Stands, electricity, sound quality and a subjectivity
Posted by: Arye_Gur on 02 February 2001
Vuk says that like a child I can't make my own decition and I want an advice from Paul Stephenson about stands.
I want to tell you my story - which I think it is a good one to learn why we all have to be careful when we come to a conclusion about sound and quality.
(BTW - I didn't read any post here chalanging Naim recommendation for interconnects and I don't see the difference to the stands in this manner).
First a therotical thought - let's assume that I visit to Canada in Mike's neighborhood. I enter a dealer who owns Naim equipment and Mana and Hutter stands (or any other stand - you name it).
I want to decide if to buy a Mana or a Hutter.
The dealer - a very proffesional one - sets a system like mine on a Mana and I give it a listening.
Then, the dealer sets the same system on a Hutter. While he does so, a superball game starts and for a reason there is a problem with the electricity. Now I'm listening and the obvious conclusion as I understand what happened to Mike is that Hutter is a failure.
Now, if everyone asks me - I'll tell him to keep away from Hutter.
This is one reason why I think I can trust only Naim if they can recommend a stand - because I can trust only them in knowing the correct environment for a test like this.
When I say so, members here are telling me that even Paul Stephenson is not an objective person about it because of some reasons. I don't like the excuse like "listen to Vuk - he doesn't earn anything, he is objective". True - he is objective but he has limited possibilities to test stands (so I think) - he tested them in different places and different times - how can he be sure about the environment when he listened to a system.
But I must admit that in this case Vuk himself says that his opinion is his and depands in time and location and when he says it by himself, the only outcome of this is that we must try to find - if possible - an objective test about stands.
My personal story -
No matter why, in the last 4 years I moved through 4 appartments.
4 years ago I lived in the same appartment I'm living in now. My system based on an Axix, Mission pcm 7000 cd player, Nait 3 and Rega EL8 speakers.
With this system I moved to a woman's appartnment the woman didn't like to listen to music - so setting the system wasn't exectly as sholud be.
Then I moved to my mother's house (who was very ill and died a year ago).
In this house I'd set the system in a big room which had a big door to abother room - so it was quite a large space.
The first improvement I did there was to buy IBL's.
Naim dealer fixed them to me and it was a great improvement, but the speakers didn't provide a good bass.
Point 1 - if someone was asking me in this point of time about the IBl's I'd said that they are great but are not quite good in the lows.
True ? yes, my truth at the time.
Later, I read in the forum that the IBL's don't work well in large space.
So I moved the system to a smaller room.
Wow!!! Naim forum is great - ask me now, the IBL's are great in the lows too. True ? yes , again my truth.
The next upgrade was to buy a CDi instead of the Mission and a LP12 instead of the Axis - each is a great improvement for itself.
Few month ago I moved again to the appartment I'm living in now (I bought my x-wife part).
I set the system in the way I wanted, I posted the pictures and no one noticed (or maybe it is not interesting) that my system is site when the back of the components are not against the wall
and the 140 and the flatcap are in a separate shelves far from the rest of the system).
A great sound (Shosh argued me a lot about this "not astatic arrangement" but living alone gives you some advantages ...).
In this point of time, Omer gave me his Mana soundframe for a test.
The soundframe was a great device, improved sound
in almost most aspects - and yes, Andrew, I could listen with a lower setting of the volume knob... .
Ask me in this point of time - the soundframe is great - true ? mine truth.
While assembling the Cdi to the Mana, with Omer's help on the phone (he tought me a lot about the siting) I found that there is a problem with one leg of the CDi (not as precise as should be).
I put a paper under this leg.
When I gave back the Mana to Omer, I felt I miss it. At this point of time, the Mana is still great - and still, my truth.
Due to a problem in the electricity at my house (no connected to the stereo) the electrician replaced the main board fuses.
I also sited the CDi as should be on the original
stand with a paper under the short leg.
Wow - the new fuses board made wonders to the sound. Now I remember that in my Mother's house there was a very old fuses board. How could it affect the sound of the IBL's in the big room - now I don't know.
Meantime, I got a shimes to put under the "ill" leg, another improvement in sitting the CDi.
How is the soundframe ? Don't know, the sound now is better than the sound with the Mana with the oldest fuses board and without the shim.
How is the Fuses board in Vuk's house ? In Mr Pig's house ? What else can affect their subjective feeling that Mana is the best?
Maybe Mana is the best and maybe it is not. Anyone of us should know (I think so) that every experience of him is very personal and subjective.
To my mind, if we agree about this, we will be able to argue in more pleasurable language.
Vuk is also claiming against me that I pester
members here.
I can promise you that I don't intend to pester or insult any member here. I realy post my thoghts
and I do it freely with no delay and bad attention.
As I said many times before I'm ready to be criticized by anyone and I take seriously any criticism against me.
Reading the posts here, I still think that I have the knowledge and the ability to post about some subjects in a more objective way than others - and if I'm cynical sometimes, it is only for the fan.
Arie