Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

HayesWeighsIn said:
Sorry to be replying to this a month later, but I haven’t dove back into this thread until now. My RT85 initially had the same static issue at the beginning of sides, and it’s completely gone away. I’ve adjusted the anti-skate since, and I honestly can’t tell you if it’s related or not. Could it just be the cart breaking in? I dunno, but it’s gone. Any development with yours?
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Thank you for bumping this. I’ve been meaning to report back

I bought a new anti static brush and cleaned the stylus again and haven’t had a single static pop since. It’s been amazing!

thanks to everyone who chimes in!
 
duke86fan said:
i haven't had much math and science in a while so probably

also because i like the idea of improving (also with the headphones i do kinda want to know what open backs sound like and what would work best for me and used is scary.. i've been thinking the 58x but wanted to make sure i got the best for me)
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Yeah I have to agree with the above, have fun, look at reviews and demo if possible, but ultimately you'll have to take the risk of buying something. Generally speaking I haven't hated any upgrades I've made, it's all in the pursuit of fun and learning in the hobby.

Also you've got to learn to be happy with what you have, which sounds like a cliche life lesson, but it's really true, and @displayname hit the nail on the head in this regard. I'm in my 20s as well, and recently back to a single income household, and I have other hobbies than this, and expensive rent to pay in an overpriced city. At this point the next major audio purchase I'm going to make will be a new stylus for my cartridge later this year, as part of general maintenance. I came to this conclusion a few months ago that I was happy for a good while, as a few years ago when I was still in college, or a few years after that digging myself out of debt, I would have been thrilled to come home to this system every day.

Earlier I asked if you had a particular thorn in your side because I knew mine was tracking, which I was able to solve via a cart upgrade, which was money well spent because it was one thing that annoyed me whenever I played a record. A simple practical fix to make. This may sound a bit harsh, but if you just keep chasing upgrades because you don't "enjoy music" anymore or feel its impact, due to some general state of malaise with music you're not going to crack that. People enjoy music everyday on Airpods and BT speakers, they're not encumbered by the baggage of this hobby. For me I stay in this hobby to enjoy music more, not as a pathway to enjoy music period.
 
zombie.modernist said:
Yeah I have to agree with the above, have fun, look at reviews and demo if possible, but ultimately you'll have to take the risk of buying something. Generally speaking I haven't hated any upgrades I've made, it's all in the pursuit of fun and learning in the hobby.

Also you've got to learn to be happy with what you have, which sounds like a cliche life lesson, but it's really true, and @displayname hit the nail on the head in this regard. I'm in my 20s as well, and recently back to a single income household, and I have other hobbies than this, and expensive rent to pay in an overpriced city. At this point the next major audio purchase I'm going to make will be a new stylus for my cartridge later this year, as part of general maintenance. I came to this conclusion a few months ago that I was happy for a good while, as a few years ago when I was still in college, or a few years after that digging myself out of debt, I would have been thrilled to come home to this system every day.

Earlier I asked if you had a particular thorn in your side because I knew mine was tracking, which I was able to solve via a cart upgrade, which was money well spent because it was one thing that annoyed me whenever I played a record. A simple practical fix to make. This may sound a bit harsh, but if you just keep chasing upgrades because you don't "enjoy music" anymore or feel its impact, due to some general state of malaise with music you're not going to crack that. People enjoy music everyday on Airpods and BT speakers, they're not encumbered by the baggage of this hobby. For me I stay in this hobby to enjoy music more, not as a pathway to enjoy music period.
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My brain does get very sciency and shit over nothing.. I feel like I have to put on my autism card as it tries to figure out why expensive products exist when they don't make much a different

I still will get some open back headphones, mostly because my parents don't mind even getting me some since it's my next month.. I guess when there is science I always go over the top
 
duke86fan said:
My brain does get very sciency and shit over nothing.. I feel like I have to put on my autism card as it tries to figure out why expensive products exist when they don't make much a different

I still will get some open back headphones, mostly because my parents don't mind even getting me some since it's my next month.. I guess when there is science I always go over the top
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Yeah, it's a strange hobby. Sometimes expensive stuff is just the robber barons looking to rip folks off, like wooden cable risers and shit. Sometimes, it's because it's engineered better. Sometimes, it's because people just like it more. If you want to see the science behind it you might have to check out something like ASR — sorry folks, I know, I know — or the measurements pages on Stereophile, just based on your tastes and leanings you might benefit that info. Measurements are as scientific as it gets but of course they only describe how accurate the gear is, not how much you'll like it. There's no accounting for taste, and you'll have to learn what you like on your own, learn if you want to listen to the objectivists like Amir on ASR, or subjectivists like Fremer, or a combo of both. I'm sure you'll enjoy the journey on the way.
 
duke86fan said:
Tbh I dunno what that is and at this point I'm afraid to ask
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www.audiosciencereview.com

Articles, Reviews and Measurements of Audio Products

Audio Hifi Equipment Reviews Stereo
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

I'm gonna get shot down for this here, but here they are. Disclaimer, the guy who runs it is a bit of a jerk IMO, he's very science oriented. I think he's helped take down some products that make pseudo scientific claims, but he often doesn't listen to the gear he "reviews", and can be a bit of an ass when manufacturers of gear that doesn't try to be flat engage with him. The reviews are exclusively scientific, he uses really high end test equipment (that sometimes exceeds what boutique manufactures have) to see how it performs vs the ideal graph. I view them as a counter balance to the subjectivist dominated review world of today. Previously measurements were much bigger in audio circles, and often accompanied the subjective review. Today it has really polarized into camps, and I think all of us suffer as a result.

