I'm almost 60 too, and Hi-fi sounded GREAT in the 70's! ...... And it STILL sounds great today, because I'm still using it! And yes, it compares very favourably to today's equipment! ...... I agree that recording quality (and indeed music!) was much better back in the 70's when I started out!
In 1978 I purchased my Infinity QLS-1’s and still have them today !! After 44 years they still impress me with everything I put through them, from movies to Music !! Complicated Music !!!! You will find No Bigger Frank Zappa Fan !! From Allman Brothers to Zappa !!
There is a store in my city, Rockford, Il, that only sells AND repairs vintage (60s, 70s and 80s) stereo equipment. Receivers, speakers, amps, preamps, cassette decks and turntables. They have a waiting list for repairs. If you look online there might be a store in your area. I had no idea there was a big demand for vintage equipment.
I’m reliving the 70’s right now, bought a pair of “new” old school cabinet speakers with stands, the KLH Model 5. Holographic, HUGE SOUNDSTAGE, deep bass, nice high end and midrange. These speakers actually disappear in my room, the sound envelops you. They have had me looking over my shoulder more than a few times. The 5.2 system I tore out will not be missed. If you want a modern old school speakers, give the KLH Model 5’s a look.
My hearing tests have improved actually. I retrained my hearing by sitting on the floor in front of 70’s Sansui stereo speakers listening to cassettes. In my kitchen. I’m serious.
I think minimal changes noticed by science apparatus do not make real difference to listening audio system. I know that my upper limit fallen from 19 kHz to adbout 13 kHz but the same recordings I perceive even better today due to exceptional quaity of speakers Concluding - I cannot hear any more the radio stereo pilot signal 19 kHz but I do'nt notice any loss in music as in my memory. . I thought so when I used another speakers which were the problem untill I changed them to the exactly same as in young days. .
@@Mikexception that’s a good point. Music memory for things you know from years before. And yes, a lot of a certain sound or music is dependent on the equipment and environment. Like musical instruments, to perfectly mimic a sound of a guitarist you need all the same kit that’s used.
An important thing to remember is that for anyone 60 years or older, your ears aren't what they were back in 1970. All senses dull with age. Everything sounds better when you're young.
Yep. I was gonna say this. I've noticed a DRAMATIC change in my hearing and ability to enjoy music from my late twenties to my mid 30s. Most 70s gear sounds like shit, unless you had real high end stuff.
As with the vitamin supplements being pushed for retaining visual acuity, are there such options/dietary suggestions for hearing? Notwithstanding the aging of/damage to the ear's physical structures.
This is so true. I spent a good portion of my youth as a working Rock musician(drummer) and I'm well aware of. My hearing loss. I still focus on my audiophile journey and try to factor in hearing loss as I listen. You have to focus on specifics. I spent some time working as a sound tech, so I am familiar with the use of graphic snd parametic equalizers, so I can somewhat tailor the sound yo make up for SOME of that hearing deficiency.
@@That_Handle There are a lot of factors involved, and many different problems that could affect hearing. Some things might be treatable, but others aren't. You might want to find a good ENT and get tested. One of the best things you can do is to prevent further damage. Don't listen at high levels. Also, protect your ears in noisy environments, or when using power tools, hammering things, driving with windows open, and on planes. Damage is cumulative.
@@LeeBlaske Yep. Unfortunately I worked retail for 4.5 years, and my hearing was VERY heavily affected by all the noise in the store. I wasn't the only one who noticed that too. Other than that, I'm the kind of belt and suspenders person who carries around a couple sets of high quality earplugs with me everywhere, just in case.
There's lots of really nice, lovingly restored, and sometimes upgraded 1970s stereo systems available for sale all over. 🤷 Reliving the 1970s isn't very hard, I have a bunch of that stuff myself.
people in their 60+ what they miss is their younger EARS. the ears and hearing abilities we had in out teens, 20s and 30s... things start to change past 40s
Paul is too right. I was born in 1980 and already by 1990 I realized that 70's recordings are the ones I always ended up loving, simply because they sound so dang good.
I have been listening to Record playing music from back in the 50s which my aunties used to play until I had the money to buy my 1st Record player.. then that was the best & then I upgraded to the next level & that was the best.. & so on until I got to the stage where the money sound got far to expensive for me.. but you can always have a limit to what you can afford & that is where you start to enjoy what you have !! not what money you have but what sound you can enjoy without being broke..
