The beauty of space and time

[suri]

The moral of the story is that you should pick your passions judiciously and in line with your means

there, psychotropic - nailed it you have!!

 

[dinyaar]

Like a lot of things in life too much knowledge/experience can be a bad thing.

If you're used to driving BMWs, you'll think that a hyundai car is an undriveable piece of crap. But I've never driven a BMW or even a VW, so I am very happy driving around in my Santro. I genuinely enjoy driving it.

But at the same time, I got myself (breaking bank, paying EMIs) a plasma TV, and now when I watch stuff at my parents place on their 29" CRT it looks too small, and I yearn for the 42" of plasma. But my parents are blissfully happy with it, because it's so much bigger than their old 21" TV.

The moral of the story is that you should pick your passions judiciously and in line with your means getting used to high levels of quality can make you lose the ability to derive happiness from the cheaper stuff. And at the end of the day, all this is about the pursuit of happiness

People will always be there with less means, or less of an obsession with something, and this doesn't mean that they will not be able to derive the same level of happiness that you derive from something expensive, from something that their means and priorities permit them to purchase.

I guess in this way books are the great leveller. I don't think anyone ever claims to derive more pleasure from reading a leatherbound hardback first edition than a tatterred paperback picked up from a second-hand bookstore.

And now I am rambling....and I will stop!

Nicely written.

One can enjoy MUSIC thru loads of 'cheap' set ups. Problem is our expectations are sometimes unreal.
I dont think I enjoy myself any more now as compared to when I had pre owned MIDFI gear.
Rgds

 

[suri]

I guess in this way books are the great leveller. I don't think anyone ever claims to derive more pleasure from reading a leatherbound hardback first edition than a tatterred paperback picked up from a second-hand bookstore

sure, but i love the smell of books - whenever i lay my hands on a book - i put in front of my nose -"riff" the pages- and inhale - i especially like the smell of books on (wooden) library shelves-

will do a comparo of the smell of leather bound hardback edition versus cheap (penguin) paperback! (tattered)

 

[thevortex]

Psychotropic - you said everything that I wanted to, and perhaps better than I could have. That analogy about books was particularly poignant. Well done!

 

[sachin_k5]

All we can do is to help people get the best equipment possible for a particular budget. At times too much knowledge is also bad. I really envy the non-audiophiles who enjoy what they have. Will we ever stop chasing the utopian best system all our lives?
Cheers

Very thought provoking venkatcr :clapping:

 

[murali]

Guys..lets not get too much carried over this . I guess the murali's opinion was coming in from his frustration of listening to something which is a clear step down in what he was getting as per his expectation from music, thats the way i read it

people do enjoy music out of the cheapest phones as well although that does not mean they do not enjoy music..but if they can afford it they may very well enjoy it a lot more on a "better" system..and it just makes sense to go for the best system one can afford

But as in all things in Life, the Law of Diminishing returns applies and it is important to get ones own Budget/pricepoint right based on financial and other priorities

BTW While i can enjoy music on my midfi system and also on my basic car audio I find TV speakers really are really unbearable !

Venkatcr..completely agree on the below

Thanks, arj, at least someone who understands the spirit (not in literal sense) behind this lamentation.

So I decided to get this micro system stretched to what is possible. First I put the thing on a 4ft wide showcase (where my 32" TV sits) in front of a big window with thick drapes in the living room. The rack moves to about 2ft in front of the drapes (enough breathing space for speakers!). Luckily I chose the system with detachable speakers and so I put the speakers nearly 4ft apart close to the edge of the support. A little exercise of toe-in helped the cause more. Put some small heavy stones on top of the component and speakers (they are too light!). Next, have a go.

Wow, it is much much better. A sense of depth appears, at least side-to-side and front-to-back. There are some spaces noticeable among various instruments. Resolution is much better. I would say a reasonable and listenable soundstage. Some focus of vocals at the center.

Okay, now I am listening to some music, much better.

Someone asked about what I am used to listen back home. For those who don't know:

Ayre C-5xe, ARC Ref 3, Ayre V-5xe, Vandy 2Ce Sig, Rel Strata-5

Audioquest cables, VH Audio and van den Hul power cords

Solid Tech Rack of Silence, Taoc AS amplifier stand

Plenty of footers like Black Diamong racing cones, Ayre/Cardas wooden blocks, Feet of Silence, Taoc isolators etc etc

P.S. Lucky I didn't buy Bose Wavesound with which I cannot play around like this.

Moral of the story: All controversial issues matter --- like speaker positioning, vibrations, rooms acoustics etc etc. More important, buy microsystems with detachable speakers.

Not much leverage left anymore.

Bye and cheers.
murali

(from there)

 

[murali]

Sorry, I forgot to summarise how it feels now. Well, it is like great Test players like Rahul Dravid and Damien Martyn looking forlorn and pathetic with their bats in hand in the T-20 arena and McGrath and Warne being clouted around all over the place. I can understand their emotions from a similar life-like experience.

cheers.
murali

 

[venkatcr]

Murali, a pair of bookshelves from an internet only company such as Aperion Audio or Axiom would make a tremendous improvement in sound for you. When you return, you can always sell the speakers. These would cost you less than 500$ a pair. Some of the brands have received honourable mention and have also been included on Stereophile's list of recommended budget equipment.

Cheers

 

[thevortex]

By the way, Murali, sorry to spoil your party but Rahul Dravid has been a fine player even in T20 cricket. And Warne has pretty much held his own through thick and thin.

 

[square_wave]

Hi Murali,

It would have been wiser if you had picked up a pair of audio engine 5's and connected an i-pod to it.

They can sound a bit strident compared to your current setup but they do a lot of things right for the money you spend.

 

[santhosh]

Someone asked about what I am used to listen back home. For those who don't know:

Ayre C-5xe, ARC Ref 3, Ayre V-5xe, Vandy 2Ce Sig, Rel Strata-5

Audioquest cables, VH Audio and van den Hul power cords

Solid Tech Rack of Silence, Taoc AS amplifier stand

Plenty of footers like Black Diamong racing cones, Ayre/Cardas wooden blocks, Feet of Silence, Taoc isolators etc etc

That was me sir. Thanks for sharing

P.S. Lucky I didn't buy Bose Wavesound with which I cannot play around like this.

That someone was me and I asked since I could not find it anywhere on the forum (I searched). Thanks for sharing details on your system. Like I mentioned in my post, if you are used to those component you have mentioned in your post or higher, then a microsystem as a secondary system will never keep you happy. Glad you have made those tweaks and are happier now.