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The Audiophile Thread


rushgoober

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I'm not an audiophile. I listen to music via my computer and iPod and mp3's are just fine. I keep my CD's as a back-up and have the majority of my bootlegs in FLAC on an external hard drive. I convert them to mp3's and I'm fine. Am I missing out? Sure. If, one day, my income skyrockets, I might invest in some sophisticated stereo equipment.
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I'm not an audiophile, but I will only listen to music on semi hi-fi equipment. The mp3 world is killing music. yes, you may now be able to listen to random bits of shit wherever you are, but nothing can beat relaxing in your comfy chair, a glass of Whisky in your hand, facing your speakers to listen to an album in its entirety.

 

 

DEATH TO THE USERS OF MP3s

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my system is beyond lame. In recent years it seems I have invested more in new discs than a new system.

 

A good friend of my mine is the business and his stereo set-up is obscenely expensive. Around 100K. He has a seperate audio room set up in his house with some sort of noise insulating/dampening shit on the walls and ceiling.

 

His speaker wires are made of gold.

 

The sound is amazing, when he played the SACD version of Steely Dans Gaucho it was like you were inthe room with the people playing.

 

I guess if money was no concern I would go for it but with two kids, money is a concern.

 

 

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QUOTE (tangy @ Nov 4 2008, 08:34 AM)
A good friend of my mine is the business and his stereo set-up is obscenely expensive. Around 100K. He has a seperate audio room set up in his house with some sort of noise insulating/dampening shit on the walls and ceiling.

His speaker wires are made of gold.

The sound is amazing, when he played the SACD version of Steely Dans Gaucho it was like you were inthe room with the people playing.

I guess if money was no concern I would go for it but with two kids, money is a concern.

Sounds like the qunitissential audiophile, albeit one that's been doing it for years, obviously, and one that is very wealthy. I definitely have a major, major budget audiophile system by those standards, but hopefully one day. For now, I'm happy. yes.gif

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What really got me intrigued with high quality audio reproduction was this time when I was about 11 or so in 1981.

 

I was at a friend's house and we were hanging out in his room. I heard someone playing piano in some other part of the house so I went in search of it. It turned out it was my friend's father, but it wasn't him playing a piano, it was his STEREO EQUIPMENT. I have no idea what he had, but it must have been some very fancy audiophile equipment for the time. It sounded like the piano was literally IN THE ROOM WITH ME!

 

In my teens I occasionally would pop my head into an audiophile stereo store, but the stuff seemed so outrageously expensive that I let it go and suffered along with what I had.

 

At some point though, it got unbearable and I started slowly swapping out pieces of equipment for better ones. I did this over time as I could afford it. A lot of what I have now is because I sold collections of things I had to raise the money. Music just seemed more important. wink.gif

 

What I have now, while decidedly on the low end of the audiophile world, sounds SOOOOO much better than what I was putting up with it's astounding. I could never go back.

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QUOTE (rushgoober @ Nov 4 2008, 10:59 AM)
QUOTE (tangy @ Nov 4 2008, 08:34 AM)
A good friend of my mine is the business and his stereo set-up is obscenely expensive. Around 100K. He has a seperate audio room set up in his house with some sort of noise insulating/dampening shit on the walls and ceiling.

His speaker wires are made of gold. 

The sound is amazing, when he played the SACD version of Steely Dans Gaucho it was like you were inthe room with the people playing.

I guess if money was no concern I would go for it but with two kids, money is a concern.

Sounds like the qunitissential audiophile, albeit one that's been doing it for years, obviously, and one that is very wealthy. I definitely have a major, major budget audiophile system by those standards, but hopefully one day. For now, I'm happy. yes.gif

You would be suprised. He used to have similar set up in a mobile home!

 

I had never seen an entertainment system worth more than the house it was located in before.

 

 

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QUOTE (tangy @ Nov 4 2008, 09:04 AM)
QUOTE (rushgoober @ Nov 4 2008, 10:59 AM)
QUOTE (tangy @ Nov 4 2008, 08:34 AM)
A good friend of my mine is the business and his stereo set-up is obscenely expensive. Around 100K. He has a seperate audio room set up in his house with some sort of noise insulating/dampening shit on the walls and ceiling.

His speaker wires are made of gold. 

The sound is amazing, when he played the SACD version of Steely Dans Gaucho it was like you were inthe room with the people playing.

I guess if money was no concern I would go for it but with two kids, money is a concern.

Sounds like the qunitissential audiophile, albeit one that's been doing it for years, obviously, and one that is very wealthy. I definitely have a major, major budget audiophile system by those standards, but hopefully one day. For now, I'm happy. yes.gif

You would be suprised. He used to have similar set up in a mobile home!

 

I had never seen an entertainment system worth more than the house it was located in before.

laugh.gif Wow!

 

Yeah, that's one thing for me. I'll never get equipment beyond my means or at the sacrifice of anything really important. I'm not saying your friend did this, I'm just sayin'...

