What frustrates you the most about your system on any given day?

treitz3

I know we are all pleased with what we hear with regards to our own system. What I am asking is what frustrates you the most about what you are trying to achieve but....you just can't seem to get there.

You try and try. You spend bookos of $$$ to get to where you want to go but dammit! You just don't seem to get there. What have you done to improve your system? What have you done to make your system where you want to be...

....but moving backwards or sideways is where you end up.

This is the thread for moving you to a different place along your audio journey. Let the members here guide you. Some of us (A LOT of us) have been there and done that. Collectively, we may be able to help you out.

Shut up Russ.

This is an open ended discussion to help all. No holds barred.

Tom

audioluvr

Tom, are you seeking out the glass half empty members? Not one here. I try to make the best out of everything and enjoy every moment. It's tough sometimes. With a little training you, too, can be a glass half full kinda guy!

audioluvr

Oh wait I thought of something. This hum from my turntable is driving me crazy.

Rob

treitz3

Are you done?

Tom

audioluvr

treitz3 wrote: »

Are you done?

Tom

Yes sir.

jbreezy5

audioluvr wrote: »

Oh wait I thought of something. This hum from my turntable is driving me crazy.

Rob

I had a hum problem with my turntable, accidentally disconnected the ground wire, and it became dead silent, except for the music. Still running it this way.

I’ve read of people having a hum problem with power cables and removing the ground plug fixed the problem.

YMMV

Dual 721 DD > Arcam A75+ > Acoustic Energy AEGIS EVO III

VR3

Transparency! Always chasing transparency

mhardy6647

jbreezy5 wrote: »

audioluvr wrote: »

Oh wait I thought of something. This hum from my turntable is driving me crazy.

Rob

I had a hum problem with my turntable, accidentally disconnected the ground wire, and it became dead silent, except for the music. Still running it this way.

I’ve read of people having a hum problem with power cables and removing the ground plug fixed the problem.

YMMV

Dual 721 DD > Arcam A75+ > Acoustic Energy AEGIS EVO III

Breaking ground loops is both art and science.

VR3 wrote: »

Transparency! Always chasing transparency

The problem is: when you find it, you can't see it.



(sorry... I'll show myself out, thanks)

erniejade

One of the things that frustrates me on my system...well its me actually. Let me explain.

Sometimes i just want to flat out rock out with lets say Motor head or Maiden or even Santana When I am in that mode, I dont want accuracy, i want kick you in the chest bass and a bit of volume. Sometimes, i want to just sit down and relax and want to chill and listen to every last detail and then get ticked if i left the subwoofer up too high because i forgot to turn it back down from my rock out session.
So far the way i can accomplish this is by turning the sub up and down.

My taste of what I want that day depends on my mood. When the sub is blended while it sounds great doesn't satisfy my rock out that I like. Now this could be just my ears being accustomed being behind 18" subwoofer bins DJ for around 40 years . Maybe if i didn't have that inaccurate chest hitting thump from then I would be finding it way too much now.

Might not be the answer you're looking for but I feel I am some of the cause of my frustration in my system. One day I want accuracy and one I just want what I heard live with that big bloated bass.

VR3

Maybe get a sub that allows presets?

I honestly had the same problem when I owned Tyler acoustics. Biggest love hate relationship ever. To accurate! Shredded recordings that were not perfect. Really changed what I listened to to accompany the speakers. In the end I sold them.

I can say @treitz3 system is much more forgiving than the Tyler system I had so it could have also been electronics associated with said speakers

erniejade

The scanspeak revelator drivers ( all the woofers and midrange) and the scanspeak Beryllium tweeters can be very revealing .

For the rythmik F 12 that i just picked up to replace my velodyne that died, I would need to add dsp in line that would have memory. I really don't want to add more in the chain ya know.

ZLTFUL

For me, "What if" syndrome.

I *know* my systems sound great to me.
I *enjoy* listening to all of them.
But I am always asking "What if...?"

I do know that every time I sit down and press play, I enjoy what I hear.

VR3

erniejade wrote: »

The scanspeak revelator drivers ( all the woofers and midrange) and the scanspeak Beryllium tweeters can be very revealing .

For the rythmik F 12 that i just picked up to replace my velodyne that died, I would need to add dsp in line that would have memory. I really don't want to add more in the chain ya know.

There is only one solution. More subs! When you want more bass, turn them on, when you don't, turn them off!

treitz3

I will say this. In all my years in this hobby, the lowest frequencies are the absolute hardest thing to get right.

