audiophiles

[Matt Wilson]

I'm thinking of becoming an audiophile, you know - one of those useless cunts* who love to sneer at those with lesser hi fi systems. I invest all of my petty cash (and some I should be spending on more worthwhile endeavors) on CDs, blu rays, SACDs, etc. But I only play them on a blu ray player hooked up to my TV with no speakers! The sound just comes out of my TV. And that's not the worst of it. most of my music is played in my car during my mind-numbingly dull drive to and from work five days a week. About an hour and a half minimum a day. What is it that audiophiles know that I don't? Is there a whole new world to discover, or will I tire of it once I've blown $1000 on speakers and a subwoofer when I could've got one of those $100 sound bars? This interests me: https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-205/ Recommended to me by a Hoffman, no less. Of course, this particular Oppo is no longer made, thus the sign-up list for availability. But after that, what about speakers, a subwoofer, cables, etc? I'm too lazy to research all of this, isn't there a cliffs notes to 5.1 home systems available?




For you, Anna!

[TG]

I’m no expert. I don’t care about dvds or blue rays or whatever. I did have a 5.1 system and took it apart because I didn’t like it for (most) music. I recently put together a vintage system - 80s era Sansui integrated amp, 70s/80s Technics turntable and some Boston Acoustics speakers. The whole thing cost me less than $200 - thrift stores, etc. and it’s the best sounding stereo I’ve had in years.

Doesn’t really answer your question but I thought I’d share.

[Matt Wilson]

Thanks, Tom. I was secretly hoping you'd post something. In fact - I think I started this thread just to see if I could get your attention.

[TG]

It took a while to put together. You find pieces as you find them. The Sansui cost me $25 and I had to thoroughly clean it inside and out. The turntable was $15 and then the cost of a good cartridge and a tune up. The speakers were free but I had to replace the foam around the speakers. It was all a bit of work but as I played some music through the system the first time my wife came into the room totally floored by the clarity of the sound. I thought maybe I was hearing what I wanted to hear but she didn’t know what I was doing and was amazed at the new sounds we were hearing.

[Matt Wilson]

I've heard that name - Boston Acoustics, before. I'm assuming those are good speakers? What would be a decent budget for four speakers and a subwoofer?

[mentalist (slight return)]

Oppo have recently announced that they are stopping the manufacturing of Blu-ray players and headphones. So keep that in mind.

[TG]

I've heard that name - Boston Acoustics, before. I'm assuming those are good speakers? What would be a decent budget for four speakers and a subwoofer?

Like I said - I’m no expert. They sound amazing. As to prices for 5.1 systems - I have absolutely no idea. Sorry.

[Matt Wilson]

Oppo have recently announced that they are stopping the manufacturing of Blu-ray players and headphones. So keep that in mind.

Yeah, I heard. But they will continue to service their products - both with and without warranties.

[fange]

Everyone has their thing, sure. But to be honest, even as a huge music fan i find audiophilia really boring.

[Matt Wilson]

Everyone has their thing, sure. But to be honest, even as a huge music fan i find audiophilia really boring.

Me too, not to mention expensive. But I've got a wild hair up my ass about it today and I want to research it a bit.

For instance, does that Oppo thingy listed above function as a receiver as well? Or do I still need to buy that too?

[TG]

Everyone has their thing, sure. But to be honest, even as a huge music fan i find audiophilia really boring.

Me too, not to mention expensive. But I've got a wild hair up my ass about it today and I want to research it a bit.

For instance, does that Oppo thingy listed above function as a receiver as well? Or do I still need to buy that too?

It says it has a built in headphone amp. That would seem to mean it does not function as a receiver (although I think you meant amplifier and it won’t do that either).

[Matt Wilson]

No, I mean a receiver. That thing you plug everything else in for a home theater experience. Well, I don't want it now if it's just a fancy disc player. Christ, I see how one could easily spend a couple thou on a home system.

[take5_d_shorterer]

"The Quest for Perfect Sound", Edward Rothstein, The New Republic, December 30, 1985

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthrea ... -of-the-LP

[frimley_greener]

You could try an Arcam "Solo" as pictured...I use this in my spare room....top quality cd player,dab/fm radio,plus usb/bluetooth capability.....couple this with say an Arcam mini blink(dac) and you can stream from your 'phone/pc or play native red book cd......all you would need is a pair of speakers: there are some terrific value bookshelf monitors out there.....I reckon you could get whats pictured + speakers pre- loved for around £300.00.

[Matt Wilson]

At this point, I'm looking at an OPPO UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Player, which plays 4k blu ray, SACD, CD, blu ray, DVD-A, pretty much everything, a
Pioneer SP-PK22BS Andrew Jones 5.1 Home Theater Speaker Package for all the speakers and subwoofer, and a Denon AVRS730H 7.2 Channel AV Receiver. Of course I'll still need speaker wire, cables, etc.

Now do I REALLY want to spend all that money?

I'll have to ponder this for a while...

[jimboo]

Two types of audiophiles Matt , one who craves perfect waves on graph readings and separate spurs and isolation platforms or checking and tweaking room dynamics etc. Or the other ones who use their ears. Pop into a hi-fi shop and have a demo.

[KeithPratt]

Yeah, go to a shop with some of your favourite music on the format you will be using and listen first.

Things like room size are important, but you'll get a good idea of what you like when you do this.

In my experience good speakers and how they are positioned make a difference, although not significantly. It all depends on what level of fidelity you want to achieve.

[Darkness_Fish]

Audiophiles are weird people who are only vaguely interested in music at best. They should be shunned and mocked in the street.

[Hugh]

Oppo players function as very good CD players as well as playing bluray and dvd. Generally speaking, a 5.1 cinema system, when used as a music playback system, won't sound nearly as good as a dedicated stereo system at the same price.

[blindlemonjefferson]

You can spend £500 or £50k.

What country are you in? If UK, go to Richer Sounds, get the lay of the land, and cross-reference with What Hi-Fi. If in the US (which is where I am these days) there are a lot of great resources and ways to buy.

have a system I've been assembling slowly for years, that I've sunk about $1000 into. It's built firmly with music in mind, but I run TV sound through it too. The best part of the whole setup is my $35 Chromecast Audio.

I can't tell the difference between my system and something that costs 10x (a lot of it is the dynamics of the space anyway) but I can certainly tell the difference between my TV speakers and my stereo. That step up in quality has significantly improved my enjoyment of my favorite music.