That's weird. I'm born in the eighties and think the recordings from the eighties sound much better than the 70s or 90s. Especially queen, elton john, etc.
The point Paul was making is the sound the guy wants, still very much exists and is attainable. It didn’t go away just because the 1970’s decade did! If anything certain things have gotten even better and more affordable with equal or even better sound quality. Now in the area of recording’s that has changed a ton. It’s get it recorded and get it out with very little attention to the details!
I’m 65 soon to be 66 and I think I also miss the sounds of the 70’s but my system from the early 90’s Carver and Infinity speakers with an added subwoofer things are pretty damn close.
I still use a pair of Carver AL-III's. They are great for the money and with an updated crossover. I also still use a Dual CS-721 TT that I bought in "78" and I love it : )
@@stephensams709 I was given a pair of Monitor Audio R352s which were in a loft for about 20 yrs but were going to be thrown out to the skip.. So I decided to give them a run & they blew my Monitor Audio 9s away.. So I recoated them in Ash Black Wood coating & they are my speakers until I die because they are unbelievable for my system.
My Carver that I mention is my Carver 772 receiver. The Infinity speakers are the Infinity Reference 4 speakers. I think music sounds better today because I have been sober for 36 years so I can really hear the music not just the sound.
I have a set of Pioneer Exclusives pre & power amps from the 70s ($7000 USD for both in 1975, so $35k in today's dollars) which I've cleaned up and recapped. Comparing those to modern hifi gear, I can rest easy that I'm not leaving anything on the table when it comes to enjoying my music. Plus, you can't really beat the build quality from vintage high end unless you want to spend crazy money.
I remember my father using a high end pioneer amp that used tubes, the amp was great, but used really poor binding post wire clips, and the speaker wire was bell wire, speakers had really heavy grill clothes on them, it seems they didn't pay attention to things such as this, but the amp sounded great it was what probably initiated the spark in my hifi journey ..
I tend to agree with you Sir. Songs on vinyl are so much clearer and dynamic. I had a hybrid amp in the 70s, and the speakers were pioneer 100s I think. Name of amp eludes me, well I'm 71, expected to forget eh.
I listen to soul musics, mainly play LPs. I noticed many of the mid to late 60s soul tune LPs, such as Gordy, Motown or Tampla label stereo LPs had excellent separation. You are right that in today's recording, I could hardly notice any good separation, very poor indeed.
Hey Vince you must come to the realization that your 60 as am I and our hearing is NOT the same! Not only are the frequencys we hear deteriorating but also our hearing sensitivity! I still have my music from the 70 and 80 and still have the same equipment although not Hi End (Harman Kardon 700 and 800 series) discrete components, the stuff sounds different, the only thing that changed was ME! Happy Listening 👍🏽
Best Buy has outstanding audiophile speakers at many price points. They have various MartinLogan Electrostatics, Focal speakers, Bowers and Wilkins. They sell KEF which are outstanding, KEF are a tremendous speaker company. They have the JBL Anniversary floor standing speakers, which would probably be a great choice for a 70s rock fan, but are $3000-$5000 a pair. And at cheaper prices Klipsch and Polk that are tremendous price to performance. Best Buy offers a lot of great options.
I bet you their revenues are doing just fine. I like what PS Audio offers and their approach, but I don't know if it's for me. And there's some criticism that they do a lot of unconventional designs which improves some aspects of audio, but also degrades the signal. And their designs lock the user into what they deem is the best. It's been argued that perhaps everything PS audio does could be done digitally and with mixing tools. And then you'd have infinite possibilities. All the engineers at PS Audio design very complex boards that are expensive and might not be for everyone. But it's been argued that if you do indeed like what PS Audio products sound like, then their offerings are the purest way to achieve that sound.
You said it. The quality of the sound is dependent on what the recording tech did. I’ve heard good recordings on bad systems and I wasn’t disappointed.
Personally I believe there are good and bad recordings in all eras, even today. For example Steely Dan recordings have been consistently excellent from the 70s to now while ELO recordings from the 70s/80s are pretty average despite being engineered by Mack at Musicland. Meanwhile, contemporary artists can produce great recordings, for example Anette Askvik - 'Liberty', Malia - 'Convergence' and The Weather Station - 'Ignorance'.