When I say right, I mean (beyond the basics) the sub(s) blended with the mains, then the mains and the subs blended to the room. The blending/settings/location(s) of the sub(s) to where it is even across the volume spectrum - I.E. - not enough bass at lower volumes and way too much bass at higher volume levels. Getting no vibrating items in the room when volume levels are maxed out, getting clear, refined lower registers with no bloat, slowness, timing issues, bloom at the bottom and getting the pressure to hit you at the same exact time as the main speakers, etc...

If you change one thing, it may effect 1 or 4 more other aspects. Change something else and now that changes what you tried to correct but has now affected 3 or 4 other things. 1 change affects seemingly every other aspect.

Now, I know someone will want to chime in and say, that's what they make full range speakers for. Let me tell you right now that I have yet to hear a full range speaker that doesn't have the same issues. There is just less that you can adjust to make it right....you are kinda stuck with what the speaker can do. and if they don't blend well to the room? Yo'azziz SOL. They also are not "full range" IMO. I've yet to hear a full range speaker that could not be enhanced by a proper sub setup....well, maybe the ones pictured below don't need a sub...



I was lucky enough to have a girlfriend back in the day who's father had a set of these in his huge basement with probably 100K (at the time) worth of front end gear. This was back in '86 or so. This is the only system I have ever heard where I would say that a sub couldn't enhance the listening experience. Of course, then again, when you think about it? That system does have "subs". It's just a sub array that is meant to flank the outer rears of the mains. Regardless, that was a fun system to listen too.

So, I can understand and I know all too well how frustrating the lower registers can be. Honestly, once I make an adjustment (seemingly no matter how small), it can literally take me 3-4 months of almost constant adjustments to get the bass just right again on all parameters. I have even posted here before about how a simple power cord change out can bring me back to the starting line. Yup, I have to dial it all back in again.

Mine are currently dialed in and I am not planning on moving or adjusting a THING for quite some time. It's nice to get to where you want to be at and simply enjoy the music, no matter what you throw at the system. That makes all of the frustration and hard work worth it (to me, at least).

Tom

VR3

I'm coming to your house and we are moving stuff!!

treitz3

I can say @treitz3 system is much more forgiving than the Tyler system I had so it could have also been electronics associated with said speakers

Well, you had a big hand in that (Thanks again and kudos to you sir for that BTW!). The fact remains that Brian is right.

Sometimes i just want to flat out rock out with lets say Motor head or Maiden or even Santana When I am in that mode, I dont want accuracy, i want kick you in the chest bass and a bit of volume. Sometimes, i want to just sit down and relax and want to chill and listen to every last detail and then get ticked if i left the subwoofer up too high because i forgot to turn it back down from my rock out session.

But I will say this. As my audio journey has progressed, I have learned that it's not so much the sub that's making you frustrated. It's the recording(s). You were just using the sub as an "EQ", if you will.

I can now listen to Metallica as if it were a reference CD, while at the same time? Some of my cherished albums/tracks over the decades of listening now sound muddled....or shall I say, not up to par anymore.

The difference was/is that as you move along in your audio journey and your rig gets more powerful, more accurate, more musical, more detailed and the sound stage is beyond what you ever thought possible? Some of your favorite recordings change.

I blame this on distortion. While most of us (me included) despise distortion (in whatever form it presents itself), distortion is, or can be, very helpful for certain recordings. It's what we grew up with. It's what we are used too. Especially with (as Brian mentioned) Motorhead, Iron Maiden and the like.

Case in point. I am sure some of us loved Cerwin Vega's or other "very sloppy" speakers back in the day before we knew any better. The first time someone went from a CV to a (for instance) a lower end Polk speaker or maybe even a really nice and well respected speaker? They were probably like, "Where is the bass?"

If they went from a CV to a Magico? Instant hate from the Magico. No bass whatsoever.....BUT

There is the same bass, just refined. Well, as you progress from your teen years and your rig develops/grows/improves over the years or decades, your tastes and experiences change. Admittedly, sometimes I still prefer the distortion I heard as a teenie bopper with my Scott amplifier, LP player and Klipsch Heresey speakers (back when they were somewhat new).

So, move forward to today in my own personal audio journey (which I am having a freakin' BLAST with BTW)....

It boils down to the recording. That's my biggest gripe or frustration with my system.

Tom

jbreezy5

The space limitations and layout of my room(s) create major challenges to proper speaker set-up; and no, I haven’t overcome them; and no, I don’t expect to be able to.

It’s not that I can’t get satisfying sound, but I’ve experienced properly set-up systems and the soundstaging/imaging really suffers in small spaces.

It may be a psycho-acoustic trick, but I enjoy experiencing it. Thankfully, I prize tonality, transparency, and texture over the virtual stage, but that would be the cherry on top.

