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Don't play cards with Slim. Don't eat oysters in summer. Don't sue your mother. Don't drink with an Irish mayor. Don't buy the "house speakers" at Allied Radio.
With the year almost over, perhaps you have an audiophile thought you'd like to get off your chest. Well, here's your chance: Tell us anything you'd like to say to other audiophiles.
I would like to see an end to the squabbling about which is better: tubes vs solid-state, analog vs digital, CD vs SACD. I thought hi-fi was all for personal enjoyment, not a contest. I think some of us take ourselves a little too seriously. I have a tube pre, a solid-state amp, a decent CD player, and a decent turntable—and I have two computers hooked up as tape machines and I also still listen to FM. Many times the material is far from perfect, but that is the case for most things in life. Enjoy what you have and be happy for me when I enjoy what I have. We are a very small group and even those of us with the most modest gear are still way beyond the general public. So appreciate your fellow audiophile, no matter what quirks he/she might have. That is not to say you should not express your opinion, just remember we all enjoy this hobby, so shouldn't it be fun instead of confrontational?
Just in case we think some audiophiles aren't idiots, here's a snippet from a online review site for a fuse! "Clearly a fuse that offers a more naturally open, warmer, and richer sound than stock fuses while imparting a way more dimensional perspective. You get the all the resolution times a gazillion with no additional over-analytical-ness that makes things bright, annoying, and hyped." Yes Virginia, we are doomed.
I retired my Heathkit AR1500 this Christmas. I built it when I was 19 in '69 and it has worked great ever since. Only issues were noisy connections at switch and circuit board level—they had never heard of using gold-plated contacts, I guess. My new Denon AVR3310CI is now the heart of my system. I have Adcom/M-L Sequel II speakers in the main listening room. My home theater setup in the family room consists of Polk RTA-12s L/R main, M-L Dynamo sub, and Definitive Tech center and surround speakers. The Audyssey MultiEQ setup sounds very nice. Now if only I had some of Art Dudley's cheap tricks! (Ha!)
The hi-fi industry continues to be shrouded in myths, perpetrated by manufacturers, reviewers, and consumers alike. As end-consumers, don't be deceived by the claims of manufacturers and reviewers, and make an effort to understand the science and measurements, not just trusting your ears and brain, which are so easily fooled, and which only leads to continued dissatisfaction and expensive system changes.