What is Taboo to You?

[Early B.]

I'm no audio expert, but a few things make me wanna scratch my balls and smell my finger. For instance, when I see a very nice setup with a glaring weak link in the chain -- usually the source.

One day I was reading through a nice web site where a guy designs, builds, and sells his own line of speakers. I won't mention the website, but the speakers were very impressive until I saw a picture of his listening room where he voices his speakers. My jaw dropped when he listed a $300 DVD player as his source. I've even been to an audio shop in Atlanta where the sources were $50 Radio Shack DVD players.

The other thing that puzzles me is when $5 speaker cables are used on $5,000 speakers.

What is taboo to you?

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

My Dad's entire system.

[george daniel]

doing Anything to an amp with the power ON :o

[JoshParsons84]

Tuesday!

[JoshParsons84]

Girls screwing animals! LOL!

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

doing Anything to an amp with the power ON :o

I have a feeling a story is behind that one.

One that must be told... :)

[george daniel]

I have a feeling a story is behind that one.

One that must be told... :)

All in due time,young man,, all in due time :) those tylers talkin to ya?:D

[janmike]

Sick minded people with totally obscure thoughts. I rest my case!

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

My entire system is currently unhooked - its undergoing an odd phase of where its missing a component (the preamp) and the Shanling direct is more than unexciting, so I would rather it be unplugged. ;)

But it will be back in commission soon as I await my acoustic panels, preamp, and new speaker cables!

[TroyD]

Doro showing up unannounced in nothing but cowboy boots and astroglide.

BDT

[Bill Ayotte]

Girls screwing animals! LOL!

What's wrong with a good donkey show?:p :D

[markmarc]

Bose

[michael_w]

Hey, Kelly can be a horses name too!

[Bill Ayotte]

Haha....It's like a train wreck, I can't look away!

[JoshParsons84]

Figured that might get the group laughing a little bit.

[tonyb]

Taboo???
Hmmm......Rat shack cables on a 3 grand piece of gear
People who don't get speaker placement
Spending 10 g's on a projector and 500. bucks on speaks
Asking the same question over and over
Men in thongs..........

[heiney9]

The dismantling of perfectly good working SDA's to sell the parts because people are to lazy to ship them when they want to sell them.

Making franken-polks. I don't mind if people use left over drivers, etc. to make their own speakers, but altering a perfectly good Polk speaker because one thinks they can do it better really pisses me off, especially if they are SDA's.

H9

[mhardy6647]

when it comes to hi-fi, no taboos.
'specially since there really is such a thing as "synergy". Not just for cables.
I make my own cables from CAT5 and magnet wire and they sound very good.

Marketeers are shrewd, foisting a flawed logic that sounds good at first blush: e.g., "Expensive speakers need expensive cables."; "If you cannot hear the difference between cables, your system's not "revealing" enough (i.e., not good enough)." Ever hear the tale "the emperor's new clothes"?

Listen.
Trust your ears.

[TN_Polk_Lover]

Doro showing up unannounced in nothing but cowboy boots and astroglide.

BDT

hmmmm, brettw22 might enjoy it. You could video them and then show it at the next Polk gathering with the subtitle "Polkfest Mountain" . . .

Robert

[rskarvan]

Anything that remotely resembles an equalizer.

[hearingimpared]

People saying that they want to scratch their balls and smell it because I use a $150 digital front end!:D :p

[riglehart]

Lossy compression. Why do music standards become lower as technology gets better?

[mhardy6647]

Anything that remotely resembles an equalizer.
Oops, I didn't even think of those! Yup. Definitely anathema.

[steveinaz]

Taboo...

A great system with terrible wire management or poor speaker placement.

[tonyb]

People saying that they want to scratch their balls and smell it because I use a $150 digital front end!:D :p

I do that anyway Joe...whats the biggie??:D

[Schwingding]

Taboo to me? Anything sexual involving the "bad place", and I'm not talking about McDonald's.

[fatchowmein]

Spending $$$$ on home theatre equipment; 5 lifetimes spent to configure and tweak; and 2 lifetimes to keep it all dust free only to find the wife watching reruns of CSI on it.

:confused:

[AndyGwis]

I had a guy over to demo a NAD amp I was selling. He's telling me about his HT with LSis all-around and some other things he said made me think he was fairly knowledgeable about audio gear.

