Monoprice's new Engineered and Patented Monolith RCA on order

124

Comments

  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    5edrvkmfze30.png

    How he sees himself here.
  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    I take vacations to see my friends......and Ron, too.
  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    edited June 2017
    ZLTFUL wrote: »
    lightman1 wrote: »
    I take vacations to see my friends......and Ron, too.

    Unfortunately, he comes here too...granted, I keep inviting him because he makes me feel much better about myself and my life choices but still...

    :D<3 U 2!!
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    ZLTFUL wrote: »
    lightman1 wrote: »
    I take vacations to see my friends......and Ron, too.

    Unfortunately, he comes here too...granted, I keep inviting him because he makes me feel much better about myself and my life choices but still...

    Do you blame him for getting you sick too :wink:
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,640
    ZLTFUL wrote: »
    lightman1 wrote: »
    I take vacations to see my friends......and Ron, too.

    Unfortunately, he comes here too...granted, I keep inviting him because he makes me feel much better about myself and my life choices but still...

    Do you blame him for getting you sick too :wink:

    Russ drinks too much booze to get sick. All the alcohol kills the germs.

    You on the other hand, drink things like apple juice and Mountain Dew...clearly they have weakend your immune system and caused you to produce super-flu viruses within your sickly body.
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    Advantage...Ryan. Now serving match point......
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Call me crazy, but to me anyway.....a vacation spot is a place you'd normally like to live at permanently. Who leaves a vacation spot, to go somewhere that they perceived to be abused ? Who would do that ?

    Not me.

    Should probably close this puppy up anyway before it goes south even more so.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    edited June 2017
    Rick88 wrote: »
    txcoastal1 wrote: »
    txcoastal1 wrote: »
    Sounds like you found a new home :)

    Not really, that website is just my vacation getaway. It is a place I go to unwind and escape from the bad karma that sometimes goes on incessantly at another audio forum. That forum shall remain nameless, but I'll give you a hint, the first letter in its name is P. We all could use a vacation from time to time, some more than others. I hope you will be able to get away for at least a year or three. You'll be missed but not forgotten, or is it the other way around? :p

    I don't need a vacation from my friends, we have a great time...on the other hand, you sir are trying to stir the pot, and you know it.

    Which is the definition of trolling, so when will he be banned?

    I have you on my ignore list, Rick. And I couldn't care less.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    F1nut wrote: »
    It's a shame that some people will swallow hook, line and sinker what is posted at that anti-audiophile site and deprive themselves of greater fidelity.
    'Zackly.

    The key, of course being that dogmatics (and polemics) deprive one of the joy & excitement of discovery.

    I like to say that reading about hifi is like reading about (I'll put this delicately) romance. It is so, so much better to just try it out instead. I am a big fan of empiricism (although I will admit that I like to know not just the what but also the why.

    E.g., I'd have never gotten interested in single-ended, direct-heated triode amplification had I not had a problem (ahem, a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls) and the opportunity to listen.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,306
    edited June 2017
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    ...reading about hifi is like reading about (I'll put this delicately) romance. It is so, so much better to just try it out instead. I am a big fan of empiricism (although I will admit that I like to know not just the what but also the why.
    hehe, Fifty Shades of Doc Hardy

    Doc, I agree, and, similarly, relate trying to describe a color to someone. You can talk about it 'til the end of time, but until someone sees/learns/experiences that color for him/herself, its true meaning and, perhaps more importantly, its effect, is not properly realized. In audio, I've often felt this way about a lot of the descriptors I've read about when people describe their experiences with their systems, recordings, media and such. I kind of knew what they were meaning, but can recall on several occasions realizing these things for myself - "ohhhh, so thaaat's [clarity/decay/depth/control/etc.]"

    Along the lines of empiricism, I'm of a logic type mind - most of the time, 'cept for when one of my other personalities takes over - I like to know how things work. Much scientific explanation is well beyond my level of comprehension, but it doesn't mean the game's over at that point. That's when I just trust my senses and experience, something, I might add, I recall overhearing senior engineers frustratedly instructing junior ones after running models in software, relying only on the software, not giving proper thought to the process, and coming up with weird results. Does the science actually make sense when compared to practical observation? I can't mathematically calculate the angle and force needed to land a wad of wet paper towel in a waste basket from 15ft (4.572m), but something in me knows how to make that calculation. How? Who knows, but the end result is the same, and I go about the rest of my day.

    Same goes with the speed and accuracy for successfully landing spontaneous throat punches when warranted.
    aubgw2e1ko33.jpg
    I disabled signatures.
  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,640
    edited June 2017
    Great post!

    I enjoy experimenting with new gear, but my main interest is not in the gear itself. I am interested in music and have an emphasis on new music and listening. When I buy new gear, the new gear is not a life sentence and if it disappoints I just replace it and try something else. The Monoprice RCAs of this post are a step up from their other offerings, yet still affordable for most and can be tried to see how they perform.

