The futility of giving audio advice
Posted by: Chayro on 14 April 2007
I recall auditioning a very nice pair of speakers with an amplifier that was just barely adequate to drive them at moderate levels. They sounded very nice, but they were a bit boomy. Not too bad, but it was noticeable. My dealer suggested I try a certain brand of bi-wire jumpers, just to see what would happen. I was totally amazed at the improvement. It was as if I upgraded my entire system. The bass was under control and the vocals were natural and sweet. I took everything home and within a very short span of time, encouraged everyone I could find to buy these jumpers, promising the same miraculous results I had achieved. Of course, I performed several A/B comparisons with the stock brass plates, and each time, I confirmed the fact that these $300 jumpers were a substantial improvement. No doubt in my mind. I also performed a few A/B’s with a cheap $60 pair of jumpers made of a heavy copper wire and the expensive ones won every time.
Time passed and I decided to upgrade my electronics to a much more expensive preamp/amp combo, the amplifier being significantly more robust than its predecessor. I was very happy with the system, but having an urge to tinker, I removed the remarkable jumpers and inserted the stock metal plates that came with the speakers, expecting the system to become unlistenable. Much to my surprise, there wasn’t much of a difference. Perhaps the bass was a bit tighter and the vocals more present, but I couldn’t be sure. For the most part, the previously miraculous jumpers yielded a very minimal improvement, if any. I certainly would not have purchased them, had I auditioned the speakers with my new amplifier the first time around.
More time passed, and for reasons I have since forgotten, I changed the speakers to smaller standmounts, which fit into my room a bit better. They sounded quite good with the stock brass plates, but after a lengthy break-in, I decided to try my $60 jumpers and found they yielded a substantial improvement. The bass was fuller, but not boomy, and the vocals had a very lifelike quality. To my surprise, the expensive jumpers sounded terrible on this system. They made the speakers sound reedy and thin. Had I heard these jumpers for the first time on this system, I would have pronounced them a total rip-off, and that the $60 jumpers were superior to the $300 ones.
My belabored point is – no one component makes music. An amplifier has no sound until it is preceded by a source and preamp and followed by a speaker. Only a complete system can make a sound, and a component can only be evaluated within the context of a system, not to mention the room. I think it’s something we should all remember before we quickly dismiss someone’s opinion whose view differs from our own, of course with the quasi-witty insult at the end. I guess I’ve done that myself – but I don’t do it anymore. Live and learn.
Time passed and I decided to upgrade my electronics to a much more expensive preamp/amp combo, the amplifier being significantly more robust than its predecessor. I was very happy with the system, but having an urge to tinker, I removed the remarkable jumpers and inserted the stock metal plates that came with the speakers, expecting the system to become unlistenable. Much to my surprise, there wasn’t much of a difference. Perhaps the bass was a bit tighter and the vocals more present, but I couldn’t be sure. For the most part, the previously miraculous jumpers yielded a very minimal improvement, if any. I certainly would not have purchased them, had I auditioned the speakers with my new amplifier the first time around.
More time passed, and for reasons I have since forgotten, I changed the speakers to smaller standmounts, which fit into my room a bit better. They sounded quite good with the stock brass plates, but after a lengthy break-in, I decided to try my $60 jumpers and found they yielded a substantial improvement. The bass was fuller, but not boomy, and the vocals had a very lifelike quality. To my surprise, the expensive jumpers sounded terrible on this system. They made the speakers sound reedy and thin. Had I heard these jumpers for the first time on this system, I would have pronounced them a total rip-off, and that the $60 jumpers were superior to the $300 ones.
My belabored point is – no one component makes music. An amplifier has no sound until it is preceded by a source and preamp and followed by a speaker. Only a complete system can make a sound, and a component can only be evaluated within the context of a system, not to mention the room. I think it’s something we should all remember before we quickly dismiss someone’s opinion whose view differs from our own, of course with the quasi-witty insult at the end. I guess I’ve done that myself – but I don’t do it anymore. Live and learn.