[Bosk]

1. There is no endgame.

 

[o0genesis0o]

thou shalt be keen to remember that listening to music is of paramount importance and writing a wordy review is a minor side-hobby.

Excuse me, we use music to listen to gears.

 

[Frankie D]

Rock, I want to let you know I have given this topic of Credo allot of thought since your post. And Todd’s post ( @RTodd ) greatly affected my thoughts. Especially as we should take into consideration other people’s feelings about a particular product. So, without further ado, here is my current Credo:

1.- Whatever Jeff, Jim and Bobby like sucks!
(@Rockwell75 @HiFiHawaii808 @aaf evo). I almost added @bigbeans, but I like his Sony DMP-Z1.

2.- And this is something I have given allot of thought to in these last few days.
The Storm Sucks! This is especially true of Bobby’s Storm!

And remember, please be conscious of all of our dear friend’s feelings.

I wish everyone a nice day.

 

[wolfstar76]

Rock, I want to let you know I have given this topic of Credo allot of thought since your post. And Todd’s post ( @RTodd ) greatly affected my thoughts. Especially as we should take into consideration other people’s feelings about a particular product. So, without further ado, here is my current Credo:

1.- Whatever Jeff, Jim and Bobby like sucks!
(@Rockwell75 @HiFiHawaii808 @aaf evo). I almost added @bigbeans, but I like his Sony DMP-Z1.

2.- And this is something I have given allot of thought to in these last few days.
The Storm Sucks! This is especially true of Bobby’s Storm!

And remember, please be conscious of all of our dear friend’s feelings.

I wish everyone a nice day.

I am now really curious about your collection since you don't have them in your signature.

 

[Frankie D]

I am now really curious about your collection since you don't have them in your signature.

Just click on my name.

 

[eruilluvitar]

Have you received the fokus prestige yet? How is your daily experience with it?

Yeah, I've got all the Focus TWS at this point. They are pretty decent, but every single one of them has two major flaws: the charging of the IEMs and the charging of the case. The IEMs will only _sometimes_ actually make full contact with the charging pins in the case, and the case itself requires an adapter for USB-C with a significantly longer plug length in order to actually charge it. A regular USB-C cable will _barely_ make enough contact to charge it, but if you move it even a little - even just through vibrations of walking by it - it'll stop charging. They sound great, but these limitations make them absolutely infuriating to live with day-to-day. If you want something truly great, stick with the Devialet Gemini II.

 

[eruilluvitar]

I remember trying to convince @eruilluvitar that the LCD-5 (which we both have) has great bass and plenty of it. Now, granted, it took an audition on a Wells Audio Headtrip to convince him, and that amp is descended from an integrated putting out 50 wpc, but I wasn't wrong.

Yep. 100%. I've now been driving the LCD-5's with the Zähl HM-1 which is better, but nothing has been as good as those Wells were.

 

[warrenpchi]

Yeah, I've got all the Focus TWS at this point. They are pretty decent, but every single one of them has two major flaws: the charging of the IEMs and the charging of the case. The IEMs will only _sometimes_ actually make full contact with the charging pins in the case, and the case itself requires an adapter for USB-C with a significantly longer plug length in order to actually charge it. A regular USB-C cable will _barely_ make enough contact to charge it, but if you move it even a little - even just through vibrations of walking by it - it'll stop charging. They sound great, but these limitations make them absolutely infuriating to live with day-to-day. If you want something truly great, stick with the Devialet Gemini II.

Over seven months worth of WC posts to catch up on...

Yep. 100%. I've now been driving the LCD-5's with the Zähl HM-1 which is better, but nothing has been as good as those Wells were.

I've heard plenty of stories where people teared up or cried when listening. I think you were the first time I've seen someone break out in laughter!

 

[salwani8888]

Sunday survey-- what is your hobby "Credo"? Which is to say, what are some of the guiding principles or notions you have arrived at or which help inform your journey through the audio landscape.

Here are a few of mine:

1) There is no one "right" way to embrace, approach or enjoy this hobby, and no one right way to appreciate and enjoy sound. What is ideal for one person may not at all work for someone else.

