The Search For Audio Tranquility.

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Cressy Snr
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#1 The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by Cressy Snr »

I like this Herb Reichert article from the Sound Practices CD.

http://mmiworks.net/sprc/SP9—Reichert.pdf

I recognise myself in parts of this. Look...finishing this amp will get me off the crack.....honest! :pale:
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chris661
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#2 Re: The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by chris661 »

Read most of that, and can see where they're coming from.
However, I haven't changed any component in my HiFi for about a year. It's simple enough that anyone could use it, and sounds good enough that I enjoy it. There are things I could improve, sure, but it'd be £800 in speakers to get there. Maybe one day, but not this year or next.

The source is half a laptop running Windows 10 and Spotify (or VLC for movies, HDMI out to the TV), feeding USB audio to a Cambridge CXA80 amplifier, feeding a pair of speakers which are designed to work where they're put. ie, close to the back wall, and in a room that reinforces the bass. Controlled directivity and a sealed box. I had to apply some EQ to dial the bass back a little - this room has a real peak around 40Hz.

The result is a sound I'm happy with, and the system gets used for hours each day. Today, it's been on since breakfast.

In my opinion (and the linked article seems to agree), simplicity is key to a successful HiFi system (and by successful, I mean "it actually gets used"). I used to have a system that was so complicated to set up and use that I simply couldn't be bothered. My current system might sound better, or it might not - I don't care much. This one needs two button presses (on a remote, no less) to resume playing what I was listening to previously. Firing up my phone or laptop allows me to peruse Spotify's library and pick something specific.

Chris
Ant
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#3 Re: The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by Ant »

Reading that article, i think the guy has a point. I think my system is musical (sic). Maybe thats why i havent changed anything other than the tts for a long time.
The b1/f5 combination is simple, there is sod all in them, and the speakers are as simple as it gets.
The phono stage is perfectly adequate, i havent found anything to moan about with any of these bits.
Or perhaps its because every time i wonder if it could be 'better' in some way i go and build a tt and am distracted from the rest

Who knows. The bits ive bought recently ( over the past few years) are ones that i just fancied trying, the soundsmith cart and the b1 for example, not because i was unhappy with anything. Ed lent me the b1 because i wanted to try one, i loved it, so i bought it. The soundsmith was because i wanted to try a fixed coil cart because id never heard one, and i had a few quid to play with for once.

I built the eds1000 deck because i bought the airprodigy arm. That was supposed to go on the big lenco but having found the motor it seemed like a good idea.

I did buy the arm because i thought certain things could be better re vinyl though. And i think i was right. Because it removed the things that were winding me up every time i played a record. The fuzz and end of side dont have to be part of it 'bloody vinyl', a cart does have to track like a leech, and a deck does have to be as quiet and speed stable as its possible to get. Things that other people may not be too bothered about are like nails on a blackboard to me.

This is what the audio voices argue about in my head, almost exclusively. I can have a walk to the shops and by the time i get back, have come up with an imaginary set of drawings in my head for an arm or a tt, and had a debate between the voices to get there.

Or planned how to get x cart because it has x tracking performance.......
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vinylnvalves
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#4 Re: The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by vinylnvalves »

Unfortunately the reason most of us are on this site is either we like to tinker or are too tight ( or poor) to spend money to get our audio fixes :D You cannot even satisfying the urges by buying music nowadays either really... streamed music is a mainline into that vein.
It’s amusing that sound practices, a real hardcore diy magazine in its day.. ran an article which was at odds with its purpose. I don’t have copies of all the sound practices magazines, but at the time drooled over the big horns and stupidly esoteric amps. It reminded me of some other similar magazines I got.. “Audio Conversions”... which on re-reading is like a paper version of this site.. with articles like “Upgrading your BD1 turntable”.. I have one somewhere I foolishly bought to convert into an super turntable.
I am sort of in agreement with Chris over if it ain’t broke ..... leave it alone. Although the 200Hz Le Cleach horns in the corner of the room gathering dust, keep talking to me... saying try us again... “we can sound better than those other horns”. The CD horns I have happily been listening to for a year. I really should listen to the BMS4592’s in them that bought but have never used... This hobby is the ultimate kick in the b**ks as when you have the time and money to enjoy audio, you cannot hear anything above 12k anyway if at all. :(
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Nick
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#5 Re: The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by Nick »

Reading that, it seems to be a lot of R Dunn like talk about the "music" without really defining what that means, and then it wanders down a set of suggestions that ends up looking very much like the Audio Note product line.
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izzy wizzy
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#6 Re: The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by izzy wizzy »