It's videos like this that absolutely shatter my confidence that your opinion on almost anything hifi is worth a dime. I cannot comprehend how anyone could be surprised those IRS5s sound better in LR3 than a similar room half the size.
Doesn’t everyone who appreciates quality sound remember a past experience where you heard a system that blew your socks off? I’ve had at least three but I only remember pieces of the setup for each one, so I can’t even try to replicate it (realizing the difference in the age of the components). I did get pretty close with one system I remembered, but it just wasn’t the same; then again, I’m not the same either.
Oh no - You are the same - problem is in our ability to "skulpture " the sound - my conclusion is that ex for me it has shown beyond reach. Logical conclusions are often in contrary to results.
Sadly these days high end audio is a niche market...People nowadays would rather quantity over quality!......Fantastic content Paul and the entire team at PS Audio love it.....
I am 59 and there is great sounding gear nowadays. There are good and bad recordings now and there were good and bad recordings then as well. We need details on those "all in one" systems that were mentioned in the letter and how the music was reproduced via them. Was it Bluetooth? Play Aja by Steely Dan(great recording) in that all in one system to see how well it reproduces.
I don't see how anyone can make sweeping generalizations comparing the sound quality of hifi gear in the 1970's and today's gear, without specifying what hifi equipment and the particular sound qualities they are referring to. Since hifi began there has always been a range of gear from poor to excellent quality available at different price points. As Paul said there is hifi gear made by PS Audio and many other current hifi companies, that sound as good, and probably better than most gear from the 1970's. The reality is that most people, even those who have been around a long time, have only experienced sound from a very limited number of different hifi systems. Most, if not all, those systems, were fair to very good sounding and not expensive high end equipment playing the best quality recordings. As Paul also mentioned most people do not particularly care about sound quality generally and many just prefer the kind of sound that they are used to, can afford and personally like. For that reason, they think the quality is very good, compared to sound that is actually more neutral, accurate, detailed and tonally balanced, with extended frequency range, which the best of todays hifi gear and recordings offers to discerning listeners and audiophiles, as it has done in previous times.
I have an great sounding and quite expensive sound system I purchased after raising now 32 plus year old kids. But still I crave the good old days. That amazing sound of my first stereo . It was pretty good for that time. Luxman R 1120 amp, rega planar 2 turntable and Polk 10 speakers. It was my pride and joy and remember that sound, but in no way could stand up to what I have now. It's about being young and the fond memories as much as anything. Almost like an old romance .
@@billfife6569Well said Bill. There seems to be a large chunk of nostalgia associated with many baby boomers who harp back to the 1960's and 1970's "good old days". It is, generally, a great time in life when people are young and free to go excitedly learning and exploring what the world has to offer. The recollections of our first long journey, job, car, love and hifi system etc. will always be strongly held fond memories but later in life, after being exposed to a much broader range of experiences and knowledge, we tend to be less subjective and more objectively focused. Of course the romantic inclinations persist in our memories and I think that is why these good, positive feelings for the past, minus the difficulties, doubt, fear and frustration that were also present at the time, still remain in the minds of us old geezers.
I think what happened here is that in the 70’s HiFi meant it followed the DIN 45500 standards, until some manufacturers started to call everything HiFi and people bought it because of the good reputation of the term and didn’t complain which then resulted in competition on price and reduction of production costs, rather quality. If you want something that sounds really good buy something new from a specialist or buy vintage equipment while it’s still available.
When I was in my twenties and full of love and health, I could hear my young wife calling me to help her in the kitchen. Now with the hifi blaring, I cannot hear a thing.
I think that what most people want is a HONKING YUUUUUUUUGE TVEEEEE in their living rooms. A big "flat screen" TVEEEE, is why impresses the most these days. Remember when people referred to a "Color TV" instead of just a TV? Play back a HONKING HUGE LOUD "Hollywood CGI" special effects popcorn super hero non plot flick and they will be happy, as long as the audio portion has that "Best Buy/Circuit City" BOOM BOOM base. This is where we are. Don't get me started on that huge pick up truck parked out in their driveway.