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QUOTE (rushgoober @ Nov 4 2008, 11:15 AM)
QUOTE (tangy @ Nov 4 2008, 09:04 AM)
QUOTE (rushgoober @ Nov 4 2008, 10:59 AM)
QUOTE (tangy @ Nov 4 2008, 08:34 AM)
A good friend of my mine is the business and his stereo set-up is obscenely expensive. Around 100K. He has a seperate audio room set up in his house with some sort of noise insulating/dampening shit on the walls and ceiling.

His speaker wires are made of gold. 

The sound is amazing, when he played the SACD version of Steely Dans Gaucho it was like you were inthe room with the people playing.

I guess if money was no concern I would go for it but with two kids, money is a concern.

Sounds like the qunitissential audiophile, albeit one that's been doing it for years, obviously, and one that is very wealthy. I definitely have a major, major budget audiophile system by those standards, but hopefully one day. For now, I'm happy. yes.gif

You would be suprised. He used to have similar set up in a mobile home!

 

I had never seen an entertainment system worth more than the house it was located in before.

laugh.gif Wow!

 

Yeah, that's one thing for me. I'll never get equipment beyond my means or at the sacrifice of anything really important. I'm not saying your friend did this, I'm just sayin'...

Apparently my friend misunderstood the meaning of a "sound " investment!

 

If he had sank the 100K into a mutual fund he would be be sitting pretty for the future.

 

 

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My receiver (combination integrated amplifier and tuner):

 

 

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Stereophile Review

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures:

 

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/rushgoober6/RR1.jpg

 

 

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/rushgoober6/RR2.jpg

 

 

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e85/rushgoober6/RR3.jpg

 

 

One cool feature I just started using is the USB port so I can listen to stuff from the computer through the speakers.

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I used to have a McIntosh system that I loved but sold it in 1995. In around 2005 I picked up a Yamaha/Klipsch surround system online that I'm very happy with for the money. I still have it and use it. The McIntosh stuff was extremely expensive for someone of my income bracket, especially the speakers/subs. I've found that Paradigm, like Klipsch, are pretty decent speakers for the relatively low price. The 7.1 Yamaha receiver I've got was the next to top of the line and I'm pretty happy with it also. It was much cheaper than just the tuner in the McIntosh stereo I used to have.
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Not a true audiophile, but I generally only listen to music in FLAC or ALAC. Nothing below 256kbps unless it's absolutely impossible to find in a higher bitrate. Unfortunately, the only true 'hi-fi' system in our house is in the living room and almost never gets used, as it wasn't properly set up.
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Happy Sunday!

I got a very lucky call this morning that I wanted to share with you audiophiles. My dad is redecorating his living room in his vacation house, so his carpeting and old stereo has gotta go. ohmy.gif

It's a mid-80's McIntosh complete system with speakers that each have 16 tweeters. It holds a special place in my heart because I listened to my first DDD CD on it, which was Power Windows. wink.gif It sounds so nice and clean. I'm soooo happy about this. All i have to do is drive 350 miles to Drummond Island, MI to go get it. He's hoping I would sell it to raise cash to fix up my new HUD house but I don't think I could. You may not like McIntosh products, you may think they are overrated. Not me. I'm not audiophile but I think my ear's pretty decent and I likey! tongue.gif

Purchase price in 1985: $25,000 (according to dad )

Cost to tmd in 2010: Zero! What a lucky break!

 

I'll post pics when I get it hooked up, if anyone wants to see it. It might be nice to use it for a Rush listening party sometime for anyone who lives around here? (se mich) confused13.gif

Pic of similar speakers for reference:

 

http://www.roger-russell.com/xrt20c.jpg

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QUOTE (the masked drummer @ Jul 18 2010, 06:41 PM)
Happy Sunday!
I got a very lucky call this morning that I wanted to share with you audiophiles. My dad is redecorating his living room in his vacation house, so his carpeting and old stereo has gotta go. ohmy.gif
It's a mid-80's McIntosh complete system with speakers that each have 16 tweeters. It holds a special place in my heart because I listened to my first DDD CD on it, which was Power Windows. wink.gif It sounds so nice and clean. I'm soooo happy about this. All i have to do is drive 350 miles to Drummond Island, MI to go get it. He's hoping I would sell it to raise cash to fix up my new HUD house but I don't think I could. You may not like McIntosh products, you may think they are overrated. Not me. I'm not audiophile but I think my ear's pretty decent and I likey! tongue.gif
Purchase price in 1985: $25,000 (according to dad )
Cost to tmd in 2010: Zero! What a lucky break!

