[Mad Max]

Quote:

 
 
...The only way to learn is to always doubt and try stuff....you can't judge how you'll like a unit based on other ppl opinions, this just does not work.
 
...

x2, somewhat

 

[mckinetic]

Many good suggestions. Thanks to all. Right now and totally off the topic, my recently acquired Apogee Duet is seemingly
making my Gen 8020's (and HD650's)sound uncommonly good. Am I confused? Wish I had another type of DAC to compare to just for
S&G's.

 

[leeperry]

my recently acquired Apogee Duet is seemingly making my Gen 8020's (and HD650's)sound uncommonly good. Am I confused?

 
If it sounds good to you, then it's good. You'll have plenty of time to let the upgraditis monster eat your brain out...enjoy what you got(for now

)

 

[Dalamar]

A good way of creating a BS filter is to block everyone pro-cable. They have nothing of factual value to say.
In fact not even a million bucks of incentive has made anyone prove that cables aren't bs. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/calling-bull****/james-randi-offers-1-million-if-audiophiles-can-prove-7250-speaker-cables-are-better-305549.php

 

[melomaniac]

... and then there are those who trust their own ears...

 

[nickchen]

Following the famous forum greybacks blindly can also lead you pretty offside. Trust your own experiences and/or experiences of folks you know personally. And even your own findings are very likely to change in the course of time.
 
A forum is mainly talk job and personal fun IMO, no matter how often the holy grail of audio is stated to be found...

 

 

[oqvist]

Quote:

Following the famous forum greybacks blindly can also lead you pretty offside. Trust your own experiences and/or experiences of folks you know personally. And even your own findings are very likely to change in the course of time.
 
A forum is mainly talk job and personal fun IMO, no matter how often the holy grail of audio is stated to be found...

 

x2...
 
 

 

 

[Seamaster]

There are a lot die hard Grado fan here on H-F. Their rave reviews always got me very excited to own a pair of Grado like child's dream. I always tell myself better to get a pair of Grado before I die, or I will go to hell. Until the dream come true with a pair of RS-1i, err, never mind about my childish dream. I sold them within a month.

 

[Seamaster]

This is funny about Skylab:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/440799/beyerdynamic-to-launch-new-top-headphone-at-ifa-called-t1/3585#post_6834287
 
Sorry, I had to do this to you Skylab. It made my day.

 

[baka1969]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <----------- grains of salt. Use them with everyone's opinion. Including mine.

 

[Solude]

What info to take seriously... hmm.  This is what I do.
 
One buy stuff and listen critically.  Read around and find posters who describe what you bought in a way that is similar to your real experience.  Now you have a tree of product trial members  As for the fighting back and forth... its my experience that if all someone can do is say someone else is wrong but can't back it up in any way or worse tells you they won't rehash it... they are ignore fodder.  Except ignore is off, sigh.  And this is true of pretty much everything internet related... if the post count is crazy high then someone spends more time playing the forum game and not the audiophile game
 
That's it.  Really that simple.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Forget the opinions. Reviews help a little, but there needs to be a bigger focus on how and why things work. People talk about the sound signature of an amp, but how many here know what goes on inside the box? Same with every other component. Can you give a brief description of the difference between a dynamic and electrostatic headphone?

It used to be that audiophiles regularly built their own gear. Few do today. Many look for an attractive box and base their purchases on what a reviewer says about the sound. We need to get back to a deeper understanding of what is going on. Believe it or not, very little has changed in the past 50 years. Digital is newer, but the basics of amplification and transducers is about the same. There's a ton of free information out there - use it.

Another old standby of audiophilia was recording music. You'll notice that the old reel-to-reel decks had recording heads. Lots of audiophiles would take them to performances and record them. Admittedly, I know very little about this, but want to learn more. A few members here, like LFF and Acix (and probably several I'm forgetting, apologies) know a lot about recording music. This is important, because knowing how to record also tells you a lot about the right way to reproduce music.

In short, set out to learn about as much as possible. Knowing that someone thinks a pieceof gear sounds "warm" is a lot different than knowing what's going on inside. If anyone is curious and wants to learn more, build a CMoy. About $20 and you'll get a much better understanding of how things work. It'll also give you some of the tools necessary to read more technical descriptions.

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solude /img/forum/go_quote.gif

if the post count is crazy high then someone spends more time playing the forum game and not the audiophile game
 

QFT.
 
I also have my gabble phases, but those who collect 2000 posts within a few months are somewhat really dubious IMO...

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Forget the opinions. Reviews help a little, but there needs to be a bigger focus on how and why things work. People talk about the sound signature of an amp, but how many here know what goes on inside the box? Same with every other component. Can you give a brief description of the difference between a dynamic and electrostatic headphone?

It used to be that audiophiles regularly built their own gear. Few do today. Many look for an attractive box and base their purchases on what a reviewer says about the sound. We need to get back to a deeper understanding of what is going on. Believe it or not, very little has changed in the past 50 years. Digital is newer, but the basics of amplification and transducers is about the same. There's a ton of free information out there - use it.

What I've found is, once people are given a little info on how things work, they think they know something and start spreading it as gospel.  Look at the "tube sound" description we repeatedly see for a good example.  
 
For what you say to really work, it requires a few truly knowledgeable people with their head screwed on to help new people and keep people steered in sensible directions, such as you have been doing (and doing well, I might add, even if we differ in some opinions on things).  We do now have a Wiki, which is a good place to post useful information that people can be directed to for common questions, such as how Boomana's guide to newbies is in the sidebar in some threads. If good information is prominent, good ideas will take hold from the beginning.

 

[The Monkey]

To the OP...the S/N here makes useful information difficult to find--if any exists at all anymore.  Basically, we have a bunch of shills and self-anointed experts shouting from the rooftops about FOTM and unicorns. Try to ignore them despite their infiltration into almost every thread.  My advice, for whatever it's worth (and sorry if much of this has been suggested already), is to go to meets to listen to as much as possible with thine own ears.  And you can make friends at meets.  It will be these friends whose opinions likely will be most informative. 
 
My opinion about reviews is the longer the review, the less useful.  Today's audio rag reviews are meaningless for that reason, among others.  I believe it indicates that the author is trying to write his/her way into a conclusion--trying to convince themselves of something along the way--rather than having a firm grasp of their opinion from the outset.  Thomas Jefferson was right: "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do."
 
Finally, post your own impressions.  It will help you focus on what you like or don't like.  And it will add to the knowledge base here.  The advice at Head-Fi is only as good as the collective wisdom shared by its members, and for that it needs better input. 
 
Garbage in, garbage out.