You mean an HD LCD monitor? Haha yeah I have one.. it helps me justify having 4 high end VCRs hooked up to it so I can show ppl old stuff can look and sound great still but only I’m crazy enough to care. 🤷🏻♂️
I think Paul is sort of missing what they're talking about because I doubt they're seeing tons of young people with actual 2-channel hi-fi systems (although I could be wrong). When they refer to "convenience", they probably mean the incredibly common bluetooth and smart speakers on the market that really can't be considered "hi-fi" at all. They are typically mono (or stereo with little to no separation) so of course there's no "separation" of instruments, etc. Even a cheap Yamaha receiver and a $100 pair of bookshelves will get you good separation and stereo effect, if setup right. The recordings also could be part of it due to many early stereo recordings having really overdone stereo effects (like panning specific instruments all the way into one channel).
I noticed a change in the sound of my favorite artists who recorded from the 70s and beyond. There was a thinned out, bottomless sound from mid 80s into the 90s,p. That’s when they just cranked everything beyond the level media could manage. Now so much of today’s music, due to how low the noise floor can be, has distortion added in to give it character.
I noticed that top amateur recordings (like Layney Gardner's Dreams cover) are better than official releases. Elise Trowl is a talented "looper" and her amateur version of the same song sounds better than her official release. Not as rolled off up top, more ambient and sweeter voice sound and 3D depth than the official blander sound, and just simply more engaging.
Good vintage gear can still be in top quality and sound just as good and better than today's gear. But just because its vintage doesn't make it good. And also new gear at high prices doesn't equally good. Speakers in 70s weren't as good but more than a few were great. Old isn't bad
Recording, mixing, mastering & mass production are as uneven now as in the past. Speed, greed or need are defining factors for most folk but the Dead Kennedys said it best - "Give me convenience or give me death" in 1987, (they knew irony as that was the title of their convenient compilation album).
I have to agree with Paul regarding the recording quality of most contemporary music, especially pop. I listen to a very wide range of music (including some pop) and find modern jazz, ambient/electronic and contemporary classical to be mostly very, very good. Older recordings weren't always wonderful - some 60s - 70s & beyond bands (I'm looking at you Stones) were always issuing crappy recordings. In the last 20 years one of the worst offenders has been Coldplay, with mushed, compressed recordings, no soundstage with little separation - a victim of the 'loudness wars'. I still run a pair of 1979 AR9s via 2 older NAD mono blocks. The AR tweeters probably need replacing now but even so, those puppies dish it out - never getting rid of them.
I have multiple things to say, so this will be a long comment. (1) There’s an internet meme going around with a close up photo of the label from.a Led Zeppelin record that is captioned “The reason vinyl sounded better back then was because music sounded better back then”. A hard sentiment to argue against. (2) I agree that music was recorded better back then. I’ve heard many a novelty song recorded to sound as good as any rock legend’s songs. (3) Sometimes you have to dig around to find a great version too. We got a CD of “Hotel California” by The Eagles (1976) made by a company called DCC (Dunhil Compact Classics) in 1992. When I first heard it, using a cheap surround sound amp from Pioneer (we only had two speakers connected and kept all EQ setting off), hearing the opening notes, my jaw dropped. Something that hasn’t happened before or since. Though there have been a few recordings that make me sit up and go wow. They are out there. You just have to find them. And they’re not always audiophile editions like the one from DCC. (4) I’m tired of modern chart music using no instruments and/or Auto-Tune. AT and drum machines have their place. But not on every damn song! (5) I will likely never own any P.S. Audio equipment. Why? Because in 2020 we got a dedicated stereo integrated amplifier from Yamaha (A-S700) and it sounds great to me. We could probably upgrade our CD player next, but we are happy with everything else we’ve got. So I’m now concentrating on getting more of the music I like. Better versions of some CD’s we have. Purchasing others for the first time - I have not owned “Let It Be” or “A Hard Day’s Night” since I was a kid/teen so it’s about bloody time I got them! When you find a system that makes you happy, it’s music time!
I'm 61, been an audiophile my whole life. I still have dozens of pieces of high-end vintage gear from the '60-'80s. You would be amazed at the prices they are going for now on eBay and such. Now, I have a high-end home theater system with the same, but refurbished VMPS speakers and Carver amps powered by a high-end modern AVR. I wasn't a Golden Ear, but I did pride myself in the past on my hearing quality. Here's the thing...for reasons not mentioned, I went about 15+ yrs in my 40-50's and didn't listen to music. When I started again last year, stuff sounded like shit. Compressed and muffled. I had had my hearing tested and had the usual problems of frequency response. But this was different. I explained it to several audiologists, unfortunately, non of them audiophiles, and have come to the conclusion it's me and my hearing. I can't begin to tell you the disappointment I felt after being so excited to get back into music...and it sounds like crap.
