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Not in the least--as anyone who's been to the Wehawken studios will affirm. The electronics are the last thing I would consider changing in my system. But the speakers--they have got to go.
I think this is a good example of Jim's dilemma at marketing his new top-of-the-line speakers. On one side, many people tell him that to get potential buyers to take the SoundScapes seriously, you have to present them along with other gear they already take seriously. And others, like Mudslide, say the AVA gear is excellent and anything more expensive is unlikely to do better.For what its worth, I was present on the occasion Mudslide described above. I heard what he heard and arrived at the same conclusion he made.Jim's original post in this thread indicates which way he intends to go. There are probably plenty who agree, and just as many who disagree. I'm not sure which way will sell more speakers, and I'm glad I don't have to decide.
Another option would be to have Jim make wooden faceplates for you. If you did veneered wooden faceplates, maybe people could even get AVA equipment that matches their Salk speakers? That would be a neat tie-in.
So let us change the perception that more money buys more quality. It does not, necessarily.
Jim made a beautiful thank you statement to those who have helped him through RMAF. So I should probably avoid the bait in this particular post, and just let it go. But I cannot...because it's plain nonsense. While pricing may have some direct relationship to performance, it is not always thus. And in audio, where larceny and subjective opinion often prevail over science, testing, and even common sense, that relationship frequently does not exist. What you are saying is that perception of quality, because of pricing, overrides actual quality based upon facts. Have you ever measured, or A/B or blind-tested your proposition? Well, actually I have...on numerous pieces of equipment. And I've also done it with the SS12's and AVA Insight gear. I had the opportunity to A/B the SS12's with a popular brand of industry-perceived high quality drive gear that was 4 times the cost of the AVA Insight gear. Both of the setups provided a wonderful, synergetic match to the SS12's. There was zero, and I mean zero audible difference to my (and other) reasonably well-trained ears. But you would buy the much more expensive setup for what reason? (By the way, I do not own any AVA or Salk gear.) Remember that all well designed drive gear (such as the AVA equipment) is transparent and should add nothing to the source. Does much more expense make for much more transparency?Regarding your experience, I think it has been stated multiple times here on A/C that the room in Maryland had awful acoustics. (And rooms have a huge effect on loudspeaker presentation.)You're asking Frank to do something a bit ridiculous and I hope he avoids the illogic of it. (But if you insist, and it would make you feel better while you look to list price as a guide, I'd guess he'd triple the price of one of his amps for you. )Increased price frequently does not equate to audible performance improvements.
Just curious, did you get to compare the the AVA Insight amp with the AVA FetValve Ultra on the SS12's?
I mean the dynamics and details and all that stuff was really excellent. I just couldn't engage emotionally. I really do think a good preamp would have made a difference but who knows.
It was always too loud.
I remember your other post. Do you not when you listen find absolutely the right volume for each CD where one step up is too loud and one step down is too soft? This may be an individual thing, but I went into other rooms at the show and experienced sound that was not too loud and not too soft. This point is why I like preamps with digital readouts and preamps with 1db or less attenuation intervals so I can achieve exactly the right volume. It is critical for enjoying music.
“Being the magazine’s contrarian isn’t easy, but for me the sound in the Iris room featuring Salk Soundscape 12 speakers, the Empirical Audio Overdrive Signature DAC, and Balanced Power Technologies Cabling was the one that moved me the most.“
Hello Dennis, . I like the sound at Strathmore more than the Kennedy Center. For me the tonal quality has to be natural and convey the emotional content. Sound staging and dynamics are not as important as the tones that convey the artistry. The tone in that room was not natural.
