jabusch@uiucdcsb.Uiuc.ARPA (07/02/85)
Don't you just love the notes that go something to the tune of: "HI out there! I am looking for advice on buying a battery for my Sony Walkman. In case it matters, my home system includes: 1) Infinity RS-2 speakers 2) Carver Magnetic Field Power Amp 3) 200 feet of Monster Cable 4) Revox B-77 Open Reel Deck 5) Aiwa xxxx Cassette Deck 6) Denon xxxx Turntable w/ 7) Grace F9 cartridge 8) Carver Holographic Preamp 9) NAD xxxx Tuner " I'd like to know just what this has to do with anything, other than showing off what the owner has. Since when does it matter what turntable you have when looking for a tape deck, or what amount of power your amp puts out when you're looking for a new cartridge? I could see it if the equipment made a difference or if it had to be matched (amp-to-speaker power consumption, etc.) Just another silly question, I guess. John Jabusch
johnston@uiucdcsb.Uiuc.ARPA (07/02/85)
By the way, just in case it matters, John's system consists of...
knf@druxo.UUCP (FricklasK) (07/07/85)
The reason we include descriptions of uor systems when asking a question is
simple-- it is not worth buying a Levinson power amp to go with a pair of
Bose 301's. It is important when suggesting stereo gear to know what else
the person has, or you can't give a suggestion that's realistic. As a former
stereo salesman, I always asked what else a person has before suggesting any
equipment. And one person's conception of "low-cost" or "mid-priced" can
vary drastically from another's.
'`'`'`'
ken
'`'`'`'jabusch@uiucdcsb.Uiuc.ARPA (07/09/85)
I can understand the need to specify the price range which the equipment should be kept within. However, telling the net that you have all of "..." equipment does not necessarily tell how much you tend to spend on equipment. There are a lot of price-concious people out there who still could not tell you what a B&O 8000 receiver cost two years ago when someone bought it, or how much the middle range Polk speakers cost 4 years ago. Therefore, if you want suggestions for, say, "middle- range" equipment, you should define what price range means "middle-range" to you. I have also worked in this field in the recent past, yet if I wanted to buy a $400-$500 CD, that's what I would ask for, not a "middle- range" CD player to go with "blah, blah, blah...". Giving a listing of equipment that you have is also not that accurate in that how do we know whether you got the equipment on a demo sale at a more reasonable price than that which it may have cost, or did you perhaps get it through mail-order? No personal slurs intended here, but it is fact that you can very often find good equipment at very reduced prices through channels outside the neighborhood stereo shop. If you did do that, it is highly probable that someone could over-estimate the amount of money that you spent and point you toward equipment that you cannot afford, thereby doing you no good at all. John Jabusch
knf@druxo.UUCP (FricklasK) (07/09/85)
I don't care if someone got his ML1 for $3000 or $300, if a person can't afford equipment as good as what he's got, he should wait until he can afford it to buy. It's not price range that makes the difference in audio, its the sound! And that sound is based on what equipment he's got, NOT WHAT HE PAID FOR IT!!! '`'`' Ken '``'` ---Sorry, I get the least bit excited about these things---
jabusch@uiucdcsb.Uiuc.ARPA (07/13/85)
I agree somewhat. If you really read my base note, you would have seen that I did point out the necessity to list equipment when it is necessary for good matching. In fact, I used the power amp- to-speaker relationship as an example! But, it is not always necessary to list everything else. If you desire a new amp, the speakers you have are your most important consideration. Your preamp is very necessary when getting a turntable and cartridge. A CD is not a good idea when you own an Emerson all-in-one boom box. However, price range is usually very important to consumers, and therefore you cannot discount it as unimportant. If someone got a whole system at a very heavily discounted price, but now wants to add something, if the appropriate device is far beyond anything they can afford for the next twenty years, they should look around at different options which are more affordable, if they truly feel the new addition is necessary. Your contention is that if they cannot afford the equipment then forget it completely. This is reasonable advice, as long as there is no alternate equipment that might fill their needs. This is seldom the case, however. Just because you have certain brand names these days that cost tremendous amounts of money and carry certain amounts of prestige does not necessarily mean that there is no suitable addition that is more common that will live up to the same demands, minus the prestigious name. Witness the NAD line. The NAD 3020 integrated amp, which only cost $220 dollars, was rated by a reviewers a few years back as being equivalent in performance to preamps from other sources that cost up to $1000. The whole point here is that a budget is most important in audio equipment purchases. Do you own RS1's? Obviously, if you don't, then either you consider them inferior to the rest of your equipment, or else you cannot afford them. Does the fact that you can't afford them mean that you should do without speakers? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!! WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT YOU HAVE TO SET YOUR SIGHTS A LITTLE LOWER, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS YOU CAN AFFORD THEM!!!! UNTIL THEN, YOU GET THE BEST EQUIPMENT THAT YOU CAN BUY THAT STAYS WITHIN YOUR BUDGET!!!! SO, THE NEXT REASONABLE THING TO DO IS TO ASK AROUND FOR ADVICE ON EQUIPMENT THAT FITS WITHIN THAT BUDGET, WHILE SUPPLYING INFORMATION ON THAT EQUIPMENT YOU ALREADY OWN WHICH WILL HAVE DIRECT EFFECTS ON THE SOON-TO-BE-PURCHASED EQUIPMENT !!!!! OTHER EQUIPMENT THAT DOES NOT EFFECT THE NEW EQUIPMENT IS NOT IMPORTANT, SINCE YOU WANT TO GET THE BEST, ANYWAY. Again, if buying speakers, the amp is necessary information. But most necessary is the amount of money that can be spent, since this is the limiting factor in lots of cases. There is no reason that all of that money has to be spent if something cheaper exists which is superior or more closely matches your requirements. There is also no reason not to buy the best affordable, unless you have a reason to make the tradeoff. Howver, the whole reason for this note string in the first place is that your cassette deck is not pertinent information for purchase of your CD. What is pertinent is your budget and your preamp, possibly amp and speakers. My experience with people's stereo systems is that, unless the per- son is losing his/her hearing for some reason or other, such as age or job conditions, that person will gradually become dissatisfied with most of their equipment after a given period of time. Then, there is generally a desire to buy new equipment with yet higher fidelity. So, if a person can afford something now, they should buy the best affordable so as to avoid the reasons for replacing that equipment for as long as possible. Until then, if the desire is great enough, who is to say that they should not put up with something they can afford, except that person him/herself? Objective advice is important, not dictation. The wise buyer will get all advice and then weigh it carefully when looking at equipment. Above all else, the buyer should attempt to listen to a system as close to their own as possible with the new equipment installed, preferrably in their own home for a day or two, if the dealer permits. John Jabusch
knf@druxo.UUCP (FricklasK) (07/15/85)
Ok, ok -- here's my philosophy:
1) Always improve your system-- never buy a component that is worse
than what you always have, as that will hinder you from improving
other components later.
2) When advising, always suggest something that is equivalent or slightly
higher quality than what a person already has (requiring a knowledge of
what they have). If a person has $1000 speakers, he may think he needs
a $1000 turntable, when a $250 or $350 one will do fine.
3) If you can't afford something that won't create a downgrade in quality
of your system, either wait until you can afford it or buy something
CHEAP to tide you over (watch the stereo classifieds in the paper, for
example) until you can afford it, so you won't have spent so much money
that it puts off your decision to buy something that IS as good as what
you have.
4) There are ALWAYS deals to be had. Don't assume that because a component
costs $1000 that a person is going to pay that much for it. Be on the
lookout for a deal, and BE AWARE of what a deal is. This requires know-
ledge of stuff BETTER than what you have.
Ken Fricklas
P.S. I also like NAD (and Proton) equipment.ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (07/15/85)
> 1) Always improve your system-- never buy a component that is worse > than what you always have, as that will hinder you from improving > other components later. This, of course, presupposes that it is possible to tell which of two components of different types, such as a tuner and a turntable, is "worse." Sometimes you can; more often it's not easy.
jabusch@uiucdcsb.Uiuc.ARPA (07/16/85)
That's more reasonable. I still don't see what Walkman batteries have to do with a home stereo, but I guess there are people who will always insist... John W. Jabusch