2) The listener, the act of listening, and that being listened to cannot be meaningfully divorced from one another. For this reason all measurements, no matter how elaborate and detailed, will only tell a small part of the story and there will never be a substitute for actually hearing something for yourself.

3) The human ear is the most perfect and only self-sufficient measurement rig there is. One should always listen to an IEM first and look at measurements second, lest the measurements skew your perception and expectation of the sound.

4) Target curves-- universal or personalized-- do not appeal to me. I can appreciate a wide variety of tunings, so long as they are well executed. Target curves tend to homogenize the listening experience and suck the life and soul out of it.

5) Most of what is important to me cannot be discerned from an FR curve.

6) While there are surely elements of both, good tuning is more of a art than a science. I am not interested in a tune-by-committee or algorithmic approach. I want to sense the inspiration and artfulness of the tuner.

7) I respect the rigidly science-based approach to this hobby...but it has never appealed to me personally.

8) The greater the degree one is able to follow their own passions and inclinations in this hobby and not get bogged down by the noise of other's opinions or the fog of hivemind and groupthink...the greater will be their own satisfaction in this hobby.

9) Everthing in the signal chain can affect sound in discernable ways-- often synergy is more important than any single factor. Key differences may not be apparent or jump out right away-- but will manifest and become apparent with repeated or extended listening. I can appreciate good BA bass in the short term, but in the long term something about it always triggers my OCD.

10) It takes a lot of time and experience to find out exactly what you like. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, it's reasonable to expect that no two people's tastes in audio will be exactly the same.

What are some of yours?

1) if I must rely on reviews :
- youtube is not a good place to start
- read reviews from different people but ultimately narrow it down to people who align with your preferences. People have different tastes, but ultimately trust yourself.
- read between the lines, focus on the negatives and what isn't said.
- avoid hype.
2) I cant listen to a graph. They are often not even aligned with what I hear, and they dont present the things I value the most.
3) Take the time to listen to really high end gear - headgear or 2ch. Listen to excellent recordings on that gear.
4) Have a few reference songs that are always used to listen to new gear.
5) The gear you use / demo the most is the one that's most enjoyable. it may not be the 'best'.
6) Don't compromise during demos & take your time.
7) its a journey. Enjoy the ride. Enjoy what you have.

 

[tjzurlaaa]

1) if I must rely on reviews :
- youtube is not a good place to start
- read reviews from different people but ultimately narrow it down to people who align with your preferences. People have different tastes, but ultimately trust yourself.
- read between the lines, focus on the negatives and what isn't said.
- avoid hype.
2) I cant listen to a graph. They are often not even aligned with what I hear, and they dont present the things I value the most.
3) Take the time to listen to really high end gear - headgear or 2ch. Listen to excellent recordings on that gear.
4) Have a few reference songs that are always used to listen to new gear.
5) The gear you use / demo the most is the one that's most enjoyable. it may not be the 'best'.
6) Don't compromise during demos & take your time.
7) its a journey. Enjoy the ride. Enjoy what you have.

Number seven is key

 

[thaslaya]

Sunday survey-- what is your hobby "Credo"? Which is to say, what are some of the guiding principles or notions you have arrived at or which help inform your journey through the audio landscape.

Here are a few of mine:

1) There is no one "right" way to embrace, approach or enjoy this hobby, and no one right way to appreciate and enjoy sound. What is ideal for one person may not at all work for someone else.

2) The listener, the act of listening, and that being listened to cannot be meaningfully divorced from one another. For this reason all measurements, no matter how elaborate and detailed, will only tell a small part of the story and there will never be a substitute for actually hearing something for yourself.

3) The human ear is the most perfect and only self-sufficient measurement rig there is. One should always listen to an IEM first and look at measurements second, lest the measurements skew your perception and expectation of the sound.

4) Target curves-- universal or personalized-- do not appeal to me. I can appreciate a wide variety of tunings, so long as they are well executed. Target curves tend to homogenize the listening experience and suck the life and soul out of it.

5) Most of what is important to me cannot be discerned from an FR curve.

