HiFi is an opinion - nothing more

Larry obviously has an axe to grind and his tone is somewhat extreme, but that said, I suspect some audiophile are obsessed with their equipment. Do these people need to get a life? Who am I to say, but I strongly support the right of Larry or anybody else to voice their opinion on this subject, if expressed with civility.

Larry writes; I would say "Kthomas" keyed in on the main points of my discussion, effectively re-stating them in softer terms. "Pls1" on the other hand, is clueless or in denial as is the case with most audiophiles. Warning: Don't let your signigicant other read this. I will now offer a few more insights to the problem. First of all, HiFi enthusiasts are trying to do something that is physically impossible. Namely, record a sound and play it back somewhere else so it sounds the same. "Pls1" would have us believe that his highly calibrated Dunlavy SC-V's are capable of re-creating the sound of a classical guitar or even an orchestra. Hello.... The last time I looked at a Dunlavy they used round loudspeakers, all lined up at attention in a column. The last time I looked at a classical guitar, it had strings running the length of the neck, a hole in the center and a wood body and back that radiate sound in a very precise manner in relation to the performer and room. Who can tell me how a series of round vibrating panels (speakers) linked with electronics and wire will present the same sound field as the real thing. It won't. Unfortunately the Dunlavy or any high quality transducer cannot mimic the complex sounds of real instruments, we only want them to. And here comes the problem and one of the reasons (another being money) audiophiles are so defensive about their quest. They tend to be proud people addicted to the notion they can somehow find truth at the end of the acoustic rainbow. The troubling thing is they often do not understand the physical process or what attributes are important and which are not. Not unlike gambling, the audiophile can never be satisfied because the goal is not attainable. It's like people who trade stocks on companies they know nothing about, usually it's others who get wealthy. Only when we understand the problem will we find happiness in the solution. My suggestion, take time to learn a little about physical and psychoacoustics before you board the high tech train and purchase base on knowledge not hype. For as they say, a rose of any other name ...........

Larry, we might enjoy the "chase"?

How many "Larrys" can you get in a v-dub? --Cremated? 30 or so in the ash tray alone.There are many hobies I know nothing at all about.However,I know I know nothing, therefore I don't make an ass out of myself,with stupidity.Welcome to the sight Lar. babe.Maybe one day you'll get a hobby you're pasionate about and you can do the same thing we're doing/when somebody wanders in only to criticize something they don't understand.

Larryh, I make my living doing commercial and advertising photography, then I come home and attempt to make my stereo sound like live music. Do I succeed in achieving sound that is exactly like real music? No, and neither do my photographs fool anyone into thinking they are looking at the "real world." I am glad that along with Southwest Airlines, Fidelity Investments, Interstate Battery and many others, most of my customers and the public in general, are pleased by a high quality approximations. I constantly upgrade my photo equipment (at GREAT expense) in an attempt to produce images that are more convincing. The investment in my audio equipment is (likewise), an attempt to achieve a level of reality in music, at least as much as I can get. Although I am paid, and repaid for my investment in my effort to reproduce realistic photographs, my pursuit of excellence in music is for the pure passion and enjoyment of it. So, I do not find it odd to discover an entire web site of fellow music lovers that have the same goals. What I do find strange is someone who does not care enough about music to make the required investment in equipment. No decent tools, no decent results, it is very simple. Could I enjoy taking pictures with a disposable camera? I guess so, if I had to. But why waste my creative efforts only to be disappointed with a crappy image. Could I enjoy the radio in a VW? Yes, if I had to, but why be disappointed with not only a crappy image, but poor bandwidth, low resolution, and a limited seating area as well?