Then, in the middle of listening, he starts messing the speaker cables and instead of just asking what the bridged - stereo switch did, he tried flipping it over to mono with everything plugged in and running.

I jumped with a scared-shitless look on my face and turned the whole rig off. Luckily, there was a plastic safety tab to keep it from getting moved over without removing a screw first. . . so THANK YOU NAD for idiot proofing the switch.

That, my friends, is taboo.

[Early B.]

There was a mother and young child in my house a few days ago. When they left, I noticed some oily liquid-type stuff that had dripped on top of my amp.

Another taboo -- the wife pressing every conceivable button and not knowing what the hell she's doing. Arrrgghhhh!

[Music Joe]

Real plants on top of speakers...hell even near the gear.Can that count as one?

A more pending matter has appeared before the man-law radar.
I hereby bring up a point of order for consideration;
Yes we all do it,even those with 2 prostetic arms...the thing of which we do not speak. Yes fellow man-law brothers,"the scratch and sniff".
I propose the new term "the nether-test" did I hear "AYE Brother!" ...or was it

Uhh...mmm..eh,eh,eh,yes,yes,that's the spot :eek::eek: Vicker.

[John K.]

EB, one taboo should be when someone allows themselves to be taken advantage of by the charlatans in the business who've learned how profitable it can be to never underestimate the gullibility of some audiophiles. Mention of the $50 player reminds me of the tongue-in-cheek comments of Dr. Geddes at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (http://www.gedlee.com/downloads/Observations%20and%20Thoughts.pdf) about some reactions he got when displaying his speakers(about $3,200 each)there.

[reeltrouble1]

Anti Hi-Fi Audio Insurgent.

RT1

[steveinaz]

...actually, anything on speakers. Plants, vases, etc. It doesn't matter---keep it off your speakers.

[michael_w]

That reminded me... someone once walked into my room and sat on my monitor 7's and of course they didn't understand why I was freaking out :rolleyes: .

[hearingimpared]

Taboo: so called audiophiles who post other peoples opinions about "Hi-end" rather than posting THEIR experience with the equipment. My aprox. $7000 analog front end kicks the shit out of an old Pioneer stock rack turntable or a $1500 rig. Am I being gulllible or am I using my experience and ears to make my decision? Experience talks . . . others opinions without experience walks and is full of shit!!!

Go away little parrot!!!

[Mother Mooch]

...actually, anything on speakers. Plants, vases, etc. It doesn't matter---keep it off your speakers.

I moved about three weeks ago, My brother-in-law was helping, I looked over to my Monitor 12's to find an open beer bottle sitting on top! I screamed, Please do not set drinks on these speakers (he being a fairly good audiophile himself) says "Why" I tell him, "These are Polks".......... He still didn't get it! :eek:

So, I set a listening date for him... Told him to bring his favorite CD and a drink to his liking! Then maybe i'll get my point across! (as long as i can keep his drink of my Polks! lol...

[mulveling]

EB, one taboo should be when someone allows themselves to be taken advantage of by the charlatans in the business who've learned how profitable it can be to never underestimate the gullibility of some audiophiles. Mention of the $50 player reminds me of the tongue-in-cheek comments of Dr. Geddes at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (http://www.gedlee.com/downloads/Observations%20and%20Thoughts.pdf) about some reactions he got when displaying his speakers(about $3,200 each)there.
He sounds like a pretty bitter man and I disagree with most of what he's saying. Plus, but his own account - his speakers sound dull and uninteresting :D If he can't hear a difference between amps, sources, etc...then perhaps, just maybe - he shouldn't be designing and voicing expensive loudspeakers :p

As for the fears about the demise of high-end audio, it sure seems like the old-guard audiophiles are growing older at a faster rate than yound kids are getting into the hobby - there's just too many other diversions for kids these days and the cost of entry is too high. However there is hope - I believe the explosion of interest in audiophile quality headphones will serve as an excellent stepping stone for young folks into the vast world of hifi audio. Most kids are already using headphones daily...when they get their first pair of decent headphones many will start to wonder and care about high quality sound. Some will take it further to more expensive headphones and dedicated amps...and from there it's just a short hop to traditional 2ch hifi :D The cost of entry for a very good hifi headphone setup is much lower, the configuration is much less involved (don't need good room acoustics), and it's a better fit for kids who have to deal with roomates, etc. I think headphones will begin to play a more vital role in keeping the high-end alive as these kids grow older and turn to 2ch. BTW, the super headphone amplifier manufacturer Singlepower attend the Rocky Mountain Audio fests and feature a large headphone presence...definitely a premonition of things to come...though I suppose GedLee was too busy simmering about consumers walking past his display to take note :D

[PolkThug]

ipods

[rskarvan]

Anything regarding Micah's sock drawer!!!

