Rubbish in rubbish out

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Deleted member 188516

Guest
Well , go back to the OP. Is it rubbish in - rubbish out ?

yes but some argue the actual "start" of the hifi chain is not the source or even the records themselves...its the mains supply quality hence all those fantastic mains products !
 
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Deleted member 188516

Guest
Only ever bought one thing from RA, which wasn't any good and was returned. They were very slow and reluctant to refund, and I have stayed on their mailing list ever since to incur them a small ongoing cost.

Childish and not environmentally friendly - I really should stop them now.

may i ask do you get the connected magazine they send out ?

the latest copy i received had a feature on russ andrews' actual hifi system.

the cables he uses alone would cause many on this forum to blow a fuse !
 

Jimboo

Well-known member
yes but some argue the actual "start" of the hifi chain is not the source or even the records themselves...its the mains supply quality hence all those fantastic mains products !
Mmm, yeah , Russ would.
But the whole point of the chain is to reproduce the sound (,music) as it has been recorded.
I have half speed masters , not really sure there is much too it. 180gr records , they are heavier and feel like quality but sound the same and I don't understand what extra weight actually does for sound. The mobile record sounded really good. It may be they all are or just that pressing. I actually had a few records that I had bought to listen too and really didn't expect the sound to honestly be better.
Tidal is louder but doesn't feel that sort of loudness wars way but they choose remastered offerings too often. The mobile record had the kind of 'presence' I would expect from Hi-Res claimed blurb. Then again a good c.d is still for me the best sound.
It just shows the power of the recording on any system is the key.
 
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Deleted member 108165

Guest
Please follow forum decorum at all times and avoid using foul language.
so if it is nothing to do with "cables and kit" may i ask why spend, what is for me, a small fortune on a fancy cd player ?

would it not of been a better idea to save the cash and spend it "optimising" your cd collection with one of these instead ?
Jealous? Nothing fancy about my CD player apart from it sounds brilliant to my ears, is SACD compatible and has an excellent DAC. I tend to purchase better kit to increase my enjoyment factor, not stupidly expensive cables! This kit enables me to enjoy all my media collection, end of.

You are beginning to sound like a troll, stop pushing the cable debate and concentrate on kit as no one is interested in your ridiculous posts... you are becoming a right EDITED as it breaches forum rules
 
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Deleted member 188516

Guest
Jealous? Nothing fancy about my CD player apart from it sounds brilliant to my ears, is SACD compatible and has an excellent DAC. I tend to purchase better kit to increase my enjoyment factor, not stupidly expensive cables! This kit enables me to enjoy all my media collection, end of.

You are beginning to sound like a troll, stop pushing the cable debate and concentrate on kit as no one is interested in your ridiculous posts... you are becoming a right .

i was only kidding !

(also no need for that language...)
 
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Deleted member 116933

Guest
It’s the chicken and egg debate, yes a well recorded album will always sound good but if you don’t have a system able to reproduce the differences then it’s lost to the ether. What I’ve learnt is no one piece is any less important than the other. It’s a balance, as all things in life.

mofi Recording are well produced though no doubt about it. But they’re not the do all and end all.
 

Jimboo

Well-known member
It really isn't chicken and egg as such I think. Your saying a good system lets you hear a good recording. Therefore a good system , however constructed is going to do nothing to a bad one (remastered , bad pressing , apparently anything not Hi-Res etc )
Ergo , rubbish in , rubbish out at various degrees. Any part of the hardware chain is solely dependent on what it has to work with.
I think you are right up to a point but it's another audiophile mantra that you can polish the proverbial with hardware. A good recording makes the most of your system and a great system is not going to make the bad one better.
A balance of sorts but audiophile logic sadly fails at the first hurdle . The irony of taking care to system match while paying little heed of the source. I think a good recording requires less of an esoteric approach to sound than Mr Andrews and high Ender's would lead you to believe. Time and money is better spent on good sounding pressings that are discernable rather than using wavy lines on graph paper to prove a piece of equipments credentials. The reward comes from what you can hear . You can tell mono from stereo , vocals too far back in the mix or gated drums. Can you hear what a mains filter does or a directional cable , honestly experience such obvious plus and minuses based on what two amplifiers are doing a thousand pounds apart in price?
 
