Just thinking out loud

[Grover Gardner]

It really helps to have another set of ears. Too often, the moment a visitor sits down and I put on some music to show off my latest improvement, it takes me about 30 seconds to think, "Oh sh*t" and race to put it all back the way it was.

Glad you found your way back to the SET's, David. Now just send me those useless UTC's, eh?

[Jim G]

When I'm by myself, my system sounds really good.

When friends come over, something is always wrong.

After visiting Charlie's or David M's house, my system sucks ass.

L-O-L!!

[Pelliott321]

I meant for this thread as a starting point for we audiophiles to do some self evaluation in mostly themselves and their systems.
I find it interesting that we seem to fall into two groups.
One with what seemly is an honest perspective of what we are doing.
The other group is so full of ego that there is a blindness that they cannot see but most others do

[TubeDriver]

I think at the end of the day, many of the people here have pretty good systems. Think about it, many here have spent decades honing their systems. With tweaks and mods, many times our systems might be subtly better in some ways but maybe worse in other ways. And then it comes down to priorities and preferences.

I am in the middle of comparing different streaming setups. I hear two very different sounds. I can't decide which is better or even which I prefer? Is a richer, looser, more analog, less detail oriented presentation better than a faster, better focused, cleaner, more detailed presentation? One way sounds better for this recording but the other way sounds better on a different recording. As Stu said, I just know that I will choose the wrong one and I will figure that out when people are over for a listen.

5B417589-1CD8-441D-9D97-CFE03078C9C3.jpeg (17.7 KiB) Viewed 4045 times

[Stuart Polansky]

I think at the end of the day, many of the people here have pretty good systems. Think about it, many here have spent decades honing their systems. With tweaks and mods, many times our systems might be subtly better in some ways but maybe worse in other ways. And then it comes down to priorities and preferences.

I am in the middle of comparing different streaming setups. I hear two very different sounds. I can't decide which is better or even which I prefer? Is a richer, looser, more analog, less detail oriented presentation better than a faster, better focused, cleaner, more detailed presentation? One way sounds better for this recording but the other way sounds better on a different recording. As Stu said, I just know that I will choose the wrong one and I will figure that out when people are over for a listen.

5B417589-1CD8-441D-9D97-CFE03078C9C3.jpeg

On a serious note, what makes this group great is the help offered to each of us, whether that is musical/electronic knowledge, mentoring advice, material items, other perspectives on sound, or just plain friendship.

Things do tend to get confusing and we can delude ourselves into believing that we are on the right path; that our rig is getting better with each tweak. The splash of cold water that frequently happens when (brutally?) honest friends come by and listen is simply invaluable.

Stuart

[Cogito]

When friends come over, something is always wrong.

Seriously, that is the reason we should have friends over from time to time...for reality check.

When we modify/upgrade the components of the system, we do hear changes. We tend to focus only on the improvements and often undesired changes go unnoticed. Friends who are hearing the system for the first time can easily identify the deficiencies.

[tomp]

It's easy for the mind to get used to some sound with repeated listening that may produce very different reactions when someone comes over and hears it for the first time. What you have to keep in mind for your sanity is that just because someone hears it differently and may have a different opinion of the sound, at the end of the day, if it sounds like you like it you are home free. A modicum of patience for different recording qualities in various source material is also good to keep from going bonkers.

[KLH007]

As my system has improved, I feel just slightly less disappointed when coming home after hearing Charlie's system, it's just superb.