What is the greatest extent to which you have seen someone go in pursuit of the Nth degree of audio capture and/or reproduction? I realize that this could degenerate into scoffing or throwing things (like insults, snowballs or water balloons, depending on the season), so please state what you have seen without ridicule. What may seem outlandish to one person may, in the opinion of another, perfectly fit a certain situation. So let us be “ladies and gentlemen” and share our stories!

soundhound

Way to go Lena.......lol I was thinking the same thing but didn't have the nerve to say it

Lasher

..any guy that gets to pull the cord on a howitzer during sound bite recording sessions. But then again …that does not sound extreme………just good plain fun

There was a guy back in the old neighborhood in the early 70s who built a subwoofer (back then, just called a 'bass speaker') by forming and pouring concrete.

It sounded great, as did the rest of his system.

But wait...he then decided to take his system to wherever the party was.

I'll never forget the guy and his buddy, with the concrete sub strapped to it's own 'travel dolly', luggin' that monster up a flight of stairs.

Still not happy with the results, he removed cinder blocks from his basement walls and dug into the earth and built 2 concrete subs back in there.

He then had to remodel the basement so the parties could come to him.

Unforgetably cool.

Thanks, nullptr. Great, Great article. A "must-read."

Call me an audiophile...but here's what gets me with an article like that. Sure, the guy spends too much money on something that gives him a degree more excitement and enjoyment when he could of used the same money to buy something else. Sound familiar....

How about the guy who buys the Ferrari instead of the Subaru WRX? What you say? No comparison? I think it's very similiar to the arguement in that article. For the price of the Ferrari, you could buy a WRX, plus a house, plus an addition to the house to house your new car in style. Meanwhile, the WRX will provide you with the same amount of speed and acceleration you can get out of the Ferrari on normal roads. Under the right conditions, you could technically even race the WRX better than the Ferrari. Ok, I think you see where I'm going...

The quest for better sound from high-end audio equipment is the quest for more enjoyment. What level works for some is just not the same for others. If you have the time and the money, aren't you going to seek out the best possible way to find this enjoyment? Sure, there is plenty of gear that will give you that level of enjoyment for less money, i.e. Outlaw, but if you have the funds, why not seek out more? Personally, I would love to hear that system featuring tubes and horns and feel that little bit of tingles the reporter in the article feels.

The only time audio becomes a bad habit is when you don't stay within your budget. Overspending will get you into trouble no matter what the hobby. There are levels of enjoyment out there for almost every budget. If you can stay within your limits and find your optimum level of enjoyment, why not?

Just this budget audiophile's .02 cents on that...

Well said Jason J. Its free country. Hugh Campbell can spend his money the way he wants to.

True, but the Ferrari is measureably and obviously in a different class than any Subaru. But the core point is good. Just as long as it's clearly understood WHAT he paid for.

BTW Jason, after living in New York City for a year I can say that for the price of Ferrari’s 360 Modena, you can’t do the above in that city. If its for the price of Enzo Ferrari (around $650K), may be…

This is the crux of what I hate so in this industry - that manufactuers will knowingly mislead the consumer in order to extract as much money as possible. This much blantant deception in other industries (like cars) would have the Federal Government decending like a ton of bricks.

I too live in the city and know exactly what you're talking about. For all the rent I pay for my lovely room of a 3 bedroom apt, I could have some really nice cars parked outside.

Location, location, location...

Soundhound,

I think you give your Federal Government (and governments everywhere) far too much credit.

Imagine an industry where EVERY product sold is defective in some way. Where despite advertising claims, and the printed material that comes with it, and glowing reviews in trade journals, it NEVER works as advertised for the poor schlepp who buys it. Imagine an industry where EVERY product sold needs to be repaired somehow by the consumer. Where EVERY repair leads to the need for yet more repairs. And where eventually the manufacturer releases a new and improved (but still broken) version of the product - and it's snapped up by the same gullible consumer who bought the original product. Think computer software. Don't see "government" tackling that one anytime soon!

P.T. Barnum would be making out like a bandit today if he were still alive.

ps. I think that we're lucky that in the vast majority of cases, consumer A/V products work more or less as advertised. I have trouble feeling sorry for someone who, after price shopping for days to get the lowest price on a bigscreen RPTV, then proceeds to drop $800 on a six foot length of component video cables - as did a friend of mine!

Jeff Mackwood

Jeff:

I was referring specifically to the snake oil type BS claims in the sound industry, not reliablilty or function of products beyond the false claims.

I'm also astonished at the amount of uncontested and grotesquely expensive snake oil that so-called audiophile companies are allowed to sell on the open market.

It's as if General Motors claimed a new car could get 500 miles to the gallon.

[This message has been edited by boblinds (edited December 21, 2003).]

Part of the problem is that the snake oil salesmen are helped along by those who we would normally expect to trust. In most defined vertical market segments there are "journalists" who seek out the truth and then print it - in reputable publications. We've had this discussion a few months back in another thread on magazines / publications.

The problem is that with but a few notable exceptions (and I'm thinking specifically about Sound & Vision's David Ranada, Ken Pohlmann, and Ian Masters) the trade pub editors / writers do nothing to dispel the myths. In fact, it's often the opposite.

I need cite nothing other than Jerry Kindela's article "Fourteen El Cheapo Tweaks That Really Work" in the current (January 2004) issue of Home Theatre magazine to prove my point.

To take boblinds' example of the 500 mpg GM car, I doubt that either Road & Track or Car & Driver would let a claim like that go untested and unchallenged!

Jeff Mackwood

Sort of, although the snake-oil purveyors tend to stay away from easily falsifiable claims, and instead claim things that don't matter and/or are not easily falsifiable. Then no one makes them prove their claims.

In audio, magic still sells, sadly.

I just stumbled on this site. Now this is overkill

http://www.royaldevice.com/custom3.htm

Lasher

It certainly is. Assuming the rest of the system is also horn loaded, just how much SPLs can a human take without going deaf? A setup like this would make sense in a gigantic room however - like a movie theater sized room. I don't think this is the case here though.

Here’s something closer to home. http://www.hometheatertalk.com/DIY_Projects/IB_Sub/ib_sub.html
This fellow may already be a gunslinger.

As others have pointed out already, intentional mislead is part of everyone’s daily encounters. Its not just in the market places, it also exists in political arena (more so there), athletic competition and … etc. Its like virus, you can’t eliminate it in the real world. I believe there is a good side of it though. It forces us to become smarter just like our immune system adapting to new viruses and becoming stronger (usually). Chat rooms like this one and those who contribute their 2 cents are that of high value to people who pay attention. Those who don’t are relying on sheer luck.

Well, he did a pretty good review of the Model 200 last year when he replaced a 770 with a stack of seven 200's, but I don't think he's ever posted here -- Home Theater Talk is his home turf.

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