6) While there are surely elements of both, good tuning is more of a art than a science. I am not interested in a tune-by-committee or algorithmic approach. I want to sense the inspiration and artfulness of the tuner.

7) I respect the rigidly science-based approach to this hobby...but it has never appealed to me personally.

8) The greater the degree one is able to follow their own passions and inclinations in this hobby and not get bogged down by the noise of other's opinions or the fog of hivemind and groupthink...the greater will be their own satisfaction in this hobby.

9) Everthing in the signal chain can affect sound in discernable ways-- often synergy is more important than any single factor. Key differences may not be apparent or jump out right away-- but will manifest and become apparent with repeated or extended listening. I can appreciate good BA bass in the short term, but in the long term something about it always triggers my OCD.

10) It takes a lot of time and experience to find out exactly what you like. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, it's reasonable to expect that no two people's tastes in audio will be exactly the same.

What are some of yours?

1. If the music played through a particular iem/headphone doesn't move you then that iem/headphone is not worth keeping

2. If I can't listen to an iem/headphone at high volume without sibilance/harshness then it's not worth keeping (I don't do low volume)

3. Listen with your eyes as well as your ears. If you hate the way something looks then you're less likely to pick it up and use it

Note that I am so sensitive to upper mids and treble sharpness that I am not the last word on too sharp in this community, this makes sets incoherent for me since my mind can only focus on that when I hear that shrillness. Sometimes it takes a while to surface when it does I am out.

This is so me! I must be more sensitive than most people because I can pick up on sibilance and sharpness that other people never touch on in their reviews.

 

[eruilluvitar]

Over seven months worth of WC posts to catch up on...

Oh, don't get me started - I've been (unfortunately) slammed with both work and life events/stresses

I think you were the first time I've seen someone break out in laughter!

It was freaking _weird_ - I've heard those so much and they have _ever_ sounded like that.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Sunday survey-- what is your hobby "Credo"? Which is to say, what are some of the guiding principles or notions you have arrived at or which help inform your journey through the audio landscape.

Here are a few of mine:

1) There is no one "right" way to embrace, approach or enjoy this hobby, and no one right way to appreciate and enjoy sound. What is ideal for one person may not at all work for someone else.

2) The listener, the act of listening, and that being listened to cannot be meaningfully divorced from one another. For this reason all measurements, no matter how elaborate and detailed, will only tell a small part of the story and there will never be a substitute for actually hearing something for yourself.

3) The human ear is the most perfect and only self-sufficient measurement rig there is. One should always listen to an IEM first and look at measurements second, lest the measurements skew your perception and expectation of the sound.

4) Target curves-- universal or personalized-- do not appeal to me. I can appreciate a wide variety of tunings, so long as they are well executed. Target curves tend to homogenize the listening experience and suck the life and soul out of it.

5) Most of what is important to me cannot be discerned from an FR curve.

6) While there are surely elements of both, good tuning is more of a art than a science. I am not interested in a tune-by-committee or algorithmic approach. I want to sense the inspiration and artfulness of the tuner.

7) I respect the rigidly science-based approach to this hobby...but it has never appealed to me personally.

8) The greater the degree one is able to follow their own passions and inclinations in this hobby and not get bogged down by the noise of other's opinions or the fog of hivemind and groupthink...the greater will be their own satisfaction in this hobby.

9) Everthing in the signal chain can affect sound in discernable ways-- often synergy is more important than any single factor. Key differences may not be apparent or jump out right away-- but will manifest and become apparent with repeated or extended listening. I can appreciate good BA bass in the short term, but in the long term something about it always triggers my OCD.

10) It takes a lot of time and experience to find out exactly what you like. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, it's reasonable to expect that no two people's tastes in audio will be exactly the same.

What are some of yours?

