On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 20:41:43 GMT, "housetrained"
wrote:

Rubbish in, rubbish out. No matter how good the speakers are they can only
reproduce what they get. Rubbish in, rubbish out. Front end is ALWAYS the
most important.

A sub-two hundred pound Pioneer DVD player was indistinguishable from
an expensive Meridian CD player in a double-blind level matched test
according to a recent report here. (Meridian have a reputation for
producing very well engineered and sonically accurate products.)

What you say might have been true thirty years ago, but today any
competent CD/DVD player will be indistinguishable from any other. Any
differences will be due to the manufacturer deliberately distorting
the output to make in sound more attractive. This is especially true
for so called "high end" niche products, which will not have benefited
from the extensive product engineering skills of the major
manufacturers.

I am planning to get some 989s once I have moved house. However, I
will continue to use my 'cheap' Pioneer DVD player with them because
there will be no audible improvements gained from getting anything
more expensive.

BTW: If the OP is close to Southampton, I would be very interested in
having a listen to his speakers.

--
Chris Isbell
Southampton, UK

Blimey! I am living well in the past. 30 years? Blimey.

--
John the West Ham fan


"Chris Isbell" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 20:41:43 GMT, "housetrained"
wrote:

Rubbish in, rubbish out. No matter how good the speakers are they can only
reproduce what they get. Rubbish in, rubbish out. Front end is ALWAYS the
most important.

A sub-two hundred pound Pioneer DVD player was indistinguishable from
an expensive Meridian CD player in a double-blind level matched test
according to a recent report here. (Meridian have a reputation for
producing very well engineered and sonically accurate products.)

What you say might have been true thirty years ago, but today any
competent CD/DVD player will be indistinguishable from any other. Any
differences will be due to the manufacturer deliberately distorting
the output to make in sound more attractive. This is especially true
for so called "high end" niche products, which will not have benefited
from the extensive product engineering skills of the major
manufacturers.

I am planning to get some 989s once I have moved house. However, I
will continue to use my 'cheap' Pioneer DVD player with them because
there will be no audible improvements gained from getting anything
more expensive.

BTW: If the OP is close to Southampton, I would be very interested in
having a listen to his speakers.

--
Chris Isbell
Southampton, UK

On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 09:07:41 GMT, "housetrained"
wrote:

Blimey! I am living well in the past. 30 years? Blimey.

Yes, basically in the vinyl era......................
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

In message , Stewart
Pinkerton writes
On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 09:07:41 GMT, "housetrained"
wrote:

Blimey! I am living well in the past. 30 years? Blimey.

Yes, basically in the vinyl era......................

Arguable, even in those days, even though Linn blatantly lied in every
advert to try to convince people of it, and the gullible hordes fell
right into it. I thought the idea had died out a generation ago.
--
Chris Morriss

Thus spake housetrained:
Blimey! I am living well in the past. 30 years? Blimey.

Lets get this straight please. Are you saying that if one has a cheap
system - fairly well balanced in that no one particular bit is substantially
better than any other - that using a far better amplifier & speakers won't
improve sound quality? I don't feel that spending considerably more on one
component is a good idea but hell, some of us have to upgrade in stages!

I don't hear Linn using that marketing phrase now they make other than just
source equipment. As has been pointed out, a CD or record is hardly the 1st
stage in the process that effects sound quality. I'm doubtless not alone in
having many poor recordings, especially non-classical ones: garbage in -
garbage out bites back with a vengeance & a top end source can highlight the
warts over & above one with less resolution!

Sorry, I agree that speakers have the greatest impact on overall sound of
any system - even moving them can transform/degrade the sound.

"housetrained" wrote in message
...
Blimey! I am living well in the past. 30 years? Blimey.


'Sonically' you will be living less well in the present, if you have
embraced the 'audio technology of the day' as fanatically and *exclusively*
as one or two here seem to have done!! ;-)

Now, I wonder where I left my MP3 player?

Ah! Here it is - under these LPs.....

