Another new sound system

[bosshoss]

The 4XBOX represents to me a massive improvement. But what's that? If I really think about it, the difference is only subtle at any given moment. If you heard the system today, you would not be very much more impressed than if you heard it yesterday. But I heard it yesterday and I am hearing it today, so I am able to appreciate the improvement. The thing about the 4XBOX is you hear something new "all the time". It's a constant thing, not just now and then. When I play any track *, I hear hundreds of things revealed today that were obscured yesterday, and the cumulative effect is like a new recording. And the power and stability of the imaging is unbelievable.

* well recorded tracks benefit the most. Modern electronic music in particular, because it has a very wide dynamic range and a wide frequency spectrum as well.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

The 4XBOX represents to me a massive improvement. But what's that? If I really think about it, the difference is only subtle at any given moment.

The more refined your hearing - and that mostly depends on the complexity of the signal processing equipment in your brain - the larger a small difference will sound to you. At the bottom of the scale, there are literally people who can't hear the difference between music played on a laptop and music played on a $200K hi-fi, except in terms of "one is louder".

 

[bosshoss]

At the bottom of the scale, there are literally people who can't hear the difference between music played on a laptop and music played on a $200K hi-fi, except in terms of "one is louder".

It's mostly older people (and mostly older males) who care about audio quality. Probably because we can remember how horrible it used to sound in the late '60s and early '70s, when great audio gear was hard to acquire due to limited resources and lack of mass production. The good stuff was available but not to the vast majority of teen aged kids. I know that's true in my case. I suffered muddy and distorted sound quality until I was about 18 years old, when I finally could afford to buy something semi-decent. Ever since then, I can't tolerate wooly or muddy sounding equipment.

These days you can get reasonably clear audio for next to nothing in comparison. Younger people can't understand the need to spend a lot of money, time or effort to improve the acceptable quality standard bluetooth/mp3 setup. And naturally they have no idea what is possible with HYPE.

The thought just crossed my mind that the 4XBOX imaging is so radical, that it's possible an uninitiated listener could hate it.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

It's mostly older people (and mostly older males) who care about audio quality. Probably because we can remember how horrible it used to sound in the late '60s and early '70s, when great audio gear was hard to acquire due to limited resources and lack of mass production. The good stuff was available but not to the vast majority of teen aged kids. I know that's true in my case. I suffered muddy and distorted sound quality until I was about 18 years old, when I finally could afford to buy something semi-decent. Ever since then, I can't tolerate wooly or muddy sounding equipment.

Males, yes: I still haven't come across a female who even seems to understand the concept of reproduction quality in music (apart from my eldest daughter), let alone one showing clear signs of audiophilia. Unless by "older" you mean over 18, then I disagree. It seems to be in genetic thing, but it needs to be triggered by exposure to a range of reproduction qualities, and that can really happen at any age. Mine was triggered in my mid-twenties: not by exposure to great equipment so much as by exposure to bad equipment, and badly reproduced garage comps!

 

[howlin' hoosier]

I'm coming in from a different background - my dad loved music, and built a Dynakit MK II mono amp, a Dynakit PAM mono preamp, and, most impressive a Klipschorn from plans Klipsch licensed to Electro-Voice; when stereo hit he upgraded to a Dynakit ST-70 amp and matching PAS 3-X preamp, as well as a large ported box speaker since there wasn't room for another corner horn. Turntable was a Garrard changer with several cartridges over the years including models from Empire, ADC and Shure. I'm lucky to have been exposed to good quality sound early on.

 

[masterbeat64]

Like you Hoosier, I owe my late father (a serious jazz record collector) for instilling in me the following mantra:

1. Buy the best equipment you can afford. Your records deserve nothing less.
2. Treat equipment and records with respect - set up your turntable correctly, change the stylus regularly, always clean your records and keep them sleeved and stored in a benign environment.
3. Do not play a record more than once in a 12 hour period.
4. Never take your records to parties or anywhere else where they risk being played on inferior equipment - in other words, leave them at home.
5. Do not under any circumstances loan a record to anyone.

This sage advice is probably the reason why the 45s and LPs I bought back in the sixties still play and sound good.

 

[Marc]

3. Do not play a record more than once in a 12 hour period.

Why?

 

[howlin' hoosier]

To go a little farther into the evolution of sound in our house growing up: my dad was a guy who always looked for a deal - the Dynakit MK II amp and PAM preamp were sold to my uncle when my dad bumped up to stereo (dad also built a second corner horn for my uncle to complete the system - that set-up made it back to my dad when my uncle passed away). The ST-70 and PAS preamp were purchased as kits (bought as a deal with the Garrard turntable - he waited patiently until a sale hit, and even weaseled a stereo cartridge to seal the deal). The turntable eventually went to the landfill, the ST-70 and PAS preamp went to one of my brothers who replaced those with a stereo receiver and B-I-C turntable (the amp and preamp were recently gifted back to me, the turntable was another landfill piece), the speakers went to a longtime family friend who promised that if he needed to dispose of them down the road I could harvest the drivers and crossovers (Electro-Voice, University and Altec drivers and X-overs), one cabinet was bare plywood, the other covered with late 50s black tile pieces - I couldn't keep the speakers as the wife acceptance factor for those two rated negative 100 on the no way scale.

 

[masterbeat64]

Why?

The force generated by a stylus when it tracks the modulations in the record groove causes the plastic to distort. This is particularly so when the stylus comes into contact with loud high frequency passages. Depending on the quality and type of plastic the time taken for the grooves to return to their default state can vary, apparently for up to 12 hours.

Every time you play a record you lose some of the high frequencies. The magnitude of this loss depends on the condition and quality of the stylus and how accurately it has been set up. On a day to day basis this goes unnoticed as our brains seem to compensate for this tiny loss. But over a longer period repeated plays lead to a loss of high frequency sparkle.

Here's a simple experiment: select a 45 which has a top side you have played many times and a flip which has seldom, if ever, been kissed by a stylus. Play each side and compare the high frequency and apparent loudness of each.

 

[Outside_Lookin_in]

As I was listening to music this morning in the wake of a steadily improving effect from treated powerpoints remotely installed - HYPE XXX has that burn-in characteristic which continues for days - I had a clear vision of an analogy of what I was experiencing in terms of improvement. Have you ever seen a simulation on video which goes like this: it starts with a view from high above the earth and quickly zooms in to a point somewhere on earth. The initial shot is the untreated sound system. You feel remote from the music, and all details are obscured in a blue and white haze (or sonic haze). As you zoom in more and more detail becomes apparent and what was a flat canvas becomes structured 3-dimentional detail. Ultimately, you end up in a highly structured place with high resolution. Instead of viewing the scene from a great distance, you are now inside the scenery. This has been my journey these past several months in setting up my system in a new living quarters, and all achieved thanks to Mark's proprietary substances. Yet the journey continues - apparently forever! *

* forever is a long, long time

 

[bosshoss]

As it starts with a view from high above the earth and quickly zooms in to a point somewhere on earth..

After that it goes molecular.

 

[Ned]

Why?

The pressure on a vinyl record from your tonearm (even if it is tracking at 2 grams or so) is hundreds of pounds per square inch. Yes, this widens the groove slightly and those same grooves take a while to contract. Playing a record 5 times in a row will contribute to its wear quicker that if you played it once a day for fot 2 weeks.

Ned