IMO it means do not pair "forward" with "recessed" or "warm" with "bright", "laid back" with "in your face", "tube-like" with "solid state", etc. If you find you prefer a "type" of personality in your components, make the effort to make the most of it. Inserting a "ying" cable as a BandAid to a "yang" amplifier only shows the individual deficiencies of both components rather than playing on the strengths of both as a system. A forward speaker with a recessed amplifier ends up with a soundstage that is nowhere in between and the result is muddled rather than crisp. There are, of course, exceptions to the rules but you had better know what you are listening for and how to achieve your goals before you begin buying components without a plan.

The problem becomes one of early on liking, say, the detail of a bright and forward component or speaker. If you do not have your priorities set up beforehand, you'll later need to pair that component with yet another component or speaker which has similar characteristics. Suddenly, everything which you liked in your initial selection has become too much of a good thing and you can't stand to remain in the room with the system or you are bored by the lack of a defined personality to each music selection as the system becomes the overriding sound and everything begins to sound more and more alike. Therefore, in the end, achieving a satisfactory "synergy" within the system is based upon establishing priorities before you begin seriously spending cash.

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Synchronicity, has anyone ever delved into this realm? Jungian philiosophy. I find this amazingly interesting.

Interesting maybe but to term anything Jung wrote, with the possible exception of his writings on alchemy, as philosophy is stretching the definition too far.
Psychology &/or mysticism maybe but philosophy? Nah!

I don't buy synchronicity, but I don't begrudge yours...it's part of the zeitgeist.

You may have been 'Daseined' differently than me.

I'm one eyed enough about my speakers to think they have little character of their own and place every component in front of them in the spotlight. With that thought in mind put some time and effort into finding a combination with sufficient 'synchronicity' to do them justice. I first ran them with a Melody valve pre-amp into a Nuforce Reference V3 monoblocks and was in heaven except the damned pre-amp had no balance control. That induced a long search for a pre-amp with a balance control & preferably valve, that would slightly 'warm up ' the Nuforce power amps without swamping the music in rose colored thermionic glow which I loathe.
After a long search I settled on a Leben pre-amp which, despite warnings about a potential input impedance mismatch with the power amps (and my dislike of it's looks), sounds as close to the real thing as I've ever gotten. Some of the pre

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and I discovered in graduate school that I learn more from people writing ABOUT Jung than I learn from reading Jung himself. Perhaps that is just me, but he is difficult to follow.

I agree about viewing Jung as a mystic. But mysticism is also a philosophy.

Anyone who is happily married for a time accepts the concept of balancing strengths and weaknesses so that the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts.

Finally, coincidence, like synchronicity, is just God hiding His hand. Well, at least in real life. I am not sure this applies to sound systems.

Trey

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I don't buy synchronicity, but I don't begrudge yours...it's part of the zeitgeist.

You may have been 'Daseined' differently than me.

What is zeitgeist? I've never heard of that.

Mark

Zeitgeist

Part of the collective conciousness of the time.

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I am a licensed clinical psychologist

Nowadays that's no guarantee of respectability

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and I discovered in graduate school that I learn more from people writing ABOUT Jung than I learn from reading Jung himself. Perhaps that is just me, but he is difficult to follow.

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I find him far from difficult to follow in his writing on Alchemy. In fact his approach here is surprisingly clear and at times far more perceptive of human thought processes ( and the lack of them!) than in his psychological speculations.
http://www.carl-jung.net/alchemy.html

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I agree about viewing Jung as a mystic. But mysticism is also a philosophy.

This is not the place to conduct an in depth discussion of where the border lines between mysticism and philosophy are but I assert these two are invariably mutually exclusive unless we accept sloppy common usage of the term 'philosophy'.

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Anyone who is happily married for a time accepts the concept of balancing strengths and weaknesses so that the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts.
Finally, coincidence, like synchronicity, is just God hiding His hand. Well, at least in real life. I am not sure this applies to sound systems.

And I'm not sure God exists so whose 'hand' is it that's 'hidden'?
Consider also the fact that each and every minute of our conscious ( and some would say unconscious) existence is filled with millions of events, only some of which we take notice of. One class of events that does attract our attention more than most are coincidences. So the 'hidden hand' at work here is often our selective attention mechanism.

Mark,

I wish you the best as many do here and hope that if it is your wish, another person can come along with which you can share your life. Being married can have joy and pain all over the place. Often I wonder if is the luck of the draw, but I know that it is more than that.

My wife, Diane, and I will be married 40 years on 10/10/10...how crazy is that, not the date but that someone could put up with me for 40 years. I was lucky enough to have the nicest person I've ever met say "yes". She has tolerated my major quirks and hobbies more than most women ever would.

I am sure I will get more philosophical over the next few days about it, but it still is an amazing thing. I remember sitting at my desk in my bedroom when I was 12 thinking how cool it would be if I could make it until the year 2000, but knew that 52 was really old and I might not make it. Who at 12 worries about stuff like that?

