the best upgrade..its the hose! Solid blue is far inferior to the translucent silicone type as it slows the water down leading to noise and surface drag!
Native_bon
Well-known member
The average reviewer is properly over the age of 50, don't think this helps either. Hearing seems to deteriorate as we age, yet we seem to be the very best at judging what sounds best, some more than others. At age 42 like to think I still got perfect hearing but that may be far from the truth. Colour blind, Hearing blind? May be some are blind to some certain frequencies?
I think its about time we know even if every mag in the world says a Hifi product is exceptional, there is no guarantee you would like the performance of it. Also there may be two products that measure exceptionally well, but one of them may not pair well with a particular amp. Hifi selection has to be for your listening & your listening only.
I think its about time we know even if every mag in the world says a Hifi product is exceptional, there is no guarantee you would like the performance of it. Also there may be two products that measure exceptionally well, but one of them may not pair well with a particular amp. Hifi selection has to be for your listening & your listening only.
Native_bon said:
Can you take the Oath of this forum allegiance* that our sense of hearing at 42 is no longer competent ? Oh man, I thought it would be when we pass 60 or so...I don't believe in my declining hearing to be honest. Not at 39 anyway...maybe I'm wrong.
*sense of humour...
Native_bon
Well-known member
Hopfully not, not to the extent that it would actually make a difference to listening to music at 42. There was once a program on BBC one if i remember rightly which a high pitch sound was played in the premises but only teengers could hear the sound but not adults. It was used as a means to move teengers on from areas where quiet was needed.stereoman said:
All am saying is many would be surprised that their level of hearing is not as good they may suppose.
Blacksabbath25
Well-known member
wasn't that about high frequency's that older people can not hear but the under 21s can so it moved them on . So basically it's the same principle as ribbon speakers my ears can not pick up the sound coming from them but my little one can .Native_bon said:
My two pen'orth - fwiw - so what if we lose some of the higher frequencies - it's a gradual loss that we are not really aware of because of the gradual nature of it. It's not as if we can have a quick A/B comparison -
A - my hifi sound and music at 25 yrs old - and B - my hifi and music at 60 yrs old. - Excuse me while I just go fetch my time machine - nice if I could do it
But seriously I think that an audiophile can still discern between hifi components in very important areas such as sound stage, depth, naturalness of sound, stereo imaging, big sound, compressed sound and distortion too etc - you get my drift.
I concede that a high frequency 'air' wil be missing - but that is not the most important aspect of what we listen to (or listen for) . Not forgetting - pace rhythm and timing too. All inmho of course.
regards tonky
A - my hifi sound and music at 25 yrs old - and B - my hifi and music at 60 yrs old. - Excuse me while I just go fetch my time machine - nice if I could do it
But seriously I think that an audiophile can still discern between hifi components in very important areas such as sound stage, depth, naturalness of sound, stereo imaging, big sound, compressed sound and distortion too etc - you get my drift.
I concede that a high frequency 'air' wil be missing - but that is not the most important aspect of what we listen to (or listen for) . Not forgetting - pace rhythm and timing too. All inmho of course.
regards tonky
don't get hung up on the importance of your ears' frequency response. It's barely important, unless you feel you've got so deaf it's affecting your enjoyment of the music.
My wife can hear her watch ticking on the dresser while laying in bed, while I cannot, and she can hear higher frequencies than me. But her ability to interpret what she hears, such as (but not limited to) distinguishing the difference between speakers or different mixes of the same song, is lightyears behind mine. She's also tone deaf, and while she has a decent vocal range, her singing is reminiscent of Edith from 'Allo 'Allo, though to her mind she's singing perfectly in tune. Sure I wouldn't mind her ears, but if that meant I also had to have her interpretation facualty rather than mine, no thanks. May as well give up my hobby as a home recordist and producer, and may as well sell the HiFi, all for the dubious benefit of still being able to hear a 17kHz sine wave (I top out at 14kHz) and hearing the watch tick ten feet away.
None of that was intended to insult the long-suffering Mrs Fubar, more to give reassurance that our ears' FR and worrying that at 40+ we can no longer can hear a flea fart three miles away is nearly irrelevant when it comes to our musical enjoyment and interpreting what we hear.
My wife can hear her watch ticking on the dresser while laying in bed, while I cannot, and she can hear higher frequencies than me. But her ability to interpret what she hears, such as (but not limited to) distinguishing the difference between speakers or different mixes of the same song, is lightyears behind mine. She's also tone deaf, and while she has a decent vocal range, her singing is reminiscent of Edith from 'Allo 'Allo, though to her mind she's singing perfectly in tune. Sure I wouldn't mind her ears, but if that meant I also had to have her interpretation facualty rather than mine, no thanks. May as well give up my hobby as a home recordist and producer, and may as well sell the HiFi, all for the dubious benefit of still being able to hear a 17kHz sine wave (I top out at 14kHz) and hearing the watch tick ten feet away.
