Some OVERRATED High End Gear. - Page 14

I did not see the transparent comment, I thought ASR had blown a fuse... 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert 

Nearly crapped in my pants.

Good one!

Quote:

Originally Posted by InnerSpace 

I think the demise of DIY is more of a general cultural change, brought on by the disappearance of manufacturing industry.  Back in the day the average joe either worked a manufacturing job or had brothers or neighbors who did, and making something himself was a default instinct.  My grandfathers were typical.  They made everything themselves - toys for the kids, windows for the house, all of it - because they were totally comfortable with the process.  All day long they saw steel go in one end of the factory and finished goods come out the other.  People don't see that anymore, so the default instinct is fading away.

This ^.  I think it's largely cultural and economic.  More people today have to work longer hours for less money to support families.  Less time for personal growth and time consuming hobbies.  Today's society is all off the shelf.  People don't even cook anymore and even if they do it's hardly real cooking but tossing packages in boiling water or microwaves.  I really don't think it's all about aesthetics and psychology.  People that fall for that have never been and will never be DIY'ers.  They tend to be the newly rich, yuppy status seekers.  Granted I still want an Aston Martin as DIYing one would mean I'd be dead of old age before I finish.  So there is an argument to be made for premium products as long as they are exactly that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaxilus 

This ^.  I think it's largely cultural and economic.  More people today have to work longer hours for less money to support families.  Less time for personal growth and time consuming hobbies.  Today's society is all off the shelf.  People don't even cook anymore and even if they do it's hardly real cooking but tossing packages in boiling water or microwaves.  I really don't think it's all about aesthetics and psychology.  People that fall for that have never been and will never be DIY'ers.  They tend to be the newly rich, yuppy status seekers.  Granted I still want an Aston Martin as DIYing one would mean I'd be dead of old age before I finish.  So there is an argument to be made for premium products as long as they are exactly that.

 

Buy a Caterham if you want to build your own car. It's certainly possible to do so. Granted building a car on the level of an Aston Martin is a bit harder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveBSC 

Buy a Caterham if you want to build your own car. It's certainly possible to do so. Granted building a car on the level of an Aston Martin is a bit harder.

 

Oh that's easy.  Plus there's the Ariel Atom.  I was looking at an Austin Healey and there's always the Shelby too.  Kit cars are fun.  I was just using the Aston as a specific example for contrast.  We're talking about companies that have had 3+ generations of the same family just doing the coachwork alone.  Even if I could master that in one lifetime all I'd have is a set of seats sitting in the garage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaxilus 

Oh that's easy.  Plus there's the Ariel Atom.  I was looking at an Austin Healey and there's always the Shelby too.  Kit cars are fun.  I was just using the Aston as a specific example for contrast.  We're talking about companies that have had 3+ generations of the same family just doing the coachwork alone.  Even if I could master that in one lifetime all I'd have is a set of seats sitting in the garage.

 

Getting back to audio, I don't think I agree with the idea that DIY is dead. Take the Stax community. Since Stax gave up the ultra high-end market after the end of the SRM-T2, there's been some cynically overpriced garbage from manufacturers, and outstanding DIY amps (KGST, KGSS, BH, KGSSHV, DIYT2, and a few other non Gilmore designs). Considering how small the high-end Stax niche is, that's an impressive roster, and thankfully because of them we don't have to put up with junk Singlepowers and McAlisters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr 

(Actually, just kidding with the above, hah!) :p
 

If audiophiles chose gear with their ears only, that would be just as misguided. Do you have any idea how easy it would be for a vendor to make a shoddy piece of gear that still sounds good to at least one person? Audiophiles need to choose gear with their eyes, ears, and brains. Don't buy blindly based on either aesthetics or sound, or both - it should be what's inside that counts.

Well, that is why I said audio enthusiasts instead of the culturally loaded "audiophiles." I was assuming an ounce of intelligence and sense on their part, my bad. Perhaps I am unusual. but I do not give a virtual rat's ass what the outside looks like. I look inside electronics to inspect the quality of components, soldering and other assembly. And yes, my local dealer lets me do that. I also look over their shoulder when they have any unit open for repair. I lift speakers up to see how heavy they are; I have been known to put a mirror into the port, and tap around the outside to check for internal integrity.  I am also allergic to thinking of speakers as furniture. My DIY Hammer Dynamics have no finish on them; I may get around to it eventually. I will probably enlarge the port a little and might as well wait anyway.

WAF? My late wife let me have my speakers and I let her have her expensive furniture. Everything was fine. Besides, JBL 4345s look like expensive furniture anyway. Walnut furniture with deep blue fabric, that is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveBSC 

Oh it's definitely not dead.  Just less prevalent and I think the trend will continue downwards.  There's always going to be folks that like learning, understanding and getting things done w/ their own hands.  

The funny thing is there really is no better time for DIY than now thanks to the internet. There is so much information, guides and tutorials available out there that you could become an expert at nearly anything if you want to, and the prevalence of forums dedicated to various hobbies means that advice and collaboration are only a couple mouse clicks away.

I just tried the UM Merlin, imo the downright worst custom I have heard. The mnids and highs are great (very similar to the Miracle) but the mid to bass transition is imo horrendously disjointed. It sounds not well intergrated to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dyl1dyl 

I just tried the UM Merlin, imo the downright worst custom I have heard. The mnids and highs are great (very similar to the Miracle) but the mid to bass transition is imo horrendously disjointed. It sounds not well intergrated to me.

Custom or demo?  Your description sounds like the demos they are retuning.  We had to pause the loaner program because the demos were so far off the custom signature.
 

I think there's also some confusion between people's will to do something and inner complexity of nowadays devices. For instance, repairing an iPhone, I mean, even just disassembly the thing without breaking it (ifixit.com) is a feat in itself! Let alone thinking about "repairing" some component on a board. Fixing a car: yes sure 70's design could be worked on in a home garage, nowadays injection systems and many other functions are regulated by electronics and there's little you can do with a couple of wrenches...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manyak 

I completely agree with you on all counts. BUT...in the people's defense...most of the time it really is cheaper not to bother learning how to repair something.

The "average Joe" has an $800 TV, a $400 HT-in-a-box, a $600 laptop, and a free cell phone. Why should he spend another $1800 on an oscilloscope, signal generator, variable power supply, multimeter, etc, when he can get them all repaired or replaced elsewhere for less?

Oh, and if you want a fun fact: most people can actually do everything they need to do on their computer - web browsing, emails, music, and so on - with a Pentium II with 128MB of RAM - and still have it feel fast.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik 

I blame the demise of DIY more on corporations and the culture.

Planned obsolescence is everywhere. You're "expected" to upgrade every few years and toss old products. It used to be that things were built to be repairable. Now repairs are seen as a profit center and a way to encourage people to just buy a new one.

 

^^^x100.  i also find that pushing extended warranties at extra cost in lieu of offering a quality product in the first place to be insulting.