Putting Curtains in the Man-Cave

As he placed the trade paperback sized piece of metallic graphite on top of the amplifier, and stepped back ... the bass improved, and the clarity took a jump up.  He then muttered something like a curse word and removed it and stepped back.  Yep.  A bit muddy.  Back it went.  Clarity and defined bass.  He sighed and returned to his listening chair looking somewhat defeated, but not daring to remove the thin brick from the top of the amp.  The subtle improvement proved far too significant to ignore. Debunkers? Welcome to my world. Cognitive dissonance.  Insanity.  It goes by many names, but for a technically minded audiophile, there is a point once where it dawns on you that everything matters, and some things that seem to have an effect on the quality of sound simply makes no sense.  I think a lot of audiophiles can develop coping mechanisms when faced with this.  The simplest thing is to deny the evidence of your senses...

The vinyl LP ... the once and future king? God, I'd love it if the 12" vinyl record would the dominant media once again - or at least be a preferred choice, roughly equal to the various alternatives. And from lots and lots of news reports of the meteoric growth it seems to be experiencing you might conclude that it is simply a matter of time before it reclaims it's usurped throne. Despite the buzz, and the growth, and its currently small slice of the music pie, the LP is likely to be a niche format for awhile.  There are a few things people aren't talking about that explain why.  We call them "Challenges" rather than "Barriers" since it is very possible to overcome them if the popularity growth proves to be solid, not fleeting as many lazy journalists seem to think. Estate Sale of Vinyl - this will be hotly contested by various used record shops. Challenge 1 :  Used Vinyl is becoming harder to come by and is rising in price If you a...

Pure silver stranded wire ... the last inch to sonic nirvana, or hokum ... opinions abound, and all too common is that people don't actually trust their ears ... Cables are some of the most hotly contested and infuriating aspects of our hobby.  You can easily spend the price of a component on a single cable if you aren't careful.  People will have opinions, but sometimes the right cable or cables can and do help maximize the money you spent.  And complicating things is the varying quality and levels of electronics - with, generally, better speakers and electronics benefitting the most from high end cables. A rational discourse about cables of the "Does it/Doesn't it" variety ... The same can be said for speaker placement and room treatments, too, but I think the so-called "debate" over cables is probably the most emotionally charged.  And yes, and the arguments go something like this:   "I tried out XYZ cable, and found the sound ...