The importance of auditioning

[admin_exported]

I have spent many an hour reading reviews, looking at forums and thinking about trying to start building a system purely by theory and "ratings".

True I am a newcomer to the area of listening to anything above an all in one system but I was not expecting the experience I recently had.

I happened upon a system which really moved me, I thought I was one day going to utter the words "blew me away" but I cant say this was the case. I heard a peach tree audio system with vienna acoustics speakers and I found the sound actually stopped me in my tracks, it truly made me feel different, fantastic, it made me smile. It wasn't the music, it was a track I like but can't say is one of my favourites, but the whole experience left me a little befuddled, but changed.

I had decided upon a decent shortlist which did not include the above system. I now feel that I have a long way to go before I get to where I want to be with regards to my purchase.... its going to be a pleasant journey.

Has anyone had a similar experience or was I experiencing a flush from an early male menopause?

 

[plastic penguin]

Welcome to the wonderful world of hi-fi.

It can be the most wonderful hobby and frustrating at the same time. This is why most of us on here, including myself, will put forward suggetions but always urge anyone to audition if possible.

Enjoy the ride.

 

[jaxwired]

Great post. I couldn't agree more with the sentiment. However, even if you are lucky enough to live where you can demo lots of gear, you might still end up going through a few buying iterations before you are satisfied. Liking something in a demo isn't a guarantee you will like it after living with it for a few weeks or months. But, I definately agree that buying soley on ratings and reviews is a very risky business. Some people have no choice...

 

[Anonymous]

Couldn't agree more, also about the Peachtree Audio.

Once you've realised that reviews represent the views of the reviewers, whose tastes may be different to yours, that the ratings are (for hifi, anyway) relatively meaningless and that forums can only go so far since participants generally are not exposed to a wide variety of kit, then making a choice may be no more complex than going down to your local dealers, telling them how much you want to spend and settling down to listen.

Ever since I went to the local HiFi show, the only one I've ever been to, by the way, I've been thinking about my system of selection, such as it was. Did exactly the same as yourself, but, after I'd been in three listening rooms, tore up the my mental list and the rules. Things that were recommended here, on other forums and in other magazines didn't sound how I'd expected at all, and some favourites left me puzzling as to why people thought them so good. On the other hand, some of the equipment for which I'd never seen reviews or forum comments left me open-mouthed

That leads me to another question: do we, by asking questions on forums and reading magazines then audition a narrow range of equipment, sell not only ourselves short, but also the industry? Surely it would be better always to listen to the widest range possible rather than limiting ourselves to a few. On a personal level perhaps then the whole bought-the-popular-favourite-and-don't-like-it threads, usually coupled with give-it-time replies would disappear as people bought what they liked rather than something said to be the 'best in its class' which they had to force themselves to like. That, too, might force the major players in the industry to have a look at the sound they currently produce and broaden it beyond bright and bouncy (accurate, in terms of the current jargon) to include models that had, for example, a decent midrange, while companies currently not so well-known would be exposed to a wider audience. Utopian, I know, given that the variety in the chain stores such as Sevenoaks/Audio-T is limited and specialist dealers confined to major cities, but surely choice is the cornerstone of our current economic models so should be encouraged?

Certainly worked for me, anyway. I'm putting the Dynaudios on hold and thinking seriously about the amplifier, too.

 

[Mr Morph]

Grottyash, you've said something I totally agree with. Today, there will probably be a good (and cheap) component out there that takes on the very best, but whether it ever gets reviewed is another question?

Also people have to understand something. They have to understand that good hi-fi is not about a single component. It's about all the components working together effortlessly. Only then does a system become more than the sum of its parts.

Although my system is far from perfect in many ways, I finally stopped upgrading because 'IT' won me over with a sound that was insightful, involving, and emotionally moving. And in the end, I just had to sit back and ask myself 'could I reasonably ask for more'? The answer was no. As to the OP's question, just listen to as much as you can, but also be aware of the reason why something sounds good. Something cheap (but well engineered) will often beat something expensive and showy.

 

[audioaffair]

Indeed, welcome to the club. Enjoy in good health.

 

[plastic penguin]

There's no single answer to the ideal set-up, it's a synthesis of opinions that results in hitting the mark: the opinions of magazines, forums, dealer recommendations and personal preference (including room size and acoustics). Once you've short-listed the items you think fit the bill... something else which is very important. Apart from your own ears, gut feeling: does it feel right? this last suggestion is not something to be taught, it's a natural instinct. You just know....

 

[idc]

I have had 2 eureka moments with hifi which made me want to listen to as much as possible. The first was my grandmother's B&O system and the second was in a department store on Kurfurstendamm in Berlin. I walked round and around floor standing speakers which only had a speaker in the top firing upwards at a cone suspended over the speaker. The sound was amazing.

But, sadly, though mainly successfully, I have had to buy a lot of hifi untested due to practicalities.

 

[danrv]

In my recent,rather frustrating experience of buying speakers I concluded that a home demo with a pair of fully run in speakers is the only way to ensure you make the right decision.

I was unable to do this with a pair of MA RX1's.Bought them and the month that followed was a nightmare. Different room acoustics, not yet run in,bungs in,bungs out,hours spent on forum advice. Sold them at a loss. Have resolved it now with a pair of Dali Lektor 2's.

I agree,auditioning is important but has to done at home with run in equipment.Finding a nearby dealer who is happy for you to do this is another thing.

 

[fouad]

My own humble but practical experience also surprised me. I am addicted to reviews and over 10 years built up a list of items in my mind. I listened to a very well reviewed and modestly priced tube amp and found that ... the sound was so loose, it drove me mad. You could not locate, let alone pin down, the place of each instrument (this may not be importt to you). It was like looking at fruits on a tree but with the tree shaking so violently all the time that your vision blurred!! You do not get that perception in a review, do you? I also listened to my top choice: Marantz 7003 amp+cd. Good for the price but it did not stir our soul. Then, my wife (!), by accident, saw the beautiful Primare CD31 and I30 amp in a dark corner, upstairs. Of course, I had read about it and really loved the cool Nordic design but I was not thinking of spending that money at the time. We asked for an audition. What the ...! The sound was out of this world!!! Warm, luscious, liquid, yet analytical. The holy grail!! Of course, much more expensive but it was ex-display (we added a pair of new B&W CM7s) and we got a bigger discount too. I ended up paying twice more than my original budget (and for ex-display! exactly the other extreme of my well-thought plan) but we were in bliss- and do not need to upgrade for 10 yrs - or ever ... maybe! If only I could stop reading.

So 'value' is not about paying less (ie. it is NOT 'cost'), it is about getting much more (by paying just a little more) and being happy with your choice. I am also sad to say that in the same Kingston/Raynes Park area (SW London), I visited 2 other shops: the first (from a national network) told me that the equipmt was not plugged in (the shop was empty) and the other (a so-called high end boutique) told me to go ... to hi-fi shows to listen and then to come to the shop (as if I did not know that hotel room accoustics is rubbish): I did not park in a BMW I guess (I was on my bike). More fool them: I visited my favourite shop for 3 yrs, audition 4-5 times without buying anything. They did not care that I was buying or not - but when I did, I paid £4,000 in one go. The importance of a good hi-fi shop (ie. great, passionate people) should never be underestimated... Happy reading! I mean, happy listening!

 

[cse]

I agree with the above. There is some appalling behaviour in Hi Fi shops - staff not being bothered even when the shop is empty to let you listen. Everything has to be booked in advance at a time to suit them. They never seem to have systems up and running, for casual listening/observations and rairly stock a comprehensive list of stuff like they used to. When the are playing music it's often just an awful radio reception.