Scientist vs. Audiophile - Progressive Rock Music Forum

Author

Message

Topic Search

Topic Options

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Topic: Scientist vs. Audiophile
Posted: March 17 2006 at 10:18

Ah, we understand each other!

What's your setup?

DrGoon

Forum Senior Member

Joined: March 09 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 160

Posted: March 17 2006 at 10:04

Tubes tend to produce harmonic distortion in phase with the output signal so that the greater distortion that they introduce from saturation is more pleasing to the ear than the smaller but more noticable effect produced by transistor designs. One noticable effect with transistors is that sibilance introduced by the recording equipment is accentuated.

Vinyl on the other hand tends to sound better than CD largely because more than 90% of non-classical CDs are badly engineered and mastered. And people buy crap CD players. The cartridge on my turntable probably costs as much as most peoples' CD players, and it's not even an especially expensive cartridge, there's just no way to avoid it in this age of super cheap CD players.

However, Blackfield on a Fisher Price wind-up record player sounds better than Black Lace on a Linn audiophile system because IT IS. So the source IS important. Don't buy crap music.

mystic fred View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 13 2006
Location: Londinium
Status: Offline
Points: 4252

Posted: March 15 2006 at 10:08

MikeEnRegalia wrote:

Just to clarify my own position on hifi systems:

. And I am convinced that 99% of the improvement results from the amp and speakers. The other components have little to no effect on the sound.

Hi Mike,

sorry to disagree with your statement above but i have found from experience the SOURCE of the music is the overriding factor for sound quality. amps and speakers can alter the character of the sound or some detail, and good ones will bring out the best performance. a cheap player (turntable or cd) will still sound cheap with a top flight amp and speakers, yet a very high quality player will sound great with budget amp and speakers, i've auditioned many pieces of equipment over the years and believe me i've found this always to be the case. i would say when buying a system the source should take up at least 60% of the overall budget.

remember the audiophile golden rule - RUBBISH IN....RUBBISH OUT!

Prog Archives Tour Van

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 15 2006 at 08:48

Lindsay Lohan wrote:

It could be tempting to upgrade my system with a Benchmark Benchmark DAC1 D/A converter.

Also if i ever get my hands on the Nautilus 802 it would be nice to upgrade it with the Marantz SC-7S1 and Marantz MA-9S1. Well i can always dream

Sorry but you would never drive properly the Nautilus with such electronic.

A bi amp is required, such as the following:

-Good preamp:
For example, Counterpoint SA5000

Highs amps, two Jolida 1000 (tubes of course)

Low amp:

You can cope with just one Musical fidelity F18
(monstruous 600W solid state power amp):

Edited by oliverstoned

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 05:21

You'll need a preamp for that...

And preamps are the most expensive elements, along with CD set ups and cables.

Coming down to Naim players, the CD5i is a good treat.

It's cheap, sounds great and i love its beautiful look and steel original drawer.

To go further, but stays in integrated CD players, The Linn Ikemi is a must have (you can find it on occasion for 2200€ instead of 3000€ new).

Edited by oliverstoned

Lindsay Lohan View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 25 2005
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 3254

Posted: March 14 2006 at 05:05

How to cable the nautilus!

[IMG">http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif">

Lindsay Lohan View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 25 2005
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 3254

Posted: March 14 2006 at 05:03

oliverstoned wrote:

You should upgrade your Thule CD player for a Naim.

It's less expensive in UK.

Yes i will replace it as soon as i get some new speakers

[IMG">http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif">

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 05:01

You should upgrade your Thule CD player for a Naim.

It's less expensive in UK.

Lindsay Lohan View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 25 2005
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 3254

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:59

Ah i dont listen much to radio but i got a Tivoli audio model which works fine!

[IMG">http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif">

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:53

Lindsay Lohan wrote:

<TABLE cellSpacing=4 cellPadding=4 width=600>
<T>
<TR>
<TD colSpan=2>

Technical Specifications : Nautilus

</TD></TR>
<TR vAlign=top bgColor=#e7e7e7>
<TD width="30%">Dimensions</TD>
<TD width="70%">Height: 1210mm (47.6in)Width: 430mm (16.9in)Depth: 1105mm (43.5in) </TD></TR>
<TR vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>
<TD width="30%">Net Weight</TD>
<TD width="70%">110kg / 243lb (loudspeaker: 60kg base: 50kg) </TD></TR>
<TR vAlign=top bgColor=#e7e7e7>
<TD width="30%">Freq. Response</TD>
<TD width="70%">25Hz - 20kHz ± 0.5dB on reference axis </TD></TR>
<TR vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>
<TD width="30%">Freq. Range</TD>
<TD width="70%">-6dB at 10Hz and 25kHz </TD></TR>
<TR vAlign=top bgColor=#e7e7e7>
<TD width="30%">Power Handling</TD>
<TD width="70%">100W - 500W into 8 ohms one amplifier channel is required for each drive unit. Electronic crossover supplied with speaker. </TD></TR>
<TR vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>
<TD width="30%">Drive Units</TD>
<TD width="70%">Unit 1: High Frequency: 2 domed units of anodised aluminium of similar construction, 50mm and 25mm in diameter, handle the 880Hz-3.5kHz and 3.5kHz-25kHz ranges respectively. All drive units are completely mounted on silicone rubber O-rings to decouple the from the cabinet Unit 2: Mid-range/high frequency: From 220Hz to 880 Hz, a 100mm flat-fronted unit is employed to prevent the gentle cavity resonance found in conventional cone units at around 2kHz interfering with the output from the upper/midrange unit. A rare earth magnet assembly with hollow pole is used to minimise the obstruction to the rear radiation from the diaphragm. Unit 3: Bass: A 9.5kg (21lbs) magnet with a 100mm (4in) voice coil acts as the massive motor of the 300mm (12in) bass unit (10Hz-220Hz). This, when used in the exponential line enclosure, results in a high-pass behaviour so over-damped that the traditional second-order characteristic is replaced by two distinct first-order slopes and no stored energy. A 250 micron one-piece aluminium cone ensures coherent motion to beyond 1.5kHz. </TD></TR>
<TR vAlign=top bgColor=#e7e7e7>
<TD width="30%">Finish</TD>
<TD width="70%">Midnight Blue, Black, Silver </TD></TR>
<TR vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>
<TD width="30%">Amplifier</TD>
<TD width="70%">Description: One channel per drive unit 100 - 500 W into 8 ohms supplied with electronic crossover </TD></TR></T></TABLE>The specifications for the Nautilus!