Sorry to hear that. Maybe go try some good electrostatic headphones to demo? There's also the new technology bone induction type which works differently. Hope you can find a solution to enjoy music again!
To whomever reviews these comments at PS Audio: it is this series of videos that were the cause of my purchase of a Strata amp and return to good audio. Up next is the Sprout!
Nowadays the sound mixes usually has a low dynamic range, are too loud and too bass, most sounding boomy which means losing details, comparing diferent old and new recordings and different genres, people also tend judge how the song sounds good by nostalgic feelings and taste. Listening to the same recording in different equipment may sound better or worse depending on the room where it is located in, also our memory is not very reliable over the years and unfortunately our hearing changes due aging.
I build speakers and have my Audiolab (expensive) amp and I thought a lot of my friends would be more interested. I reckon if I made shovels instead of speakers they would be more interested.
I may say only what is my own experience - at first setting of my desired sound happened in 60/70 and was more apparent than deliberated I was hoping to upgrade sound of am radio then lukcy without understanding just got it - rare experience. Listening to that caused my hobby. After I was hunting for better with the same recordings and solid and modern speakers but always "something" not in line . After a years and years I ened up with the same general concepts as at beginning and my worry is only to keep spares "in case" for my system. I back also what Paul says - today recordings are focused more on fancy and pleasing, not real sound. . .
To the first point about speakers sounder better back then, it could also be the questioners advancing age as hearing does get worse as you get older. But his point about modern systems sounding muffled is true in the low end market.
It is recording. Ironically I had a friend over this evening who has no exposure to anything but halfway mediocre quality playback, his comment listening to music in my home he was amazed at the district separation he was hearing beaten performers, something was never heard before.
great timing on this video. I'm trying to get suggestions on speakers (modern or vintage) that create a nice mellow sound but still have some quality in the detailing like some modern resolving speakers. I'm thinking Harbeth C7, Wharfedale Linton, of JBL L100, or Spendors. I'd like to use them as a main system in a mid-large size room, playing rocks (Brit pop, grunge), some jazz, and sometimes some modern pop. Most of my metal and jazz listening is done on my bookshelf system in my office, so looking recommendations for the much-admired "vintage" sound. Possible budget is US$1000-2000. The Klipsch Forte III look great but took expensive. Are the JBL L100s any good? Or is it a case of Harbeth vs Wharfedale? Any brands I might be missing out on?
I love it. Everyone wants ear buds which makes stereo equipment real cheap. Just bought 2 identical Amps over the last year. 5 years ago they listed for $1950 each. Both were under $300. each in perfect condition. With that said I love some vintage 70's stuff. My Realistic STA 64 receiver with walnut box and brushed aluminum face (my first love) is stupid pretty and has excellent sound quality for a 13 watts per channel Radio Shack item but when you start going up the quality ladder on some of that stuff it gets stupid expensive quick and without knowing someone who can fix it, it can be a nightmare. As pretty as some of the equipment was back then some of the 70's stuff was on the edge of going nuclear to put out the numbers they claimed. The 80's, 90's and 2000's got so much better inside the box. Outside the box, not so much. On a side note, I bought my Sony CE595 SCD player off the shelf at Best Buy and still have it today so dont be so quick.... Last, GIVE THE V's ROOM TO BREATH!!! I have 4 IRS IIIa's and I know my room is not big enough. The V's, I'm thinking 18 feet away from the front tower. Towers out 6 feet from wall and seat 6 feet from back wall... at least a 30+ foot long by 18 foot wide room with 10 foot ceilings at minimum.
I have always wonders why the big IRS system has such a wide baffle on the mid/tweer tower array? You seem experienced with them. Maybe you know the answer?