My advice is to not get roped into either camp too much. ASR is good to point out massive flaws that sometimes exist in gear (he's found some power supply things that would shock you — literally) but he's not really a music fan by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately there's a lot of partisanship in the hobby between the two camps and a lot of asshats on both sides. Personally I find both POVs interesting, I always love to hear how people react to gear, but sometimes it's fun to see the FR plotted, especially coupled with knowing my own tastes and room. More info doesn't hurt the hobby, but music is art and you have to sort out what you like for yourself.
 
zombie.modernist said:
I think he's helped take down some products that make pseudo scientific claims, but he often doesn't listen to the gear he "reviews",
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Already not interested, I'm not a mix between this and fremmer and zeos subjectivities..

Basically, using the common described sound attributes to connect it to what I personally enjoy

The only other open backs I might get are grados but this I hear are pretty bad on electronic sounds like hip hop and dance and I listen to those genres a lot
 
duke86fan said:
Already not interested, I'm not a mix between this and fremmer and zeos subjectivities..

Basically, using the common described sound attributes to connect it to what I personally enjoy

The only other open backs I might get are grados but this I hear are pretty bad on electronic sounds like hip hop and dance and I listen to those genres a lot
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Ok, I've tried to help as much as possible... Best of luck with your journey.
 
zombie.modernist said:
www.audiosciencereview.com

Articles, Reviews and Measurements of Audio Products

Audio Hifi Equipment Reviews Stereo
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

I'm gonna get shot down for this here, but here they are. Disclaimer, the guy who runs it is a bit of a jerk IMO, he's very science oriented. I think he's helped take down some products that make pseudo scientific claims, but he often doesn't listen to the gear he "reviews", and can be a bit of an ass when manufacturers of gear that doesn't try to be flat engage with him. The reviews are exclusively scientific, he uses really high end test equipment (that sometimes exceeds what boutique manufactures have) to see how it performs vs the ideal graph. I view them as a counter balance to the subjectivist dominated review world of today. Previously measurements were much bigger in audio circles, and often accompanied the subjective review. Today it has really polarized into camps, and I think all of us suffer as a result.

My advice is to not get roped into either camp too much. ASR is good to point out massive flaws that sometimes exist in gear (he's found some power supply things that would shock you — literally) but he's not really a music fan by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately there's a lot of partisanship in the hobby between the two camps and a lot of asshats on both sides. Personally I find both POVs interesting, I always love to hear how people react to gear, but sometimes it's fun to see the FR plotted, especially coupled with knowing my own tastes and room. More info doesn't hurt the hobby, but music is art and you have to sort out what you like for yourself.
Click to expand...

He’s so far on the measurements side that he’s pretty useless. He does point out poor assembly quality though.

Some of the worst sounding systems I’ve heard measure quite well, and vice versa.
 
Here's another instance of a reviewer prioritizing accuracy and measurements over how a speaker sounds.

Zu Essence Floor Standing Speakers

noaudiophile.com noaudiophile.com
Based on this review, one would think that Zu has no idea what they are doing and are just throwing stuff at a wall. To be fair, he does listening sessions as well, and describes what he likes/dislikes, for example he writes that "George Thorogood's Guitar fucking smokes with these speakers." He also writes that his son loves the speakers, which shows that listening to music is ultimately a subjective activity.

Around here, those with Zu speakers love how they sound, not how accurate they are or how their design makes sense. I, for one, have had Zu on my down-the-road wish list ever since I read Steve Guttenberg's review of the Omen DW. Every thing I've read since jibes with this assessment. I listen to music for fun, to tap my toes, pat my knee, bob my head, sing along, play air drums, play air guitar, play air bass guitar, play air keyboard, dance with my kids, feel my hair stand on end, and most of the time just to bliss out.
www.cnet.com

Zu Audio's outrageously awesome speaker

The Ogden, Utah company's most affordable tower speaker, the Omen DW, is a real keeper!
www.cnet.com www.cnet.com
 
HiFi Guy said:
He’s so far on the measurements side that he’s pretty useless. He does point out poor assembly quality though.

Some of the worst sounding systems I’ve heard measure quite well, and vice versa.
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For me some measurements are useful. For instance I like to whip them out in regards to the VM95ML which I fell in love with subjectively, but folks have this preconceived notion it's bright, which isn't true to my ears, or to the measures I took with the old CBS record, so by all measures I find that to be wrong. It was interesting to me to see the data plotted as an additional form of confirmation, even though that's very scientific lol. There's no way in hell my speakers and amp measure well, both being from the late 70s, but I like them both, and don't really care how they measure at all.

I think we need ASR, as a platonic concept because the data is interesting. Amir personally? He can exit stage left lol. He'll never be taken seriously in the wider community as long as he refuses to listen to the gear or claim he's too busy to do so.
 
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