None of that was intended to insult the long-suffering Mrs Fubar, more to give reassurance that our ears' FR and worrying that at 40+ we can no longer can hear a flea fart three miles away is nearly irrelevant when it comes to our musical enjoyment and interpreting what we hear.
CnoEvil said:
Yeah I've noticed they come with that facility as standard. 'Can I just have...', 'NO!!'.
MajorFubar said:
I only get as far as, "Ca...", before I hear "NO!"
.....but I have been married nearly 30 years! eek! *shok*
Native_bon
Well-known member
Funny enough just done a hearing test. As a train driver we do this ever 5yrs. Passed with flying colours. Smiles.
plastic penguin
Well-known member
The bitter truth about hi-fi is it's a drug. Every few years I need a 'fix'; It's weather you can control that urge is another matter. I control mine by visiting the occasional hi-fi shop just to see what's new....
nopiano
Well-known member
I control mine by going to shows, where you can hear decent sounds trying to get out, but it usually sounds pretty crappy. Then I go home and enjoy the same tracks and revel in the great sound!plastic penguin said:
It has kept me 'safe' for almost twenty years, until this year's changes!
Andrewjvt said:
Wify get's her hair done in a 'radical new look'. Shines and glares at the beered up Real Madrid of a husband, waiting for him to notice and compliment.
- Noticing anything new?
- Mmm. New shoes right?
- ....
As if veil has been lifted.
radiorog
Well-known member
Hadn't read the further posts, and you guys seem to have addressed this already, but I'll leave my post here anyways.Native_bon said:
Straight from Wikipedia...
The range shrinks during life,[9] usually beginning at around age of eight with the upper frequency limit being reduced. Women typically experience a lesser degree of hearing loss than men, with a later onset. Men have approximately 5 to 10 dB greater loss in the upper frequencies by age 40.
As to how important these actual frequencies are for most listening to music I don't know.
stereoman said:
It's like if you go on the Volvo or BMW forums you'd get the impression that they are terribly unreliable cars, when the reality is that most BMW and Volvo owners are very happy with their cars and for most people it's only when they have problems that they go on forums for help.
It'd be fair comment to say that most people own systems with which I would not be happy and that most people would not be happy with the systems that I own. The same thing may well apply to you Stereoman. But all that means is that when it comes to hi-fi it's horses for courses. For some the course will be Blackpool beach, for other's it'll be Aintree.
Same goes for customers' product reviews on Amazon etc. Maybe 1 in a 1,000 examples of Product X is faulty, but because satisfied customers are far less likely to leave feedback than disgruntled ones, you end up with a skewed misrepresentation where 10%+ of the reviews are critical.
By their nature, forums are seen as places you join to get help from likeminded enthusiasts when you have a problem. Most enthusiasts perfectly happy with their lot will rarely even look to see if a place such as this even exists.
By their nature, forums are seen as places you join to get help from likeminded enthusiasts when you have a problem. Most enthusiasts perfectly happy with their lot will rarely even look to see if a place such as this even exists.
iMark
Well-known member
Most people I know are not interested in tinkering with their HiFi. They've bought a set years ago and will only buy something if a component breaks down. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Obviously things have changed somewhat with the arrival of multichannel music, streaming etc. But an amp + speakers are still the heart of most systems.
How many people will have their car tuned? It's only for a few people.
Forums like this tend to attract geeky people that will exaggerate the tiniest of details. Some advice from fellow enthousiasts is really useful. Other advice is so esotetric that it should come with wallet health warning.
My personal advice: if you've got something you like, don't bother with upgrades. Exceptions are when something breaks or when you really want to use new features. Or when you've won the lottery of course.
How many people will have their car tuned? It's only for a few people.
Forums like this tend to attract geeky people that will exaggerate the tiniest of details. Some advice from fellow enthousiasts is really useful. Other advice is so esotetric that it should come with wallet health warning.
My personal advice: if you've got something you like, don't bother with upgrades. Exceptions are when something breaks or when you really want to use new features. Or when you've won the lottery of course.
jonboywalton75
Well-known member
The most radical, cost effective change I ever made was going from playing cds to buying a SBT
It was like 5 Xmas's rolled into one
It was like 5 Xmas's rolled into one
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