Back then just about everyone stayed together, no mater how much good or bad they felt. It is so hard to pick friends and keep friendships these days and in this complicated world marriage has to be extremely difficult. I think for young people today it is easier to just live together and then have someone move out then to have to go through a bunch of paperwork and arguments in front of strangers you are paying a lot of money to.

I know how lucky I am and I probably should tell her more than I do, but I think she knows. She hasn't shut down my man-cave yet! Wait...maybe that is where she wants me? Oh, no!

Diane:

"Nowadays that's no guarantee of respectability"

Please! I went to school with psychologists, I work with psychologists, some of my best friends are psychologists. Psychologists are some of the weirdest birds I know! The other folks here have read too much of my blather for me to ever present as respectable. So I conceede that point.

I just meant to say that Jung is dense and difficult to read.

Mark, we won't get fooled again! Second time was the charm for me. But I paid my fair share of stupid tax in the first marriage too.

Buddha, bonus points for working the collective unconscious into the thread. You rock.

Trey

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"Nowadays that's no guarantee of respectability"
Please! I went to school with psychologists, I work with psychologists, some of my best friends are psychologists. Psychologists are some of the weirdest birds I know! The other folks here have read too much of my blather for me to ever present as respectable. So I concede that point.

And for truly weird we have that rare, as yet to go extinct creature, the Freudian Psychiatrist, a truly peculiar animal. The other category that's seriously suspect are untrained so called Jungian therapists who specialize in re-birthing. Certifiably mad in my experience.

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I just meant to say that Jung is dense and difficult to read.

Yes, but do read his two works on Alchemy. He must have given up the cocaine by then as they're both eminently readable and cogent.

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Buddha, bonus points for working the collective unconscious into the thread. You rock.

Why is it whenever I read 'collective unconscious' I hear 'communal madness'? Psychology, being an immature science , is lacking several words that could be of great use. For instance, I submit entire nations/civilizations can suffer from delusional states. Think Nth Korea. Medieval Europe ( although we can blame a lot of that on ergatomine poisoning) Delusionnational thought? Insanatia? Suggestions anyone? C'mon, we invented 'Audiophool'.

why Zeitgeist is only the number one conspiracy documentary in the world!! get that and loose change and prepare to be awed!

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
http://www.loosechange911.com/

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why Zeitgeist is only the number one conspiracy documentary in the world!! get that and loose change and prepare to be awed!

This must be a US expression or I'm not keeping up with modern English mutations. What does it mean?

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"Nowadays that's no guarantee of respectability"

Please! I went to school with psychologists, I work with psychologists, some of my best friends are psychologists. Psychologists are some of the weirdest birds I know! The other folks here have read too much of my blather for me to ever present as respectable. So I conceede that point.

I just meant to say that Jung is dense and difficult to read.

Mark, we won't get fooled again! Second time was the charm for me. But I paid my fair share of stupid tax in the first marriage too.

Buddha, bonus points for working the collective unconscious into the thread. You rock.

Trey

Don't forget to eat your Heidegger!

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Synchronicity, has anyone ever delved into this realm? Jungian philiosophy. I find this amazingly interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity
http://cgjungpage.org/

Stereophile's office is next to the Carl Jung Center in Manhattan. Coincidence or spatial synchronicity?

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

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What is zeitgeist? I've never heard of that.

Mark

"Spirit of the Age"

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Synchronicity, has anyone ever delved into this realm? Jungian philiosophy. I find this amazingly interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity
http://cgjungpage.org/

Stereophile's office is next to the Carl Jung Center in Manhattan. Coincidence or spatial synchronicity?

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

Financing.

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Stereophile's office is next to the Carl Jung Center in Manhattan. Coincidence or spatial synchronicity?

That must be convenient for quick lunch time audiophool therapy sessions. I have visions of staff reclining on the couch wrapped in Peter Belt magic foil with Mpingo disks carefully placed on acoustically sensitive points whilst discussing in depth their perception of transparency and inky black silences.

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Don't forget to eat your Heidegger!

His confused word salads give me indigestion.

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Synchronicity, has anyone ever delved into this realm? Jungian philiosophy. I find this amazingly interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity
http://cgjungpage.org/

Stereophile's office is next to the Carl Jung Center in Manhattan. Coincidence or spatial synchronicity?

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

That is so amazing.....I was just about to post that!

Then you did!

I call synchronicity!

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Synchronicity, has anyone ever delved into this realm? Jungian philiosophy. I find this amazingly interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity
http://cgjungpage.org/

Stereophile's office is next to the Carl Jung Center in Manhattan. Coincidence or spatial synchronicity?

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

That is so amazing.....I was just about to post that!

Then you did!

I call synchronicity!

I posted this in my dreams last night.