Any audiophiles here?

[James M. Fisher]

Even a technology person needs downtime...are there any audiophiles here on the forum?
I was listening to (and tape recording) some LPs today.

 

[Tekno Venus]

I am no where near calling myself an audiophile. However, I do enjoy listening to music a lot. There's always something playing in my room.

I have a Spotify premium subscription with a student discount (half price) and stream at 320Kbs, which sounds great to my ears.

Speakers are just my laptop ones, but they're JBL and my laptop (Dell XPS 15 L502x) is regarded as having great speakers for a laptop. When I change my desk setup later this year I may get a proper set of desktop speakers.

On ear headphones - JVC HA-S400. The NEW JVC HA-S400. Affordable Carbon Nanotube cans for the masses.

I have two sets of In Ear headphones that I use. My Sennheiser CX400 II's live in my school bag, wrapped around my iPod. They get used most days, and are cheap and old enough that I don't mind so much if they break. They've been going strong for years though, fingers crossed they keep going. They're really light weight and easy to take in and out, perfect for the bus to and from school.

My other pair is the Sure SE215, which sound amazing, and are super comfortable once fitted. The foam tips and unweildly design make them a pain to fit and they aren't used every day. But they're great for long car/plane journeys since they are so comfortable, isolate noise fantastically and sound great. Shure SE215

Stephen

 

[James M. Fisher]

Hi Stephen,
While an audiophile appreciates music (and good sound) it is typically via a stereo component system with speakers.
That being said, I enjoy listening to music of any kind through any device, but especially through a room-filling sound stereo system. :grin1:

 

[Tekno Venus]

Exactly, I'm not an audiophile, just someone who loves music. Money is a factor, being a student I don't have much spare cash for nice speakers!

What speaker/headphone setups do you own? Anything you recommend?

Stephen

 

[James M. Fisher]

I sold my Bose headphones a few years ago...
I like the sound of open, room filling sound via stereo speakers. I have a mix of vintage and recent tech components. I like the sound of vintage equipment (I never got into the high priced valve/tube stuff). Still have some LPs that I could never dispose of, lots of CDs and cassettes.
Money is definitely a factor, I hear you...I have made some pocket money off my website over the past two years and I sunk it all into stereo components and CDs (like SACDs) and limited edition/import CD reissues.
There is always a higher level to be attained, but what I have now is better than what I grew up with, so I am happy with it.
Connected to my desktop, I have a set of Logitech 2.1 speakers which I think sound great for my little office.

 

[Patrick]

I've always wanted to be an audiophile. I'll let you know when I can afford it! :grin1:

 

[James M. Fisher]

I've always wanted to be an audiophile. I'll let you know when I can afford it! :grin1:

I can only afford it within my means...some of the peices I have are another audiophiles' 'cast-offs'. He upgraded, so I got his equipment at a fair price.
My advice: put most of your $$ into good speakers and good speaker cables, then the playback device (CD, Tape, DVD), then amplifier.

 

[Patrick]

I am with you on speakers! A lot of audiophiles prefer headphones, but not me! Put me in a room with good speakers and I'll never leave.

 

[Will]

I used to work as a student sound engineer at my uni - we had a very nice sound system, but it'll set you back about £20k if you want to replicate it.

Going to gradually start replacing as much of my music as possible with LPs, but they're a huge disadvantage for travelling. At the moment even my iPod is broken, so I'm stuck listening to most music over my laptop's low quality sound card. Certainly a lot more convenient when my iPod was still alive, but mostly I'm still stuck using MP3 for digital anyway. Sourcing higher quality versions for 60GB of MP3's is a challenge. :lol:

For digital - mostly buying new music as AAC at the moment. Most places I'm buying from give me several options, and will let me download the files again in a different format anyway. Using earphones rather than headphones - again, as I would usually have my iPod to travel with - but will eventually upgrade. I have some reasonable creative earphones - they're cheap, but pretty good for the price I buy them at. Reluctant to spend much more on earphones as they tend to be rather fragile and don't survive too long with me walking around with them so much.

Not sure what the quality is like for brands for home playback - I can quote you a decent set-up for a large venue or arena though. :lol:

@James - you mentioned buying high quality speaker cables, have you noticed much difference across speaker cables for a personal sound system? Even the cheap industry cables will give you roughly the same sound quality as more expensive branded ones. What types of cables do home stereo systems use? Just bare ends?

If you're after the best sound quality, the problem with speakers over headphones is that you need to be very precise with the set-up - specific placement of speakers etc. Doing it wrong will degrade the quality, but I doubt it's noticeable in a home set-up. Headphones are also a cheaper option for getting the same sound quality, but people like what they like.

