All things audio - your pet peeves...

Delta Wave · « **Reply #40 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 05:37 am »

Odd shaped and overly-stylized components that don't quite fit in with all the rest of the gear in the universe and are usually just plain ugly.

Digital players that almost always seem to have the worst and cheesiest feet or risers.

Ball bearings & spikes made out of various materials that you can buy from an industrial supplier for next to nothing and sold as $800 "isolation" devices.

Anonamemouse · « **Reply #41 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 08:09 am »

Quote from: Delta Wave on 22 Mar 2011, 05:37 am

Ball bearings & spikes made out of various materials that you can buy from an industrial supplier for next to nothing and sold as $800 "isolation" devices.

Like this? Looks cool and solid, doesn't it? What is your estimate? How much for a set?

Laundrew · « **Reply #42 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 12:42 pm »

Approximately 90% of the audio sales representatives I had the misfortune of meeting when I walked into their stores

Be well...

mclsound · « **Reply #43 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 12:56 pm »

A couple things
1-When manufactures bring out a new line with little change and big money!(DD knows what I'm sayin)

2-Whenever I research a amp that Stereophile takes measurements on and in the end it is always the same excuse......"""""The wall juice was insufficient"""""
I say get a sufficient amount of power in the place if you are going to measure 1000w plus amps!!!!!!

3-Someone already said this but when someone has a 1994 amp(that will need recapping-$1500) and is asking $3800(amp listed at $7500- 17yrs ago)and yet the used market has them for sale(recapped already) around $1975-$2250
"""" AND""""
lists it right after a wanted ad goes up
""""AND""""
he's a dealer.

thats all

smargo · « **Reply #44 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 01:51 pm »

when someone gives a raving review to a piece of equipment - but they only listened to it for a week - its like a getting married to the pretty girl you just met a couple of days ago - arrgh!!!!

smargo · « **Reply #45 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 02:01 pm »

or when someone gives a great review to a piece of equipment and you purchase the equipment based on the review - because the way it was worded struck a chord within you - you say to yourself - this is the piece of gear i must have

only to find when you finally do get it - it sounds completely different than what you thought - and you say out loud - "what's the friggin big deal" Then - you think you are doing something wrong or don't have the right cable or footers or room treatment or temperature in the room or wrong tubes or wrong power cables - (you fill in the blank)

Regalma · « **Reply #46 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 07:17 pm »

People who make all kinds of claims about equipment they have never heard. This risks misleading other folks. People who make all kinds of claims comparing two pieces of equipment that they heard at different times in different rooms with different setups. I admit my audio memory is nothing to brag about but I really seriously doubt that a person can discern between two preamps that they heard in two different systems in two different rooms, months apart. Yet people claim to all the time.

srb · « **Reply #47 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 07:41 pm »

Making comparisons between two high-quality well-regarded components and instead of trying to articulate some kind of meaningful comparisons on different tonal aspects or capabilities, instead make inane references such as "blew it's doors off", "blew it out of the water", "left it in the dust" or "smoked it".

Steve

Quiet Earth · « **Reply #48 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 07:56 pm »

Declaring that you own a reference system yet admitting that you can't tolerate listening to an average recording on it.

Elizabeth · « **Reply #49 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 08:40 pm »

Buying anything, getting it plugged and and it sucks. THEN, they tell you: "Ohhh you have to let it break in" Only 400 hours and it will blow your socks off" etc.
IMO if is sucks the moment you turn it on, no amount of wishful thinking is going to fix it.
So I absolutely despise that the malarky of 'break-in' has be overused and is an insult to the intelligence of anyone. And is now used to just plain old sucker folks into keeping crap that should have been returned five minutes after you heard it and thought "this is crap!"

The corollary of this is the "highly recommended" product review. You buy it and it sounds no better, nothing. So you struggle thinking it must be 'my' problem.. finally realizing that new 'best' chunk was no better that your old pile. And be very lucky if you can still return it for a refund.

ec · « **Reply #50 on:** 22 Mar 2011, 09:02 pm »

Equipment esp the higher end stuff not properly set up. When I first got into the hobby, I found out one of my relatives had Threshold gear, big McIntosh speakers, the big Technics table (SL10?). When I got his place, the speakers were in the corner sandwiched between couches and behind a door that was normally left open thus blocking one of the speakers. This was all in a small room.

To me this would be like driving a Ferrari with crappy tires, the wrong gas and has never been tuned up.

Elizabeth · « **Reply #51 on:** 23 Mar 2011, 06:24 am »

Alsoforum: Interesting that your post is a quote from me earlier in this thread.
I guess i am confused because the quote you pull and the response (which is, as i mentioned is a duplicate of my earlier response), do not make sense in relation to the topic. Nor does your earlier post.
Could you perhaps explain a bit..

Anonamemouse · « **Reply #52 on:** 23 Mar 2011, 08:26 am »

Quote from: Elizabeth on 23 Mar 2011, 06:24 am

Alsoforum: Interesting that your post is a quote from me earlier in this thread.
I guess i am confused because the quote you pull and the response (which is, as i mentioned is a duplicate of my earlier response), do not make sense in relation to the topic. Nor does your earlier post.
Could you perhaps explain a bit..