Ethos since I started the hobby:

1. Identify false gurus and steer clear: I ran into many false prophets locally who advised on audio purchases without having listened to most of what they were recommending or not recommending! In a few months, I jettisoned their advice and thank goodness I did that.
2. Avoid flagship-phobics: A certain type I also kept running into, during the initial days of my hobby when I was climbing the flagship ladder, were people who listened to entry-level gear mostly and simply despised high-end gear and recommended not buying them. In time, I realized that your prism really changes according to your income aspirations or general broad-mindedness.
3. Understanding limitations of a Target Curve: This is a subjective hobby just like photography is. Some people prefer increasing the exposure in their photos and others don't. Different genres and even sub-genres require different frequency respones to shine through.
4. Understanding limitations of Frequency Response of an IEM: The FR is certainly useful to me, but how much it reveals really varies from IEM to IEM. The same IEM yields different frequency responses on different rigs. Recently, I hear a lot of talk about FR at the eardrum. Talking about FR at the ear drum makes no sense to me because I won't have access to that data anytime soon, if ever. I also feel that the entire spirit behind reducing the joy of listening to a wonderful IEM to a parametric equation is "philistinish" and at the same time, an outcome of the commentator's access to IEMs through ownership or lack thereof. I think the hobby absolutely needs to have the element of surprise, the element of mystique, and the element of "wonder". Socrates has wonderful thoughts on the importance of "wonder" and keeping this alive.
5. Importance of the Chain: No IEM sounds the same after tip rolling and source rolling and even cable-rolling.
6. No DD-bass, no dice, to quote Mr @gLer. I can live with planar bass though.
7. Treble is good when done well: Treble presence and quality constitute one of the litmus tests of an artfully tuned IEM rather than just lobbing it off for an average listener, the way Harman does.
8. Aspirations are important, audio ownership-wise or otherwise. I think it keeps life interesting.

 

[BS5711]

You guys might like to give this album a listen if you haven't come across it before, I listened to it after a recommendation on a headphone thread.

It isn't going to be to everyone's taste of course but it is full of what to me is great sounding music that I am sure some would appreciate even if it isn't their usual genre.

Many of the tracks remind me of film scores.

 

[theintention]

Sunday survey-- what is your hobby "Credo"? Which is to say, what are some of the guiding principles or notions you have arrived at or which help inform your journey through the audio landscape.

Here are a few of mine:

1) There is no one "right" way to embrace, approach or enjoy this hobby, and no one right way to appreciate and enjoy sound. What is ideal for one person may not at all work for someone else.

2) The listener, the act of listening, and that being listened to cannot be meaningfully divorced from one another. For this reason all measurements, no matter how elaborate and detailed, will only tell a small part of the story and there will never be a substitute for actually hearing something for yourself.

3) The human ear is the most perfect and only self-sufficient measurement rig there is. One should always listen to an IEM first and look at measurements second, lest the measurements skew your perception and expectation of the sound.

4) Target curves-- universal or personalized-- do not appeal to me. I can appreciate a wide variety of tunings, so long as they are well executed. Target curves tend to homogenize the listening experience and suck the life and soul out of it.

5) Most of what is important to me cannot be discerned from an FR curve.

6) While there are surely elements of both, good tuning is more of a art than a science. I am not interested in a tune-by-committee or algorithmic approach. I want to sense the inspiration and artfulness of the tuner.

7) I respect the rigidly science-based approach to this hobby...but it has never appealed to me personally.

8) The greater the degree one is able to follow their own passions and inclinations in this hobby and not get bogged down by the noise of other's opinions or the fog of hivemind and groupthink...the greater will be their own satisfaction in this hobby.

9) Everthing in the signal chain can affect sound in discernable ways-- often synergy is more important than any single factor. Key differences may not be apparent or jump out right away-- but will manifest and become apparent with repeated or extended listening. I can appreciate good BA bass in the short term, but in the long term something about it always triggers my OCD.

10) It takes a lot of time and experience to find out exactly what you like. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, it's reasonable to expect that no two people's tastes in audio will be exactly the same.

What are some of yours?

Dont let anyone else’s opinions take away from the enjoyment you get out of your music or gear.

Keep it fun, audio isn’t all about writing impressions and reviews.

support your favorite artists more than just a stream. Buy their album, or buy their merch. It means a lot to them, and owning your music will make it mean more to you as well.