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Deleted member 108165

Guest
Have definitely found this with my recent upgrade, good recordings can sound stellar but poor ones suffer from a warts and all presentation. It's a difficult line to tread.
 
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Deleted member 116933

Guest
It really isn't chicken and egg as such I think. Your saying a good system lets you hear a good recording. Therefore a good system , however constructed is going to do nothing to a bad one (remastered , bad pressing , apparently anything not Hi-Res etc )
Ergo , rubbish in , rubbish out at various degrees. Any part of the hardware chain is solely dependent on what it has to work with.
I think you are right up to a point but it's another audiophile mantra that you can polish the proverbial with hardware. A good recording makes the most of your system and a great system is not going to make the bad one better.
A balance of sorts but audiophile logic sadly fails at the first hurdle . The irony of taking care to system match while paying little heed of the source. I think a good recording requires less of an esoteric approach to sound than Mr Andrews and high Ender's would lead you to believe. Time and money is better spent on good sounding pressings that are discernable rather than using wavy lines on graph paper to prove a piece of equipments credentials. The reward comes from what you can hear . You can tell mono from stereo , vocals too far back in the mix or gated drums. Can you hear what a mains filter does or a directional cable , honestly experience such obvious plus and minuses based on what two amplifiers are doing a thousand pounds apart in price?

The same argument could be put forward for recordings comparing 2 different versions of the same, the difference are just a subtle, compare the difference between the Abby road releases for example, tidal and Spotify and so on. You're pulling at straws in regards to the equipment and placing it very low on the scale.

TBH if you care that much to purchase a mofi record then I assume you're pretty far down the rabbit hole in regards to equipment and suspect you have something that can make those records come to life. General Joe's don't buy Mofi records @50 -200 quid each. Heck, I heard someone moaning about a record costing 25 quid the other day!

A building isn't a building with just a foundation. To make use of that foundation the rest has to be able to support, no one piece in the structure of the building is any less important than the other. (chicken and the egg)

I'm not denying a great mix doesn't make a difference but if you don't have stylus capable of following the grove then its for nowt.

I'm also not saying the system has to be expensive. We live in a great time where budget tech sounds fab. But I chose to buy myself something a little nicer.

But as you're twisting my arm, the most important thing, if I had to nail down, would be set up and placement. Everything you mention just wouldn't be there, simple things such as a speaker placement, many here can't even get that right. Then there are other things like stylus care, alignment is critical as mentioned and so on it all just as important, granted some more so than others hence the comment on balance. Then you have the pressings themselves and they'll all be different as the mould wears, even mofi can't control that hence their limited runs. MOFI isn't just about the mix its also about QC.

There are too many variables to nail it down to the recording alone as I said above everything has to be able to support that recording and I'm not just talking about tech.

I could play a mofi record on a crossly all in one suitcase turntable sure it might be the best that thing could sound but its hardly showing that record in a good light. In fact, I know it won't be showing any of the virtues you talk about, BUT! its the right choice for someone.

lets put it this way I'd rather listen to a so so recoding on a perfectly set up and balanced (and im not talking about system match here) system then an amazing recording on a system tucked in a corner.

But if you really believe equipment is not that important to a good listening experience and it all boils down to mostly the recording, Buy that crossly all in one suitcase turntable. the supermarket has plenty in stock. No? i didn't think so.

There's more to it and you know it.
 
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Deleted member 116933

Guest
Hi Millennia . Great reply chap.
Fantastic isn't it, actually discussing and thinking about what we spend our money on and what is needed to really benefit the listener. I don't think we disagree on much to be honest.
Maybe the cable freaks have been given food for thought , eh?
Thanks again for the reply.

Your welcome it’s nice to have a sensible chats Its all part of the hobby I’m a bit of a sleeper on here. I really do know what I’m talking about 😉 Though I don’t always seem like it.

The cable guys have there place. And both Sides of the coin have valid points.
 

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