Ditto...

Quiet Earth · « **Reply #53 on:** 23 Mar 2011, 01:39 pm »

While we're off topic . . . . about the phase issue spoken of earlier,,,, and with regard to correcting it with a switch or dipoles . . . . . well, that's kind of a silly notion if you stop to think about it.

Most commercial stereo recordings begin life as multiple mono multi-track projects, and many of those tracks are recorded days,weeks, or months later from the first tracks put down. Who really knows which tracks are in phase with each other?? And so much of it is in and out of phase due to processing and effects anyway. I guess my point about correcting phase is that while you may notice a change or have a personal preference, it's not like you're really "fixing" anything with the typical kinds of recordings that I am referring to. OK, nuff said about that, just a thought or better yet,,,,,, another pet peeve.

I thought that the following statement really hit the nail on the head, and I tried to reiterate it earlier but I botched it up with my own words. It really speaks for itself without my help :

Quote from: Anonamemouse on 20 Mar 2011, 02:32 pm

So do yourself a favor today - go out and buy some music you really want to listen to instead of something "audiophile approved." If you have your priorities straight, you'll get much more enjoyment out of your hi-fi.

Great topic.

Stu Pitt · « **Reply #54 on:** 25 Mar 2011, 02:03 am »

My personal audio pet peeves...

The loudness wars. Isn't that what volume control is for?
Arrogant salesmen who think whatever they don't sell is crap.
Arrogant salesmen who think my music is crap and will sound the same on anything.
Arrogant salesmen who tell me what sounds good.
Arrogant salesmen who tell me what to buy.
Gear that's broken more often than playing.
Gear that's great at reproducing sounds, yet falls on it's face when trying to carry a tune.
Gear that's hyped up by the rags.
Internet gurus who tell me what I hear and what I don't.
Internet gurus who tell me all amps, CDPs/DACs, and cables sound the same.
People who describe gear as digital or analog 'sounding.'
"Tube sound"
"Solid state sound"
"Digital amps"
All tubes are better than solid state
All solid state are better than tubes
The ESS Sabre DAC chip is the best thing since sliced bread
Anything with said chip sounds better than anything without it
Recorded music sounds better than live music
The Musical Fidelity V-DAC sounds better than anything under $5k
It makes sense to use a $3k coax cable with the $300 V-DAC

The last 3 were things posted on Audiogon. Feel much better now. Maybe I'll add more tomorrow.

Stu Pitt · « **Reply #55 on:** 25 Mar 2011, 02:18 am »

Forgot probably my biggest pet peeve...

People who listen to music because it sounds good on their system, rather than listening to music they actually like.

Quiet Earth · « **Reply #56 on:** 25 Mar 2011, 03:51 am »

Stu - you're on fire man - give us hell brother! Wow . . .

Awesome.

Does anyone else besides me feel like the arrogant salesman syndrome pretty much died off around 1990? It sure seems like it in my neck of the woods.

mclsound · « **Reply #57 on:** 25 Mar 2011, 03:57 am »

that a boy Stu
I cant stand dealers with their hands out and their brains in their pocket either

alexone · « **Reply #58 on:** 25 Mar 2011, 11:57 am »

Quote from: Stu Pitt on 25 Mar 2011, 02:03 am

My personal audio pet peeves...

The loudness wars. Isn't that what volume control is for?
Arrogant salesmen who think whatever they don't sell is crap.
Arrogant salesmen who think my music is crap and will sound the same on anything.
Arrogant salesmen who tell me what sounds good.
Arrogant salesmen who tell me what to buy.
Gear that's broken more often than playing.
Gear that's great at reproducing sounds, yet falls on it's face when trying to carry a tune.
Gear that's hyped up by the rags.
Internet gurus who tell me what I hear and what I don't.
Internet gurus who tell me all amps, CDPs/DACs, and cables sound the same.
People who describe gear as digital or analog 'sounding.'
"Tube sound"
"Solid state sound"
"Digital amps"
All tubes are better than solid state
All solid state are better than tubes
The ESS Sabre DAC chip is the best thing since sliced bread
Anything with said chip sounds better than anything without it
Recorded music sounds better than live music
The Musical Fidelity V-DAC sounds better than anything under $5k
It makes sense to use a $3k coax cable with the $300 V-DAC

The last 3 were things posted on Audiogon. Feel much better now. Maybe I'll add more tomorrow.

...very good, Stu! smart comment

al.

Laundrew · « **Reply #59 on:** 25 Mar 2011, 12:21 pm »

Quote from: Stu Pitt on 25 Mar 2011, 02:03 am

"...
Arrogant salesmen who think whatever they don't sell is crap.
Arrogant salesmen who think my music is crap and will sound the same on anything.
Arrogant salesmen who tell me what sounds good.
Arrogant salesmen who tell me what to buy..."

You go Stu

It sounds like you have visited at least 90% of the audio dealers in the GTA.

This subject about audio sales representatives could warrant a thread topic all to itself.
Hmm… perhaps titled; “Just when you think a tin-plated, synaptically challenged, starched suited, self proclaimed demigod with delusions of grandeur audio dealer cannot get anymore arrogant…”

It is refreshing to know that a few good audio dealers are out there.

Be well...