Le Grande Hypothesis: bigger - the better, newer eg. with latest technology, parts and software - the better, more expensive - the better..well, that is not (always) the case. In this commercial world we've only been taught (very cleverly though) to think that way - to buy some more..to buy something 'better'..and at the same time we've quite cruly been thrown away from the basics - from the roots. We've been actually fooled to think that way.
Put above on a context of building an emotionally involving and satisfying audio system and you're completely lost. Or at least I was. For me it took some 20 years to recognize and 'learn' that..;-)..and furthermore - to survive. Starting to sound almost religious, ha? That's quite a common story for most of us and - educational - for sure. But I've had a lot of fun, too.
Learning only by yourself through 'trial and error' I think you can't reach the ultimatum, you'll need also a healthy dose of luck to come across some experienced hobbyists, manufacturers, DIYers etc. with real insight to natural sound reproduction. Just to get you on a track. You kind a start to see the bigger picture..or not..
Ears and audio reproduction
We all have such devices..or at least should have. When our ears tells us that there is something wrong in our stereo system - there usually is. Simple as that. That is the main reason for an almost endless search for something better..but we often soon realize that the better we craved for is mere different instead of better. And off they go - the gear, that is. :-) During years I've done that so many times, it's useless to count. Biggest reason for that, in my opinion, is the complete wrong direction, that the audio industry took after the sixties. Better known today as High End..very cleverly executed fraud. ;-)
I have been thinking that a lot lately. By 'fraud' I mean the choices the industry and audio press together created during that time; focusing on widening the audio bandwidth by terms of measurements, started using multiple drivers with complex crossovers in their speaker designs, started talking about holographic, pinpoint imaging, resolution and accuracy as major creators for convincing, believable stereo sound, started concentrating to megawatt transistor amps (watts are cheap, you know) due lower sensitivity figures in speakers instead of simple, low wattage tube amps, abandoning analog and focusing digital, lowering the quality of speaker drivers (yes!) etc. etc. I think the list could go on.
Our ears tells us that all these, very consciously made choices have actually made the whole musical experience less involving, unnatural, lifeless and clinical. One can argue with that, of course, but do think about that, when you're sitting in front of a live chamber quartet playing together.. and try to recreate that in your listening room..not an easy task, but manageable, yes, at least in certain degree with the right gear. And that recreation certainly has nothing to do with usual high end hi-fi suspects like pinpoint imaging, ultra extended audio bandwidth etc. It's more like feeling the vibrancy, feeling the subtle dynamic swings and intensity of a performance - you kind of breath the same air with the performers. :-)
The Real Ear Openers and The Old
It was some four years ago when I found Omega loudspeakers. 8" AlNiCo fullrange driver with whizzer cone fitted into very nice cabinets made by L. Chockos from Connecticut, USA. It was a vario vent design without crossover. The coherence and speed with startling immediacy hit me like lightning, I instantly knew it was a point of no return. Eventually the speaker turned out to be a bit peaky from the top, so I sold the pair. But I now knew the path to follow. Omega do has, imo, even more balanced driver and speaker in their current line up and it's based on their 6" AlNiCo driver - the Omega 6" XRS. Very balanced and musical speaker. Well done, Louis!
To be continued..
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