:-P

In message , Chris Isbell
writes
I am planning to get some 989s once I have moved house.
Don't hesitate for one minute, don't look elsewhere, don't change your
mind. When you sell your house and if you then cannot afford the Quads,
buy a cheaper house so you can afford them but with a large dedicated
room so you can accommodate the 989's because it will be the last
speakers you will ever want.
Seriously, they are wonderful, they are on a different planet as far as
sound reproduction. Expensive, yes, huge and (some think) ugly but when
you hear music through them....at this spot I am lost for words.
However, I
will continue to use my 'cheap' Pioneer DVD player with them because
there will be no audible improvements gained from getting anything
more expensive.
I use a 909 Quad amp and while it is a Quad, you could not say its the
most expensive out there.

BTW: If the OP is close to Southampton, I would be very interested in
having a listen to his speakers.

Unfortunately I am in Lincolnshire and could not be further away,
however, if you are up this way anytime send me an email and I would be
delighted to give you a demo.
--
Derrick Fawsitt

In article , Derrick Fawsitt
writes
In message , Chris Isbell
writes
I am planning to get some 989s once I have moved house.
Don't hesitate for one minute, don't look elsewhere, don't change your
mind. When you sell your house and if you then cannot afford the Quads,
buy a cheaper house so you can afford them but with a large dedicated
room so you can accommodate the 989's because it will be the last
speakers you will ever want.

A very good bit of advice there.

Possibly the best in the history of uk.rec.audio )

Seriously, they are wonderful, they are on a different planet as far as
sound reproduction. Expensive, yes, huge and (some think) ugly but when
you hear music through them....at this spot I am lost for words.

Neutral perhaps?.. The real meaning of transparency and would be very
good with a SET or two, or three, or more)

However, I
will continue to use my 'cheap' Pioneer DVD player with them because
there will be no audible improvements gained from getting anything
more expensive.
I use a 909 Quad amp and while it is a Quad, you could not say its the
most expensive out there.

Quite sufficient..


BTW: If the OP is close to Southampton, I would be very interested in
having a listen to his speakers.

Unfortunately I am in Lincolnshire and could not be further away,
however, if you are up this way anytime send me an email and I would be
delighted to give you a demo.

--
Tony Sayer

On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 12:19:45 +0000, Derrick Fawsitt
wrote:

In message , Chris Isbell
writes
I am planning to get some 989s once I have moved house.
Don't hesitate for one minute, don't look elsewhere, don't change your
mind. When you sell your house and if you then cannot afford the Quads,
buy a cheaper house so you can afford them but with a large dedicated
room so you can accommodate the 989's because it will be the last
speakers you will ever want.

I have just read your reply to my partner. She agrees that they are
ugly and she is not prepared to buy a mansion to house them. This is
an ongoing joke between us. She hates my existing Quad 57s and says
she will leave me if I ever double them up.

She suggests that you and I could share a house together. :-)

[snip]

BTW: If the OP is close to Southampton, I would be very interested in
having a listen to his speakers.

Unfortunately I am in Lincolnshire and could not be further away,
however, if you are up this way anytime send me an email and I would be
delighted to give you a demo.

Pity.

Jim lives in Scotland - even further away.

--
Chris Isbell
Southampton, UK

In message , Chris Isbell
writes
I have just read your reply to my partner. She agrees that they are
ugly and she is not prepared to buy a mansion to house them. This is
an ongoing joke between us. She hates my existing Quad 57s and says
she will leave me if I ever double them up.

She suggests that you and I could share a house together. :-)
Your on, and we could get rid of both partners at the same time, what a
wonderful solution. However, one thing I forgot to mention in my last
email is that much as I "love" my big, grey, beautiful, (not ugly)
989's, I would swap them for my "dear old Dutch".

[snip]

BTW: If the OP is close to Southampton, I would be very interested in
having a listen to his speakers.

Unfortunately I am in Lincolnshire and could not be further away,
however, if you are up this way anytime send me an email and I would be
delighted to give you a demo.

Pity.

Jim lives in Scotland - even further away.

So much for our plans ;--(((

Seriously, the invitation is always there but I must decline (in
advance), any offers that might be proffered from you as I feel your
partner might have other ideas as to what to do with me after my
suggestions above.

Good wishes,
--
Derrick Fawsitt