 

[Corrine]

Couldn't help thinking about those who prefer headphones when I saw this today: 9 of the World’s Most Outrageously Expensive Headphones | Gadget Lab | WIRED

 

[James M. Fisher]

@James - you mentioned buying high quality speaker cables, have you noticed much difference across speaker cables for a personal sound system? Even the cheap industry cables will give you roughly the same sound quality as more expensive branded ones. What types of cables do home stereo systems use? Just bare ends?

If you're after the best sound quality, the problem with speakers over headphones is that you need to be very precise with the set-up - specific placement of speakers etc. Doing it wrong will degrade the quality, but I doubt it's noticeable in a home set-up. Headphones are also a cheaper option for getting the same sound quality, but people like what they like.

My speaker cables have banana plugs on both ends. I got them second-hand from an audiophile dealer that takes trade-ins, then sells the 'used' stuff online. I know you can go crazy-expensive on any audio component/accessory, but I definitely found a better sound (and I don't think it is psychoacoustics in this instance) when matched with a particular pair of speakers I have. A heavy-gauge lamp-cord may be just as good, but for a reasonable price, I quite like these.

Funny you mention the need for precise speaker placement...I am very fussy when it comes to that. I have a precise triangle of Left-Right-Ears, the tweeters at ear level height. I use a measuring tape and a laser light in order to angle the speakers 'just right'.
Visually, it is noticeable in a home setup, audibly, too if they are not at least angled to the listening 'sweet spot', or the listening position is too far from the sound source. Again, call it psychacoustics, but I am just trying to get the optimal sound within my budget, working with what I have. :smile9:

Here is my 'critical listening' setup:

 

[Will]

Visually, it is noticeable in a home setup, audibly, too if they are not at least angled to the listening 'sweet spot', or the listening position is too far from the sound source. Again, call it psychacoustics, but I am just trying to get the optimal sound within my budget, working with what I have. :smile9:

That one definitely isn't just psychoacoustics - if the speakers are misaligned then there is a noticeable effect on the waveform and where the "sweet spot" is. I think most people probably don't listen to anything loud enough at home for it to be too noticeable though.

I think most of the difference with cables in terms of quality is down to the connectors, and whether the cable has an internal shield for sound quality. Sound quality can also be affected by the length and placement of cables, but I don't know if it would ever be noticeable. It might be more obvious if you run the cable past other electrical devices which might add some buzz. Again, most of my experience is really with industry level equipment for venues - I don't know how many of those factors would be as noticeable on a smaller scale.

What equipment do you use?

 

[James M. Fisher]

In the above photo, I have a Dual 505-2 turntable, matched Pioneer Elite receiver and SACD/CD player, Yamaha KX1200 cassette deck. The speakers are Snell Acoustics that I picked up free at a yard sale. The surrounds were kaput, but I replaced them myself and they sound great.
I also have a home-theater type setup (no surround) with a Technics Home Theater receiver, Pioneer DVD/SACD/CD player, and a Yamaha KX-500 cassette deck. The speakers on that system are a pair of Radfords that an audiophile friend passed on to me years ago when he upgraded. PSD center speaker.
PS: I only really 'listen loud' when my wife is out. Never hear the phone when it rings! :shame2:

 

[Will]

I've very slightly upgraded my equipment... nothing spectacular, but I was given a set of Philips Fidelio S1 earphones through work. They seem a decent upgrade from the low-end creative earphones I've been using, although the sound profile took a bit of getting used to. My old earphones were a bit heavier on the bass frequencies, and it seems I have to turn up the volume from my device a bit more to get the same volume through the new earphones.

Currently considering buying some Grado sr80i's - I haven't bought a set of decent headphones before, and although I like the look of the Grado's and have seen some good reviews for them, I'm a little bit worried about sound leakage as I'd ideally like to be able to use public transport with them, and without annoying anyone within 20ft. They're open back headphones, so... leakage could be an issue. Hopefully I'll be able to find a shop nearby to test them out first though, and see what they're like with my normal listening volume.

 

[Anthony N]

While I definitely can say that I'm not an audiophile. I do have a lot of respect for the highest quality money can buy. I used to absolutely love my Altec Lancing speakers but they have aged to the point where they just don't perform like they used to. I'd definitely spend the money on a speaker system with the digital optical since the sound quality is a million times better than without it. But then there's the price point of speakers and the sound card to drive those said speakers. With very limited desk space right now I'm kinda at an impasse to reach my goal for brilliant sound.

Also my choice of music is via Amazon music, cheap tracks, but high quality. Tho I'd prefer lossless.

 

[James M. Fisher]

What do you think has changed with your ALs, Anthony? Without opening the proverbial can of worms, might a change in speaker cables be in order?

 

[Anthony N]

I wish I could change the cables but alas they are hardwired. The problems are small but of many, first the satellites don't get as loud before the subwoofer over powers them and all the sound is muddy. Since the the volume control is rheostat controlled it produces static when adjusting the knob.