Are you game?

Ger...ger...ger..., the dog is gurgling ger... ger... Over the years I learned that to avoid burning cash on audio equipment is to stay away from audio mags. When friends recommend, you get skeptical. Look, almost all audio reviews glow. They are like ads now. Adds a little imagination, the devil in the mind starts working your thought and prick up your ears to advice. They make your backside itchy, real itchy. At this point, you are half sold, see you in hell, your components do not match and you start audio merry go round.

Most new purchases generate positive feeling even there is no significant improvement, just a change in tonal palette! 

Audio visitation has a similar silent alluring power. We had made a few audio visits in the past weeks, listening to some real kick ass systems. These old goats are well into 60s, synonymous with the local highest fidelity audio, their experiences are suffice to write an autobiography, something like giving back to the community. They audio tirelessly, at times, you just sit there and admire their enthusiasm. Their well of knowledge helps.

No fund, no talk.

Enthusiasm without funding will not make thing happens, merely full of hot air at road side tea session. We were made like a babe in the woods by these old goats, even though we have decades of audioing years under our belt. We were thoroughly humbled. You may flush down all those audio jargon that make you feel game into your toilet, all that matters is the truth of timbre, closer to the real thing. And you are still ain't nowhere. You can impress only non audiophiles though. The crazier they think you are, the higher the esteem you get. What a way to cheat Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Sometimes, you need that to make you feel good, to make you feel alive. Goosh!

Driving to audio haven

Please be warned, listening to these kick ass systems will make you feel shallow. They are revelation to the extent that you wouldn't bear with the sound from your system, not a moment more. It is like DVD and Blue Ray. There is no urge to turn on your system. The best remedy is to hang out with the other guys ( a bunch of losers ), go tea session, shitting and let your sonic memory gradually subsides.

To really appreciate the truth of timbre, classical pieces and unplugged are first choice, go to unamplified music! Even KF's jaw was floored, the once a drummer of unsung band. For God's sake, get a doctor to implant a metal plate to hold the jaws, will yo?. Bugger, we had to drag him to listen to high end system!!! Can you believe it? A rat snake meets a Black Mamba. KF could not forget the realism of the drum play, the drumstick hitting the steel ring and the ripple like drum skin resonance. He is still waxing lyrical about it after two weeks. Now, KF is going into classical, a genre of music KF never listens to.

Me, a same casualty in similar fashion too. Obviously, systems built on a price point and systems built on Cost no Object is like aaaaaai...... boys and men. We tolerate compromises, they don't. To console ourselves, there are some less achieved mini compos out there that we can always pick on. Shooting an unarmed man at the back makes you no hero.

Can this thing move?

Me, more realistic. Some systems are meant only to be heard but not to be own, either you don't have the fund or don't have a conducive space to reproduce that intended level of sound realism. I am more concern with the thing achievable within my range, in term of cost and in my bat cave. Unstoppable, I'm getting a pair of new speakers. I am buying technologies to keep my sound relevant for another 10 years, I hope. Technologies improve sound, hands down. The only issue is how to get pass my home minister, that I got to figure out. Probably the last speaker self declaration with a thumb print and swear on it.

The truth of timbre is about the sonic rightness, believable and accurate. As there are many sonic camps, many mean of getting there, the whole audio thing boils down to two camps, accuracy or tailored sonic. Marketing perfected Sun Tzu's The Art of War - Divide and Conquer. A minute division is suffice to divide a group to many sub groups. Solid States, Tube, Open baffle etc. If we examine the audio carefully, audio is all about fighting losses and distortion as early as from the studio/live event to the "reproduced music". Distortion, distortion, distortion. In fact, almost all do not have a clue of the sound recorded in the recording studio and yet fi amazingly perform all the guesswork, argue and make believe that they have got the right tone. My goodness, even Steinway pianos can be tuned to personal preference like Elton John's piano.

There is a lot of debate on sound, musicality and hifi-ish. This is the work of recording and mixing engineers. They emphasize on what they wanted you to listen, it is in fact we listen through the window of these guys. Of course, some systems will tend to emphasize some areas. Neutrality is a dream never to be realized. As long as no serious no peaks and valleys, you are home safe. And some argue flat response frequency is the way to go, to me, flat response frequency almost does not sound good. I need a bump at the mid bass and a rise in treble. The bump at the midbass gives a fuller sound, a rise at the treble offers a little more excitements.

Getting closer to the real thing eliminate all those assumption-ful arguments. The main question is "Is it sounds believable?" The real things have three elements - tone, dynamic and non compression. I'm working hard on this - tone recognition. No bull. Some told me some can tell the artists by their play, I'm not surprise. Just that we don't listen enough. I bet most can tell the artists by their vocal and signatures, why not classical pieces? It is because we don't listen enough. Incidentally, one uncle listened my system and told me that my vocal does not possess the tube blooming quality. I smiled at him and told him that wouldn't the tubbiness impart its colors on to the rest frequency spectrum as well. You add something, you will take away something.

There is a saying "If you were to redicule by someone owning a high end system, goddam, swallow it. If you were to redicule by someone owning a cheaper system than yours, fxxk him!"  This quote is a classic. Before you comment, check if you have the pre requisite. Do you weight enough to comment? You could sail a million miles in rough waters. Alternatively go Whatsapp group, everybody can be Audio Goat too.