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August 4, 2006 - 4:09pm
#1
Head-Fi, what a hoot!!
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Who dared flame you??? Lemme at 'em. I got cuss words not heard outside of Barracks 10C at Parris Island. The nerve. Probably uses a Mac, too. Kessler, where are you when we need you? You can take the boy out of the computer, but not the computer out of the boy. Hell, them doofus boxes don't even have watts!!! Welcome back. Sounds like you need a drink. Do the dinks at Head-Fi even know what that means? ABX comparisons through a computer. That's pretty good, Jazzfan...well, I hope you've learned your lesson, whoring around behind our backs!
Clifton,
I read your reply and laughed all the way through and that's something that's sorely missing from head-fi - a good sense of humor and the talent to convey that sense of humor so well into the written word.
I do believe this calls for some nice Kentucky sour mash over some fine New Jersey ice while listening to some choice Louis Armstrong, after all it is his birthday, on a real stereo and not a "toy" (as I bluntly referred to those computer based audio systems while writting on head-fi, do you think that may have helped to upset them?).
I think I just might join you...after all, the gong just sounded 5 bells out here in the left time zone. I'm goin' for the Duke, though. It goes louder, and my neighbor is friggin' in the riggin'...needs some rhythm for smoother modulation.
So, they like listen to music with little Dell speakers?
I have spent my fair share of time over there myself. I was on that forum before I found this one. Forums are a new thing for me. My first post was in response to someone wanting to know the differences between the Grado RS-1 and the Stax 4040 system. Since I had the RS-2's and the Stax system. I gave them a long two days of listening and then posted my thoughts on what I had heard.
One good reaction and a bunch of people acting like I just kicked their dog. Oh, well I didn't post again for along time after that. It is an interesting and fast paced group. A thread can be on page 5 in a day or so, hard to keep up.
When I wanted some advice about a new phono Preamp for my system, I did not post it over there. I came here (for the first time) and posted to you fine people. MY people....
Cheers
And don't feel too bad, I also post on a whisky forum, and a Nikon forum. Much more supportive....
I used to post on a lesbian forum but one day, and to make a long story short, I couldn't answer the question, "What size hose do you where?"
The jig was up at that point. It was fun while it lasted though.
Why am I having a hard time believing that? I'd bet it had something to do with the TONE of your post.
RG
I just skimmed the thread over at Head-Fi (I frequent that forum as much as this one, although I prefer the company here -- I just wish there was more action 'round these parts.) I find debates like that tiresome. I suspect it might be possible to put together a computer as source component that might actually produce results that would not make audiophiles consider it a "toy", but, I can't help but think that the RF and EMI that is radiating from the motherboard is going to be a major performance compromiser. As far as I know, PCs haven't licked the issues we have with clocks and buffers and jitter that plague our separate gear.
With the new chips being developed, high quality DACs in PCs might rival or surpass some of the ones used in a lot of high-end gear from a few years ago. I guess I'm just not inclined enough to try to build a PC for a front end.
Jeff,
That was basically my point but most of the folks over at head-fi just couldn't seem to grasp what over appears to be a rather straight forward and simple concept. Well actually two concepts in one. First, computers make for rather lousy front ends of audio systems, at least the average computer at the present time, and second, what good is an ABX test if the test equipment sucks!!
Why, I'm shocked to find out that my posts have TONES to them. My audio equipment doesn't even have tone controls for crying out loud.
Guys....I am assuming you are speaking of a PC with inboard soundcard fed directly to the big rig, as apposed to a PC acting more as a server feeding something like a Benchmark, Grace or Lavry DAC into the big rig. I ask because I occassionally skim the Squeezebox forum and individuals there who run the latter setup described generally have dumped their standalone digital front ends in favor of this type of setup, and I gotta figure anyone who owns a Lavry DAC knows what the hell good sound is! Clarifications please?
RG
They appear to be obsessed with placing little speakers as close as possible to their eardrums. Also, just because someone owns certain equipment doesn't make them experts on good sound. Nevertheless, they do have lively discussions. Check out this person's signature. It is longer than his actual post. Actually, that entire thread, started by the same person, is a good example of subjective vs. objective.
