[Paladin79]

This is interesting, not that I want to invest a million dollars in audio. I tend to get busy with family when in the Virginia area but one day it would be great to hear this system as well if feasible. Mr. Cowen will be shocked to find wood other than maple in that video.



This one cannot be duplicated easily anyway since the speakers are custom, as is the room that houses them.

My dream system is a bit more down to earth and should be fine for me. A few friends will have better systems no doubt but I am reminded of a line from Le Petit Prince.

“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

 

[JamminVMI]

You should hear them. The first time I heard them was at an RMAF show in the 90's. I was walking down a hall and thought there was a live Taiko drum performance going on. I followed the sound and it was the 101 X-Tremes. Wow.

Something about Taiko. A track by Kodo is permanently on my equipment test playlist.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

Yes. Though I've always preferred to call it "fixing my mistakes". A bit more honest.

Fixing your own mistakes is the fun part of debugging. Fixing other people's mistakes, though… ugh!

 

[dstrimbu]

All that fun talk about speaker cables.
Take of the rear panel of your speakers and look inside.
You're spending money outside to connect the cheapest piss poor cabling, connectors and bad soldering inside.

Dude, what speakers are you buying?

Yes cables can sound different because of different impedance, conductance and capacitance. Brand and price has nothing to with it. You have to find a match with your gear regardless of price. Base your choice on looks is just as valid if that is important to you.

Brand and price (to some extent) does have something to do with it; because it's about material quality and care in the assembly process, and that's not free.
Once you get past (2 * (the cost of raw materials)) for a professionally assembled cable, somebody is making bank off ya... YMMV.

 

[dstrimbu]

I'd start here: Ulfberht and add upgrades.
Sadly my house is too small. So's my wallet. But a girl can dream, can't she?

You can, and should dream!
I have heard positive things about Tekton Design's speakers, but have never heard them... they look quite outrageous.

 

[Paladin79]

Dude, what speakers are you buying?


Brand and price (to some extent) does have something to do with it; because it's about material quality and care in the assembly process, and that's not free.
Once you get past (2 * (the cost of raw materials)) for a professionally assembled cable, somebody is making bank off ya... YMMV.

I was thinking the same thing as your first response lol. I have been inside more brands of speakers than I would care to recount and generally encounter decent quality components and workmanship..

I notice you have some of the 4S11 speaker cables that I use myself but naturally I assembled my own. You are very close in assessment to the 2X the cost for some very good speaker cables. IMHO

 

[433521]

Very well done and those prices at BJC are very reasonable. I really like that cable and the way the wires are welded to the connectors. They also use a Belden speaker cable that is quite good, I really like their approach to such items.

I looked after reading here about them and seeing others felt it cleaned up their Schiit, so I grabbed a 9 foot pair (11% better sounding than a 10 foot pair, and a little cheaper) and I'm very satisfied. Of course my system sounded more detailed right away, but mostly I like walking over to the speaker and checking the connection, and seeing it still holds.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Of course my system sounded more detailed right away

I can't tell -- sarcasm?

JC

 

[leonthebumme]

The DIs are not a bad alternative

I enjoyed my DIs and was saving up for Ulfs thinking "they'll be a little bit bigger." But then I did a mockup by putting appropriately sized black boxes on the DIs to recreate the Ulfs footprint and...let's just say you will be recreating 2001 A Space Odyssey by putting them in your space, be prepared. I wasn't, so I got the Encores instead, which actually are only a little taller than the DIs and they are outstanding. They were designed originally to be Ulf-Jr's, and are absolutely wonderful. Worth considering...

 

[Ripper2860]

Yeah, I've always considered debugging to be more like this (frequently seen visiting @Ripper2860 's house after having @bcowen continually crash the annual Tube Hoarders BBQ and Social. ):

FTFY.

Dude. I don't know how you found out, but next time leave the NC BBQ at home and just bring potato salad.

 

[433521]

I can't tell -- sarcasm?

JC

Normally yes, but actually in this instance, I'm having a rather public laugh at myself. I did think it sounded more detailed.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Normally yes, but actually in this instance, I'm having a rather public laugh at myself. I did think it sounded more detailed.

Sorry if I inadvertently outed you.


JC

 

[bcowen]

This is interesting, not that I want to invest a million dollars in audio. I tend to get busy with family when in the Virginia area but one day it would be great to hear this system as well if feasible. Mr. Cowen will be shocked to find wood other than maple in that video.

Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's good. I should probably listen to it and determine if it's worthy.

That's in jest of course, but not in jest is that I've heard a couple very expensive systems in my audio life that were so excruciatingly painful to listen to that I wondered if the people involved had any hearing left above 3kHz.

 

[stochasticJim]

Im not much but of a hardware guy but Im totally curious if the term debugging is used a lot in the hardware world.

Apparently, the term "bug" originated from a hardware problem. The Harvard Mark II computer (domain of Grace Hopper) was installed in a building without screens. One evening, when the computer stopped working, the operators discovered that a moth with a 4-inch wingspan was smashed in one of the relays. The Harvard team started calling fixing computer problems "debugging" after that.

Ref: The Innovators by Walter Isaacson

 

[macdonjh]

I enjoyed my DIs and was saving up for Ulfs thinking "they'll be a little bit bigger." But then I did a mockup by putting appropriately sized black boxes on the DIs to recreate the Ulfs footprint and...let's just say you will be recreating 2001 A Space Odyssey by putting them in your space, be prepared. I wasn't, so I got the Encores instead, which actually are only a little taller than the DIs and they are outstanding. They were designed originally to be Ulf-Jr's, and are absolutely wonderful. Worth considering...

I just rewatched that, hoping to understand it. I didn't. Now I have to reread the book.

Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's good. I should probably listen to it and determine if it's worthy.

That's in jest of course, but not in jest is that I've heard a couple very expensive systems in my audio life that were so excruciatingly painful to listen to that I wondered if the people involved had any hearing left above 3kHz.

One of the professors at ISU was somewhat famous for his stereo system: Magnepan Tympani, Mark Levinson No. 20.6 and a suitably high-end front end. The guys I knew who'd been invited for a listen said they wouldn't go back. Apparently the professor was nearly deaf and played his system so loud it didn't sound much better than a PA to those with less-damaged ears.

Apparently, the term "bug" originated from a hardware problem. The Harvard Mark II computer (domain of Grace Hopper) was installed in a building without screens. One evening, when the computer stopped working, the operators discovered that a moth with a 4-inch wingspan was smashed in one of the relays. The Harvard team started calling fixing computer problems "debugging" after that.

Ref: The Innovators by Walter Isaacson

One of the plants I worked in got shut down one morning because a racoon found his way into the "isolation cage" which protected their 13.6 kV switchgear from racoons. I don't remember what the electricians found which allowed them to conclude it was a racoon, but I'll bet it wasn't much.