The mother-in-law had a long weekend in Venice last week and couldn't fly home because of the ash cloud; Pinky and Perky are in charge of our country; my new job is going fantastically, and most strange of all...my hi-fi was hugely complimented.
I'm the first to admit that I've posted some real dross on this forum in the past, and this could be another one....
On Wednesday my brother and niece came down for the evening. Anyway, after handing out the teas and coffees, my niece asked whether I could play some music - I duly approved and plonked on some various cds on. Asked whether she likes her music, she nodded and said her boyfriend has spent thousands building up a Yamaha/Kef 5.1 surround sound system.
She bought in one of her cds and fairly quickly her jaw dropped. This is very unlike her because she could talk for England and probably achieve Gold Medal status.
ARCAM HAS PRESENCE OF MIND
I loaded some Country/Rock album (her boyfriend plays in a similar style band) and she said: "I've never heard that before. The voices really jump out at you..." At the end of a 30 min listen, I hinted at an imminent upgrade. She said, "no - don't! that's the best I've heard."
She then asked how much all that cost, so I told her around £1,100. She almost flipped. Apparent, he paid nearly 3 x that amount. We subsequently headed for the local boozer...
The point of this thread is that 5 stars and awards do not guarantee a great sound. Apart from my Monitor Audios, CD73 and Pro-ject TT, everything else is either three or four star rated. I know many have have mentioned this before, including WHFI mag, and including myself. Really, this is aimed at the newer members who always ask about Nad or Marantz. There's nothing wrong with that, but looking at 3 and 4 star equipment really proves there is no stigma about lesser-rated kit just because it doesn't get an overall approval from the professional testers - it doesn't necessarily mean it's inferior.
Right, I'm off to polish my toenails...[
]
I'm the first to admit that I've posted some real dross on this forum in the past, and this could be another one....
On Wednesday my brother and niece came down for the evening. Anyway, after handing out the teas and coffees, my niece asked whether I could play some music - I duly approved and plonked on some various cds on. Asked whether she likes her music, she nodded and said her boyfriend has spent thousands building up a Yamaha/Kef 5.1 surround sound system.
She bought in one of her cds and fairly quickly her jaw dropped. This is very unlike her because she could talk for England and probably achieve Gold Medal status.
ARCAM HAS PRESENCE OF MIND
I loaded some Country/Rock album (her boyfriend plays in a similar style band) and she said: "I've never heard that before. The voices really jump out at you..." At the end of a 30 min listen, I hinted at an imminent upgrade. She said, "no - don't! that's the best I've heard."
She then asked how much all that cost, so I told her around £1,100. She almost flipped. Apparent, he paid nearly 3 x that amount. We subsequently headed for the local boozer...
The point of this thread is that 5 stars and awards do not guarantee a great sound. Apart from my Monitor Audios, CD73 and Pro-ject TT, everything else is either three or four star rated. I know many have have mentioned this before, including WHFI mag, and including myself. Really, this is aimed at the newer members who always ask about Nad or Marantz. There's nothing wrong with that, but looking at 3 and 4 star equipment really proves there is no stigma about lesser-rated kit just because it doesn't get an overall approval from the professional testers - it doesn't necessarily mean it's inferior.
Right, I'm off to polish my toenails...[
]
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram