hammer193 Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 as much as my ‘A’ system if i’m listening to a mix tape i made in high school in the 80’s ? So i invested about 17 k in ‘A’ system which is lots for some, peanuts for others and it’s solely for vinyl and it rocks my world, set up as best as i can in main living room with all due ‘living’ considerations. Love it. System ‘C’ is a hotchpotch of all old bits and pieces roughly put together in a library with only aesthetic placement considerations. I only play cassettes on ‘C’ and found said old tape recently, heard some tunes from way back and i was in nostalgic audio nirvana. I’m interested to hear others thoughts on high end listening vs low end listening and how nostalgia plays a huge part in this hobby and how sound reproduction can be transcended by sentiment ... or maybe its just me ?? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_mike Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 It's all about the music. Without music, high end audio is useless. Without high end audio, music can still be enjoyed on and old transistor 6 radio. If you connect with the music, it's good, if you don't, it's faeces, regardless of what you listen to it on. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deanB Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 Move your A system into the room the C system is in and report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HypnoToad Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 6 hours ago, t_mike said: It's all about the music. Without music, high end audio is useless. Without high end audio, music can still be enjoyed on and old transistor 6 radio. If you connect with the music, it's good, if you don't, it's faeces, regardless of what you listen to it on. I agree, music can be enjoyed on any system, the higher end you go the more you expect and you can end up just listening for faults. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Boss302 Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 Had this same experience many times I find (or think) this is because in my A system I end up listening to the system more and focusing on imaging etc etc where in my B system I subconsciously (or consciously) probably care less and find myself just listening to the music more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistairm Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 I’ve often said that my favourite ever system was a NAD 3020, Wharfedale Diamond 6Rs and a Pioneer CDP. I’d trade all my current audio gear to be 20 again! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAH BLAH Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 18 minutes ago, alistairm said: I’ve often said that my favourite ever system was a NAD 3020, Wharfedale Diamond 6Rs and a Pioneer CDP. I’d trade all my current audio gear to be 20 again! Oh dear god yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Fi Whipped Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 10 hours ago, t_mike said: It's all about the music. Without music, high end audio is useless. Without high end audio, music can still be enjoyed on and old transistor 6 radio. If you connect with the music, it's good, if you don't, it's faeces, regardless of what you listen to it on. Agree with this, lower expectations about the performance of C and music you love is where it starts, I hope I never lose the aspect of enjoying the music I love regardless of what system it’s coming out of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt301 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Scott, I wonder if you had say a Tidal feed into your A system and set up a playlist of the same songs that you have on cassette, would you enjoy it as much as the cassette playing on your C system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interface Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Maybe there's a certain synergy in your C system that does everything right for you and throws you back to your younger years and the associated good vibes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldhenry Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 What about system ‘b’? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer193 Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 4 hours ago, jt301 said: Scott, I wonder if you had say a Tidal feed into your A system and set up a playlist of the same songs that you have on cassette, would you enjoy it as much as the cassette playing on your C system? i think it was a great surprise to find what was in that cassette so it just took me back, even though it was so muffled sounded like i was under water. I think if i made a playlist for ‘A’ it would be too orchestrated and would loose the ‘ ohhh **** yeah I love this song !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer193 Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 3 hours ago, goldhenry said: What about system ‘b’? system ‘B’ is CD & Vinyl in another room that my son uses so i dont play on it much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5L15 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 (edited) On 08/12/2019 at 12:42 PM, Interface said: Maybe there's a certain synergy in your C system that does everything right for you and throws you back to your younger years and the associated good vibes. I agree. Edited December 12, 2019 by 5L15 I agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer193 Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 4 hours ago, Interface said: Maybe there's a certain synergy in your C system that does everything right for you and throws you back to your younger years and the associated good vibes. that’s it for sure, added to that the surprise of not knowing what was next and sitting on the carpet with my legs crossed like back when taping straight off the radio. Hope it happens again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 It's about synergy too I think. I have the same thing from time to time, my 'd' system sounds as good or better than my 'a' system. My 'a' system is my accurate/detailed system. My 'b' system is my shake the windows/heavy metal/HT system, 'c' is my retro system and my 'd' system is my budget (cheap stuff can sound good) system. I've swapped probably every possible combination and this seems to gel the best in every system. So yeah, your 'c' might be a good combo that is easy to listen to and forgiving Enjoy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awayward Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, blakey72 said: It's about synergy too I think. I have the same thing from time to time, my 'd' system sounds as good or better than my 'a' system. My 'a' system is my accurate/detailed system. My 'b' system is my shake the windows/heavy metal/HT system, 'c' is my retro system and my 'd' system is my budget (cheap stuff can sound good) system. I've swapped probably every possible combination and this seems to gel the best in every system. So yeah, your 'c' might be a good combo that is easy to listen to and forgiving Enjoy it Four systems, I have trouble coping with one. Edited December 8, 2019 by awayward 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 8 minutes ago, awayward said: Four systems, I have trouble coping with one. You are a wise man, stick with one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rantan Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 (edited) Having 4 systems would push me over the edge. Edited December 8, 2019 by rantan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awayward Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 A bit off topic but I just counted all my unique components of my system and there are over 20, I.e. all power cords count as 1, no wonder it gives me a headache sometimes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewantsmoore Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 19 hours ago, hammer193 said: high end listening vs low end listening Distortion and noise performance required for acceptable quality playback is drastically overstated in our modern world of "specsmanship". If the recording is ok, and the speaker is not garbage, then it will/can sound quite excellent. The playback system (cassette, vinyl, digital) or the electronics, don't need to be a bottleneck. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 4 hours ago, rantan said: Having 4 systems would push me over the edge. Yep that's right where I am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyW Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) I've found that how much you enjoy your A system heavily comes down to the source. Your A system in most cases has superior imaging, transparency and insight into the music though can often lose that musicality that makes everything so worthwhile. I've found that using DAC's based around chips that were common when younger seem to let me get into music in the same way I did back then, and once modestly modified you're not really giving up much if anything to more modern DAC anyway. My current preferences lean towards DAC based around the Phillips TDA1541A or TDA1387 though strangely I don't much care for the TDA1543 finding it quite rolled off in both treble and bass in comparison. The TDA1387 gives the deepest bass response of anything I've ever come across and it's quite extended at the top end also. On the vinyl front, same deal. I don't want to spend the $1,200 for another Valab LCR-1 phono, or the cost for a pure silver Litz tonearm interconnect that would get this systems performance in line with my main. I currently have my A system to a level where I'm seriously considering selling off my B system in the second living room. I have don't have the time or inclination to get it to a similar level and it's comparatively unsatisfying. It's a night and day difference. Edited December 10, 2019 by MattyW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmt Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 System A is about satisfaction, System C is about joy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer193 Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 2 hours ago, djmt said: System A is about satisfaction, System C is about joy. I hear you !! I like that, I agree !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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