72 replies to this topic

[-DJ-]

crikey, blast from the past....

[Mr_Bob]

Blackrazor said:

for instance, McIntosh used to just use zip cords for speaker cables, and still do in-house, but have to now use flash cable brands on the retail market to stop the golden-ears thinking somethings wrong :|

where did you get that info from?
sounds to me like McIntosh realised that there was a benefit to better cabling!

[Blackrazor]

Mr_Bob said:

where did you get that info from?

I knew you were going to ask me that :? I cant remember the exact source as i read it a few years ago now, but toddle over to the CarSound forums and ask about it, someone there will have a link or some such

Mr_Bob said:

sounds to me like McIntosh realised that there was a benefit to better cabling!

Erm, yes, a marketing one... as i stated, they still use thick zip cords for their in-house speakers where they develop their systems, the fancy dancy cords are only used at the retail end to get browny points from the 'audiophile' types who buy the gear

[obscurusc]

In my experience, playing simplier music like Jazz, vocal with no background, pop or single instrumentalists - telling the difference between amps is difficult and would agree with Blackrazor and RC. However, complex music like classical orchestral, 20 piece bands, or just passages with a lot of things happening - that's when I can hear a clarity and accuracy difference between amps. However, I could not say what that was due to, one of the amps may have been underpowering the speakers, volume difference perhaps? who knows... sometimes when you're auditioning something and listen to a passage of some sort you might say - wow I never heard that before... and you'll go back to the other piece of equipment and say... hmmm it's there alright, maybe just not as perceivable... in the end, who cares if you're right or not - it's a decision between your satisfication and your wallet....

[Winno]

No difference in amps?

Crickey dick, you guys must be deaf.

Our NAD 320BEE sounds way different to the Cyrus which sounds very different to the MF A100 I listened to as well.
Differences are obvious in relation to dynamics, depth of field, transparency, musicality, stage width, spectral balance, etc, etc.

Same thing applies to car audio in many cases as well.

[Volenti]

Winno said:

No difference in amps?

Crickey dick, you guys must be deaf.

Our NAD 320BEE sounds way different to the Cyrus which sounds very different to the MF A100 I listened to as well.
Differences are obvious in relation to dynamics, depth of field, transparency, musicality, stage width, spectral balance, etc, etc.

Same thing applies to car audio in many cases as well.

And you have 100% confidence that you can correctly identify those amps in a double blind test?

Richard Clarke has $10k US that says you can't.

[Winno]

Yes!
I have about...[looks in pocket]...about 75c that says I can.

[blitzmile]

Blackrazor i just like to ask you if you think that higher quality amps are the biggest gimmick that car audio has ever had? not havn a go at all, but it seems that according to you more expensive amps are a marketing hoax just to get more money.

oh and by the way, can i ask what amps are you runnin for your system?

[Blackrazor]

blitzmile said:

Blackrazor i just like to ask you if you think that higher quality amps are the biggest gimmick that car audio has ever had? not havn a go at all, but it seems that according to you more expensive amps are a marketing hoax just to get more money.

Nope... i wouldnt touch a cheap and nasty amp with a bargepole, and if i had my way i'd be running TRU C7's for the fronts and a Zapco 4KW for the subs...

Just because i dont think that, in a blind test, you can pick the difference between amps, doesnt mean there arent umpteen reasons to buy good product, not least of which is reliability, aesthetics, pride of ownership and often better controls...

When you buy a $7000 Rolex, do you expect it to keep time noticeably better than a $200 digital? When you buy a solid marble dining table, do you expect food served off it to taste better than that off a beer crate with some MDF slapped on top? No, of course you dont, yet there isnt one person here who wouldnt take the Rolex and marble table over the other options

My beef with the audio industry is they are forever trying to create marketable tangible differences where one doesnt exist... the differences dont have to be tangible to make the product more desirable, or 'better'

blitzmile said:

oh and by the way, can i ask what amps are you runnin for your system?

At the moment? Rockford Fosgate P3002 for my tweeters, Rockford Fosgate P4004 bridged for my midranges, and an E-Audio 3000d for my subs. In the past i've owned a Tru amp, a couple Zapco's, some PPI amps, an MTX amp, and some Lightning Audio amps... in the store i work at, i'm routinely listening to and demonstrating Diamond D3 + D7's Caliber amps, E-Audio amps, Rockford Fosgate amps, MTX amps, and a few more esoteric ones on odd occasions as people show an interest

[Bassaholic]

Mr_Bob said:

why isnt' everyone using the same amplifier topology? surely one type would be most efficient, why don't all companies use that? why have so many different topologies been designed, surely there's a reason? i know i wouldn't spend years trying to designa product that performs the same as an existing one!

Are we living in the same world? Yes there is a reason, that reason is people. We are talking about people here.

Its the same reason why you can time financial markets and make above average returns. :wink:

Bassaholic
(acknowledged fool number #2159036478)

[blitzmile]

ive just sold my jaycar 2 x 150 which was running my focal sub. im planning in the future to buy an adison amp (when the debts are paid :cry: ). then ill come back and tell everyone if i can hear any difference(if i can remeber by then what the jaycar sounded like )

i fully appreciate your opinion b;lackrazor. amps are one of the most difficult areas of car audio for people to grasp an undersatnding of, including me. however when i was runnin the jaycar i grabbed my mates eclipse amp and put it together for a few minutes. now maybe it wsa just me but it seemed that the bass was a little more deefined and i was sure that i was hearing hearing a few extra sounds that i didnt pick up on before with the jaycar. when i did swap back to the jaycar i listened out for those sounds. i heard them this time but they sounded more muffled, almost like they were in the background.

ps. i was listening to a few different styles of music. techno just seemed to be a bit tighter. rnb i didnt notice too much difference. rock n roll was where i heard those small improvement in sound quality the most.