|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
108.249.169.177
In Reply to: RE: "Most gave no opinions" ? posted by tcell on May 24, 2016 at 04:57:12
I have no idea why they didn't respond. It is difficult to put into words
what things sound like, especially when you are talking about small differences. This was a very informal demonstration. We will do a more involving demo when Tidal starts streaming MQA. For now you just have to accept the result that 5 people and myself heard a definite improvement in sound using MQA decoding.
Alan
Follow Ups:
I just lost what little interest I had in MQA.
"To Learn Who Rules Over You, Simply Find Out Who You Are Not Allowed to Criticize."
-Voltaire
5 of 18 claimed they heard a difference.
The rest didn't say one way or the other.
That's tho be expected of audiophiles at a meetup where folks don't know each other well.
Audiophiles live in constant fear that their inability to hear differences various pieces of audio gear will be discovered; differences that may not even exist. The only greater fear is that they will be accused of owning an audio system incapable of resolving differences that also don't exist.
The whale that spouts is the one who gets harpooned....
We are all just people trying to enhance the listening experience. Many of these products are ALL good, and the differences are not so dramatic, once one gets to a certain point.
Couple that with unfamiliar music,....
"Asylums with doors open wide,
Where people had paid to see inside,
For entertainment they watch his body twist
Behind his eyes he says, 'I still exist.'"
> The whale that spouts is the one who gets harpooned....
That's definitely a no-win situation because the whale that doesn't spout dies of asphyxiation. ;-)
By the way, I did not ask the question "Do you hear a difference?" I just wanted there gut feeling of what they were hearing. I did not want to turn this into a shootout. We may do this in the future when more MQA material is available
Alan
they would have likely nodded their heads. ;-)
The power of suggestion and "heard" mentality. Same for various USB tweaks. ;-)
Edits: 05/27/16
My experience in both giving lots of demos as a dealer and participating in groups is that only one in three or so really speak up. I'm not surprised. Besides most probably hadn't heard the other gear or the room before so it was a whole new experience. Lots of people don't speak up at these things. No big deal.
ET
We did a DAC 'shootout'(silly expression or what?) here a our local Audiophile Society meet up and I'd say no more than 4-5 out of 20+ or more people voiced their opinions.
That said, many nodded in agreement when the few did speak up.
When my DAC was played, nobody jumped out of their chair and yelled "Wow! That one sucks!" so I guess my DAC is OK. ;-)
my quick interpretation of what you are saying is that most of the people in the room did not hear an audio revolution occurring in front of them. I am no Golden Ear. I've found that the quality of the recording, mixing and mastering is the only thing I can reliably identify, not the small differences achieved by more bits/Hz or compression algorithms. So my quick take on your quick post is that I likely won't be able to do much with this technology. I feel sorry for the inmates that can hear the differences in the adhesive that is used in different speaker cones! What a miserable life! But clearly I don't have the information/experience required to be sure about MQA. So, keep letting us know how it is going! Thanks
in most if not all cases, these audio meetups mean that folks are listening to a system that are not day-to-day familiar.
Second, the fact that a typical, repressed, introverted audiophile; one who only feels secure sharing opinions while hiding behind a moniker, doesn't jump from their seat and yell 'WOW!' in front of 15-20 people when they hear something that is a small improvement in SQ, should not surprise. :-)
As I have clwarly stated we will not be able to clearly assess MQA until more material is available. I hear the improvements and it is real. You need to try things for yourself to determine if they have any value for you. If you only go by what others say then you will miss out on a lot of good stuff
Alan
Because I've been buying all of this stuff based on what YOU hear. :-)
My best friend mostly buys stuff on my advice. When I change my opinion he goes absolutely crazy. My latest thing is old (1950) Western electric and Belding 1842 for interconnects and speaker wire. The current Bob Katz review in Stereophile of active bass traps lists his equipment in his mastering studio. It is completely wire with Mogami cable. He is considered one of the great mastering engineers around. Maybe this whole hi-end cable thing is bull. I have a pair of Western Electric interconnects and they are stunning. I have some Beldin on the way
Alan
Mogami is to me fine but Belden, not impressive. Look also at the Copper quality.
"That's not very comforting to to hear at this late date Alan..."
Just me having fun. I have not received the Mogami and Belden cables yet so I can't really comment on them. I do like the Western Electric interconnect. For me there is no real best or worst cable. Each cable has a certain charateristic sound. Sometime I want my system to sound lush and warm or sometimes I want it to sound hyper detailed. I will choose cables to give me that result.I usually will go several months with one set of cables and then will try something else. These changes in charecteristic sound also gives me different insites to the music I am listening to. No one is saying you have to follow this path
Alan
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: