In your opinion, what is Hi, Medium and Low end?

Audiofeil,"Avoid all the static here".After reading many of these Forums I should heed your advice.
Doug_Schroeder,Perfectly explained.Thank you.You do mention that in some systems it wont be heard at all.How does one know what should be heard if they haven't heard it before.
My Dad is forever changing cables.With each new purchase he exclaims "this is so much better."Frankly I heard little or no differences with these changes.He told me its because i dont know how to listen.My question is does a music lover also need a trained ear to hear differences or when it comes to high end is it obvious?

06-09-08: Gogirl asked:
"...My question is does a music lover also need a trained ear to hear differences or when it comes to high end is it obvious? "

If you really don't sit down and listen to your dad's system a lot, then it's not surprising that you hear little difference. To some extent your ears do get trained, but it'll often require an "epiphany" of some sort.

One such epiphany for me was with high quality CD players. When CD was young I was using a very inexpensive CD player and wondering if I should spend big bucks on a top line CDP. I listened in a few shops and didn't hear anything. Finally, a smart retailer said, "Take it home Saturday evening and listen to it over Sunday in your own system." Even after an hour of ABing, I wasn't hearing anything and finally settled down to listen for enjoyment. All of the sudden I heard a clarity and openness that I hadn't noticed before. When I went back to my cheap player the glare and opaqueness was obvious. Later when I got in the car the glare of that player was obvious and almost unlistenable, even though it'd sounded fine to me earlier in the same day. I called the dealer on Monday morning and said I was keeping the $3000 CDP/DAC rig (this was 1993).

Anyway, the training part is that I now easily hear that coloration and glaze/glare. Cables display similar character. Some can't really hear it, but they get "listener fatigue" with one system and not another, it's often related to these kinds of causes.

"Making" yourself hear a difference NEVER works. You need to relax with your own system. Live with a system for a few weeks before ever considering a "tweak". Once you're used to the system and very familiar, then switch one component (like borrow some cables from your dad). Listen for a few hours and then switch back to the original component. Did you hear a difference? Maybe, maybe not, but if you did and it wss for the better, then switching back to the original will be very disturbing.

For those of us that listen a lot, getting rid of the stress/glare/glaze in the sound is very important, inabling much longer, more enjoyable listening sessions.

Dave

Dave,

"Making" yourself hear a difference NEVER works. You need to relax with your own system. Live with a system for a few weeks before ever considering a "tweak".

I agree with that 100%. I I've always advocated long term, relaxed listening. I would even say "listening from the heart" to see if it brings you closer to the music. Almost any change is audible to the well experienced listener.

What throws many people off in this pursuit is described perfectly by Gogirl in her post:

My Dad is forever changing cables. With each new purchase he exclaims "this is so much better."

I think her Dad was indeed hearing differences but confusing change with improvement. Improvements that make music better, providing long term satisfaction requires patience and discipline.

I follow my own advice, only two speaker systems in 19 years, one brand of cable in 21 years and the same preamp and phono for 10 years. Sure, I've listened to dozens of others, but to change I would have to be convinced that I was getting a TRUE upgrade, not just another set of trade off.

Experience is impossible to gain from a forum, other than to educate the listener to exercise care when making a decision. Even so, it's much like trying to find your all time favorite dining spot from reading restaurant reviews.

DC Step>Dave,thank you for your help.
Mr.Porter> I sincerely hope I didn't put you on the spot when I first mentioned your informative post.
I should apologize to my dad.Because I didn't hear difference's I thought that he may have deceived himself by wanting to hear a difference.Well your system certainly exceeds my present budget but it is good to know that in selecting the correct equipment one can still enjoy its sound after 20 years.
As a 24 year old I may be a little late coming to this hobby
but I have a passion for the arts,especially music and I am about to take the plunge.I hope I can count on all you sincere,knowledgable,nonegoist people for help and support.
I thank you all

GoGirl, thanks. Experience hearing many rigs/audio systems lets a person get a feel for different equipment and what is possible.

The differences in sound your dad is focusing on are like a woman looking at the stitching on a dress. Men would be completely oblivious to it. Reverse the situation; you could care less, but your dad is analyzing the stereo critically. You have to be brutally honest with yourself. Will you likely turn into a person who wants to sit and scrutinize the sound? If not, then don't stress over it. It's very likely that many, many combinations of gear will thrill you. If that changes over time, then you can play the Upgrade Game.

No special expertise is needed to put together a great stereo (but it's always wise to let the experienced help). But, after you do it a few dozen times you'll get better. Or you can let an "expert" do it for you so that you'll forever be paralyzed by the fear of making a mistake in changing anything. :)