Hi Fi Myths, Mistakes & Beliefs Vol.1

This is the first episode dedicated to Hi-Fi, audio, audiophile and music myths, mistakes and believes! Each video focuses on 5 topics or myths and tries to analyze them and explain or debunk them.

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Music:

[MarcelOoms]

A good sub does not add to bass, it just fills in the lowest frequencies most speakers cannot produce.

[alext]

I would like to say, as an audiophile, that I lived without a sub in my 2 channel system for over 20 years. I have ProAc floor-standers which have good extension into the 30hz range, in room. About a year ago I bought a music focussed sub, an REL S3 SHO and integrated it High level from the speakers outputs (very important) and I have never looked back. The scale I have now is jaw dropping. Of course placement and set up is key. There is absolutely a place for a GOOD music focussed sub with high level inputs in a 2 channel system. Easier to integrate with a fuller range tower, for just the bottom octave, in my experience.

[AudioMaverickcom]

Well... from an almost 60 year old audio enthusiast:
1. Tubes vs transistors - Given designed equally, there should be no difference. Nonuniform gain and distortion... Just don't.
2. Records - I appreciate the efforts engineers went through to get quality music content on the vinyl medium. One thing I have noticed with modern vinyl is that the 'musical life' is more what I heard in the 60s through the 80s. The 90s digital compression, and Sonic Maximizer phase, just ruined my interest in new music.
-- I don't miss vinyl or the effort it takes to digitize & refurbish vinyl to be competitive with the cleanliness of digital. Playing vinyl at 7, 000 feet means <10% humidity, and a lot of crackle, and creative ways to raise the humidity while playing records. Cleaning records is a major way to reduce or eliminate most static and dirt crackle.
3. Cassettes - I still have some extraordinary sonic tapes done in Dolby C & DBX. Digitized and cleaned up nicely. I don't miss the medium.
4. Subwoofers - If the musical content doesn't go that low, don't need it. A Telarc recording of a Timpani drum or proper movie soundtrack will benefit from it.
5. 180g Vinyl - I am in the same boat with this. Too many ideas in why this became a standard. Maybe, the type of plastics used in pressing, back in the day... Maybe, a thinking of warpage... Generally, a 12 inch vinyl record will weight around 120 grams, just because of the physical manufacturing process.
. These are great topics, and will generate countless hours of debate between those of us hunting for that audio experience we can afford and attain! Everyone, be nice to others on these topics. We can all agree to disagree or agree. Audio is very subjective.

[addonisryan]

About subs, you are wrong. A properly setup subwoofer adds depth and breadth to a music system. Timing is not an issue when you take the time to LISTEN to the subwoofer before you buy it and TAKE THE TIME TO PROPERLY SET IT UP!!! When properly set up you can have a very similar result to having a pair of really good towers, but placement and proper calibration are essential. once again YOU MUST LISTEN and not just plop it down and then start turning knobs. Also, choose a sub which compliments the speed and timing characteristics of your mains, a safer way to do that is to buy a subwoofer that was made by the same manufacturer as your speakers. If you want to hear all of the deep bass without it becoming muddy, you can get that in various sizes and configurations (there is no such thing as the perfect subwoofer. I listen primarily to jazz recordings so lI look for subwoofers with good articulation and pitch definition. They have to sound natural and like the actual instrument, which by the way my present subwoofers do. I own 2 Klipsch Synergy 12 subwoofers and they are amazing, not only do they practically knock the house down but I have them properly calibrated to my speakers and room They are fast and tight, but they go really low too, in fact down to a subaudible 5hz. Yet they also produce acoustic bass with aplomb, they play notes, not bloat. They aren't super expensive nor are they super cheap, but they are affordable. check them out, you might like them.

[TraderDan]

Great content. And I totally agree on the 180 gram records. I have purchased several dozen and when I compare them to the originals they're not any better. I prefer Mint Condition original pressings. Those always sound the best

[scottlowell]

Piggyback on points:
1. Tube amps swing VOLTAGE while SS swing CURRENT. They react differently driving a given speaker. A 35-watt tube amp can sound louder than a 100 watt solid state amp in many cases. (This is not a tube vs ss rant...its real) Example: Acoustat ones are better driven by a voltage source.
2. Pops and clicks? - I used either a nitty gritty LP vacuum cleaner or a pro-ject spin clean. No noise if the LP isn't damaged.
3. Even a TEAC R-888X (Very good, not best) cassette deck with Chrome tape was pretty much indistinguishable from the source. Notwithstanding more premium decks like Nakamichi or ADS.
4. Cheap subs or subs in a small room ruin things. The room cutoff might be 40hz! (and standing waves) However, a competent sub crossed over to augment BELOW the satellite speakers in a medium to large room improves everything. Rule of thumb: a REAL sub is for inaudible-40hz. It's not for home theater where people run them up to 80 or even 120 hz. That's just boom, not fidelity. Best buy is NOT a place to get a hi-fi sub. Those are just boom boxes designed for 60-80hz. Even a 10" JL audio/SVS/HSU or Dayton titanic MK IV sub will have more energy from the upper 20's -40hz than many 15" boom-box type subs.
5. I go for Telarc, Chesky, Deutsche Grammaphone, Mobile Fidelity and others with quality recordings, not just heavy for the sake of heavy.

[leonjones]

A math professor I studied under-explained that Valve-gear produces both odd and even harmonics following the Fourier Series generation. This gives a warm sound. from this gear.

[JuggaloSupreme]

So glad you are trying to dispel the "180 gram" vinyl myth! So much terrible vinyl being sold for way too much $ nowadays!

Surprised you thought cassettes were "lo-fi." Not sure where you are from, but I am from the US, and I had plenty of access to type 2 and metal tapes and I have been recording vinyl from Technics & Numarks through a $100 Pioneer receiver to cassette back in the late 90s and it sounded amazing! (and I'm talking about a used, $70 Technics turntable I forget which model, not a brand new Technics sl - 1200)

Also glad you mentioned sub-woofers. I know you made another video that said you changed your mind, but as always it depends on what kind of setup you have. It also depends on what you are listening to and what you are doing with your system. Keep up the good work!

[latheofheaven]

Yep, on all accounts! 👍 BTW, I'm quite SURE you have considered this by now, but with the heavier vinyl, depending on your TT setup, the VTA can really be affected by the 'higher' vinyl. But, I'm sure you know that 😊

[paolomarchetti]

Super interesting as usual!! Thanks man!

[revoxjazz]

The five topics mentioned here are fundamental for those who know, understand and respect the science behind all this, which is Electroacoustics.
I agree with everything you mentioned in the presentation
I have several audio systems, each with its own peculiarities. And I get along well with everyone. It's common to only listen to one or two types of music on each system.
And one of my primary goals remains the combination of equipment - active and passive - in order to have the least amount of noise possible in each of them. Only after that I think of music.
Do you remember Marantz's slogan "Only silence is purer"? I think that's a good principle.
I hope you can continue to do a good job. I already subscribed.

Macedo Pinto
Portugal

[Xylum]

Pops and clicks suck. Spent so much time with my anti static gun. Good video bro.

[adotopp]

Mr. Log I did find this myself in the past - Cassettes can be amazing !

[maximelogier]

Hello,


Regarding the vinyl weight topic: what about the BlueNote 80 vinyl reissues or the Tone Poet series that offers all analog albums on 180g vinyls. Considering the fact of the high quality audio of the records does the vinyl weight have an impact (good or bad) on the sound or is it just a sale argument?


Thanks for this chanel i learn a lot!

[trekjudas]

YES! I'm so glad somebody finally said it! Subwoofers have no place in a stereo system designed for reproducing MUSIC!

[Soldano]

I compared Led Zeppellin II, III and IV in all the possible formats i could find. That includes original vynils, MP3, Streaming, CD, and both the original masters and the 2014 remasters.
The 2014 remasters, which are not analog but 24/96K, sound better in every possible scenario, regardless of the format. That means a 2014 MP3 litterally sounds better than my original Led Zep IV vynils.
I know some purists won't like it or accept it and probably tell me that i have to buy one of the first 50 pressings or invest in an adamantium tonearm, but i have regular access to a showroom of extremely high end gear, and that doesnt change the fact that the mastering has more impact than any combination of dacs, amps, phono stages and take precedence over the format you choose.

[spectralmeat]

I didn't find the heavy weight vinyl sounding any worst than the regular vinyl records, but I do not have 2 copies of the same album on heavy and on regular vinyl to compare.
A bad pressings/recording will sound craptastic on any thickness of vinyl it was pressed on.
So yes you are totally spot on, recording and mastering is a million times more important than the thickness of the vinyl.

[michaelweinman]

As a rock guitar player, we use tubes to create distortion. These days I am using all solid state amps. Old Peavey's sound 90- 95 percent as good, but much cheaper to buy and operate - old Peavey USA made 1990's amps are durable and cheap.
Never liked Metal cassettes. Faves were TDK SA and Maxell xl2 90 minute. Cheers! from mtw in L.A.

[WMalven]

Good presentation. Other than your minor confusion on tube vs. semi-conductor wattage (a

watt is a watt regardless of the source, but tubes do drive beyond their power ratings, so I understood what you were saying), you're pretty much spot on with everything, so kudos.

[yarsivad.]

When I run out of plates, I use my vinyl. Plastic forks and spoons a must! Learned that the hard way...