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=647893&postcount=9
Let's see if we can guess who wrote this and where...
"I find interesting that many of those 'objectivists' who are the most dogmatic about their faith in 'science' do not themselves have any scientific education or background."
Radical subjectivists pride themselves on never having to be wrong by being dogmatic about their faith in "nihilism". Or maybe because they have an intense fear having been proved wrong is an insult rather than part of learning. In either case, at least for them, they avoid the whole right and wrong reality. It's their sleight of hand to carry on a conversation.
RG - This is where I think jazzfan/Ralph got himself into trouble... because from a lot of posts I've seen at Head-Fi, members there are actually using computers in the way you mention (via the Squeezebox) -- I can see how they might be offended by the suggestion that a computer based front end is a "toy". Ralph wasn't specific enough, and his post probably came across as a sweeping, generalised statement made out of ignorance.
I have not kept up with the developments and innovations with PC soundcards, but, I know some of the new Burr Brown chips, and ones by companies I've never heard of are boasting some serious bit & sampling rates, are being used in soundcards nowadays. I've got to think, based on that alone, that PC sound has improved a lot.
At least I was a little more diplomatic rather than using the word "ignorance", Wong.
Read my post again, Culpeper. Note the part that says: "his post probably came across as" to suggest how his statements might have been perceived... much like how you probably come across as a jerk sometimes.
No Jeff,
When I wrote the post about computers being "toys" I wanted to piss them off because I had already been flamed. The "toys" remark came after the intial flaming not before. Besides the moderator removed the first flaming post.
Plus I don't believe that most of the people writing about that silly Foobar ABX comparator test are using anything like a SqueezeBox or a stand alone DAC driving anything near what would be considered a "high end" audio system. And on any mid-fi system a well made, high bit rate lossy compressed music file, using an up to date codec, is going to sound as good as the same music file compressed on an up to date lossless compressed codec. But those blockheads don't seem to understand that the test equipment used in ABX testing of audio codecs is of utmost importance. No, this is science, you stupid dummy, it has to be true!! ABX!!! ABX My Ass!!
Here's a brief little example of why I think things like ABX are fairly worthless.
I'm a big fan of spicy foods and hot sauces. I can eat all kinds of hot peppers and spicy foods. Okay, I want to devise a ABX hot sauce test. I'd say that I can correctly identify 8 out of 10 hot sauces while most people could not get 2 out of 10. Does that mean, as the ABX test believers state, that I can't tell the difference between the hot sauces and it's just luck? Or can I really tell and are there really differences? Guess what? There are really differences and I don't care whether or not you can or cannot tell, as long as you believe that I can tell, that's good enough for me.
I do have one question for the ABX test believers. How do they get around with that stick wedged up their butt?
I try to avoid threads like that at Head-Fi (and other forums, but, am not always successful) -- they tend to go nowhere except in the endless loop of "I believe this, you believe that"... it's just frustrating because I think we want to assert the things we "know" are right.
I see a lot of talk about the Squeezebox over at Head-Fi, so, it leads me to believe there are members there that might actually have PC based systems that are high-end or approach high-end... whether or not they are also the ABX nuts, I've no idea. I gathered a post or two was removed, based on some of the quoted passages. People at Head-Fi are quick on the "Submit" button, and I don't think they always read with full comprehension and miss points that are trying to be made.
Why would you want to piss them off, though? I guess you like to take that ABX stick and stir the pot.
Wong, all your "probably', "leads", and "gather" are hypothetical. That you are creating an endless loop yourself. Something you assert is frustrating and also describe as stirring the pot. Now, I have been guilty of contempt prior to investigation before, which sort of makes me an authority on recognizing it. My first thread on this message board is a great example. I'm a little surprised that you can't see your own nihilistic dogma you are posting in this thread. You're doing an excellent job of not committing yourself since you have done little in the way of homework as far as this topic is concerned but at the cost of having to backpedal. It's all right to hit the submit button too quick and come back later and state you are wrong. There is no need to be overly assumptive like stating someone is "probably" making statements because of ignorance or comes across like a jerk just because you made the mistake of thinking there was no right or wrong.
