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Are You Suffering From Upgradeitus?

Funny, Mrs Dave and I were just discussing ripping out the kitchen floor and replacing it ourselves when the thread went all homeowner-y.

I see Lowe's Home Improvement Classes in my future.
 
I hate it when builders start talking all builder-y and I have to make some pretence of knowing what they're talking about. I can strip wallpaper and paint walls and woodwork. Beyond that, I need the professionals.
 
Yes. And the fact that it's Rega's 40th anniversary year and they keep on releasing new and/or updated products really isn't helping with my temptation problem.

It started as saving for an RP8. Now it's turned into saving for an RP8, an Apollo to go with the recently purchased DAC, and an Aria. Then there's that new Elicit-R...

Help me!!! :eek:
 
My cheap hi-fis perform as well as I require them to, but I'm after some 'better' headphones - although that's as much/more to do with getting something a bit more comfortable than improved sound quality. My rPAC/ATH-M50s sound superb, but I'm missing my K701s a bit and might buy again.

Alex
 
Alex,

Have you heard the Sennheiser HD 800s? They should blow your mind, mind, mind, mind...

But the AKG 701s are exceptional for the dough.

Joe
 
hammeredklavier said:
My cheap hi-fis perform as well as I require them to, but I'm after some 'better' headphones - although that's as much/more to do with getting something a bit more comfortable than improved sound quality. My rPAC/ATH-M50s sound superb, but I'm missing my K701s a bit and might buy again.

Alex
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Did you get those Behringers yet, Alex?
 
Joe Hutch said:
I hate it when builders start talking all builder-y and I have to make some pretence of knowing what they're talking about. I can strip wallpaper and paint walls and woodwork. Beyond that, I need the professionals.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, that happens with most professionals. It's rare when you find someone that can explain issues and solutions in simple terms.
 
boegland,

Sell E•V•E•R•Y•T•H•I•N•G and get some HD 800s. They will blow your mind, mind, mind, mind... unless they don't.

I like 'em a lot, though.

Joe
 
maxflinn said:
Did you get those Behringers yet, Alex?
Click to expand...

Yeah, listening to them now as a matter of fact!

Amazing things for the money, and leave my VA Haydns for dead. The FR is flat as a kipper's dick, but subjectively they sound a tad bright to me; they have a convenient switch round the back though to take a couple of db out of the top end to tune them to the room/taste. They have a presentation that I think an audiophile would describe as 'ruthlessly revealing', very very fast and clean compared with the passive systems I'm used to, and with a SERIOUS heap of power. The amps are fitted with protection circuits that cut them out under overload, and I can't get near such a level. They go very very loud effortlessly.

The top end doesn't quite have the transparency of high quality headphones, but it's still very very good.

Critically, the amps are a tad noisy - if you stand close to them you can hear the traffos buzzing a bit, but no more so than the Naim power amps I've had in the past for e.g.

So yeah, I think this type of speaker is definitely the way forward. They look like Dearth Vader and there's a question mark next to long term reliability, but performancewise, they will absolutely annihilate any hi-fi passive amp/speaker combo at anything near the price.

Alex
 
...but subjectively they sound a tad bright....
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red%20alert.gif


:)

Joe
 
hammeredklavier said:
Yeah, listening to them now as a matter of fact!

Amazing things for the money, and leave my VA Haydns for dead. The FR is flat as a kipper's dick, but subjectively they sound a tad bright to me; they have a convenient switch round the back though to take a couple of db out of the top end to tune them to the room/taste. They have a presentation that I think an audiophile would describe as 'ruthlessly revealing', very very fast and clean compared with the passive systems I'm used to, and with a SERIOUS heap of power. The amps are fitted with protection circuits that cut them out under overload, and I can't get near such a level. They go very very loud effortlessly.

The top end doesn't quite have the transparency of high quality headphones, but it's still very very good.

Critically, the amps are a tad noisy - if you stand close to them you can hear the traffos buzzing a bit, but no more so than the Naim power amps I've had in the past for e.g.

So yeah, I think this type of speaker is definitely the way forward. They look like Dearth Vader and there's a question mark next to long term reliability, but performancewise, they will absolutely annihilate any hi-fi passive amp/speaker combo at anything near the price.

Alex
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Good stuff :cool:

Do they have metal tweeters? I've always found such things to sound a tad bright/harsh.
 
Was enjoying my recently purchased AKG Q701's until I heard the Audeze LCD 3's a few days ago. What a pisser.
 
maxflinn said:
Good stuff :cool:

Do they have metal tweeters? I've always found such things to sound a tad bright/harsh.
Click to expand...

'Ribbons', dunno what the ribbons are made of though. If the FR charts they come with are true, they're flat; I don't know if that's just how flat sounds (i.e. a bit bright) or whether it's due to room acoustics. As I say, they have a facility that allows one to solve the problem very very easily.

Alex
 
avole said:
Sorry, Alex, I doubt they are the way forward. The problem I have with the professional active speakers I've heard so far is that they in now way represent how I hear music. If musicians played classical music live in the way professional active speakers present them, the audience would very quickly walk out.

That said, there are apparently some very good German active speakers, Nubert, that are up there with some of the better HiFi speakers - may get some for system 2 given my vagrant life style at the moment.
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Can't say I agree, I listen entirely to classical and apart from being a tad bright at the default settings, they sound fantastic.

I think one issue for some people may be that the distortion characteristics of some passive systems give the sound more 'body' at lower volume settings; in the absence of this, they play actives too loud. These things will play very cleanly at insane volumes, at which they're a bit like being taken for a ride in an F16... but the solution is simple enough: turn 'em down a bit.

Alex
 
hammeredklavier said:
'Ribbons', dunno what the ribbons are made of though. If the FR charts they come with are true, they're flat; I don't know if that's just how flat sounds (i.e. a bit bright) or whether it's due to room acoustics. As I say, they have a facility that allows one to solve the problem very very easily.

Alex
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The Adam A5X I once owned had ribbons which were excellent, though a bit of a shock at first, as I'd never heard anything so clear and detailed. I also adjusted to suit but eventually left them at default as I got used to them

In terms of bang for your buck, I think active studio monitors are unbeatable.
 
I think Alex is shooting the messenger regarding the Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers. They are obviously very good speakers that reveal shortcomings upstream.
 
hammeredklavier said:
Can't say I agree, I listen entirely to classical and apart from being a tad bright at the default settings, they sound fantastic.

I think one issue for some people may be that the distortion characteristics of some passive systems give the sound more 'body' at lower volume settings; in the absence of this, they play actives too loud. These things will play very cleanly at insane volumes, at which they're a bit like being taken for a ride in an F16... but the solution is simple enough: turn 'em down a bit.

Alex
Click to expand...
Totally agree..
 
Steven Toy said:
I think Alex is shooting the messenger regarding the Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers. They are obviously very good speakers that reveal shortcomings upstream.
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I like them, and I've used them on the end of serious electronics. (Avondale M130s, Grad One.) The Behringers leave such combos for dead I'm afraid.
 
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