FYI ~ "don't scrimp on the sound"
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 09:19AM 
A few days ago Kent Wiley offered up an opinion on plasma vs lcd flat panel tvs wherein he also suggested, "don't scrimp on the sound".
The ever-vigilant wife didn't skip a beat with her response; "It is very nice of you to comment on the blog, but the last thing on the planet that I want you telling my husband is 'don't skimp on sound.' He really should be looking for advice about how his photos should be cropped." Kent then offer his regrets because he did not "mean to add fuel to a family disagreement".
So, in order to clarify matters, let me just say that there is no family disagreement, per se. It's just that the wife is operating under the misguided notion that a person who has $3,000 worth of wire in his audio system doesn't really need to be encouraged to not "scrimp on the sound". She is simply not mollified by the fact that one could easily have spent 3x as much on wire (and, yes, I can hear the difference between $3k and $9k wire).
In any event, even if I were inclined to spend $9k on wire, I'm afraid that the 'price' would be too high - if you get my drift.
gravitas et nugalis
Featured Comment: Mary Dennis asked: "So Mark, when you're in a room with other audiophiles, is it the emotional impact and honesty of the output that gets discussed or is it "my woofer's bigger than your woofer?"
my response: First of all, I have never been in a room with other audiophiles. I don't even know if such rooms exist and, if they did, I'd avoid them in the same way that I avoid ... um ... say ... camera clubs. This should come as no surprise to most because, just like my interest in photography - the pictures, not the gear, my interest in audio is the music, not the gear. I love music. And, just like my preference for the 'real' as reproduced in pictures, my preference in reproduced sound is for music that sounds like the 'real' thing.
That said, unlike my interest in photography, one must spend a lot of time auditioning audio gear to determine what sounds best to your ear, because, once you get beyond mass-market dreck, gear-wise, there is a considerable difference in how reproduced music sounds when processed through different components - and that definitely includes the difference in sound of wire.
So, unlike photography wherein I use a camera system with all of the components from a single maker, my audio system is made up of components from different makers - my amp, pre amp, turntable, tone arm, phono cartridge, cd deck, tuner, speakers, sub-woofer, wire and interconnects are all from different makers. All of those components were selected based on how they sound and, more importantly, how they sound together.
That's why most high-end audio dealers, especially the ones I like to patronize (smallish, sole proprietorships), let you take a component home in order to hear how it sounds in your system before you lay your money down.
An interesting aside - as fantastically real as the music sounds coming from my system, I learned a valuable lesson about 'real' sound when I found myself alone in a small room with Andres Cardenes, the Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony. I was photographing Mr. Cardenes for the high-end audio store (from which he [and I] purchased audio gear - in his case a $20,000 CD deck) when he pulled out and fired up his Stradivarius.
I swear to god, every hair on my body stood straight up and started to tingle. I almost peed myself.
It took a long time after that for any audio system to start sounding 'real' again.
Reader Comments (6)
And folks, since we are in full disclosure mode, I was happy with the result when i asked for a "decent cd player" for our bedroom, and I can assure you, he did not skimp on sound. I had trouble deciding what to do with the sub woofer, though.
I had no idea you were an audiophile too (if you are talking about and own $3,000 cable it's safe to assume you are an audiophile). If I may be so bold to ask, what gear do you have? Me? Lover of Audio Note and Blue Circle/J M Reynaud, among others. Really, really into acoustic guitar. I know a few other photographers/audiophiles. I guess we love "gadgets" and feeding our senses. I would love to see more photos of your system since you are probably very adept at photographing such a thing ; )
So Mark, when you're in a room with other audiophiles, is it the emotional impact and honesty of the output that gets discussed or is it "my woofer's bigger than your woofer?" ;-)
Uh oh: gear alert!!
Mark, I can see now that I didn't need to bother w/ the "skrimping on sound" comment. You're a far cry from doing that already. So the challenge when you get the new video output device (not if - you will get one, rest assured) is to find a way to integrate it into the existing system. I'll admit to getting some mass market electronics (a Yamaha receiver) to connect some existing Thiel speakers with other new devices. It was a fine choice for switching between the various inputs. But Mark, it sounds like you're way beyond this fairly introductory level I entered at. No doubt your audio salon will find you a piece of electronics to connect it all together. The Yamaha was a reasonable way to do it fairly simply, and it sounds damn good to my pedestrian ears.
The whole point about not skrimping on the sound was that watching films now is better than going out to the theater. We have better selection, better seating, better time management, better refreshments, and picture and sound that rival the best commercial cinemas. The experience w/ the full 5.1 sound array and the plasma picture display is truely immersive.
Mary, I agree w/ Mark about getting together with other audiophiles. It mostly only happens in audio show rooms where you can listen to the best they have for any price, as well as the best they have that you can afford. No one is talking about the size of woofers. It's the sound characteristics of each piece of gear that is open to discussion.
Mark, I didn't realize that all of your music had been "wireshopped". :-)