Quote:

My personal MQE is 80/20/10.

Just as silly as the article itself.

Dissapointing rambling filler at best!

I liked the article but doubt it will tamp down counterproductive forum flames. My MQE is 45/45/10 because I give equal importance to music and the quality at which it is reproduced. Although I love most forms of music, I find it difficult to enjoy badly reproduced music either in my home or a concert venue with a blaring PA system. Actually I find it difficult to imagine how anyone could allocate a significant amount of their disposable income to a audio system without having a similar MQE.

I liked it too. Nothing earth shattering, but he kept the tone light too. I've never thought much about the last number as important until I had a kid but even today it's probably: 40/40/20.

The big thing he neglected is that it's easier to SAY the middle Sound Quality number is less important over time because after awhile you build up this kick-ass system and then just have to maintain it. Like saying John Atkinson was at 30% or something (i forget the actual number). You must be kidding! His reference system is beyond what even the dedicated audiophile will probably EVER have! So clearly, it's a BIG priority (or was) and now after years of building it up, he can start thinking about convenience.

Once I had a system I loved, it all went towards the music, but that's after a long time, and often skimping on music to afford a better system. But, the same also goes for the music part- over time you build up a big library, so you don't have to work as hard at that too!

I'm working on my 'numbers,' but need help on part of it.

If I consider the following to be effortless 'ease of access' what is my "E" number?

Playing and LP with no mental effort: taking the cover off the turntable and placing it safely nearby, undoing the record clamp, removing the previous record (usually... ...I'm lazy at taking them off the player sometimes, putting the old LP into its inner sleeve and then into its jacket, finding the next LP and removing it from its jacket and liner with care, placing it on the turntable and doing a brush to remove any lint, then putting the clamp back in place, playing the LP and then doing the same after 20 minutes.

Quote:
I'm working on my 'numbers,' but need help on part of it.

If I consider the following to be effortless 'ease of access' what is my "E" number?

Playing and LP with no mental effort: taking the cover off the turntable and placing it safely nearby, undoing the record clamp, removing the previous record (usually... ...I'm lazy at taking them off the player sometimes, putting the old LP into its inner sleeve and then into its jacket, finding the next LP and removing it from its jacket and liner with care, placing it on the turntable and doing a brush to remove any lint, then putting the clamp back in place, playing the LP and then doing the same after 20 minutes.

Yeah- to me, none of that is all that much trouble, though I admit, you get longer play time on a CD. And a playlist from an iPod or server is even longer, but unless it's party music or background, I never let things run on "auto" for more than an hour anyway.

I'm not really into 'ease of access' in anything in my life really, unless I have to. Who wants instant food/coffee anyway? Most conveniences sacrifice a lot, except maybe ATMs, heheh, and Christmas shopping online instead of Mall Insanity.

I enjoyed the article, finding it humourous and thought provoking. My MQE changes in different roles and settings. At work, I am 40/10/50. I listen to mostly itunes and Pandora there. Same in the car except for Pandora.

At home for my family, 30/30/40. Their E is higher than mine so I try to compensate. When I am just listening listening, 35/55/10. I really enjoy listening to the better sounding recordings when I am listening attentively.

Trey

I'll go 50/40/10 with my only concession to Ease being the fastidious way I've organized all my physical media- but the fact it's all physical, except for my iPod iTunes, means I'm hopelessly 20th century. My Q may seem high relative to my equipment array, but my mid-brow gear is just as important to me as another's ultra-esoteric is to them.

In fact, a good friend just passed along a Nad 3040 integrated, a NAD 4020 tuner and an older Marantz cd player and I set it up with a pair of Wharfedale 7.2 Diamonds just for grins (while my Marantz SR 7001 is in L.A. for repairs). It sounds great...and cheap hi-fi is fun, too.

Quote:
I enjoyed the article, finding it humourous and thought provoking. My MQE changes in different roles and settings. At work, I am 40/10/50. I listen to mostly itunes and Pandora there. Same in the car except for Pandora.

At home for my family, 30/30/40. Their E is higher than mine so I try to compensate. When I am just listening listening, 35/55/10. I really enjoy listening to the better sounding recordings when I am listening attentively.

Trey

Absolutely spot on! This is a moving 'target.'

Last night I was trying to get a handle on a speaker's sound, and the quotient was 10/90/0.

Then, I was chillaxing before my periodic sleep time and it switched to 100/0/0....as the disk was already in the player and I was thinking about tunes...it could have been an AM transistor radio for all I cared at that time.

Hell, the numbers in the equation can change by the minute. One moment it may be heavy audition time and then a friend or family member happens by and it switches entirely.

As an audiophile, the money I throw down...I'm not sure what it's about.

By that, I mean...is it to make "M" more enjoyable? Is it to satisfy some sonic fetish outside of the music? Do I really need a deep soundstage to adequately enjoy Prince's "Let's Go Crazy?"

The "Q" part of the equation fascinates me. I admit that it may be something beyond "M" that contributes to "Q," but I can't quite 'splain it.

Good points Buddha. For me, I think the Q raises my emotional reactions to the M. And that is a powerful thing.

Trey

I absolutely agree the emotional experience of the music is raised considerably by the quality of the playbqack. In my case no matter how good the music might be, if the playback quality is poor it's hard to become emotionally involved.

Sad. Music lovers are capable of being moved to tears listening to mp3's and transistor radios.

Quote:
I absolutely agree the emotional experience of the music is raised considerably by the quality of the playbqack. In my case no matter how good the music might be, if the playback quality is poor it's hard to become emotionally involved.

Yes indeed!