[TroyD]

EB, one taboo should be when someone allows themselves to be taken advantage of by the charlatans in the business who've learned how profitable it can be to never underestimate the gullibility of some audiophiles. Mention of the $50 player reminds me of the tongue-in-cheek comments of Dr. Geddes at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (http://www.gedlee.com/downloads/Observations%20and%20Thoughts.pdf) about some reactions he got when displaying his speakers(about $3,200 each)there.

John,

Find another hobby. Find another group to annoy.

Please, bring your pile of shit and I'll bring my pile of shit and play them on my speakers and I'll pick your pile of shit out every time. I'll bet you any amount you care to wager.

iPods are NOT taboo. I have a hard enough time rumbling my fat ass down the sidewalks of the neighborhood four days a week with an iPod. I couldn't do it with a cd player, pre, amp and speakers.



BDT

[a_mattison]

John,

Find another hobby. Find another group to annoy.




BDT

Maybe go over to the Corvette forum and tell them that tire compound doesn't matter, or that there isn't any different between a Corvette and a cargo van because they both have V8's or something.

Or that anybody who thinks a Vette is faster than a Mustang is full of crap because they both run on gasoline. And God is just using g-forces as a marketing ploy to make you spend more money on the Corvette.

[rskarvan]

Ok... the gedlee.com guy has some unusual ideas. I do like some of his ideas about psycho-acoustics.

Example: A $3000 speaker cable probably has a bit more stable cap./inductance properties than a $40 speaker cable. The difference is probably even measureable on an oscilliscope.

The question is: can the $3000 cable be picked-out in a double blind study in a statistically significant matter. Or, do the self-appointed audiophiles make a genuine mistake in identifying the best setup?

I am sure that when push comes to shove and the listening study prevails, the industry will get better if we focus more on the psycho-acoustic measurement than the marketing-types.

However, many speaker manufaturers instead (my favorite Thiel included) spend a good amount of craftsmenship dollars getting the wood veneer just right because that too pleases the audiophile.

Here is an old joke:
Two high-dollar male attorneys are at a bar with their wives. The first couple spots a mistress making-out with the second attorney while his wife is in the bathroom. The wife of the first attorney if furious that the 2nd attorney would do that to his wife. All of a sudden, a really good looking chick in a tight/short dress walks up and soul-kisses the first attorney right in front of wife #1. The wife is furious. How could you do this to me (etc)? I'm going to leave you. Then attorney #1 responds: you'll lose the condo in Hawaii, the Villa in Spain, and the Ski Cottage in Aspen if you do. Wife # 1 thinks for a moment and then responds... "Well... I like our mistress better than theirs".

[hearingimpared]

ipods

Praise the Lord we agree on something!!!:D :p

[cfrizz]

Troy,...WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!:D :D :D :D

God my sides ache!:D

John,

Find another hobby. Find another group to annoy.

Please, bring your pile of shit and I'll bring my pile of shit and play them on my speakers and I'll pick your pile of shit out every time. I'll bet you any amount you care to wager.

iPods are NOT taboo. I have a hard enough time rumbling my fat ass down the sidewalks of the neighborhood four days a week with an iPod. I couldn't do it with a cd player, pre, amp and speakers.



BDT

[hearingimpared]

John,

Find another hobby. Find another group to annoy.

Please, bring your pile of shit and I'll bring my pile of shit and play them on my speakers and I'll pick your pile of shit out every time. I'll bet you any amount you care to wager.

iPods are NOT taboo. I have a hard enough time rumbling my fat ass down the sidewalks of the neighborhood four days a week with an iPod. I couldn't do it with a cd player, pre, amp and speakers.



BDT


I wouldn't mind owning your pile of shit!!!!:D :p