I think once you have achieved your personal audio system nirvana, the limiting element becomes the sonic quality of the source material. As I have upgraded my system over the years, recording quality, in my case mostly CDs and SACDs, has become more important to my enjoyment of the music.
I found that it's easier to improve things via finding great recordings than upgrading equipment. At some point money is just being thrown out the window. In fact, some systems are so finicky that nothing but a great recording sounds good. No thanks. Setup the listening environment properly and you don't need $30k speakers. Paul has LS50s and a sub at home. That should tell you something. The person writing to him in this video has expensive equipment. The speakers are $16k. I disagree with Paul. That guy doesn't have an inexpensive system. You can buy a very nice used car for $16k.
I'd differ slightly on source material: performance first, then good recording and at least CD quality - where available. Some 1930s Duke Ellington recordings aren't CD quality but they're astounding for what has been done to get rid of noise and get the tonal range a lot more full than what used to be available.
@@BobGeogeo I'm shocked by some of the better jazz recordings from the 50s. I didn't think the recording equipment and techniques could preserve enough of the source. Dave Brubeck Quartet's 50th anniversary edition of "Time Out" is ridiculously good. Louis Armstrong's "Satchmo Plays King Oliver" is another example. How they've been able to make these recordings sound like they were recorded yesterday in a modern studio is beyond me.
100%. Setup your system well, then enjoy listening to it all the time and sharing the music. A top end system thats locked away and off won't sounds as good as Pauls LS50's (or my Energy Veritas 2.3i's) in the living room, providing a backing track to time with the family. I love seeing my young kid start spontaneously dancing to music we have on. To enjoy the passion and music. You must share it with those closest to you. Use it to bring life into your home.
Paul is correct. What I have is better than 99% of the people that hear it have and use. Do I want more? Of course, maybe I have too much time looking at people chasing the dream. I am rather happy with my system though; it puts a smile on my face and ears!
There's no substitute for doing A/B comparisons. I made the mistake of buying new (and expensive) speakers based on reviews. When I got them home, I did an A/B with my old speakers. The old ones were far better - more solid bass and much less colored midrange - maybe a tad less bright on high frequencies but reasonably close. I couldn't fix the new speakers' shortfalls with equalization and subwoofers. I sold the new speakers (at a loss) and kept the old ones.
This makes me realise how lucky I am to have a dealer that allows me to loan equipment. This means I can determine how a component works with the rest of my system. Even if a dealer was able to replicate the system for demonstration purposes, it may still sound different due to the room size and layout. I imagine that this is particularly important where speakers are concerned.
I’ve reached the stage/age where I’m asking if my ears are good enough, rather than my system. When I demo more expensive kit I am often surprised (and my wallet relieved) that I can’t hear a difference. If I can, I struggle to justify the outlay.
Agreed. I enjoy going to an audio show just to see the highest end stuff, but not to buy. There were 2 or 3 systems that I thought were noteworthy and they cost in the $100k range. Not something I'd ever be interesting in buying. Most of the systems just make me realize how much I like mine.
The problem with always wanting better sound quality, I believe is due to any of the following reasons: -- Your current system is lacking in some way. -- You are not using quality content. I kept upgrading, until I realized that the vast majority of songs, including hit songs, have sub-par sound quality. Not realizing that the problem is with the recordings, I purchased upgrades, which revealed more of what is wrong with the recordings. You can, sometimes, find the exact same song where one sounds much better than the others. That does wonders for your stereo. -- You heard a much better (or heaven forbid, dream) stereo. My local high-end store has Vandersteen's System Nine grouping of equipment in a treated room. Well, I am thrilled to have heard it, and sorry that I heard it. It was beyond words how real it sounded (with quality content), and I will never have that sound quality. Even though my stereo sounds very good, I know how much better it could be. Like owning a Chevrolet Corvette. You can have a blast in that car. But if you take a spin in a Ferrari LaFerrari, then it might be hard to go back to the Corvette, even though the Corvette is amazing. My recommendation is that if you have the disposable cash, and better sound quality will make you happy, then do what makes you happy.
