I just introduced someone to head-fi

[hciman77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iGig /img/forum/go_quote.gif I invited a guy from Circuit City who told me that all CD players sound exactly the same. He said the price difference was due to brands and features, but they all feed the same digital signal to the speakers or headphone jack. In a matter-of-fact way he said ALL souces are exactly the same because it all comes down to zeros and ones.

I used to think fervently that all sources were different, I went through 8 different CD players and several amps in 2 years, but my limited empirical testing showed me that (to me and with the range of items I listened to ) this just was not true and that I (and through research I find many many other people, including trained listeners, audiophiles and audio pros using high end setups) often really could not tell the difference between two components that do the same thing even when they are very different in design and/or price.

Sometimes properly controlled testing does reveal that two components do genuinely and reliably sound different, but my observation from my own experience and research is that for digital components anyway this happens far less frequently than the null hypothesis. My personal favourite is the 12,000 Euro Oracle CD player that could not be distinguished from the 200 Euro Pioneer DVD player - call me old fashioned but if there is a 60x price differential it should not even be close

 

[iGig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hciman77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I used to think fervently that all sources were different, I went through 8 different CD players and several amps in 2 years, but my limited empirical testing showed me that (to me and with the range of items I listened to ) this just was not true and that I (and through research I find many many other people, including trained listeners, audiophiles and audio pros using high end setups) often really could not tell the difference between two components that do the same thing even when they are very different in design and/or price. Sometimes properly controlled testing does reveal that two components do genuinely and reliably sound different, but my observation from my own experience and research is that for digital components anyway this happens far less frequently than the null hypothesis. My personal favourite is the 12,000 Euro Oracle CD player that could not be distinguished from the 200 Euro Pioneer DVD player - call me old fashioned but if there is a 60x price differential it should not even be close

Hello hciman77: I haven’t been lucky enough to listen to really expensive CD players and your words reaffirm my suspicion that I shouldn’t spend big bucks to get good sound.
Having said that; when it comes to crappy-fi and mid-fi, there’s big difference in players according to my ears. I honestly think that upgrading my CD player made the biggest impact on my setup, not only with headphones but also with speakers. Upgrade source > upgrade amp IMO.

When I started looking for a new source I bought several players recommended here for under $400 and there was a distinct difference among them! I ended up buying and keeping my Rega Planet and I absolutely love it. It may be too slow for some, but for me it makes ALL my music more enjoyable and I often wonder why I didn’t invest on a better source sooner.

The reason I was at Circuit City was to buy an affordable CDP for my MIL, I listened to several units and some of the cheaper ones had a metallic high end that made the high hats and cymbals sound like my silverware drawer.
I ended up buying something easy to use and MIL seems to like it but I know I couldn’t go back to “el cheapo” CDPs after listening to something better.
Do I feel the need to spend 10k on a source? NO! on that I totally agree with you. I believe you when you say the differences among better players are virtually inaudible, me and my wallet thank you for your post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spareribs /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think it's not really worth it to try to make people into audiophile headphone listeners. MOST people listen to music casually. They are not serious music fans and are pleanty satisfied merely hearing the songs that they like in an average stock headphone or IEM or a slightly higher grade after market headphone without spending a lot. And I think that's fine actaully. My co worker only owns like 10 CDs and the same with a lot of people I know. All they really need is a 1 GB mp3 player and stock buds and they are plenty happy with it despite them knowing about better headphones. For most people, music is just a simple background sound track and not really that important and they are focusing on other things in their lives and really are not concerned about sound improvement.

I agree there’s no need to make people become audiophiles. Heck, I’m not even an audiophile and I like visiting this site. The reason I’d invite others here is because everyone deserves better sound quality than what is available now.
I’m a child of the 80’s and I grew up in a third world country where all my highschool friends had a good sounding system, some had nice car audio, several had nice headphones and we all had tons of music. Fast forward 3 decades and all that’s available to the masses is crappy speakers made in China, disposable units that break one day after the 3 month warranty expires, thin speaker wire and crappy earbuds.
I think all consumers deserve better, even if all they do is listen to background music, a little quality goes a long way. Even if a person only owns 10 CD’s, they would sound a lot better with KSC75’s wouldn’t you agree?
I would recommend any consumer do their research before spending their $$$, and head-fi is one of many good resources to gather information. An informed consumer demands quality and value, I hope big businesses start taking notice.

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Another person I invited here was an emo guy who walks by my house. He saw my k81dj’s and asked where I got them. I told him to read head-fi because I wanted to give him a real reason to be sad about life.

 

[jowille]

"have you ever heard of head-fi?.... No? Try it... you'll like it......"

My wallet is emptying fast after being exposed...... got my SR-225's... cmoy amp.... ordered a go-vibe 6..... found a Grado RA-1 on ebay for $100, it came today temporarily filling a void while waiting for the GV6.......

What have you done to that poor guy!!!!!!!