adamslim;143686 Wrote: > The realists are the worst of all. They cannot get off the fence - they > can't bring themselves to buy equipment that either sounds good or > measures well, so they are condemned to unhappiness and mediocrity.
Well I would have myself a realist up until that point. I love music above all else, but I like to know my equipment has been well designed and well engineered both visually and sonically. I have bought it all after reviewing some basic specifications and getting a feel for the quality of the builder then listening to a short-list. I've had quite a few systems, but ended up with Copland gear because I like the refined look and detailed presentation. I also have a Pink Triangle because of the neutral presentation and groovy design - plus I liked the attitude of the company. Measurement and design are important to me for a number of reasons, but aren't the be-all and end-all, as I did rather unsuccessfully try to say on the other thread. I do like to know a piece of gear has been validated for performance and safety - I have a family and I don't want problems with inadequately tested and designed gear. That's why I get really nervous about some mods. They are replacing components in well-engineered and tested products and not doing anywhere the same level of safety or soak testing that a bigger manufacturer would, nor do you have the liability insurance should there be a problem. Final choice of gear comes after listening to it at home, as it should, but it wouldn't get into my home unless I knew from measurements that it was likely to be a good fit with the rest of the system. I couldn't bring myslef to buy any high end system if I didn't think it gave me more insight into the music through more detail or a more realistic sound stage for example. Some of the terminology thrown around in reviews really puts me off buying it though. Words like "chocolately" really irritate because it's telling me nothing. How would I be able to listen for that quality myself if I don't understand what the reviewer is saying. I guess that's why I prefer scientific or engineering terms, they are generally unambiguous and I can then choose whether it's what I'm looking for when judging the inevitable compromises in equipment. I have applied the same rules to my other pastime - geetars. I have two hand built guitars, a John Suhr and an Sheppard acoustic (a little known British builder). I actually bought the Suhr without ever playing it - I couldn't, it was built to spec and didn't exist. However I did know that Suhr is probably the best luthier in the world, so I trusted him. All the gear is based on CAD designs that are a result of solid engineering and knowledge, thoroughly soak tested, measured against my specifications and finally checked for the correct tone. -- CardinalFang You're only young once, but you can be immature forever... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CardinalFang's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=962 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=28368 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