    :o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o

    I think this is the first actual contributing post with no micro-passive-aggressive tendencies you have made on this forum! And it was actually coherent and well thought out. Either the end times are here or you have turned over a new leaf.

    One can hope it is the latter and not the former.
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    edited June 2017
    ZLTFUL wrote: »
    ZLTFUL wrote: »
    lightman1 wrote: »
    I take vacations to see my friends......and Ron, too.

    Unfortunately, he comes here too...granted, I keep inviting him because he makes me feel much better about myself and my life choices but still...

    Do you blame him for getting you sick too :wink:

    Russ drinks too much booze to get sick. All the alcohol kills the germs.

    You on the other hand, drink things like apple juice and Mountain Dew...clearly they have weakend your immune system and caused you to produce super-flu viruses within your sickly body.

    I thought all the concentrated orange juice and citric acid in Diet MD would bolster my immune system with all that vitamin C :smile:.

    PS I try to augment that by eating lbs of bacon when possible as bacon fixes everything :smile:
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • mrbigbluelight
    mrbigbluelight Posts: 9,197
    edited June 2017
    There's no exact finite figure for pi, but in the real world we use approximations that, generally speaking, get the job done.
    Sometimes it may appear that calculations using pi are not accurate.
    But pi don't lie.
    For example, as seen below, calculations for the "sweet spot" may seem to give inaccurate results.

    ll8jqbmexi4i.jpg

    I wouldn't have thought that the "sweet spot" was up there, but pi don't lie.

    Perhaps some would benefit by becoming more familiar with pi ?

    Sal Palooza
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    F1nut wrote: »
    It's a shame that some people will swallow hook, line and sinker what is posted at that anti-audiophile site and deprive themselves of greater fidelity.
    'Zackly.

    The key, of course being that dogmatics (and polemics) deprive one of the joy & excitement of discovery.

    I like to say that reading about hifi is like reading about (I'll put this delicately) romance. It is so, so much better to just try it out instead. I am a big fan of empiricism (although I will admit that I like to know not just the what but also the why.

    E.g., I'd have never gotten interested in single-ended, direct-heated triode amplification had I not had a problem (ahem, a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls) and the opportunity to listen.

    I enjoy experimenting with new gear, but my main interest is not in the gear itself. I am interested in music and have an emphasis on new music and listening. When I buy new gear, the new gear is not a life sentence and if it disappoints I just replace it and try something else. The Monoprice RCAs of this post are a step up from their other offerings, yet still affordable for most and can be tried to see how they perform.

    Yes. I suspect that applies to most people here. Additionally, many consider the entire stereo to be compromised of gear, and at least for me, that includes cables, power, and vibration control.

    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,704
    BlueFox wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    F1nut wrote: »
    It's a shame that some people will swallow hook, line and sinker what is posted at that anti-audiophile site and deprive themselves of greater fidelity.
    'Zackly.

    The key, of course being that dogmatics (and polemics) deprive one of the joy & excitement of discovery.

    I like to say that reading about hifi is like reading about (I'll put this delicately) romance. It is so, so much better to just try it out instead. I am a big fan of empiricism (although I will admit that I like to know not just the what but also the why.

    E.g., I'd have never gotten interested in single-ended, direct-heated triode amplification had I not had a problem (ahem, a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls) and the opportunity to listen.

    I enjoy experimenting with new gear, but my main interest is not in the gear itself. I am interested in music and have an emphasis on new music and listening. When I buy new gear, the new gear is not a life sentence and if it disappoints I just replace it and try something else. The Monoprice RCAs of this post are a step up from their other offerings, yet still affordable for most and can be tried to see how they perform.

    Yes. I suspect that applies to most people here. Additionally, many consider the entire stereo to be compromised of gear, and at least for me, that includes cables, power, and vibration control.

    Absolutely! As the insightful, but now sadly departed Chuck Smallwood (Madmax) once stated, "Everything matters."
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • voltz
    voltz Posts: 5,384
    Why spend good money of a set of speakers and use gear that doesn't bring out the best in the music. I bought a MC100B tube amp but compared to my Vincent gear it falls short and after 30 minutes i switched back to my Vincent Amplifier.

    Gear matters cause otherwise there is no Synergy and at 1st you might think it sounds good but when you finally hear the difference in comparison you realize just how much you been missing.

    And as Billy Joel once said:
    There's a new band in town, but you can't get the sound
    From a story in a magazine
    2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge

    HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
  • dannylightning
    dannylightning Posts: 233
    edited June 2017
    bottom line is better cables can make a pretty big difference on a good 2 channel stereo system.. but if what ever you have sounds good to you than your doing ok i guess. ill tell you about my recent experience.

    with lower end speakers i find lower end cables sound fine and you can only hear very slight differences between cables.

    when you get some higher end speakers you can hear some very noticable differences between cables.

    i have always heard differences in interconnects but i never thought speaker cable made much if a difference. i decided to get some nice speaker cable to replace my budget speaker cable now that i have some nice speakers again. i plugged them in and though man i hope i did not just waist my money on these. i expected the worst and hit the play button.. i was actually pretty shocked at the difference right away.

