jh901 wrote: > I don't know who pays for this site to be maintained, but there is no > moderation at all. It isn't possible to carry on a genuine, "adult" > conversation here about the hobby we are all presumably so passionate > about. > > While there are plenty of "audio jewelry" or otherwise "lifestyle" audio > gear manufacturers, the vast majority are run by rather brilliant guys > who love reproduced sound at least as much as we do. I sincerely find > it depressing that bashing hi-end gear is ok to whoever pays for this > site. Sad. > > The reason, generally, that the very best sounding gear out there costs > the most is that the engineers were not required to take short-cuts. If > we stick with digital front ends, for example, the best of the best are > designed from end to end with little compromise in the way of time and > money invested into R&D or into parts. If a DAC was simply an off the > shelf micro-chip with a few wires then dCS wouldn't exist. The > circuitry is complicated. The power supply designs are pricey and > complex. Same with the analog output section. Most recently, it seems > that FPGA DACs are becoming mainstream within hi-end. If there wasn't > any demand for better and ever better sound, then we'd all be stuck with > junk from the 80s.
While it is quite true that is plenty of high end audio equipment that is well designed by brilliant individuals trying to advance the state of the art, it is also true that is plenty of high end audio equipment that is just pure, over priced junk "designed" by quacks and individuals only looking to make a buck. As I've stated over and over the manufacturers, writers and marketeers who promote expensive solutions to problem that really do not even exist should be called out often and loudly. For example the manufacturers of high end digital cables - pure and utter nonsense. Or the fixation on pico second jitter - more nonsense. And after market super thick mega-buck power cords - also more worthless nonsense. By the same token, those manufacturers addressing real world issues, such as loudspeaker crossover design should be given praise. As for FPGA DACs - as of now there is no convincing evidence that these designs sound any better than an off the shelf micro-chip. And no, some reviewer raving about the latest and great FPGA DAC in some magazine that runs full page ads from the manufacturer of the FPGA DAC doesn't count as convincing evidence. Remember the high end audio press (print and online) does not differentiate between the handful of brilliant individuals and loads of quacks, which leaves it up those of us without a horse in the race to call BS when and where necessary. Living Rm: Transporter-SimAudio pre/power amps-Vandersteen 3A Sign. & sub Home Theater: Touch-Marantz HTR-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Linn sub Computer Rm: Touch-Headroom Desktop w/DAC-Aragon amp-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Energy sub Bedroom: Touch-HR Desktop w/DAC-Audio Refinement amp-Energy Veritas 2.0 Guest Rm: Duet-Sony soundbar Garage: SB3-JVC compact system Controls: iPeng; SB Controller; Moose & Muso Server: SBS on dedicated windows 7 computer w/2 Drobos 'Last.fm' (http://www.last.fm/user/jazzfann/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ralphpnj's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10827 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=102330 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
