taboo

[spritzer]

It's compounded by the fact that nearly every audiophile forum (including speakers) is so over moderated that people don't post about gear that sounds bad, give it undue praise for no reason or feel some need to believe that manufacturers are their best friends and don't want to say anything bad about their products.

diyaudio is definitely a haven for good info, and I'm trying to wrap my head around it all.

This is also why the audio press is such garbage now. Stereophile is ok for those few DIY vintage restoration articles or some technical issues but the reviews are a joke. One exception is though hifi-news as they aren't pulling any punches and as the editor know how to measure gear they are very technical. They even have a rig to measure headphones...

It takes a long time to digest this all but it is very rewarding in the end.

[laxx]

But Hi-fi News is so expensive, lol.

[spritzer]

But Hi-fi News is so expensive, lol.

I'd rather pay more for good information then get the rubbish for free. I just got an email telling me I spent 100UKP's on three Hi-fi books... Add that to all the diy books and equipment so it is really a wonder if this way is cheaper then being an idiot audiophile that plugs his 4000$ cable into a 5cent rca jack.

[Dusty Chalk]

But Hi-fi News is so expensive, lol.

I just subscribed a several months ago. Not cheap, but it's better than missing one of the popular issues (like the end-of-year issue, awards issue, and whatnot).

[laxx]

I buy them downstairs in Grand Central whenever I take the subway. It's expensive at $9.99 each. Good thing I've only bought two.

[aerius]

But Hi-fi News is so expensive, lol.

I read them for free thanks to the local library. I just have to wait an couple months or so for the issues to go into circulation.

[postjack]

So is Hi-Fi News the head-case approved audio periodical of record? I've been wanting to subscribe to a good audio magazine since reading glossy reviews with pretty pictures is fun, but most magazines seem to be just so much fluff.

[HiWire]

I'll give it a shot. There's a bookstore across the street from my home, and I think they might carry it.

[spritzer]

So is Hi-Fi News the head-case approved audio periodical of record? I've been wanting to subscribe to a good audio magazine since reading glossy reviews with pretty pictures is fun, but most magazines seem to be just so much fluff.

I don't know if it the approved standard but it's better then most and they did express interest in serious headphone test and talked about the theory where headphones differ from speakers in a recent issue so they are better then most. In the last issue they slammed the Rega Saturn and actually said what they didn't like about it.

On top of all of this they showed a picture of a Stax SR-404 in the last issue in response to one readers letter so that is a big thumbs up from me.

[Dusty Chalk]

Plus Ken Kessler writes for them, and I <3 him.

[aerius]

I'll give it a shot. There's a bookstore across the street from my home, and I think they might carry it.

Every Chapters/Indigo store I've been to so far has it on their shelves. Some branches of the Toronto library system carry it, and the Mississauga central library has every issue going back for at least 2 years.

Plus Ken Kessler writes for them, and I <3 him.

Please tell us more about your man-love relationship. On 2nd thought, maybe not...

[Dusty Chalk]

Please tell us more about your man-love relationship. On 2nd thought, maybe not...

Pfff. I like his curmudgeonly writing style -- like several people here -- as well as his unabashed love of things like the LS3/5a and Quads.

[spritzer]

Pfff. I like his curmudgeonly writing style -- like several people here -- as well as his unabashed love of things like the LS3/5a and Quads.

Mmmmm Quads..... I almost bought a set of Quad II's yesterday on fleebay.

[Duggeh]

Almost isnt good enough Spritzer.

[spritzer]

Almost isnt good enough Spritzer.

It didn't have GEC tubes and the chassis was pretty crappy. The crazy collector in me has no problem with ripping out everything and installing Nextgen connectors, silver wiring, Riken resistors and silver caps but the gear has to look vintage on the outside... I'll buy a pair one of these days and I've already planned the mods

[Pars]

It's the sad, sad truth. All the gear I lusted after when I started this collective insanity of ours has turned out to be crap design with a fancy faceplate. It's ok to have a less then stellar design or cut some material corners when you are competing in a very tough price bracket but cutting corners on a cost no object design is criminal. Small things like PCB mounted connectors and jumpers are an eyesore when we are talking about reference level.

Yep...

[spritzer]

Yep...

I find it really sad that the accepted standard now is that it sounds nice... Opamps are ok now in a high end design just al long as the chassis looks cool... and has some blinking lights

[grawk]

I find it really sad that the accepted standard now is that it sounds nice... Opamps are ok now in a high end design just al long as the chassis looks cool... and has some blinking lights

Sounds nice != nice chassis and blinking lights

Isn't "sounds nice" the goal?

[Pars]

Actually, sounds great is the goal. However, I would expect any commercial piece of gear that I plunk money down for to be well-engineered and well-built as well, and not to burn my house down (not a direct reference to the subject perp; more to stories I've read of the manufacturer of my preamp ).

[grawk]

Actually, sounds great is the goal. However, I would expect any commercial piece of gear that I plunk money down for to be well-engineered and well-built as well, and not to burn my house down (not a direct reference to the subject perp; more to stories I've read of the manufacturer of my preamp ).

Point is, there's nothing particularly wrong with opamps in concept, so if the results sound better than other alternatives, why not use them. If they don't sound better, then who cares, not worth worrying about.

[Pars]

I don't have a particular aversion to opamps and didn't say anything about them in my post...

[grawk]

I don't have a particular aversion to opamps and didn't say anything about them in my post...

I should have quoted spritzer's post.

[spritzer]

I should have quoted spritzer's post.

Opamps are fine in a small headphone amps or some home cinema gear but have no place in the high end. This isn't some prejudice but that facts that the components on the chips are beyond horrible. This applies mostly to the caps and resistors. These can never match good discrete components but that doesn't mean that opamps can't have their uses outside of the signal path such as in servo circuits and the like. Some opamps are pretty good like the 627/637 but so expensive that it's doubtful they are worth the extra cost. They are still used as it is easy to design around them.

[Pars]

Didn't Jeff Rowland use the AD815 in one of his preamps? Supposedly a really great sounding chip (I have a partially built CarlosFM AD815 pre board that I have listened to a bit, not enough to determine, but what I did hear sounded good...). Arguably high-end

[n_maher]

These can never match good discrete components but that doesn't mean that opamps can't have their uses outside of the signal path such as in servo circuits and the like.

Got any supporting documentation for that claim? Like similar designs, one done all discrete and one using the opamp equivalent and some measured results comparing the two.