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Audio myths - lets have some fun!
So we all know audio, specifically the in-home reproduction of, is rife with snake oil and myths and general bullshit. Let's have a fun discussion about these! I'll start:
1. The 10% rule in DIY is hogwash - I am talking about the guys who say your DIY speaker should, if you know what you are doing, sound like a commercial speaker costing 10x what you have into it. I call this one a myth for a couple reasons... One, it ignores the costly process of actually, you know, building the thing. Time and material add up rapidly on a DIY build. Also, the inverse is rarely true. If the person making that claim can show me how to build one of those Pioneer/Andy Jones models for $15/pr - let me know, I'd be all over those drivers like a fat SoDak DIY'er on a case of cheap beer. Other than a myriad of obvious poor crossover designs on a wide price range of speakers, I am not convinced any longer that we can meet that 10% rule chasing the ultra high end, either. I mean - have you guys seen a Sonus Faber or Magico (Magico needs to hire a DIYer to do their XO work) cabinet? Even the really cheap stuff has perfect miter joints, the vinyl peel-n-stick is absent flaws, the grill cloth is wrinkle free, etc. I suck at building cabinets (thank you Duratex).
2. Driver pricing is a reflection of what you get. Pretty sure we can all agree that price points should be pretty much disregarded these days. Too many very expensive Aurum Cantus and Eton and Accuton drivers that perform like $40 Dayton drivers (or in the case of AC, have such crappy QC that their T/S specs put them on par with such illustrious offerings as Goldwood and GRS - at least GRS have honesty in advertising going for them). All the more reason for independent testing and reviewing with no influence from vendor or other entities with compromised interests.
3. Magic pebbles are bullshit. So are cable risers and magic clocks and weird sweep tones on compact disks. Again, I think we can all agree on this one.
Let's have some fun! Jump in and lets hear your best rant! Whatever you think of someone like Zaph - his glaring absence the last 3-4 years has had a ripple effect and objectivists are slowly becoming endangered species again - worse, in his absence the pseudoscience harpies are beginning to get a foothold again - I loves me some subjectivity, but enough is enough!
1. The 10% rule in DIY is hogwash - I am talking about the guys who say your DIY speaker should, if you know what you are doing, sound like a commercial speaker costing 10x what you have into it. I call this one a myth for a couple reasons... One, it ignores the costly process of actually, you know, building the thing. Time and material add up rapidly on a DIY build. Also, the inverse is rarely true. If the person making that claim can show me how to build one of those Pioneer/Andy Jones models for $15/pr - let me know, I'd be all over those drivers like a fat SoDak DIY'er on a case of cheap beer. Other than a myriad of obvious poor crossover designs on a wide price range of speakers, I am not convinced any longer that we can meet that 10% rule chasing the ultra high end, either. I mean - have you guys seen a Sonus Faber or Magico (Magico needs to hire a DIYer to do their XO work) cabinet? Even the really cheap stuff has perfect miter joints, the vinyl peel-n-stick is absent flaws, the grill cloth is wrinkle free, etc. I suck at building cabinets (thank you Duratex).
2. Driver pricing is a reflection of what you get. Pretty sure we can all agree that price points should be pretty much disregarded these days. Too many very expensive Aurum Cantus and Eton and Accuton drivers that perform like $40 Dayton drivers (or in the case of AC, have such crappy QC that their T/S specs put them on par with such illustrious offerings as Goldwood and GRS - at least GRS have honesty in advertising going for them). All the more reason for independent testing and reviewing with no influence from vendor or other entities with compromised interests.
3. Magic pebbles are bullshit. So are cable risers and magic clocks and weird sweep tones on compact disks. Again, I think we can all agree on this one.
Let's have some fun! Jump in and lets hear your best rant! Whatever you think of someone like Zaph - his glaring absence the last 3-4 years has had a ripple effect and objectivists are slowly becoming endangered species again - worse, in his absence the pseudoscience harpies are beginning to get a foothold again - I loves me some subjectivity, but enough is enough!
I have a signature.
Comments
This is a must to have in this thread!
Next up... which power cable really gives the best soundstage?...
As if when you turn a speaker away from you its sound becomes inaudible....