Fred Sanford's son is really Culpeper?! OH MY!
I knew I smelled a rat!
I do wish he would learn the difference between the proper usage of where vs wear and there vs their vs they're .
RG
I'm not backpedalling. I was trying to point out that you misinterpreted my statement. When I see comments like the following in response to what Ralph said, it appears that they're missing what he was trying to get across and interpreting his commentary on PCs being "toys" to mean he is unaware of what computer based audio systems are capable of, hence, the mention of ignorance -- clearly, he is not ignorant; he is aware of the Squeezebox and its applications.
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2290781&postcount=82
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2291013&postcount=85
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2291741&postcount=92
Your statement "At least I was a little more diplomatic rather than using the word "ignorance", Wong." tells me you've mistaken my reference to the above Head-Fiers and their response to what Ralph said for my thoughts on Ralph, and your implied tone with the use of only my surname has an element of nastiness. So, forgive me if I think you were being a turd.
To quote the grandfather in Moonstuck - "I'm confused."
Get real, "Jeff". Now you're creating monsters with me using your last name as some sort of degrading tactic.
It's true, Wong. You do have a butt-buddy. And just like you, within a couple of posts, he went from being an expert in support of the folks at Head-Fi (I suppose you think I'm using the word "Head" in a manner of nastiness), to actually defending your backpedaling in the form of moral support. "Clarifications please"? What a joke!
Hi Jeff and Lamont,
There seems to be some confusion around here as the to real or former indentity of one "Lamont Sanford". Mr. Wong as alluded to him being someone once known around here as "Culpepper" and based on how his prose can confuse me and all of my purported butt buddies in no more than two sentences, I would tend to agree.
Therefore I think that Culpepper's new moniker, "Lamont Sanford", is somewhat ill chosen. Perhaps he would have been better served by a different Lamont, say Lamont Cranston, also known as The Shadow.
Actually, it's "Culpeper", not "Culpepper". Wong may be around Virginia or thereabouts. He got it right. History didn't start with the NFL. I thought the moniker of a junk dealer would be appropriate for this forum since I'm the only one that appears to own any. "But who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" I might just be The Shadow.
Big Dummy..............Heathen, Sucka' Aunt Ester, great character.
Katie Couric's new opening theme to CBS News.
http://tvland.classictvhits.com/SanfordandSon/Sounds/SanfordTheme.WAV
What!?! I'm neither gray haired nor old. Maybe a fart though.
I don't consider myself old (I'm 51) and although I still have have most of my own hair, I do not have much gray hair but plenty of people seem to think that I dye my hair
I mearly used that statement in the context of the "young pups" over at head-fi, who then lump us "old guys" into a simple group, which they can then easily ignore.
We're old, we have no idea what we're talking about, we're stuck in the past and, most importantly, because we're OLD we can't even hear most of the differences between (insert equipment type here) that we claim exists!!!
Hey, I'm just rephasing things I've read on various posts on other forums.
grey? old? im 27, and no grey to be found. plus im not a "fart" although my screename says differently.
In learning about audio, i have visted a dozen forums, from headfi to audio-asylum.
I recieve the best, most insigtful, least insulting and well tempered advice here.
so thanks to all the old farts for making this forum my favorite.
inna late 80's I got hung up on audiophilia..read stereopile in da bathroom and got all woorried about what class my system wuz...well it all came to a head when I bought a SOTA star saphire...platter wobbled and I said this is crud...sold it and bought whatever looked good at goodwill...well I did buy a sumiko blue point nude fer it but I relaxed and concentrated on the real deal and thats duh music......Yes yes I grew a strange plant in 1986 and it helped me understand syd barrett and the talbot...
OK! Just what is this "talbot" thing? Inquiring minds want to know.