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the audio industry has perfected the art of expension by the fewest engineering unit of progress. Adding only one bit of progress at a time to warrant the renewal of your system with a turnover of about 6 months a pop. For ex., BM for Hirez format was non-existant at 1st, than introduced in its fully digital form with channel time delay, etc., analog out to propriatery to hi bit rate, DVDV to DVDA to DVDA+, SACD to SACD2, stock to modd, every speaker knows a slight upgrade in parts and design every yr or so (even though the advantages were known to begin with), 2 ch to 5.1 to 7.1, hirez to blu ray and HD DVD (and yet other likely formats).The hirez formats were my last leg in that rat race, whatever the heck they come up with, Ive decided to set the pace for a simpler system and only upgrade in quality rather than follow the tech. least bit of eng progress. a true breakthrough only comes, perhaps, once every 10 yrs, and then takes about 5 yrs to mature. There is no point to have any turnover of 1/2, 1 or even 2 yrs given the pace of innovation and maturation...unless we want to be taken for a ride.
Do you think theres a conscious effort by the audio industry to package evry so tiny bit of new hardware and have constant upgrade/"improvments" to push the consumer into a rat race?
Follow Ups:
I do have a DVD-A compatible DVD changer, but no DVD-A discs, and no real interest in going out to find them. I have bought 3 CDs in the past year and hated 2 of them.But I have seen some wear on my Decca brush, so also got an Audioquest for a backup. Spin another round o'vinyl on the Scout.
Don't those tubes glow nicely....heaven.
You were saying?
"Lies, Damn Lies, and Audio Specifications"
nt
Best Regards,
Chris redmond.
My entire system is made of my friends (wealthier, bachelors mostly) castoffs and eBay stuff that averages maybe 15 years old, weighted by dollar value. I know you "young people" think we used stone axes to beat on rocks to make music 15 years ago, but I was actually ALIVE way back then and the hi-end stereo was freakin' georgeous.I have the *SYSTEM OF MY DREAMS*, dreamt circa 1981, and am happy as the dancing bears... My system is optimized for vinyl playback using equipment that was designed and built in the Golden Age of vinyl by Nelson Pass, Jim Thiel, John Curl etc. You stand on the shoulder of giants, while I sit with them in the living room! Bwaahhhahahahah!
Attention: Please discard your digital front ends soon, I feel the need to upgrade there from the horrible obselete antiques from 1999 I own now, maybe in a few years.
nt
Like John pointed out, the rat race is every where. To escape it you have to go live like the way earlier American Indians lived. Capitalism perpertuates the rat race ..all that marketing on TV,print, radio, internet..is to keep the economy going. It is a sort of communism if you ask me..but here you willingly give up your money or atleast think you are having fun :) if you dont spend..you cannot make money..it is the circle of (economic life)..(Been watching Lion King too many times with my little son :)).
That is, educate yourself and put that education to work for you. After all, an educated consumer is the best consumer. That is, unless you are someone selling snake oil.Do the necessary research to find suitable products for your application at the best prices possible and purchase those items. Once you've got the items and become familiar with what to expect out of them i.e. their strong and weak points, modify them in accordance. This is both FAR more cost effective and personally rewarding. This will also provide you with a product that will at least compete with or beat far more costly products.
Most of the advances in audio have not been in the field of technology, but in the quality of parts available to build better sounding products with. So long as you select a product that is based on a well thought out design, most anybody can purchase and replace the existing parts with those of better quality.
As such, you can either keep taking the advice of those that promote product sales and market turn-over or invest your money in a product and work to achieve the best results that you can with that specific product. My experience shows me that the latter is much better in most every respect, but most people opt for the first choice. That is, until they get fed up, give up and live with what they've got or learn the hard way that the second option would have been better, cheaper and more rewarding all along. Cut your costs now and start doing your homework. Sean
>
I simply buy the music I want to hear, stick it in the machines, and enjoy (often with a cold, frosty beer).
To this mind, the essence of your post is the futility of trying to keep up with the latest "improvements" which you paint as a plot to trap the innocent.First up this is not unique to audio & video. If you want to keep up with computer technology you would change your system every month as a new gizmo or upgraded program (meaning different, not fewer bugs) appeared. Newer model cars appear regularly, .... the list goes on and on
Competition -> improved or changed products. If anyone is silly enough to always want to have leading edge technology or the latest & greatest of anything then they will pay dearly for it.
Rat race? Only if you choose to participate.
John
Interesting times
...
But John's almost ready to jump off the treadmill.
You can always trade [up?] to newer components if you wish. I fail to see why anyone would characterize this hobby as a 'rat race'.Otherwise, I would suggest you sell all your stuff and get a simply ultra high quality SET amp and DHT pre/linestage with a good digital source, TT and pair of ALE horn speakers. A $300 Dynavector cartridge will do.
No more 'rat race' then.....:)
Later
D
these loonies over at music lane is all they talk about...i gonna see what the hype is about and try one...at least there, there isnt much change!
Does real good old equipment sound as good as current equipment? I have a chance to put an old (5 equipment generations ago) quiet phono preamp (Part of Advent 300 receiver) in my system and it sounded so similar to my current tube phono pre (Transcendent Sound) it was scary! I always thought I was improving my sound step by step... $ by $
The answer to that question holds the key to your liberation from the "rat-race."
with respect.....We never just listen to the music, - but to the gear, the music, and the room, - and our unique intrepretations of that "event"....
Each unique piece of gear brings out a different and unique intrepretation of the recording.