@@finscreenname That may be part of it, I guess. I believe those drivers radiate both forward and backwards. If the mid-range units are expected to go down to 150 Hertz or so, then maybe the belief is that they need a wide baffle to stop some cancellations. I think it probably is not a great idea to do it that way though and a lot of companies wouldn't go that route today. Baffles that wide tend to block rear radiating sound that bounce of the wall and come back forward. When the rear waves go unimpeded, they join the front giving a better sense of depth. GR Resaech speaks about open baffle, dipole radiation in this manner. Interesting stuff.
Granted, nothing can make up for a poor recording, but a major factor would be hearing quality degrading over time, especially if comparing what you heard in the 70s to now. Things starting to sound muffled is one of the symptoms, e.g. no longer being able to clearly hear the clicking of piano keys, plucks of guitar strings, drum cymbals, or even being able to clearly separate instruments amongst background noise. This is where equalisers and audio equipment signatures that are on the brighter side of neutral can make a huge difference. Use them to make up for the shortcomings in hearing loss, and being able to make your system sound great TO YOU. It may sound way too bright or "off" to someone else but to you it will be excellent and that's the important thing.
I think the invention of the DAW may have something to do with it too. With a DAW, you can record individual instruments/sounds separately (multi-track), and then layering and then combining them to produce one final song/product. Prior to DAW, you need to record everything together as a band in a room, so there is no artificial layering of tracks, artificial sound panning, etc. Also, with a DAW you can produce and replicate instruments electronically/digitally with a midi keyboard. Some of the sounds that you're hearing in music these days may not even come from the actual instrument, rather done through samples from a midi keyboard. And a DAW can have this quantization effect because everything happens in a mathematical grid. This causes the natural groove or swing in music to be lost and everything sounds like it has a machine-like precision. It's just a natural evolution of the industry. You win some, you lose some.
The audio equipment are designed for today. Remastered music matches the equipment? Audio engineers of today use remastered recordings of Joni, Neil or Miles?
I'm looking at the plane of your mid/tweeter towers and the plane of the woofer towers. Shouldn't you slide the woofer towers towards the listening position about a foot or so, so that the magnetic centers of the drivers are all on the same plane for time arrival cohesiveness at the listening position? Or if the bass is correct in that position for the room, move the mid/tweet towers back a foot or so?
The wavelengths are getting pretty long at that crossover frequency, and it really depends on the crossover alignment. You can be sure Paul has measured it all out to be correct.
The 1970's is my favorite decade. I love Quadraphonic sound. That's what's missing from todays music. We need more channels of sound and a awesome subwoofer to boost like when that movie earthquake was released in theaters in sensurround from universal.
I think if anything there are better sounding and more affordable systems that we ever saw in the 70's. Certainly digital has come light years from the 80's. Speakers seem to be very capable in the $1k category.
Not sure about "better sounding" but equipment today is certainly more affordable. In turn, this usually means they are also disposable (in that they cannot be repaired). Those receivers from the 70's will still be working another 40+ years from now. Can you say that about a $499 AVR? You can still (somewhat) buy new stuff like they made in the 70's, but it's expensive to build them that way anymore and you'll pay for the quality. And if you haven't heard good speakers from back then, I think you'd be surprised how capable some of them were. Not all, but the good was still very good.
With the equipment & technology of today. Music should sound much, much better than it ever has. But yet, most music from the 60's, 70's still sounds much better. Because it comes down to the recording engineer & producer.. Most modern music sounds like it's crushed, lack of stereo separation, low dynamics. As it's mainly made for the streaming services that most people listen on basic headphones or in a car with a stock stereo system.
Considering MSRP on those Infinity towers was 2/3 the median home price in 1980 I'd certainly hope they sound nice, and Infinity was definitely bringing their A game in that era across the board with their lineup. That said, 90% of what people are trying to accomplish can be done with care in setting up your room and with proper EQ. Generally speaking the acoustics of the room is the dominant factor in overall sound and virtually anything outside of absolute gutter quality drivers can be made to sound good with proper enclosure/loading, position, crossover, and EQ. I'd even go as far as to say a lot of recording mixes from back then seem very poor because the majority of people buying records didn't have really high fidelity methods to reproduce them. Similarly most of the popular musical acts in the early days of TV and radio were tenors because Gene Autry is going to sound better on a 2" TV speaker than Isaac Hayes. I'd further hazard to guess that most of the "good" "warm" "whatever" sound people like is generally distortion or non linearity that we experience as pleasant, and John Carver made rather a reputation for himself with this philosophy.
