Who do you listen to

[Vinyl-ant]

For me, very few people. Nick, Paul b who lent me the 301, my dad, a couple of others.
I can (could) design and build a working valve amp, I can build something from a circuit diagram, and understand what I am building to a degree. Building a good amp, that's a different barrel of monkeys. So I dont any more
I now stick to what I think I am good at and do what I want to. That's why I dont comment on sound quality any further than to say something like "sounds lovely" or some such. My 'lovely' may be completely different to someone else's.
But don't listen to me. I talk shite most of the time

[savvypaul]

One of the best pair of speakers I've ever heard were homemade. They required compromises that meant that they could not be commercially sold, but they sounded better than the commercially made speakers.

I suspect Steve's OTL amplifier is in the same category...

[karatestu]

Hope you are feeling better soon Stu. Although I am far removed from DIY I like reading your posts.
I find this forum by far the best source of advice although there is much I do not agree with. My ears will always be the judge and I am aware that we do not all hear the same thing, or like the same sound. The Internet is full of self appointed gurus and there are a few I find credible. Most spout . Anyone who judges equipment through WAF speakers or subscribes to the gospel of ASR is dismissed out of hand.

Cheers Clive

I agree we all hear things differently. Our ear drums are all slightly different after all. I tested my hearing with a frequency tone CD and i can't hear above about 13 KHz . There are a handful of people worth listening to and the rest can quite frankly crawl back in the hole they came out of.

Hatred of WAF speakers is quite widespread i believe, especially if they have heard anything with a bass driver over 6.5 inches. The latest group to get stick about their choice of speaker is the small 2 way stand mount brigade Totally ridiculous. I have never read ASR and don't intend to. According to some on PFM he is not even measuring correctly

If hope i will begin to feel like my life is better after stopping reading ALL hifi forum's apart from this one.

[TheMadMick]

"
I agree we all hear things differently. Our ear drums are all slightly different after all. I tested my hearing with a frequency tone CD and i can't hear above about 13 KHz ."

Stu - think yourself lucky, at my elderly years I'm struggling to 10kHz in one ear and just over 6 in the other. Still enjoy music and hear things others don't. Work with what you have and enjoy yourself. Hope the hand continues to imp[rove and the back gets into a sensible state very soon.

[CN211276]

Had my hearing tested for free a year ago as I reached 60. Came out with flying colours, but the test was only up to 8Khz. I think there is a lot more to what we hear and precieve music than frequency response though.

[karatestu]

One of the best pair of speakers I've ever heard were homemade. They required compromises that meant that they could not be commercially sold, but they sounded better than the commercially made speakers.

I suspect Steve's OTL amplifier is in the same category...

Maybe all is not lost then after all Mine are rapidly turning into something that needs multiple amps to balance them out properly.

[karatestu]

For me, very few people. Nick, Paul b who lent me the 301, my dad, a couple of others.
I can (could) design and build a working valve amp, I can build something from a circuit diagram, and understand what I am building to a degree. Building a good amp, that's a different barrel of monkeys. So I dont any more
I now stick to what I think I am good at and do what I want to. That's why I dont comment on sound quality any further than to say something like "sounds lovely" or some such. My 'lovely' may be completely different to someone else's.
But don't listen to me. I talk shite most of the time

I do take on board what you say about turntables. Likewise with Alfi. You both know what you are talking about. TT's are my weakest area in audio mostly because i have been too busy learning about other things. That will i hope change in the not too distant future.

[karatestu]

Stu - think yourself lucky, at my elderly years I'm struggling to 10kHz in one ear and just over 6 in the other. Still enjoy music and hear things others don't. Work with what you have and enjoy yourself. Hope the hand continues to imp[rove and the back gets into a sensible state very soon.

I think you will still have a good enough sense of what music is all about even with a limit of 10 KHz. The difference between the ears must be odd though Mick ? Did something happen or is it just old age ?

I played the tone CD for the first time the other day. My modified Naim CD3.5 wouldn't read it so i had to put my Sony CDP-S1 in to play it. It is quite refreshing to know that there is not much up in the region over 10 KHz.

I did find out that my speakers play bass down to about 38Hz before starting to drop off. 44Hz was making the capacitor boards in my amps rattle ( i haven't secured them down) which was a bit annoying.

[SteveTheShadow]

...Sorry that you think your credibility has been shot to pieces. That is certainly not my view of you. In fact your posts here are very thought provoking, thorough and interesting. The way you describe how the music has changed after a modification certainly proves you know what you are talking about...

Well you’d think so wouldn’t you. But I think the main problem is one of degree. By that, I mean that there appears to a certain level of reproduction that must be attained before something can be described as being hi-fi. My personal level appears to be lower than that which many others aspire to and therefore not credible. For example I stated on another forum, that the Fane 12in drivers, in my current speakers were the best full range drivers I’d heard to date. I was told I needed to get out more. ‘Nuff said. This is what I mean about credibility.

[slinger]

They're a bunch of wannabes and snobs, and those sorts stick together so they can stroke their own, and each others' egos. Incestuous tossers.

Those of us who hate all forms of snobbery also need to stick together.