I'll post pics when I get it hooked up, if anyone wants to see it. It might be nice to use it for a Rush listening party sometime for anyone who lives around here? (se mich) confused13.gif
Pic of similar speakers for reference:

http://www.roger-russell.com/xrt20c.jpg

Talk about ghetto-fabulous! I wonder how that $25k stereo will look in my $12.5k house?? z7shysterical.gif blush4.gif

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That's awesome! I used to work for a high end shop and sold Mac (that's what we called it before those guys at Apple stole the name) and it is awesome stuff. Might want to call Macintosh and speak to their techs about some service on those speakers, The surrounds mught need some work.

 

I didn't see this thread when i posted my own audiophile thread a couple days ago. I owned my own shop for almost 10 years and recently closed it due to the economy.

 

I actually nuilt my rig over the years and has had many different stages so to speak. For those of you thinking it's not a big deal, find a local shop and listen. You'll hear things you've never heard before in music you've listened to for years.

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Honestly, I'd be interested to hear some of my favorite records on audiophile equipment, but that's about where it stops. Unless someone were to donate an audiophile system to my family, there's no way I could get into it... it's a bit outside of our range of money. Maybe one day, when I'm (much) older and have the resources, I'll invest in a system.

 

smile.gif

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QUOTE (ReRushed @ Nov 4 2008, 09:56 AM)
I'm not an audiophile. I listen to music via my computer and iPod and mp3's are just fine. I keep my CD's as a back-up and have the majority of my bootlegs in FLAC on an external hard drive. I convert them to mp3's and I'm fine. Am I missing out? Sure. If, one day, my income skyrockets, I might invest in some sophisticated stereo equipment.

My modus operandi also.

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QUOTE (briremo @ Jul 18 2010, 08:19 PM)
That's awesome! I used to work for a high end shop and sold Mac (that's what we called it before those guys at Apple stole the name) and it is awesome stuff. Might want to call Macintosh and speak to their techs about some service on those speakers, The surrounds mught need some work.

I didn't see this thread when i posted my own audiophile thread a couple days ago. I owned my own shop for almost 10 years and recently closed it due to the economy.

I actually nuilt my rig over the years and has had many different stages so to speak. For those of you thinking it's not a big deal, find a local shop and listen. You'll hear things you've never heard before in music you've listened to for years.

surrounds? mac they didn't have surround then. It's a 1985 stereo. And it only has maybe 100 hours on it, so it's fine. This is a stereo on a private island and the house is only occupied a month per year, and of that month the stereo may get used a few hours at the most!

with that said, thanks for your responses! I'm still in disbelief this stereo will be in my living room.

and for those who don't appreciate high-end audio, I completely understand. I think that me being a musician is the only reason I can hear the difference. to most people a $50 sounds just fine. In fact, when I studied studio recording I was taught to mixdown using 3 sets of speakers: a super big hi-end set, a med bookshelf set, and a cheap-azz pair of $15 car speakers. That's what most people listen to music on anyway, right?? wink.gif

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QUOTE (Xanadu93 @ Jul 18 2010, 09:59 PM)
Honestly, I'd be interested to hear some of my favorite records on audiophile equipment, but that's about where it stops. Unless someone were to donate an audiophile system to my family, there's no way I could get into it... it's a bit outside of our range of money. Maybe one day, when I'm (much) older and have the resources, I'll invest in a system.

smile.gif

I completely understand. The only way I could have listened to one of these nice stereos before I got this one from my wealthy dad was to go to a store and test one, pretending I could afford one. It's not the be-all-to-end-all. wink.gif

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QUOTE (briremo @ Jul 18 2010, 08:19 PM)
That's awesome! I used to work for a high end shop and sold Mac (that's what we called it before those guys at Apple stole the name) and it is awesome stuff. Might want to call Macintosh and speak to their techs about some service on those speakers, The surrounds mught need some work.

I didn't see this thread when i posted my own audiophile thread a couple days ago. I owned my own shop for almost 10 years and recently closed it due to the economy.

I actually nuilt my rig over the years and has had many different stages so to speak. For those of you thinking it's not a big deal, find a local shop and listen. You'll hear things you've never heard before in music you've listened to for years.

man, power windows sounds so breathtaking on this stereo from what i remember. you do hear things you won't hear on a standard setup. I can't wait to hear other stuff on it. I might even (dare i say it?) appreciate some of my own work on it. sad.gif rofl3.gif

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i'm not a true audiophile, but i still seem to hold music/bitrates/whatnot to higher standards than most other people i know. tons of friends of mine seem to have no problem with "ripping" mp3s of youtube audio, buying standard quality music on itunes, converting from one lossy format to another (if they have the technological skills to do so), or listening to mutt rips (if they download). I can HEAR the difference between bitrates, especially if it's as extreme as say, 128kbps vs. lossless, but depending on the music, anything from 192-320 is a minimum acceptable bitrate for me. I love having lossless, but i don't require it. I have v-moda in-ear buds that are way better than the garbage that comes with new ipods, and i have a 5.1 Logitech digital speaker system hooked up to my computer, both of which do their job just fine.
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