BlueFox

The major thing that frustrates me is the heat generated by my amps. I think I need to move to Alaska so I can enjoy my stereo all year.

treitz3

I never really thought about this much but I definitely can concur with you on this one, Bud.

Tom

nooshinjohn

BlueFox wrote: »

The major thing that frustrates me is the heat generated by my amps. I think I need to move to Alaska so I can enjoy my stereo all year.

You have been banned from Alaska because your gear will melt the permafrost and endanger glacial ice sheets and polar bears.

VR3

Being an audiophile in the summer is a struggle. Definite first world problems

TroyD

My frustration is time.

I just don’t have enough of it. So much music to listen to....not enough time. Not enough time to hang out with you clowns.

I don’t get TOO wrapped around the axle about my rigs....some days they sound better than others, for whatever reason. That being said, I’m long past the neurotic obsessiveness of chasing sonic perfection and just into listening and enjoying music....on the HiFi. The gear is cool but it only exists to play the music....

nooshinjohn

Same problem here... not enough time, which is why I have been on a down-sizing kick since the beginning of the year, while trying to hold onto the highest level of performance I can have.

tophatjohnny

Life is good God is Great!

Toolfan66

I agree on time, that is my biggest frustration, I am actually pretty happy with my gear at the moment, I plan on adding a network audio streamer by the end of the year, and have plans on a couple upgrades after that..

TroyD

It amazes me how many people are insecure about their gear......that other rigs sound better.....or maybe my amp isn’t good enough or if I upgraded this or that...

Look, I switch out gear because I enjoy it....and I used to have those insecurities.....F1’s rig is my yardstick....but, man, don’t ever let it stop you from digging the music. Just put on a record, drop the stylus and let it eat...

Toolfan66

TroyD wrote: »

It amazes me how many people are insecure about their gear......that other rigs sound better.....or maybe my amp isn’t good enough or if I upgraded this or that...

Look, I switch out gear because I enjoy it....and I used to have those insecurities.....F1’s rig is my yardstick....but, man, don’t ever let it stop you from digging the music. Just put on a record, drop the stylus and let it eat...

I had them at one time as well, I actually got tired of chasing the dragon, and just enjoyed what I had for awhile, and just studied certain gear till I got the bug to change things again, and that still took me a couple years to pull the trigger, sometimes I can be a tightwad and not want to let go of my money.. LOL..

I would love to get my ears on Jesse’s rig..

VR3

@butterbean

You have to change your approach to the hobby. I would love to buy new gear but the cost to performance ratio is so low doing it that way just makes it impossible. You can spend the same money on fully depreciated used gear and be in a position where the gear is worth the same or more than what you paid. This makes owning this gear and this hobby much better for me. I don't like working hard to spend my money on something that literally loses half its value in 2 or 3 years.

This also allows you to try many different pieces of gear with minimal loss of funds and sometimes even make a few dollars along the way.

This hobby should be fun and no one likes burning money. Purchase responsibly and don't be afraid to try great if the price is right. I have purchased, traded, acquired hundreds of different components over the year and I keep nothing I am not using. I don't even have spare interconnects.

About a decade ago I sold everything and started over, no regrets. 6 years ago I started back up and have slowly worked to where I am. It has been a very fun journey and my money invested by purchasing intelligently and selling intelligently has made the amount invested no where close to msrp.

Milito

I'm pretty happy with my setup now. I may have some small upgrades in the future, but probably nothing major. Much better setup than I had several years ago.

My biggest problem is my hearing as it's not what it was 5-6 years ago. I just hope it doesn't get much worst than it is now in the future.

TroyD

Sid is the example of how to do it right.....

treitz3

Sid is the example of how to do it right.....

True that and the advice he offered here is golden. I have been asked (or the discussion came up) about how many "new" components we each had in our systems. I believe I only have two things currently in my rig that was purchased brand new. Those were the dual Rythmik F-25's that flank the mains and the Empire stand that the components sit on.

There is only one thing I actually paid retail for and that was the Empire stand. Well, "technically", I paid retail for the subs but Brian did give me free shipping and drop service, since I was hosting them at an audio event that he shipped them too.

Like trey stated, "I don't like working hard to spend my money on something that literally loses half its value in 2 or 3 years." While I may fail on this with some of the physical music I purchase? Many of those purchases increase in value 10 fold or more, which more than makes up for the losses....but I digress. None of that music will ever be for sale, as I plan on giving all of it to my son when I pass from this big, blue globe but with that said, if he ever chooses to sell it? He'd have a really good chunk of Benjamin's to do with what he pleases.

Tom