Non-audiophile reactions to high-end headphones - Page 388  

With companies like McIntosh making amps and MB Quart making speakers, how could anyone diss car audio? But my favorite companies back in the 90's was Phoenix Gold amps and Boston Acoustic speakers, which I would listen to the set up in a local higher-end car/home audio shop show room all the time, I mean before I got a car, girls and a life. And you have companies like Focal, that make a pretty respectable headphone, make some great car audio upgrade speakers today. Most companies with upgrade speakers make them specific for the car too, which is a win win for do it your selfers like me.

And much respect and envy on the car mentions, BMWs, ZZZZs, and even the Lexus stock stereo mention, I would enjoy any of those.

I live in California and smog laws keep us from enjoying good horse power in every way possible. I remember when I was 6, mom got a 280zx2+2 back in 81-82, if I remember right, that she got because I liked it better then the Corvette when we test drove the two. The best part about it was it was from Nevada and didn't have the CA smog equipment that was standard then, and it could do 140mph even with her driving. Anyway, those were some great times.

Back to influencing non-audiophiles, I want to make a point that sometimes just takes experience to understand. So I found some AR2a speakers, circa 1959, for $20- one day at a thrift store, called my 67 year old buddy (the man with the experience, not me) who knows what's up and he said he wanted them. I took them to his house where he started fixing a few problems in one of the crossovers. About 6 months after he had dialed them in, I was helping him clean out his garage. They were not being used and just taking up space, so I offered to help him sell them locally because shipping I figured would be a pain. A 21 y.o. guy I worked with who has newer Cambridge 40wpc amp and $500 Paradigm bookshelf speakers was really stoked with his system (but I really didn't like the speakers), until I talked him into buying the AR's for $100- which I convinced both buyer and seller that it was a good deal (even though the seller wants them back now lol). At first he was like "what would I want with 1959 speakers!," but I showed him some literature on them and the current ebay price of around $300, which convinced him he couldn't go wrong in buying them. I helped him hook them up to his Cambridge (a nice amp if you ask me) and they quickly began to grow on him. The guy even has Grado RS-1, but still prefers listening to those AR2a speakers. How is that, I ask? Even if I knew why he liked them better and agreed with his view, I really couldn't give a straight answer why, except right is right. Plus those speakers were top of the line back then and cost a bunch, maybe $900 if I remember what I read. Just an example of another thing done right, like the Z. (sorry for any confusion here)