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The beauty of self delusion….

My TV is between my speakers as well and I hang a large towel over it when I'm listening to music. I think it helps reduce sound reflections (no science to say I'm right), but more importantly, it reduces light reflections from the lamp next to my couch. It's not the worst glare by any means, but it's slightly annoying so using a towel is the way to go and that's final.

However, my main TV is on the blink just now so I've got a 32" TV plonked two feet in front of it on top of a bedside table, which means I've got two TVs in situ just now. And here's the interesting thing, when I'm listening to music (or watching TV) sound appears to be coming from a number of locations behind one or both TVs. Sometimes it's between TVs and sometimes it's right behind the TV on the wall. I've literally got two visual obstacles between me and sound... but it still sounds great :)
 
I find imaging improves a lot if I close my eyes. (Obviously this is not very helpful for those trying to watch TV!) Otherwise looking ahead at two large speakers seems to make the sound gravitate around them. So much of HiFi enjoyment is in the mind....
 
ossy said:
TV now has a blanket over it. My interest levels have risen accordingly. Will report back on how my wife enjoys the enhanced me, she’ll be fascinated for sure. Especially when I start to explain what the blanket is for.
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Does the blanket tie the room decor together?
 
Euan said:
But which one would you rather play and own?
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I'm not a professional musician so any of the two is good enough for me.
If I was a pro, the higher quality one would be my choice for toughness , worry free usage and probably longer life.
 
I have my speakers across a corner so there is nothing between the speakers and the soundstage goes right in to the corner ;)
 
For many years I had an 1100m H x 600mm W x 400mm D hifi rack between my speakers with a 50" TV on top. As of a few weeks ago I now the TV between the speakers on a small, low, open-frame table. There's been an audible and measurable change in the reflections arriving at my listening seat and in the frequency response at the listening seat. Not all of these are good but overall I think the compromise is better with the rack gone. The subjective effect of both arrangements on imaging, however, pales in comparison to the effect of closing my eyes when listening to music. The latter instantly locks the singer in the middle of the speakers and creates a more seamless soundstage spanning from one speaker to the other. The brain is very easily distracted by visual cues it seems...
 
Yes, still fiddling with my speakers but close your eyes and the soundstage is much better than with them open. You see speakers so you hear speakers, not musicians.
 
I have a large window with heavy curtains behind the speakers. Can put a tv there but then the soundstage really goes out the window and the dog gets salty too.
 
Gervais Cote said:
Blind tests are everything. Just did it with friends to compare £600.00 interconnect cables with entry level Chord blue ones and half of the gang couldn’t tell which is which !
Did something similar with my £200.00 Squier bass guitar (the brown and white one in my avatar) against a real Fender Jazz worth 6 times the price and again, most of the audience couldn’t tell which one was the expensive one.
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Are you friends who couldn't tell the difference between cables hifi fans who listen carefully to their systems sound reproduction? Today I was Messing about with my kingrex amp and put it with my schiit passive pre amp..pre has two inputs so my ipad was to one and my mission pcm 7000 cd player to the other..I changed the cables I have in my shed at work and could clearly hear the differences in the sound...I wasn't listening that carefully either..oddly the choseal interconnect between pre and amp and solid silver interconnects between cd player and pre worked the best? My van den Hul interconnects performed worst..I'm talking synergy between the various bits of kit I had to hand in my shed at work..my ears aren't that golden..I just listen..I also play a instrument and I would say playing it well is also about listening..
 
the caretaker said:
Are you friends who couldn't tell the difference between cables hifi fans who listen carefully to their systems sound reproduction? Today I was Messing about with my kingrex amp and put it with my schiit passive pre amp..pre has two inputs so my ipad was to one and my mission pcm 7000 cd player to the other..I changed the cables I have in my shed at work and could clearly hear the differences in the sound...I wasn't listening that carefully either..oddly the choseal interconnect between pre and amp and solid silver interconnects between cd player and pre worked the best? My van den Hul interconnects performed worst..I'm talking synergy between the various bits of kit I had to hand in my shed at work..my ears aren't that golden..I just listen..I also play a instrument and I would say playing it well is also about listening..
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I also think that sinergy is more important than anything else or at least, more important than having a very expensive interconnect while a medium grade interconnect can be pretty much as good for 1/5 the price.
Also agree that you better have a very good musician with an okay instrument than the best bass guitar in the world with a poor player.
 
Gervais Cote said:
I also think that sinergy is more important than anything else or at least, more important than having a very expensive interconnect while a medium grade interconnect can be pretty much as good for 1/5 the price.
Also agree that you better have a very good musician with an okay instrument than the best bass guitar in the world with a poor player.
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I have an array of modestly priced interconnects. I have tried some very expensive ones at times but didn’t keep them. Just didn’t really add anything and certainly not enough to stump up hundreds of pounds more. I do believe in synergy, or perhaps balance is a better word.
We often drink a very nice Malbec that is frequently discounted. It’s pleasant and very drinkable and goes well with cheese etc.Wine is a useful analogy. I have tried much more expensive wines(wealthy friends), a Petrus and Chateux Margaux being the most well regarded. You know, I expected more. The Margaux was a little more memorable than the Petrus but not a lingering memory. I much preferred a Lynch Barges and Ribera that I revisit often. Sometimes the real riches are in the most unexpected areas. With the more ‘prestigious’ wines, I was just never sure or convinced that they were really that great.
I know it’s not the same for others, but for me it has been a real revelation over the past few years.
Though my FILs system has many positives, it lacks one fundamental element and that is communication.
 
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