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Audiophiles vs DIY-o-philes

Hi folks, I've been visiting the DIYaudio forum during the last weeks or so and it appears to me that the people who are discussing matters are often very well informed about the technical issues and often have a technical background as well. but sometimes I have the impression that these wonderful people are emphasizing the technical rather than the non-technical issues, like: how a unit really sounds. The term "musicality" is not for the techies but more for the non-technical audiophiles and musicians. But what does the audio-music-o-phile wants? Isn't that to get a "musical" and emotional sound that will bring him closer to "live"? This is a prelude to a very controversial issue that I want to discuss: are the audio-techno-philes who are measuring and DIY'ing things more concerned with measurement data and circuit topologies rather than with how a unit really sounds?

Chris
dazzdax
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
The problem has been aggrevated by the trend toward industrial design in fit & finish of audio components, which adds materially to cost without improving performance.

No Kidding! $50 drivers in a $10000 speaker cabinet...at least the piano black finish looks impressive because that is mostly what you paid for...even though it does nothing for the sound!

Doubtless there are DIYers with pale skins from too much obsessing over oscilloscopes in sunless basements-- and who rarely come up for air or music. But for every one of these, there are 10 suckers born every minute who eagerly pay a rediculous premium for nebulous improvement in some new audio component, or conduct an endless merry-go-round of transactions in audiophile nervosa on Audiogon.

EXACTLY!

=> An "informed buyer" will recognize beneficial science/design from "meaningless hyped specifications/formulas/hyperbole", or from outright "snake oil", AND, at the same time, will have a good ear/memory for what sounds right musically. Both are essential. One without the other is quite lost. Think Gordon J. Holt.

Unfortunately for me I have tin ears...so I am lost from the get go!
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
At least in my case DIY is very much driven by the quest for better sound within a given budget. In the case of speakers, many were designed ENTIRELY by ear, with nary a measurement. Nowadays we have the benefit of much research into the behavior of drivers in boxes, and detailed specs for drivers, but this only means fewer itterations of the design because the starting point will be OK. The final evaluation and design tweeking is always done by ear.

Non-DIY audiophiles seem quite ready to accept mods to their high priced off-the-shelf gear. Perhaps they don't realize that much of the DIY work is mods, and there was a time when all mods were DIY.
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Dgarretson: so in your opinion most of the people who are buying expensive gear are fools and most DIY'ers are (although being restricted in their financial resources) the genuine audiophiles? This also implicates that products from these consummate DIY'ers are better than most of the "overpriced" gear. Is this in fact the truth? So most of us, non-techie audiophiles, are being fooled by the so called high-end manufacturers and that our hearing is likely more sensitive to suggestion and "placebo effect" than the dedicated DIY'er?

Chris
gregm
3,405 posts
 
Shadorne sez
Unfortunately for me I have tin ears...so I am lost from the get go!
Lol!

I admit to liking oscilloscopes -- they are very useful. As well as unsmoothed RTA and FFT -- lots of fun. What about DSPs -- great machines (sound is often a bit dry, but the benefits are always very liquid).
gregm
3,405 posts
 
Actually, to return to subject, it would seem that the primal scream of the diy-er was originally: buy "better" is not an option so I'm left with diy for improving sound.
The you realise that diy can be fun (or not, depends on the person).

But the underlying motivation is: get BETTER sound.

Of course, diy-ing may become an end to itself -- i.e. where the machine & the engineering challenge takes the upper hand over the initial onjective which was sound.
But I think that's rare.
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