in Raul’s term, have distortion. Of course, all systems / equipment have distortion, it is just a matter of which set of distortion is more acceptable to you.

In practice though, I find that electronics with a bit more distortion (say tubes vs solid state, very gross generalization here or digital vs analogue), the one with more distortion actually sounds more pleasing and actually give a bit more illusion of being there (but not neccessarily more accurate in absolute term

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There has been this never ending debate on tubes vs SS, and Raul’s made it clear that he preferred SS.

Yes, tubes definitely have more “measurable” distortion. But, if you are old enough to remember, when SS equipment was first introduced, they already had lower “measurable” distortion than tubes, but they just sounded sterile and hard, compared to the tubes at the time! Of course, SS has improved considerable since then. The same thing actually happened to LP vs CD, the perfect sound forever, remember?

If I remember correctly, the audio industry started out measuring only THD, and when the result fail to correlate with people’s hearing / preference, they start measuring IMD. When that also failed, they found out that human hearing are more affected by odd order harmonics distortion rather than even order harmonics distortion. Till today, we still don't have a set of measurement that could tell us how a system would sound like to us!

So, our search for better sounding equipment goes on, depends on our own hearing and preferences. I would think, whichever system / equipment can move your emotions better, is probably the better system for you!

Dear Thekong: +++++ " some forum members think differently! " ++++

sure they did because was not prepared for it: it naked everything and this fact is not a welcomed one when we can't undestarnd it when we can't understand why.

+++++ " as most of us (at least I) would certainly have our own preferences. " +++++

I think all have the same preference: MUSIC, period. You can prefer different kind of music but other than the kind of music if we know in deep how music sounds then there is no space for preferences: music sounds right or wrong it does not matters of preferences . The problem in audio is that as you almost all of us like to " hide " behind that " preferences/subjectivity " because is our " defense mechanism ". You use it in your other post when posted:

+++++ " If that means I like high distortion, so be it! " +++++

and discussion end it. Like that almost all your arguments and almost other people arguments, we have to take on the subjective hand when we really can't understand or think different from other person.

++++ " depends on our own hearing and preferences. " +++++

not preferences but own hearing because is an additional " voicing " tool. I can add too: " own deep trained hearing ", this is the difference between audiophiles as you and me or the ones that prefered to " keep his pricey items ".

Btw, the latest Essential version is still second to none but not on sale any more. I'm finishing a new design but not for sale either.

+++++ " I am not sure how your method of testing could totally eliminate personal preference and be completely neutral. " +++++

as I said you can't understand it so: how can you have an opinion on something that " I'm not sure how... "?.

Anyway, thak's for your time.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Hi Raul,

Yes, I agreed that there can be no discussion if one insists that he is always right, and any other who don't agree with him, wrong!

BTW, as you have mentioned, you also liked the FR66/64 once in the past! So, if we had followed your advice at the time, then we all have to make the change now! How can we be sure you won't change your mind tomorrow?

While I enjoy learning about the invaluable experience from other forum members, I would like to make my own judgment on the performance!

Since I have made my point, I would stay away from this subject! :-)

Dear Thekong: +++++ " How can we be sure you won't change your mind tomorrow? " +++++

you don't change when you don't learn: learning is a proccess that can gives you a new " vision/status " of things that you thinked you knwe very well. When we have new information true information on that continuously learning proccess usually time to time yo could change for the better: if not why spend time to learn if for no other thing that improve?

I can see that you don't move from that old tube technology even in the worst place to have: phono stage. Whatt did you learn that made that you don't move that you don't improve or grow-up about other that " I like it "?

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

you don't change when you don't learn: learning is a proccess that can gives you a new " vision/status

I can see that you don't move from that old tube technology even in the worst place to have: phono stage

I don’t know about the others, but I think there is some contradiction there!

Since you have been wrong….ah, let’s say less “learned”, in the past, how can we, or even you, be sure you won’t “learn” that tubes are superior tomorrow! Just like you have "learned" that digital can be superior to analogue!

After all, “When we have new information true information on that continuously learning proccess usually time to time yo could change for the better…”

Don't know where you got the idea that I am using a tube phono! Actually, I have been using SS phonos for the past few years. But then, I just placed an order for a tube phono, which is much superior to my untrained ears!

I am not advocating others to use tube rather than SS, just that is my choice! 

Dear Rual, I really have nothing against you! Actually, I have followed your advice and got myself an Acos / Lustre 801, which I still keep. A good arm in its own right, but I prefer the FR64S!