greg@olivej.UUCP (Greg Paley) (10/02/84)
A recent posting mentioned $45,000 speakers, saying that they were of "no interest" to the author. I find that a large number of people think this way and avoid exposure to equipment (as well as food, wine, and cars) above a particular price range. When I was selecting components (and when I continue to upgrade what I have) I find that listening carefully to the top-of-the-line components I can't afford helps me tremendously to select among those I can afford. What it comes down to is that, for me at least, being exposed to the good is what makes me recognize the bad. I find that by hearing the depth, clarity and resolution of such speakers as the Magneplanar Tympani IV, the Infinity RSI (no dealers in my area display the IRS), the Apogee, and others which are outside of my price range, I've learned to recognize those qualities which provide me with long-term musical satisfaction and allow me to hear through the equipment to the musical interpretation. I'm not stupid enough to expect to duplicate these at a quarter of the price, but I find I can take the knowledge I've gained from hearing these components and apply it to finding those components within my price range that preserve as much and as many as possible of those qualities. Some people would claim that this is getting hung up on listening to equipment rather than the music. The opposite is true, since it is the colorations and inaccuracy of inferior equipment that I find hampers listening to music. Often vital aspects of musical interpretation, the delicate nuances and shadings of Janet Baker's singing of Berlioz and Schubert, the range of color Pollini displays in his playing of Beethoven and Chopin, and the special glow of the horns in the Vienna Philharmonic, which don't lose their quality even when playing fortissimo in Wagner, depend on high quality equipment to be made sufficiently audible that they can make their effect. One problem, I think, is the typical "high end" dealer whose pompous attitude can cloak a lack of real knowledge and who, therefore, retreats into the worst sort of mysticism to hide his ignorance. Don't let these types intimidate you. Don't indicate a particular price range when you walk in, and don't hesitate to go in and listen to the best he has even when you have no money and no intention of buying whatsoever (although you needn't tell the dealer that). Most importantly, don't let anyone (like me) tell you what to hear or not to hear. Salesmen are wonderful at concocting verbal arguments that should convince you that the sounds you find ear-lacerating are actually perfect by all specifications. Likewise, many can be great at telling you that the sounds that you'd like to hear, but which are missing from a particular component, are things you really shouldn't want to hear. - Greg Paley