Greetings! Damn nice piano! I tell a buddy in audio, if ppl knew what musical instruments sound like and which r used in a given piece, They'd know what speakers were or are good. W a pair of SL-15 SG9500.Eq SX950 a great Tt and tape deck I am damn pleased. Cd player as well and goin from record, FM CD to tape and mkg custom tapes is great. No.matter how great the vocalist is, after 3 or 4 songs it's like enough already. I went from JBL A180s to SL-12 suddenly its like where in hell that nice tight bass come from? So do some real work and get familiar w a given piece of tunes, know what the instruments are.the more you know about the 🎶 u love the better able u can pick the speakers that will make ur system sound full and colorfull, the bass nice n tight tambourines, whatever is being played you will hear it.
The viewer’s system is like $35-40K. The Dali Epicon 6 are $16K/pair. I get that Paul does these videos off the cuff but if you don’t know the gear, don’t just assume that it’s “not expensive”. This video is embarrassing.
Lots of gear where high end is going due to where the sales are at, the well off, a lot of the cost is the outer case to justify the asking price, Parts do matter and circuit design, but the rest is bling to ask 20-100K for an amp and preamps. 25K for a small 2-way speaker that cannot move air or pressurize the room, 15K for speaker cables, and on and on. Ask a family with 3 kids making good money if they could afford these products or if they would even consider it. This hobby is slowly dying as the boomers get out of it for various reasons, one being no interest at all due to where this hobby has focused on and they have to because the well-off is where the market is at, no thought of the middle class who have kids to raise, college to pay for and so on.
I have roughly $200 in used equipment comprising my garage stereo, basically mid-fi stuff that cost maybe $1000 when new, 20-30+ years ago, and it just sounds amazing. To get better sound, I'd need to upgrade the room first, with carpeting and acoustic panels and such, not so much the equipment.
@starlightgrecording559 Paul McGowan*** Gerard Stroh Again*** I Forgot to add That I Had Stereos in the Past But They Can't Perform As Well as My Current System That I Have Know!!! I Use Pro Studio Monitors and My EQ and Crossover Choice is A DBX DriveRack Pa2 Processors and one For Main Speakers and the Other One For My 6 Subwoofer Speakers and That's What I Forgot to Add Besides My Stereo System is A Gloryfide PA System With Recording Studio Gear Counting My Pro Sony Dat Tape Machine and and Harman Kardon Cassette Deck With Dolby B + C and Dolby S and My 4K Sony Blu-Ray Player and Allen & Heath GL3300 40 Channel Mixing Desk and Super Audio CD Player With 3 XLR Patchbays and Other Studio Gear!!!
@starlightgrecording559 Paul McGowan*** This is Gerard Stroh in Tracy Ca. and I am an Audiophile Who Likes Studio Grade Reel to Reel Tape Machines That You Find in Recording Studios and Big Vinyl Record Collector that Has Between 7,000 to 8,000 Records in My Collection and I use only Vintage Direct Drive Turntables Like The Pioneer Pl-600 turntables and the Classic JVC QL-Y5F Direct Drive Turntables and Also Have PL-200 For 78rpm Record Playback and A Sanyo and Fisher Turntables and All Turntables Are Direct Drive With Quartz Lock and My 2 Main Turntables Are Fully Automatic and The 2 Cheeper Pioneers Direct Drive Turntables Are Modify for 78 rpm Records Playing and My Sanyo is Modify to Play A 16 rpm Record Speed With A Toggle Switch on the 33 1/3 with A 50K Pot to Get to the 16 rpm Speed it sounds Awesome Paul McGowan!!!! My Pioneer Main Turntable Has A Audio Technica AT33sa Moving Coil Cartridge With Fully Adjustible Headshell and My Project RS XLR Phono Stage and I am Going to Upgrade My JVC Turntable With The Same Phono MC Cartridge and Phono Stage!!! I Like The Stienway & Son Piano and I Been Playing Piano and Lead Guitar For 54 Years and Bass Guitar and String Bass for 51 Years and Also Play the Church organ and Drums and Banjo and Mandolin Just as Long!!! Bye From Gerard Stroh!!!
