What's Your Rule of Thumb in this Audiophile hobby?

Discussion in 'Leaderboard, Overboard, and Deals' started by Madaboutaudio, Jul 29, 2016.

  1. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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    This thread is intended for sharing common experience amongst SBAF. Please feel free to add your own rule of thumb.


    Here's what I learnt/experience so far:

    • Price of gear does not determine sound quality. (Cheaper Dynamic Driver IEM can sound better than more expensive Balanced Armature IEMs)
    • More number of balance Armature drivers does not equal to better sound quality.
    • Don't buy equipment based on Brand name alone, well known brands can f**k up their equipment big time(Sennheiser HD700).
    • Do not invest in crowdfunding gear unless you have excess money to burn away.
    • Do not believe in everything you read on one forum or one review site. Always do your homework.
    • Measurements and Specifications do not tell the whole story(they can be manipulated to look favourable). Always listen to the equipment and decide for yourself. (Trust your ears)
    • Equipment Burn-in time and Warm up time is real and does affect sound quality significantly.
    • Audiophile Meetups and Events might not be the best place for auditioning gear as it tends to be noisy or time limited.
     
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2016
  2. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Audition, audition, audition!
     
  3. SSL

    SSL Friend

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    YOLO.
     
  4. Griffon

    Griffon 2nd biggest asshole on SBAF

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    1. Know the production chain of music.
    2. Know yourself.
    3. Keep an open mind.
     
  5. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    Don't forget to actually enjoy the music you're listening to.
     
  6. robot zombie

    robot zombie Friend

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    Subjective impressions are fine so long as you understand that the senses and mind are fallible. Measurements are fine so long as you understand that the data can't account for everything.

    So much of what surrounds us in this realm remains poorly understood. There's no such thing as a sure bet when working with an unknown and potentially unknowable quantity. Avoid unnecessary correlation.

    Never get too invested in anyone's opinions, least of all your own. The human experience is dynamic. Lightning usually doesn't strike the same spot twice. Trust that there is meaning in your own experiences, but don't forget to question the source of that meaning. The closer you get to that, the closer you get to what you're really looking for.

    "Best" cannot be bought, but it can be sold.

    Enjoy the music AND the gear. Never allow one to detract from the other.
     
  7. Rex Aeterna

    Rex Aeterna Friend

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    i got into this business to find and fap to all the listed ecchi photos that young self-absorbed audiophiles tend to post and use as avatars....fap,fap,fap...
     
  8. RedFuneral

    RedFuneral Facebook Friend

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    Trust your gut instinct
    If you land gear you don't like, it'll help prevent the 'grass is greener' feeling when you land something you do like
    Trustworthy reviewers can describe gear that doesn't appeal to them personally without feeling the need to dismiss it outright
    Seek out those whose comments revolve more around what a product offers than how it aligns with their taste(yet don't ignore system matching with components on hand)
     
  9. robot zombie

    robot zombie Friend

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    You should just cut out the middle man and jump over to anime review aggregates. Where do you think they come from?
     
  10. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    Don't read or believe in Head-Fi.org.
     
  11. Rex Aeterna

    Rex Aeterna Friend

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    i like the challenge. way more of a turn on. i'm talking ectoplasm levels by the south park caliber here. everywhere....i mean...EEEEEVVVVEEERRRRYWHERE....
     
  12. meloman

    meloman Acquaintance

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    - multibit DACs are superior, don't bother with d/s
    - driverless DACs perform better than DACs that need drivers
    - if a goldenear reviewer claims marginal differences in some product, don't take their word for it, it could easily be a night and day difference
    - you can make a good judgement of how an electronic device performs by looking at the internal pics
    - if someone posts reviews with homebrew measurements and nice charts, their words are highly objective and they must know what they're doing
    - nobody will take you seriously unless you complete your profile with the gear you have and the gear you had
    - high post count is a great indicator of one's self worth
     
  13. zachchen1996

    zachchen1996 Friend

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    Think you forgot the "/s" on a few of those haha.
     
  14. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

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    Ignore reviewers that preface their opinions with, "I'm not an audiophile."
    Doubly true for long reviews.
     
  15. dsavitsk

    dsavitsk Friend

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    - If it does not sound good without feedback, it won't sound good with it, either.
    - If it does not sound good out of the box, it is never going to.
    - Things that initially impress* often do so because they emphasize something in an unnatural way.

    * this is especially true at meets. Neutral rarely stands out.
     
  16. mrweirdude

    mrweirdude Asshole lowballer - acquaintance

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    Never, ever buy gear at retail prices, also "end game" is the greatest lie perpetuated in audiophileland.
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2016
  17. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    If you catch yourself analyzing the SQ of something in real life, you need to step away from the hobby for a little bit.
     
  18. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Not all multibit dacs sound better or preserve phase...
     
  19. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

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    hello,

    - meets are for socializing, NOT for critical listening. keep that in mind when you pack up your stuff on the way out the door.
    - read reviews, and research, research, research, but in the end it's YOUR ears that need to be happy.
    - if you get to the point where the gear disappears and all that is left in the music, STOP (or at least take a breather) from the upgrade forever treadmill.
    - if folks think your choices are too "mid-fi" consider your own life situation and how spending in this hobby may be limited to what is "good enough" to give you joy.
    - support companies that are committed to making the best at a reasonable price point(s).
    - this hobby can bring out the worst CDO in all of us. (that's like ODC but in alphabetical order THE WAY IT SHOULD BE!)
    - price does not equal quality, however there are folks out there who have HUGE dollar rigs that will blow your mind. just be cognizant that you might never be able to spend that much.
    - if you are fortunate enough to get a loaner in the house that keeps you up way too late listening to music, consider it for a purchase in future. (e.g. [for me] @sphinxvc modded HD 650, MassDrop's STAX SR-307, SRM-323S combo [which now seems to be OOP, bummer].)
    - buy, and listen, to more music, not more gear.
     
  20. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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    Always check the audio/sound settings/dials and knobs on store demo equipment, sometimes they have all kinds of EQ or Digital Signal Processing/3D effect enabled. More often then not these settings makes things sound worse off.(Case in point Sony ZX2 which sounds so much better if you can access to the settings and disable the sound adjustment app)

    System Synergy is important. If you find a well regarded gear to be very lacklustre at a meetup or at the audio store(with store stock gears in chain), do keep an open mind to revisit the gear(with other gear combinations) again next time.(Case in point Marvey's ZX2 Initial Impressions*)

    *http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/best-daps-2015.174/page-18#post-56818
     

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