    so i would say replacing the weak link in my stereo (speaker cables) my stereo went from sounding very good to sounding great.. bottom line is good cables can make a difference but if you are happy with how your stereo sounds than i guess that is a good thing

    i have a few sets of interconnects, one set is the audquest evergreen.. it cost me about 30 bucks.. to me it sounds almost as good a much more expensive AQ interconnect that i own. the evergreen sounds better than my bluejeans interconnect and i had another more expensive interconnect, cant remember what it was but the evergreen sounded better than that too. if your buying budget interconnects i think the evergreen is the way to go.

    i am not sure how this "ultimate cable" will sound but as long as you are happy with it when you get it that is what matters.

    so i got 20 foot of audio quest type 4 speaker cable off a spool, and if i put my evergreen interconnect on the stereo it sounds really good. vocals sound a little better with the higher end AQ interconnect and i think i hear a little more detail too. for rock and roll music i think the evergreen sounds a little smoother than my other AQ so each one has its trade offs.

    with the mono price speaker wire i was hearing harshness in the highs and my stereo sounded bright and higher pitched vocals could get naisley sounding it was a bit fatiguing to my ear... my other budget speaker cable some of the mids could sound a little extra gritty and i heard less detail.. the highs were not so harsh.. with the AQ speaker cable i do not hear any harshness in the highs or any other unwanted sounds and over all it just sounds better now in a few different ways.

    on my lower end speakers both sets of budget speaker cable sounded pretty good but when i upgraded to better speakers i needed better cables to get the best out of my speakers.

    im not not sure what i did with my old speaker cable, it was not budget cable and im not 100% sure why i replaced it with budget cable.. probably cus it was really old but now i see speaker cable makes a difference too. but back when i had that speaker cable i has a nice set of speakers.. and i never heard any unwanted harshness or anything. finally those speakers wore out.. i replace them with some lower end speakrs and recently got the pol LSi M703 which i really like. especially after upgrading to better speaker cable.

    buying most budget stuff well, probably not the best idea, especial if you have nicer speakers that provide good detail. but the AQ cables i have did not cost me that much but there much better than the other budget stuff i have tried.
    Cambridge Azur 651A
    Polk LSi M703
    Sonos Connect




  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Danny,

    I think your observations pretty much mirror most. Which is why we always say the better your gear, the better your cabling needs to be. Unfortunately many don't put as much weight on cabling as they should, and when their sound doesn't meet their expectations, they usually blame the speakers or other components.

    Kudo's to you for at least trying, hard to replace that smile on your face when you hit play, makes the experience so much more enjoyable.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • tonyb wrote: »
    Danny,

    I think your observations pretty much mirror most. Which is why we always say the better your gear, the better your cabling needs to be. Unfortunately many don't put as much weight on cabling as they should, and when their sound doesn't meet their expectations, they usually blame the speakers or other components.

    Kudo's to you for at least trying, hard to replace that smile on your face when you hit play, makes the experience so much more enjoyable.

    yeah, its definitely worth trying better cables if you can. that speaker cable i got seems very well regarded.. you cant find many people that say anything bad about it which is not normal for audio equipment, especially for cables, after all i read about it i wanted to try it. i can see why people like it so much.. and i would say it still on the budget end of things.. its just not bottom of the barrel budget but its was a big step up in my opinion

    some day maybe ill try some higher end cables but for now im happy with what i got.



    Cambridge Azur 651A
    Polk LSi M703
    Sonos Connect




  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,116
    edited June 2017
    Deleted
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
    Sunfire TGP 5
    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    Did they all cost the same?
  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,042
    A question that I've been pondering........has anyone here with say an over $5G revealing preamp gone back to basic interconnects and Home Depot extension cord speaker wires after having some of the better interconnects and speaker wires? I'm not trying to stir the pot but I can't help but wonder if anyone with great electronics decided that there's no difference in cabling and headed straight back to the basics even if it doesn't match their upscale gear?
  • afterburnt
    afterburnt Posts: 7,892
    @motorstereo, dude you make me look sane.
  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,042
    afterburnt wrote: »
    @motorstereo, dude you make me look sane.

    Indeed my sanity just may be lacking in some areas (this hobby for one) but judging by lack of responses to my question I'm assuming no one has gone back to basic interconnects. No I haven't and wouldn't think of trading my MIT's for BJC's either.
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Not me...don't know anyone who has either. I'm sure someone has. Rare as a Dodo bird, but I'm sure you could find someone.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • motorstereo
    motorstereo Posts: 2,042
    Pretty much what I thought to tonyb. Once you reach a certain point with electronics where you can hear the differences in cables there's no turning back. But it's equally tough as well imo to reach that point ($$$).
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,704
    This is somewhat along the lines of your question. I sold off my office rig at one point including the MIT cables. After awhile I missed having a rig in my office, so I bought some new gear along with some cheaper cables. Well, things were not up to my standards, so I bought a new set of MIT cables. Ahhhhh......musical bliss returned.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk