Hi-Fi Speaker cables etc

[Charlie D]

I guess it all depends on what sort of music you listen to.

Wasn’t it David Bowie who said:

“Who needs Hi-Fi when you’ve got Trex.”

Charlie.

[PodOne]

Lot of HI Fi snobbery usually to extract the maximum amount of cash from the unwary! The size of your room and its acoustics along with your remaining hearing dictates the final sound. But a good quality of sound reproduction is possible on a small budget.

Over the years my listening has always been dictated with what I could afford and when I couldn't afford it with the help of my Farther in-law built our own kit in terms of amps and speakers using circuit designs from Mullard, Quad, Leak and speakers from Gilbert Briggs ideas which still stand the test today or bought broken kit and repaired it.The main thing was to have the best LP player (Secondhand Linn/Itok arm,Goldbug cartridge) and more latterly as funds allowed a valve based CD player to support the mantra of garbage in garbage out. 

However the best sound I ever had was from a home built Mullard 5/10 10w class A valve amp and 14" speakers built into the bay window packed with 2 tonne of sand and bags of straw. Front end was a Garard deck and Rega arm. Organ music was like been there. Just not transportable when we moved house!

For me now my hearing is in declined but Valves run in class A are still superior to any transistor output and my current system is a based around both CD and Vinyl (Audiolab, Linn Sondeck, Niam pre-amp with home built (faster in law) valve output, Conrad Johnson 11A 40w valve power amp ) The 11A was found broken propping open a door and repaired for £50). The same recordings on both can sound very different even with my ears and for some recordings I much prefer vinyl. Recordings using a single microphone technique gives the most life like reproduction rather than the over produced/mixed offerings. Speaker are secondhand B&W floor standers.

Wiring wise I ran a separate filtered 240v supply from the consumer unit to keep the supply clean and the inter connects are all home made shielded and gold plated terminations to stop them tarnishing. Improves the sound? Don't know but cost relatively nothing to do so why not.

Speaker wire; exotic stuff no, waste of brass! Tried 2.5 twin and earth and even cooker cable sounded good until at a radio rally (where have all these gone) stubbled across a 100m drum of 16 core 0.5mm silver wire each one insulated and each bundle of 8 shielded and then a further shield around all 16 this made a noticeable difference to the sound. 

In short never had loads of spare cash to buy a system but with careful buying on principles I think I have a sound my ears are happy in the room I now have without falling victim to the HI FI vultures! Well at least until I go deaf!

Andy   

[tthomson]

With the current technology, (and any previous technology), I do not believe that you can get perfect sound recordings. The equipment used will always add distortions and harmonics. Valves have a warmer sound from the preponderance of even harmonics, but still not giving the original sound. Modern DAC systems will add digitisation noise that has to be filtered. Speaker cables will need to be exactly the same length to the mm to avoid transmission delays. In the end all that happens is people spend their time listening for the imperfections rather than the music.

As with anything, you can continue to enhance and improve technology, but if you want to hear the music, then in my view, the minor imperfections of modern electronic systems, although not perfect, are adequate.

So until we have systems that deliver audio information directly to our brains without intermediate microphones, storage devices, amplifiers, wires and speakers, I will live with my mediocre HiFi system.

Good luck to all of you listening to the imperfections. By definition they will never be perfect.

TT

[RogerH]

Hi Tony,

I like vinyl records (because I'm odd) but you can't easily escape the background noise (hisses and clicks).

I was amazed a couple of years back when I put on  a new heavy 180g disc. There was no background hiss getting in the way. Quite astonishing.

 

Many years ago I built a philips designed  'Dynamic Noise Limiter'  quite a clever little circuit - but Dolby it wasn't.

It worked a TReat on my Akai reel to reel tape deck. Mid range range was removed. A friend had a Revox and was interested u=in TRying it.

He brought it back and said it was broken. I TRied it and it worked. 

The Revox was another leap away from the Akai and simply had no noise for the DNL to work on. 

No matter what you do it will never be perfect.

Roger

[tthomson]

Hi Roger,

I also have a collection of vinyl from 1970s (my formative years), as well as CDs, ipod, ipad, brennan system, and I absolutely agree with you about not achieving perfection in audio systems.

I also remember the hundreds of live gigs I went to. There were always things, that if they had been recorded, would have been heard as imperfections. (buzzy microphones, unwanted feedback, noisy cables, people shouting, scraping of chairs, broken guitar strings, mis-timed drum beats, off key instruments, etc.) They did not detract from the experience and the enjoyment. So I listen to music warts and all and enjoy the humanity of it all.

Tony

[PodOne]

Hi Tony

I agree its easy to keep chasing the myth of the perfect sound and miss the music and agree with Roger that vinyl gives the better reproduction. In the end going to a concert or gig gives me the most enjoyment a recording often serves only to remind me of the experience. 

What really amuses me is when people spend stupid money trying the have so called Hi Fi in their car! A nice straight 6 or V8 soundtrack is all that's required.

Andy

[peejay4A]

An interesting juxtaposition, well for me anyway, is my recollection of an Eagles concert quite a few years ago.  It was so note perfect as to be indistinguishable from the studio recordings of all the songs.  I found it a bit boring.

[RogerH]

During the late 90's on the West London pub circuit there was a four piece band - 'Don;t call me Jane' was the title they went by.

For the most part they were good.

Big girl singer on rhythm guitar, Young lad (a teacher) on lead. A completely crackers drummer but hit the skins well.

And lurking somewhere a bass player (he liked to lurk)

The pub had the normal background noise (crackles, pops and farts). Towards the end of their stint they played Sweet Child of Mine

All the background noise stopped - it was as if Dolby himself walked in the room. The lead guitar took over the vocals and it was 'better' than Guns & Roses.

TRuly stunning.  TRue H=Fi

Roger

[Harbottle]

Well all this talk about Vinyl and CD discs and which is the better?. You have all forgotten about the humble cassette tape!. I have a copy of a  Richard Digence show and it sounds just as funny as it would on vinyl or disc.So there.

I have a Pioneer system bought in the 80s with record deck,2 cd players and count them 2 cassttee players. Hows that for upto date modern eh.

Paul