ThirdDrawerDown Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Welcome to the newcomers here! With almost 150,000 members Stereonet (SNA) has many keen minds able to proffer advice. This thread differs from the other advice threads in that we ask for just one post per member. What advice would you have liked to hear when you were starting your audio journey? What advice do you give now, when people learn this is your hobby or passion? One post, one soundbite, one pearl per person please. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audionutz Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'll kick it off 150k members is an amazing accomplishment that deserves first mention! As for advice .... Teach yourself to listen, to both the music AND people who know more than you. It'll save you a lot of money & time (if only someone had said it to me 30 years ago). Cheers 'Nutz 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThirdDrawerDown Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 "Listener fatigue" isn't complex and it's not a mystery. It's just the diffference between thinking "I think I'll put some more music on" or "I think I'll go off and doing something else now." I suppose this could also be called 'engagement'. Anyway when it's several hours later and you're still happily engaged then the gear that you're listening to probably isn't fatiguing. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 if starting out in audio. I would just say one thing. Trust your ears while will come across a lot of reviews, peoples opinion etc...read them with interest and treat them as a heads up. but if have the opportunity demo demo demo...try get a chance to experience for your self and come to your very own conclusions. If making a buying decision it is your very own opinion that matters the most 18 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Marc Posted April 10, 2014 Administrator Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'd suggest newcomers to StereoNET at least, introduce themselves well, and do their best to get along to other members GTG's (Get Together's). Sharing the hobby and being able to talk about it with others is a great way of making new friends and learning from them. Find GTGs in your state here: https://www.stereonet.com/forums/forum/62-local-events-get-togethers/ 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereophilus Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 When I started out in audiophilia I was very "destination" focused. I wanted my music a certain way and set out to achieve that. Now I believe the adage that the journey is more important than the destination. In other words, enjoy the ride, learn and have fun each step of the way. 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistairm Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 It is wise to get spousal permission for speakers, and any amps or sources that are not black. Cables, interconnects and even black components are easier to sneak into the system without permission. And if you're busted, claim it's just "on loan for demonstration". 41 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Marc Posted April 27, 2014 Administrator Share Posted April 27, 2014 And if you're busted, claim it's just "on loan for demonstration". My favorite! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Triode Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 When setting up a system, use minimalist miked and processed music - preferably of acoustic instruments and spaces. i.e no artificiality in reverb, timbre, imaging and soundstaging. Only then can you properly judge the true capabilities of your system. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primare Knob Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Don't read to much into technical specs. Quality before quantity. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Misterioso Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 I wish I had discovered active studio monitors earlier. The sound quality you can get from some of them is amazing regardless of the price. Once you look at the price tag, it becomes clear they are the best buy in the audio world. Brands to look at include Adam Audio, ATC, Dynaudio, Event Electronics, Focal, Genelec, and Neumann. All of them are readily available in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
progladyte Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 It is wise to get spousal permission for speakers, and any amps or sources that are not black. Cables, interconnects and even black components are easier to sneak into the system without permission. And if you're busted, claim it's just "on loan for demonstration". Geez - someone else on here must be married to my wife as well. My, that girl gets around!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcamry Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Remember the music is why we buy the gear, imo 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacewise Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 I'll avoid advising about all the really cool stuff in digital audio, speakers, subs and integrated amps and instead go practical logistics. Buy yourself a sack truck, save your back. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockandorRoll Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Dont be swayed by fancy brands and equipment with the name behind it. Listen to the music you love then find the sytems that makes it sound better. Don't change your music to match a system, it should be the other way around 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwbasement Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Valves and vinyl are the only prefect couple in the world. Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A9X Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Ignore all subjective reviews especially for cables, amplifiers and DACs. Someone mentioned going to GTGs and personal invites to hear gear: go. And take tough music you like and know well. By tough, I mean complex and wide dynamic range. Little girl and guitar music won't tell you as much as something like Beethoven's 9th. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Ignore all subjective reviews especially for cables, amplifiers and DACs. Someone mentioned going to GTGs and personal invites to hear gear: go. And take tough music you like and know well. By tough, I mean complex and wide dynamic range. Little girl and guitar music won't tell you as much as something like Beethoven's 9th. What no Cello Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEN MISTER Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 In sonic terms, the most we can hope for is a convincing illusion of live music making. But in emotional terms, you do not have to go bankrupt to be moved by a piece of music. If it moves you, you are on the right track. ZM. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brumby Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 When I started out on my audio journey in the early/mid 1960s, the name of the game was LIVE music. I could afford (with little more than an hours wages) to go and listen to bands which are now legends. My parents had season tickets to the local symphony orchestra so I could go and listen to live renditions of everything from Mozart to Satie. I am married to a woman who played first violin in a symphony orchestra in her younger years. I am in absolute agreement with H L Mencken when he said that anyone he ever met who was a genuine music lover (as he was) had at some time in his or her life tried to MAKE music as well as listen to it. I did that, and enjoyed every second of it although I'd be the first to admit that my skill, and the skill of those whom I made music with, was not of the highest. Never mind, it was music making and we all loved to do it. My single piece of advice? Strive to re-create what you have always loved to listen to. It doesn't have to cost a huge amount. It doesn't have to take over your life. It simply has to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when the music you love is reproduced in front of you by your system. Strive to satisfy your own love of music - whatever that music may be - in whatever manner you can. To do that, you are going to have to listen to a lot of systems. Do that, with your most beloved music rendered on your most beloved recordings. But never forget that we are not striving to please anyone but ourselves. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Leece Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 It doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks about the equipment, the only arbiters are your ears. If you like it, it could well be worth buying. If you don't, all the rave reviews in the world won't make up for the misery of wishing you'd followed your ears. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mello yello Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Choose your speakers FIRST, choose the ones that you would like to live with for the next 20 years or so THEN, find the mother of all amps that will drive them (not the other way around) amp power > handling capacity of speakers is the only spec you need to follow 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff65 Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Don't chase incremental improvements unless they are free or almost free. (Or the money doesn't matter to you.) There are always big improvements to be found. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThroneofGame Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Remember, it's a journey, not a destination...take your time and enjoy the ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dr_carl Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Ears are not microphones - measuring your system as a flat response from 5 - 75 kHz will not compensate for your inability to hear, Measure what you can actually hear if you must measure. I am deaf above 21 kHz with significant drop off above 17 kHz. I really like what I can hear though. also make sure your microphone has a flat response also or you are caught in a world of coupled variables. If your perception of your music makes you smile you're on the right track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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