Old man is just romanticizing it, yea I may be half his age, but I am old enough to know how to source, clean, and set up a half decent budget old school system. I grew up yard sailing back in late 90’s and 2000’s, I wish I could go back and keep some of the stuff I got for less than 50 bucks, I’m a couple thousand deep in random cans and portable Dac amps, and a cheap tube amp with a collection of tubes that cost double that of the amp, but I’m finally at a point where I feel ready to do a fire sale and get something a bit higher up the can food chain.
Maybe that guy who wrote in was remembering what his 25-30 year old Ears heard Then, Vice what his Sixty Year old ears are hearing Now. Probably not as clear. 🤷♂️🤔
I'm interested in how you can say ....."People can't afford it - not true" ... How do you know what people can, and can't afford? Or am I missing something here?
I am about to turn 60 and guess what, my hearing is not what is used to be. Get a hearing test then add an equalizer and set things to your preference.
I find it incredibly sad, that in nearly all homes nowadays music is only consumed through some shitty mono bluetooth speaker. And yes, people just don't care. As long they can play their compressed spotify stream in any form, they are happy.
We are in an age where we can get convenience and great sound, which is fantastic to me. For example, class D amplification has become fantastic these days, even up into the high end, which both means that you can include more sophisticated functions and make it user friendly, and you can go even more convenient and look at active speakers and there are plenty of great sounding ones. Convenience does in no way have to mean worse sound and I'd take modern equipment over vintage since technology has indeed advanced. That being said, it doesn't mean that there aren't products out there that don't aim for great sound, but that shouldn't really be compared to hifi since it hasn't replaced hifi, it's still here.
As a Best Buy Employee I disagree with part of this video and agrre with another part. It is unfortunately true that most people when shown a true HiFi system think it's cool it is a hard sell to get most people to invest the time and money into a high quality system so they just buy a soundbar and sy that that is good enough for them. the part that I disagree with is that it isn't our goal. I try as hard as I can to convert as many people as I can to worship at the alter of HiFi and we do carry a lot of the best brands from affordable Elac and SVS to the high end B&W's and Martin Logans. I have a passion for HiFi and try as hard as I can to share it with others but most people don't care.
Agree! Magnolia is quite admirable! But sadly the same people who gladly drop $2500 on a 65" TV, will scoff at paying $1500 for a pair of speakers. One of my co-workers is like that, and I know he's a music lover, but simply won't make an effort for better sound. I think he's got a sound-bar now.
Bigger room bigger sound, when mastering for X you must take into account Y… or not engineering decisions are limitless X = MBL 101 X-treme Y = 2mm smartphone speaker
Everything is better when you are young, I had many, many years to figure that out. Led Zeppelin never sounded better listening with my high school friends on a Radio Shack system or Lionel Richie in my car on tape with my girlfriend. Big difference between enjoying and analyzing. That said, IMHO Hi-Fi equipment got better sounding over the years, you just have to synergize wisely. Besides many of the same guys are still building them, like Paul and Bob and Dan...
