Amp swap disappointment
 

In article ,
Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
The real 'Which?' however has other issues. I used to think that
Which? was fine for cookers, fridges, telephones etc, but I *knew*
that their hi-fi reviews were absolute crap. I happened to be working
on a consultancy job for Hotpoint, and I got talking to one of their
engineers over a beer or two in the local pub. Turned out that he also
read Which?, and he thought that they were OK for TVs and hi-fi, but
he *knew* that their washing machine and fridge reviews were crap.
Kinda makes you think

It's just fulfilling its remit. Which is to give unbiased advise on things
you really aren't going to get excited over. For some this might be a car,
for others a camera or a Hi-Fi.

But if you're serious over anything, Which isn't the mag for that choice.
After all, no two enthusiasts will agree over which is the best anything,
so how could Which not upset some?

I've been a member from early on and usually use it to buy things I don't
'know' about or much care. And haven't once been let down.

--
*The longest recorded flightof a chicken is thirteen seconds *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Amp swap disappointment
 

In article ,
Tat Chan wrote:
but seriously, domestic appliances just work ... one buys them based on
cost, looks and features. It isn't like buying loudspeakers.

And you hear see comments like ...

"my toast tastes so much better ever since I swapped the stock standard
power cord. Crunchier texture with an even spread of brown crust without
those dreadful lower end burnt bits"

"I demagnetise my washing machine once a month, and the clothes come out
so much cleaner ... a real night and day difference"

You've not heard of Dyson, then? ;-)

--
*If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Amp swap disappointment
 

In article , Rob
wrote:
[snip]

Shouldn't think it's too difficult to arrange - one of HFW's 'year
awards' is given to some supertweeters - you'd just need to switch out
the main speakers and er, listen, feel, smell, taste whatever. All seems
a bit daft to me and for £800 I'm not about to jump in.

Alas, the "supertweeters" I've seen reviewed also put out significant
levels *below* 20kHz. This then can combine coherently with the output from
the normal tweeter(s). Hence the result may be audible changes that have
nothing to do with any signals above 20kHz.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Amp swap disappointment
 

In article , Stewart Pinkerton
wrote:


The real 'Which?' however has other issues. I used to think that Which?
was fine for cookers, fridges, telephones etc, but I *knew* that their
hi-fi reviews were absolute crap. I happened to be working on a
consultancy job for Hotpoint, and I got talking to one of their
engineers over a beer or two in the local pub. Turned out that he also
read Which?, and he thought that they were OK for TVs and hi-fi, but he
*knew* that their washing machine and fridge reviews were crap. Kinda
makes you think...................................

My own view of 'Which?" is that they are very useful for things like their
systematic attempts to check reliability, legality of adverts, etc. But
some of their reviews are dubious.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Amp swap disappointment
 

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

In article ,
Tat Chan wrote:

but seriously, domestic appliances just work ... one buys them based on
cost, looks and features. It isn't like buying loudspeakers.


snip

You've not heard of Dyson, then? ;-)


Uh, they make vaccum cleaners without dust bags?

Amp swap disappointment
 

In article ,
Tat Chan wrote:
but seriously, domestic appliances just work ... one buys them based
on cost, looks and features. It isn't like buying loudspeakers.

snip

You've not heard of Dyson, then? ;-)

Uh, they make vaccum cleaners without dust bags?

Yup - and have a 'cult' following with the religious fervour of valvies.
Except that they perform rather well. ;-)

--
*Husbands should come with instructions

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Amp swap disappointment
 

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
wrote:
In article , Tat Chan
wrote:
but seriously, domestic appliances just work ... one buys them based
on cost, looks and features. It isn't like buying loudspeakers.

snip

You've not heard of Dyson, then? ;-)

Uh, they make vaccum cleaners without dust bags?

Yup - and have a 'cult' following with the religious fervour of valvies.
Except that they perform rather well. ;-)

Perhaps the word 'vacuum' implies special properties.

OTOH there may be nothing in it at all... ;-

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Amp swap disappointment
 

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
wrote:

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...
In article ,
JustMe wrote:

"Stewart Pinkerton" wrote in message
...

Only to *your* ears..............

Indeed - this is, by any sensible measure, what a hifi should do:
sound better to *my* ears. Whether *you* like it or not has no
bearing on *my* choice.

What about the view that some of us don't really want the *hi fi* to
'sound' of anything - just the music? :-)



Surprised to see you bother to pen this old chestnut, Jimbo - there is
*no-one* here who gets to hear 'just the music'......

1) You seem not to have noticed the word "want" in what I wrote. :-)


Whether you (or anyone else) 'wants' to or not, I stand by my point that
*no-one* gets to hear 'just the music' when listening to an audio (hifi?)
system....


2) The impression I generally get with the audio system I use is that I am
listening to the music, not to the amplifiers. :-)


Well, I'm tempted to say that you would more likely be listening to the
speakers, but at the risk of shattering an illusion here, I would like to
make it quite clear that the only time I 'listen to my system' is when I
turn the volume all the way up with no source playing in an 'Aristotelian'
search for 'thermionic fleas'....!! ;-)

Eg, last night I threw a very 'Techno' record on for a quick check of how it
would sound on my most recent setup (involving my new EL34 amp) and ended up
listening to all 4 sides of a double LP! (I think 'listening to the kit'
went out of the window after the first 10 seconds - know what I mean?? :-)

Amp swap disappointment
 

"Jim Lesurf" wrote


In general, I enjoy the output of BBCR3. But they do use compression, more
so during the day as they assume people may wish this. Not as bad as
Classic FM, though...


Classic FM is *unlistenable* on anything other than a car radio or portable
'tranny' IMO....

(Who TF could settle down to listening to it on a 'serious setup' in the
evening and put up with all those bloody adverts, never mind the sound
quality**...???)


I have heard 'Bolero' on Classic FM on more than one occasion and it is a
remarkable experience. Although it starts off with solo instruments and
small groupings playing softly, and grows to the entire orchesta going
full
tilt, the sound level via Classic FM seems to remain pretty much the same
throughout. Thus rather defeating the effect the composer desired! Once
you
notice this, the effect is almost comical as the the attempts of the
orchestra to become louder are casually defeated by the automatic gain
adjustments.


Agreed, see above comments.


**Ignore me - due to laziness and one or two other (minor) practical
considerations, I'm presently listening to crappy DAB on my main system and
I'm a bit touchy about the whole topic of radio......

(DAB is also fine for cars and portables, but it is *not* proper 'radio' -
not by a country mile...!!!)

Amp swap disappointment
 

Keith G wrote:


Whether you (or anyone else) 'wants' to or not, I stand by my point that
*no-one* gets to hear 'just the music' when listening to an audio (hifi?)
system....

followed by:

Eg, last night I threw a very 'Techno' record on for a quick check of how it
would sound on my most recent setup (involving my new EL34 amp) and ended up
listening to all 4 sides of a double LP! (I think 'listening to the kit'
went out of the window after the first 10 seconds - know what I mean?? :-)

So after the first ten seconds Keith heard 'just the music',
as anyone would on hearing a particularly moving piece.

--
Eiron.