Yeah really serious speakers.

But you need a bi amplification set up to fed them properly, IMO.

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:52

Don't like radio?
Tuner is an excellent and cheap source.

To stay cheap, what about a Denon tuner, or better a Rega Radio for example?

Lindsay Lohan View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 25 2005
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 3254

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:51

Technical Specifications : Nautilus
Dimensions	Height: 1210mm (47.6in) Width: 430mm (16.9in) Depth: 1105mm (43.5in)
Net Weight	110kg / 243lb (loudspeaker: 60kg base: 50kg)
Freq. Response	25Hz - 20kHz ± 0.5dB on reference axis
Freq. Range	-6dB at 10Hz and 25kHz
Power Handling	100W - 500W into 8 ohms one amplifier channel is required for each drive unit. Electronic crossover supplied with speaker.
Drive Units	Unit 1: High Frequency: 2 domed units of anodised aluminium of similar construction, 50mm and 25mm in diameter, handle the 880Hz-3.5kHz and 3.5kHz-25kHz ranges respectively. All drive units are completely mounted on silicone rubber O-rings to decouple the from the cabinet Unit 2: Mid-range/high frequency: From 220Hz to 880 Hz, a 100mm flat-fronted unit is employed to prevent the gentle cavity resonance found in conventional cone units at around 2kHz interfering with the output from the upper/midrange unit. A rare earth magnet assembly with hollow pole is used to minimise the obstruction to the rear radiation from the diaphragm. Unit 3: Bass: A 9.5kg (21lbs) magnet with a 100mm (4in) voice coil acts as the massive motor of the 300mm (12in) bass unit (10Hz-220Hz). This, when used in the exponential line enclosure, results in a high-pass behaviour so over-damped that the traditional second-order characteristic is replaced by two distinct first-order slopes and no stored energy. A 250 micron one-piece aluminium cone ensures coherent motion to beyond 1.5kHz.
Finish	Midnight Blue, Black, Silver
Amplifier	Description: One channel per drive unit 100 - 500 W into 8 ohms supplied with electronic crossover

The specifications for the Nautilus!

[IMG">http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif">

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:50

Lindsay Lohan wrote:

Im really happy with my turn table...in alot of the cases in sounds even better than my cd player that is alot more expansive

It is built from a concstruction similar to that of the Rega turn tables and it just does it job perfectly! As a cheap Turn Table it is perhaps the best i have heard

If it's inspired from Rega Planar...
I've much respect for such a both cheap and musical brand like Nad. I was on little Nad Cd, not long ago.

Edited by oliverstoned

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:48

Lindsay Lohan wrote:

It could be tempting to upgrade my system with a Benchmark Benchmark DAC1 D/A converter.

Yeah but you need a real good drive.
Try power fliters, they remove A LOT of harsness on CD.

Also if i ever get my hands on the Nautilus 802 it would be nice to upgrade it with the Marantz SC-7S1 and Marantz MA-9S1. Well i can always dream

Lindsay Lohan View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 25 2005
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 3254

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:48

Im really happy with my turn table...in alot of the cases in sounds even better than my cd player that is alot more expansive

It is built from a concstruction similar to that of the Rega turn tables and it just does it job perfectly! As a cheap Turn Table it is perhaps the best i have heard

[IMG">http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif">

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:47

Lindsay Lohan wrote:

Ah yes the quite possibly the best speaker ever...with built in speaker cables...sigh

These speakers sound better by rainy weather...

Edited by oliverstoned

Lindsay Lohan View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 25 2005
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 3254

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:43

It could be tempting to upgrade my system with a Benchmark Benchmark DAC1 D/A converter.

Also if i ever get my hands on the Nautilus 802 it would be nice to upgrade it with the Marantz SC-7S1 and Marantz MA-9S1. Well i can always dream

[IMG">http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif">

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:38

Lindsay Lohan wrote:

Haha no i have not bothered to do something with my CD player or turn table yet...i just keep them on a standard shelf for now.

My turntable!

Yeah but put them horizontal, along with speakers also.

It's amazing.

How the little Nad turnatble works?

oliverstoned View Drop Down

Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 26 2004
Location: France
Status: Offline
Points: 6308

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:36

Best vib cancel devices ever:

Relaxa plates (the devices are in magnetic levitation, like the japanese train):

The best furtinure ever ("Grand prix")and very expensive
(7000€ per furniture). Incredible;

Edited by oliverstoned

Lindsay Lohan View Drop Down

Forum Senior Member

Joined: May 25 2005
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 3254

Posted: March 14 2006 at 04:30

Haha no i have not bothered to do something with my CD player or turn table yet...i just keep them on a standard shelf for now.

My turntable!

[IMG">http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif">