shame on the audiophile press to continue to perpetuate the FUD with no evidence of commonsense or journalistic critical thinking abilities; parroting whatever the Industry throws at them.
An excellent take-down of an article on a website that is constantly claiming that “bits are no just bits,” that cables have an effect on audio. Archimago, the author of this take-down, publishes detailed articles about audio hardware with real measurements, not just comments like “the instruments sound closer, more real.”
I used to read the website the FUD article was posted on, but it got too frustrating. It was fun for a while, but the person who runs the site is convinced that cables affect audio quality, in spite of the fact that no measurements show this (except, of course, with defective cables). It’s kind of like fundamentalists trying to prove “through science” that the Earth is 6,000 years old…
But read Archimago’s article; it explains very clearly why these spurious claims are simply wrong.
It’s worth noting that the source article was written by a hi-fi hardware manufacturer, who certainly has a vested interest in convincing people that their truth is the true truth.
Kirk,
I have enjoyed your articles poking fun at these idiots who try to get us to believe they can hear a big difference from using a more expensive cable, and other such stupidity.
However, what I am looking for is some way to make decent buying decisions about audio equipment. For example, I would really like to invest some money in upgrading the speakers in my Thunderbolt Display. If I have x dollars to spend, what should I buy? Wold a DAC be a decent investment if I am spending $240-$500 on speakers. And how can I evaluate speakers? I cannot find a store obviously that has all the speakers I am interested in (or don’t think I can – I live in a Kansas City, so it is not like I am 500 miles from a large city).
And what type of connection is better – wired or bluetooth.
Any posts on this would be greatly appreciated.
Bryan
It’s a very tough question. I’d think in Kansas City, you must have a few decent hi-fi stores where you can try out speakers. When I upgraded my system a few years ago, I was living in a much smaller city, and there was one store where I was able to try out several different speakers. I ended up buying smaller models than what I heard, but when you hear the sound signature of a brand, you can pretty much be sure that their other speakers will sound similar.
I wrote a bit about connecting audio hardware to a computer:
http://www.kirkville.com/the-best-way-to-make-music-played-on-a-computer-sound-great/
Thanks Kirk. I had vaguely remembered your article on making music played on a computer sound great. Bookmarked it.
Thanks again.
Kirk,
I have enjoyed your articles poking fun at these idiots who try to get us to believe they can hear a big difference from using a more expensive cable, and other such stupidity.
However, what I am looking for is some way to make decent buying decisions about audio equipment. For example, I would really like to invest some money in upgrading the speakers in my Thunderbolt Display. If I have x dollars to spend, what should I buy? Wold a DAC be a decent investment if I am spending $240-$500 on speakers. And how can I evaluate speakers? I cannot find a store obviously that has all the speakers I am interested in (or don’t think I can – I live in a Kansas City, so it is not like I am 500 miles from a large city).
And what type of connection is better – wired or bluetooth.
Any posts on this would be greatly appreciated.
Bryan
It’s a very tough question. I’d think in Kansas City, you must have a few decent hi-fi stores where you can try out speakers. When I upgraded my system a few years ago, I was living in a much smaller city, and there was one store where I was able to try out several different speakers. I ended up buying smaller models than what I heard, but when you hear the sound signature of a brand, you can pretty much be sure that their other speakers will sound similar.
I wrote a bit about connecting audio hardware to a computer:
http://www.kirkville.com/the-best-way-to-make-music-played-on-a-computer-sound-great/
Thanks Kirk. I had vaguely remembered your article on making music played on a computer sound great. Bookmarked it.
Thanks again.