Like that article. The room speaker person interface is the thing most people will hear when they visit and the rest is the cherry on top ... mostly. Was discussing this very thing with another DIYer in the last few days. Although I'm a tinkerer, I've only owned 2 speakers and 2 amplifiers in 40 years, TT and arm 20+ years, phono 10 years. It's easy if commercial gear is your thing to fall for the upgrade path the industry requires to hook you on. Thank goodness for the fun (and cost) of DIYery. Could be in denial though ;)
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izzy wizzy
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#7 Re: The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by izzy wizzy »

Nick wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 4:30 pm Reading that, it seems to be a lot of R Dunn like talk about the "music" without really defining what that means, and then it wanders down a set of suggestions that ends up looking very much like the Audio Note product line.
I think it means different things to different people. Some are into the gear tech side and get a kick of messing about things like that where maybe the music aspect isn't the end goal. Some are into trying to get the holy grail music event whatever that is for them and get hooked on the gear to make it happen and that is the addiction. If music enjoyment is the aim, whatever that is for the individual, then satisfaction will usually result in keeping what you got for long periods of time.

So defining what it means isn't the same for everyone.

For me if I find I'm not listening to all the types of music I have, then there's something that's not right. That's what the "music being important" means to me. That's where peace lies (for me). And I can put the meds away.

Maybe AN are onto something ;)
Cressy Snr
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#8 Re: The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by Cressy Snr »

izzy wizzy wrote: Thu Aug 06, 2020 5:24 pm ...For me if I find I'm not listening to all the types of music I have, then there's something that's not right. That's what the "music being important" means to me. That's where peace lies (for me). And I can put the meds away...
That’s my definition of listening to “the music” For me “the music” is the performance that has been recorded on the tape. I don’t want to hear the cartridge mistracking, I don’t want to hear my speakers squawking, screeching or booming, I want to listen, in my room, to what Reichert calls a miniature version of what was put down in the studio, without additional artefacts getting in the way.

My own love of 1960s/70s pop/soul/ has made life very difficult in terms of the audio equipment I use/have built at home,
chiefly because I‘m stubborn as a mule; refusing to entertain the idea that a notionally ‘bad’ recording of good music, should cause me to want to move to something else because it ‘sounds’ irritating.

To me, the ‘bad’ recording, sounds irritating because there is a deficiency, or a number of deficiencies, somewhere in the reproducing chain. And these deficiencies, as I’ve found over the years, are fiendishly difficult to either identify within the hardware or get rid of.

I want my system to allow me to play whatever the hell I like, without fuss or favour. If it won’t do that then it doesn't last long. This is why I’ve been building, dismantling, and building for fecking years; absolutely years. Most people are far more sensible than me, and will accept that there are some recordings that don’t work.

If you are into the kind of stuff I like, and especially with Northern Soul, the usual argument from sensible audiophiles is that if you like this stuff, then you’ve really no business playing it on a hi-fi system, because nothing will work and I can sort of see their point. I mean for feck’s sake, why torture both yourself and your wallet, trying to make it sound decent.

Given all of the above, the ‘sensible’ 60s pop fan, who likes tinkering with valve equipment would have, indeed should have by now, bought themselves a period radiogram, fixed it up, lovingly polished up the cabinetry, collected the original singles and EPs, which aren’t actually that expensive, unless you are a rarities geek, and been happier and wealthier.

However, at this particular moment’ I’m rather glad I persisted with the dogged determination and grim resolve needed to get that music to work in a ‘hi-fi’ context. The “Simple” that Reichert talks about, is certainly far from simple to execute well.

Here’s a short list of recordings that’ll test the 60s pop abilities of your system:

Dusty Springfield - In the Middle of Nowhere

The Supremes - Love is Like an Itching in my Heart

Los Bravos - Black is Black.

Cilla Black- You’re My World

Dionne Warwick - Don’t Make Me Over

None of the above should shriek or sound hard at any time. I’ve discovered that there is tons of emotion and joy in the voices that was once completely masked by the shrillness of it all.

The Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore (the four note violin figure immediately following the phrases, beginning with “Loneliness” in the first verse and “emptiness” in the second verse are great for testing for shriek.

The Crystals - Da Doo Ron Ron. Can you separate out the saxes? and the girls, shouldn’t have colds.
Last edited by Cressy Snr on Thu Aug 06, 2020 9:34 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Nick
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#9 Re: The Search For Audio Tranquility.

Post by Nick »

I am not saying it doesn't meant things to people, but as it means different things to different people its a con that can be used by marketing that makes you think they are agreeing with what you want, but its just the same as cold reading making people believe in the occult.
Whenever an honest man discovers that he's mistaken, he will either cease to be mistaken or he will cease to be honest.
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