Audio Sucks - I have two great systems in two locations and I can't enjoy them .. *

Oh yeah ...... forgot that bit, kind of important !

 

Fly fishing is a cool hobby for some.

 

PM Steve Hoffman - he went through a similar crisis last year. Great systems (very revealing) and wasn't enjoying the music if I remember correctly.
I wonder how Steve is getting along now?

 

IIEC, I believe he swapped some cables and it tamed the sound.

 

I read this in another thread but if you're unhappy with your gear, unplug everything and use only a boombox for six weeks. After six weeks is up, go back to your equipment and you will probably be over the criticisms.

 

Mullard tubes smooth out a lot of detail, might be a good place to start. My phono pre, where I do my rolling, happens to take 12AX7. I'd say start with a set of Mullard tubes an a set of either Telefunken or EI tubes... they're very different characteristically so you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of making a fairly impactful change rather easily.

Where in CA are you? If you're in the BA or central coast, I know of a place that's absolutely rampant with old tubes.

 

Buy one, listen to it exclusively for a month or so and then go back and see how
you feel about your systems.

 

Changing gear around can be fun and educational. It can also be a confusing nightmare as noted. Enough times around it starts to become clearer, at least for me.

Not every system will disappoint, though all really good systems will disappoint on some recordings from time to time. You can set up a system that renders pretty much anything acceptable, but you will be missing out a great deal on the best recordings. There are balances to be found and compromises to be made based on what you listen to. I've always tried

I too have always shot for a neutral sound, whether SS or tube. I was quite surprised at how neutral the presentation with the E-202 and 3A speakers turned out to be. I was also not expecting the detail and wonderful sound stage. Vintage gear is not all warm fuzzies.

 

I second having your hearing checked. you can start by doing this yourself using a test record that has frequency bands and your headphone system. Check what your hearing range should be for a man your age and if you are off by a lot then go see a doctor.

I know this main sound silly, but do you have a high stress job or other high stress factors in your life? This can greatly effect our enjoyment of music.

Finally you said your Hawaii system suffered from AC noise problems. I live in the NYC area and thus have Con Ed for my power. It is bad power. I have used PS Audio power regeneration products for my power problems. All I can say is they work for me and my c-j tube amps.

 

Ok. Never mind.

 

Get drunk and go surfing.

 

Could be lots of factors at play. Acoustic room treatments can make a huge difference in the enjoyment of your systems. And yes, cables contribute a lot to a systems sonic signature.

But even with my system that absolutely delights me there are evenings when it just doesn't do it for me. Usually I am really tired or emotionally exhausted. Those times I cut it short and watch a movie instead.

If I lived in Hawaii I would go for a walk and take in the sea air.

 

It's sometimes surprising how good units like this can sound. Is it audiophile good? Nope, not even close, but it can be very engaging.

I like the idea of listening to something like this for a while to reset your perspective about your systems. Also, I agree about getting your hearing checked.

 

What is it specifically that you don't like about the sound of your system?

 

℞ = Vintage McIntosh

I'm just saying

 

That sounds rather suicidal! Now a bar and live music...

 

I have over 10 systems set up in various rooms/places in my home as well as my garage, my large work shed, and my vehicles systems. I enjoy them all, from my main most expensive system to my least priced system.

No matter where I am, there is music. I had a nice, vintage JVC boom box in the back yard today playing CD needle drops of my fav jazz LP's while I did yard work. Loved it.

Hell, I had a wonderful time listening to my newly acquired Onkyo C 7030 budget CD player running my budget AKG K301 headphones late tonight. Is that set up class A rated by the sonic Gods? I doubt it. But I still had a wonderful time listening.

If you have a problem with music....well...you have a problem. Get past the hardware and get into listening music.

Unless you really don't like music that much. Then sell it all and move on.

 

Are you sure your problem lies with audio? You sound like a successful person, materially at least, (most people just have one home, and even then they don't always own it). But something is holding you back from enjoying the music. Do you feel the same way about other aspects of your life? That is, having an inability to just enjoy things. This is a symptom of clinical depression, but forgive me if I'm being forward about this.

 

Take up the ukulele. There's something about strumming one, even badly, that is totally relaxing.

 

Thread should be "My Audio Sucks". All audio does not suck.

 

He got some Audionote gear, is wild about the sound.

 

Well...in my case the sound stage shifted about 2 feet to the right. Drove me crazy.

You might want to consider tube equipment.

 

I'm fairly sure a $95,000 amplifier would cheer me right up.

 

I've gone through periods where I didn't want to deal with a system, even though I had good gear. At one point, I was traveling constantly for work, and the last thing I felt like doing when i was home was adjusting VTA, or dealing with tube biasing or the quirks of a high-end system. During that period, I had a big home theatre system and could chill by simply pressing a few remotes and watching a movie with a huge surround system supporting it. Then, at some point, I said, damn, I wanna listen to a record. And next thing you know, I'm back to it.
Do what makes you happy. Endless gear swapping isn't the answer. If you don't feel like dealing with a hi-fi system for a while, that's cool. I've been there. But, my bet is, you come back with a vengeance.

 

Audio reproduction is mostly all about Human Perception.

It is not real, but simply how we all perceive sounds coming from a speaker, in the end.