You are so wrong about that. I bought a four Technique 12" 3way ported speakers (probably in the year 2000), for my surround sound system. Years later... I got a used pair of EPI 100v speakers, made in the 70s. They are much smaller.. are only 2way, and the woofer is only 8". The EPIs literally Destroy the techs in every way. They have deeper punchier bass. And more accurate sound altogether.. by Magnitudes. They create a 3d holographic soundstage, that makes nearly the entire room a "Sweet Spot", due to their amazing inverted tweeters. I bought a Pioneer surround sound amp, in 1990. Probably one of the first few to have 5.1. That amp is still rocking as good as it was the day I bought it. However... I got a more modern Pioneer amp out of a thrift shop, and it was electronically borked. Similarly, I bought a brand new 4k HDTV more recently. It lasted less than 20 hours worth of use... before not being able to power on anymore. What happened? Modern companies have been cutting corners, trying to shave every penny they can.. which includes reducing functionality (such as having less distortion levels in the amp, less power levels overall, and much more)... and they are using lower quality parts. The biggest problem today... is the use of non-leaded soldier. The new soldier replacement does not flow as good... and it forms bad soldier connections, as well as these spiky hair-like formations. When the product is bumped around, and or expands and contracts due to heating and cooling... these little soldier hairs break off, and cause electrical shorts. Due to this... Im guessing about 60% of all modern electronics are failing in before the 3rd year mark. Many are d3ad right out of the box, brand new. The 70s had lower spec equipment, mid tier, and expensive tier. Nobody would ever say that Radio Shack speakers, were any good... no matter what year you are talking about. However, the mid tier "afforadable" speakers back then... were 10x better than the cheap garbage that is made today, for the same equivalent prices. In the EPIs, for example... the speakers are Sealed, not ported. Ported speakers create extremely Artificial sounding bass, thats full of distortions. The EPI woofers, have heavier and stronger magnets and coils. They are probably 3x heavier that the Techs 12" lightweight eco-woofers. The EPIs also used thicker wood cabinets (3/4") for superior bracing... where as the techs were using wood thinner than half an inch. The EPIs do not need more than a single cap for the crossovers, due to how they designed the woofer coils to be able to automatically filter out the high frequencies. That said... many of the speakers of that era, used very powerful crossover boxes. The AR3-A has a massive block of crossover components, for example. The techs, had like 2 small caps in it. The 80s was when they started cheaping out on speakers, and started making ECO-Friendly Ported speakers... with those wimpy low power woofers (which would often easily blow, as a result). Every year after... things got worse and worse. The Eco-Nazzis took over the recording studios, and started to compress all of the audio finals (CDs). They compressed probably 10 to 15% more... every year after. Now all new music, is flat as a pancake, due to the massive amount of compression that they have used on them. A lot of younger gens got really TICKED OFF, when they found out. How did they find out? There was a video game that had the same musical artist tracks in the game... which sounded 10x better than the brand new CDs that they had bought. The game disc didnt have compressed audio (slipped one of the Eco-Nazzis hands). They falsely labeled this compression as "Loudness Wars". Because a compressed CD would be louder than non compressed CDs, when played back on the same system / same amp power levels. However, that was a bunch of BS, to cover up for the fact that they simply wanted to reduce Amp power draw, at the price of destroying nearly all of the clarity and depth, in music. You are merely spitting Ignorance. Not actual experience, nor depth of knowledge.
Still have my realistic mach 2s from when I was a kid and still sound amazing. Yes I've done the surrounds and crossovers but at a fraction of the price you get 90 percent of the performance of a better known speaker like an L 100.
@@johndough8115 I recognize your opinion which is based on your knowledge and experiences and I would not label it as ignorance because it differs from mine. Because that would be IGNORANT OF ME.
@@koprcord5338 Ive heard many Radio Shack speakers. My father used to use them. I also got one special set out of curiosity, at a thrift shop. All of them use substandard drivers. Under powered, poor range, and a lot of distortion. If speaker performance was compared to cars... RS speakers would be a Gremlin / Yugo... and EPI 100v speakers would be a Lamborghini. Its literally night vs day, in difference. I have no idea what an L100 is... as there are JBL L100 speakers, and Polk L100 speakers.. and maybe many others. I cant speak for JBLs... but Polk is over-rated eco-trash. I also cant stand Ported speakers, as they create Artificial sounding, distorted, bass. Since most people have never experienced the difference in Audiophile quality speakers / sound... I always suggest buying Audiophile grade headphones first. Any Sennheiser HD headphone, model 500 or above... can get you a level of reproduction, that no speakers under 50k, would get you. You dont need a lot of money, to be able to find audiophile level speakers. I have relied on used / thift shop purchases. Sometimes having to get the speakers refoamed, myself. I bought my EPI speakers for $100, refoamed. They completely Decimate the $3000 speakers at the local high end stereo shop. No competition, whatsoever. Superior Bass, Superior highs, superior distortion free clarity... even at max volume levels. And superior 3d Soundstage + sweet spot (most of the room). The key is knowing what components are in your speakers... and how to spot the differences. For example... my 12" techniques speakers woofer drivers... weighed about 1/4 th the weight of my EPI 8" woofer drivers. Why? Because the EPI woofers use Stronger and heavier magnets + stronger and more powerful voice coils. This results in Superior control... and thus, superior audio reproduction, without distortions... even at high volume levels. Radio Shack woofers are not made with high quality drivers. They used the cheapest components possible. And as such, the performance levels, are Dismal, compared to higher end drivers.
