calibrating the FEP scale
Posted by: Joe Petrik on 10 October 2000
Although some components work together synergistically -- suggesting that FEPs awarded to individual components can be multiplied -- for simplicity we should add individual points to get an overall FEP score.
Ready? Get a pad and pencil out and tally your FEPs...
Source FEPS
· Is your turntable worth more than your speakers? If yes, add 35 points.
· Do you own a record cleaner? If yes, add 25 points.
· Is your turntable placed on a dedicated altar? If yes, add 20 points.
· Do you use fancy anti-static inner sleeves? If yes, add 10 points.
· Does your turntable's platter weigh 50 kg or more? If yes, subtract 25 points.
· Is CD your only source? If yes, subtract 20 points, unless you own a CDS-II.
· Does your turntable have a record clamp? If yes, subtract 10 points.
Electronics FEPs
· Does your preamp have a mono switch? If yes, add 30 points.
· Have you ever accidentally left the preamp in mono but didn't notice for days? If yes, add 20 points.
· Did you paint the front of your 52 silver? If yes, add 10 points.
· Did you chintz out and get the preamp without a phono input? If yes, subtract 50 points.
· Does your preamp weigh 5 pounds and your power amp weigh 500? If yes, subtract 40 points.
· Does your preamp have tubes? If yes, subtract 30 points.
Speaker FEPs
· Do you own any of the following speakers: Kan I, Kan II, Sara, Isobarik, IBL, SBL, DBL, Quad 57s? If so, add 40 points.
· Do you position your speakers for the best overall groove and image (zero points), best groove (add 20 points), or best image (subtract 20 points)?
Lifestyle FEPs
· Do you enjoy air, space and blackness? If yes, subtract 40 points.
· Is it better to have thin but groovy bass (add 20 points) or full but flubby bass (subtract 20 points)?
· Have you ever spent an afternoon adjusting the tracking force for that magic value between 1.95 g and 1.97g? If yes, add 20 points.
· Do you vacuum your cartridge regularly, knowing full well that one day you'll suck the generator right out? If yes, add 15 points.
· Did you try all four positions of the belt and both positions of the mat on your LP12 to determine which sounds best? If yes, add 10 points. (If you ever wondered whether the belt and mat combinations interact and therefore exponentially increase the number of permutations add another 10 points. Add another 10 if you tried all permutations.)
· Do you spend Saturday afternoon at garage sales, looking for 50 cent LPs? If yes, add 10 points.
· Do you own a 45 RMP version of Yello's "Stella"? If yes, add 5 points.
· Do you own a half-speed master of ELP's "Tarkus"? If yes, subtract 40 points.
· Do you buy audiophool LPs for their smooth, silky sound? If yes subtract 35 points.
· Do you use a record clamp? If yes, subtract 20 points.
Of course, I don't have a turntable (yet), so that handicaps me quite a bit. I'll have to add these up again when I do. Oh well. Catch you later!-=> Mike Hanson <=-
Smilies do not a forum make.
can't see why anyone here wouldn't dig blackness.
i confess my fetish for black Tees mugs boxes...or am i not getting something !!
I'm not so flat earth as to forget that I have the Mono switch in. And I will confess I've never vacuumed a cartridge 
No FEP's for Mana, Joe? Brilliant post!
Rico - musichead
oh wow, do I gain an additional 10 pts for additional Naim pre with mono switch? 
Being a self-conscious, impenitent round earther, I bought a valve(!) line(!) preamp without mono switch(!!!), and a separated phono stage. Do I have to subtract 50 for the line stage or, being consciously going separate boxes, am I dispensed?
In this second case, it's 65, which is not bad, if you count that my only FE(ish) component is a CDS.
In the other case, well, I'll have to do something about it (like buying some Simon Yorke TT costing more than my Totems... 
)
Igor from Round Earth (though with an attitude)