Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!microsof!fluke!ssc-vax!uw-beaver!cornell!vax135!ariel!hou5f!hou5e!mat From: mat@hou5e.UUCP Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: Re: How my ears are built (and a question) Message-ID: <618@hou5e.UUCP> Date: Sat, 2-Jul-83 19:27:38 EDT Article-I.D.: hou5e.618 Posted: Sat Jul 2 19:27:38 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 4-Jul-83 15:44:12 EDT References: <1211@tektronix.UUCP> Lines: 40 ``And the illusion is far from perfect, there is room for improvment in the technology. AND UNTIL THAT'S TRUE, QUIT TELLING ME THAT IT'S BETTER THAN I CAN HEAR, BECAUSE IT'S NOT!!'' Hear, hear! True, if an amplifier has .0003 % distortion of sine waves or 2 mixed sine waves it probably is good enough at doing that. But before I bought my preamp, I listened to several ... ALL top-notch, high-endy units. I had the benefit of a patient salesman who had a VERY good pair of speakers on hand, as well as a very good turntable/ tonearm/cartridge and power amp. Very good means considerably better than I own right now, but maybe not much better than I will have six or seven years from now. None of these expensive preamps sounded the same ... none was clearly ``better'' in the basic preamp functions. One had slightly better imaging, one has slightly better response on huge (test-and-demo record) transients. Why? Every year I hear new speakers that sound better than I ever thought possible ... or better than I thought possible at the price. Per dollar, speakers today are far better than they have ever been. Yet the continuing improvement suggests that they are nowhere good enough. I heard a pair of Rogers speakers demo'd with two different cartridges -- one a good brand, and the other a ``carriage trade'' brand. The imaging of these speakers with the first cartridge was spectacular. With the second it was no better than I get with my low-end Yamaha turntable through a set of $150-the-pair Boston A40's. Yes, there is a LONG way to go. And the best gains can always be made by finding and fixing/repacling the weakest link. BTW, anyone have recommendations on tuners or equalizers? I am especially interested in (as I have said before) the new NAD and Carver tuners, since they have enhanced capabilities for dealing with poor signals. hou5e!mat Mark Terribile Duke of deNet (sigh)