Some folks may say, - "wow, that gear makes me forget me about the gear part and just brings out this clear window to the music." Somebody else will disagree and say, "wow, - I really don't like the sound of that gear." (Or, - in other words, - "I don't like how that gear makes the music sound).
and, yes, im obsessive about it and theres a fascination about it I cant explain...good sound to me is like good texture and presentation on food..i dont know why you would deny that most of us here are willing or un-willing participants in a rat race of some form and that, yes, we do listen to the sound more often than not...Come on Bruce, dont make me go down to DC.Best
I'll second that Bruce...
When you've found audio happiness, put down your credit card and just enjoy yourself: Much of the "need" to keep changing things around is in your own head. I'd guess that many manufacturer's model changes tend to be more business decisions that engineering ones: New products keep interest up, and boost sales, that's all. This is not necessarily an evil thing; they've got mouths to feed.It's not just audio either: Look at our computers! I think most of our computing needs were met with Windows NT4, MS Office 97 and Mac OS 7.1, all of which are a number of years old already.
In some ways, this is why non-commercial audio and computing is so interesting: There, you're only concerned with what works, without regard to how it'll sell.
Well... shortly after recording this album
jazz altoist/composer Gigi Gryce dropped out
walked away and never looked back.
..
you're still a rat" - Lily Tomlin
nt
It's the same everywhere.Home Theater: My current gripe-They haven't even got how to connect a hi-def source to a hi-def display worked out yet. Take your pick: Component, VGA, DVI-A, DVI-D, Firewire, and the up and comming new serial interface (forget what they call it this week). Makes it maddening trying to decide on a TV that has a reasonable chance of lasting more than 3 or 4 years.
Cars: New models, new features every year, some times on the half year.
Computers: Just when you think you understand it, it will be all different next month.
Photography: Wholy smokes, in the last two years there have probably been more camera introductions than in the last 100 years.
It's all in the name of creating demand for your product. Demand creates revenue
I did this hobby for about 15yrs w/lingering frustration. I think not
having the $$$ to always make a system "all at once" led to piece-meal
soulutions. Taking guitar classes at the old towne shcool in chicago
started me hearing my system in a new way as a musician instead of an
audiophile. (musicians are notorious for their averge systems-though
not always!) After about 3-4 yrs of struggling w/the guitar and also
then voice lessons, I finally got back to audio. I had purchased several diy kits, a se tube amp, a battery pwrd preamp, a passive preamp, and a tube phono stage. I've built the 1st two & got new speakers to match the amps from audiogon. You dont have to become a
great musician just have fun and believe that no matter how difficult
you will improve and remember you're in it as therapy for "audio-nervosa". I still want good sound but I think I'm looking to hear the
way the musicians are working to make the music instead of just going
after some unending hifi goal. This of course still demands attention
to what's possible. There's a lot of different trends in the market
place for example you have sacd's, upsampled cds as a way of bringing
cds up to close to sacd sound, and at the same time some asian and
for example audio research sticking with red book playback but still
higher engineering going into the design. (see their website on comments regarding development of the cd3) which I haven't heard.
VIBRATION. SEE THE TABLE OF ELEMENTS.
Get a nice big screen TV, subscribe to some movie channels, rent/buy some fun DVD's and take a little time off from Audio. You'd amazed how MUCH in video equipment you can buy with little money relative to Audio money. For example $1400 to $2500 will get you a brand new, latest-and-greatest 60-inch RPCRT big screen TV. $80 will get you a DVD player that plays great, and $1000-$1600 will get you state-of-the-art DVD player.Last power cord I bought costs $2800 retail!
I have not given up on audio or anything, but I'm having a lot of fun watching great stuff on my new 60 inch TV. Nowadays, when I listen to my Audio system, I enjoy it more b/c I'm not so burned out from the "rat race."
Guess I would tell you to go fishing. More enjoyment to me compared to watching TV, and about as much on the audio assylum subject.
Ah, yes. I love fishing also. Only problem is I can't go fishing (or go to concerts, jazz clubs, etc) every day of the week.I agree most of "TV" is crap, but one can find occasional jewel to watch, something you would never have bought or rented otherwise.
Watching a great movie on DVD IS something most people enjoy, but if you don't, well that's one less thing in the world that brings you joy.
My original point is to take some time off from thinking about Audio all the time here and there. Do something else that you enjoy (AV being one easy option you can do every day), and come back to your beloved music refreshed.
The price of AV equipment vs. Audio equipment does raise some serious questions, I'm afraid.
The other day on TV -- NOVA did a an epic documentary on the arctic explorer Ernest Shackelton. My wife and I enjoyed it greatly. Too many times though, I feel like kicking in the screen and wondering what I pay for cable for. Thats why I found your idea to watch TV instead of listen to music to be strange. Happy listening! -- pf
Boy I am so glad that I can just watch the latest innovations(?) come and go and still be happy with what I have. I am pretty sure my Dynaco and Electrovoice Aristocrat setup will never go out of style with me.Ted
Wide lapels, narrow lapels, wide lapels.Wide ties, narrow ties, wide ties.
Every industry has its "New and Improved" hype and marketing crapola to get you to buy "another one" every year. Audio is no exception. I absolutely love the latest trend/fad/discovery in high end audio...the single ended triode amplifier. Sweet, shimmering, transparent, accurate, opens everyone's ears to music like they never heard before.
The single ended triode amplifier was patented in...if I recall correctly...1912. Not having actually been there, of course!
When stereo was "invented", each channel was handled by a separate audio amplifier. Then, of course, they were combined on a single stereophonic amplifier chassis. Saves the cost of two chassis and two power supplies.
Now we have...don't get me started!
What's old is new again. The period from roughly 1955-65 truly deserves the title of "The Golden Age of Hi-Fi". Other than improvements in driver construction and technology, I'm not at all sure that anything is "better" as much as it's just "different".
I'm with you. If I like it, I'll think about it. But just because it's the latest and greatest...fuhgeddaboudit.
clay
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