A Cheap Audio Man Rant

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Dan Steely, Sep 13, 2021.

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  1. Dan Steely

    Dan Steely Hit Me! Thread Starter

    What are your thoughts about this:

     
  2. Boltman92124

    Boltman92124 Go Padres!!

    Location:
    San Diego
    Pretty funny guy. Couldn't watch all 20 minutes of it though.
     
    CodecCowboy and macster like this.
  3. A Grain of Sand

    A Grain of Sand Forum Resident

    Location:
    Riverside, CA
    I saw some art on that guy’s wall that creeped me out. I checked out in less than a minute.
     
  4. kamchatka

    kamchatka Forum Resident

    Location:
    north america
    I only watched a few bits of it, but he sounds kinda bitter. Seems like a misguided outlook; I'm sure some people would sneer at my audio system, and it does not bother me in the least. The poster above his preamplifier is a bit worrisome, but maybe that's an album cover?
     
    Tim 2 and macster like this.
  5. HIRES_FAN

    HIRES_FAN Forum Resident

    His channel is based on affordable gear reviews for folks who are getting into this hobby. But, he's making quite a few valid points.

    However, i don't agree with his point about not wanting to care about how equipment measures. Good measurements are a sign of good engineering practices/competence and i totally look at measurements.
     
  6. Merrick

    Merrick The return of the Thin White Duke

    Location:
    Portland
    He does seem bitter but let's face it, we all know people in this hobby who have said the things he's railing against in this video. He's arguing against specific things that some audiophiles say or attitudes some audiophiles hold but he doesn't argue that everything sounds the same or that cheap is automatically better than expensive. It's a clickbait title for sure but the content isn't as outrageous as it looks.
     
  7. IllinoisCheesehead

    IllinoisCheesehead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    Most of his arguments are based on a very literal, nit-picky, black and white view of things. The worst kind of person to have a discussion with because they can't see and distinguish subtle (or not so subtle) nuances within the spectrum between black and white.

    He's essentially the Lewis Black of audio.
     
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  8. Agitater

    Agitater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Why do you care about what this nobody has to say? Why does anybody care what he has to say? Is he an expert in anything? I mean anything at all? Does he bring some experience or study or training or respected practice to his rant or to his YouTube channel? Or do SHF members think that just because some random guy starts a YouTube channel that it perforce confers upon him some actual authority?

    He’s just a random guy expressing opinions based on nothing authoritative. There is no reason for you or anyone else to give him even a second of your time. If I want to listen to a non-authoritative opinion on audio, I’ll bring up the subject over lunch with a non-audiophile friend. At least over lunch I’ll listen to the opinion while having a nice meal while spending quality time with a friend. Not bad.

    Too many members of too many audio forums have given light and air to YouTubers of all kinds who have literally nothing of value to add to any of our conversations. It’s hard enough to filter the BS out of established review and opinion sources without also having to sort through the semi-literate babbling of a YouTube stooge whose primary intent is to attract enough views to make a couple of bucks. He acts and sounds like a bit of a fool. Maybe it’s just an act. Or, maybe he really is nothing more than an unskilled, uneducated fool. Can’t say either way. And - either way - I have no time for his sort of click-baiting and ignorant-sounding ranting.

    Neither should you.
     
  9. Ilusndweller

    Ilusndweller S.H.M.F.=>Reely kewl.

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    The first 8 minutes (his first rant) was intro to the obvious, but Ive recorded a concert or two. Didnt make it very far into his second topic.
     
  10. JamieLang

    JamieLang Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    Re: 2:25….I have been there. Vinyl is NOT as its heard in the studio. We HATED getting the vinyl master back. I got to where i didn't bother to listen because it was depressing.

    stopped listening at that. You can LIKE the way you vinyl rig renders audio all you want….like the limitations and how they make masters sound….thats all subjective. That it is the better replication of studio sound is not really.

    stopped listening to anything the guy says at that point.
     
    TeddyB likes this.
  11. Merrick

    Merrick The return of the Thin White Duke

    Location:
    Portland
    You're saying the digital masters more accurately represent the sound as you heard it in the studio?
     
  12. vwestlife

    vwestlife Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    That's what Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson said 35 years ago (at 2:40 in the video):

     
    Old Rusty, AC1 and Dan Steely like this.
  13. Turnaround

    Turnaround Senior Member

    Location:
    -
    This YouTuber's video (one day old) has already generated more views than most of his older videos from the past month. While this guy seems to have some things to say, and isn't just a crazy guy, rants and hate videos always generate more clicks than positive videos. He even put the title of "Audiophiles are full of CRAP!" on his video.

    I find it very sad and demoralizing when YouTubers start going down the rant/hate road. When they find that it attracts clicks and attention to their channel, they can often go down the path of doing more rant/hate videos. This happens with many things: some guitar reviewer gets huge views trashing a bad guitar, and their channel just descends into more videos trashing other bad guitars because it generates clicks and attention. The channel stops being helpful and becomes throwing red meat to the lions. It's like how reality TV shows get popular as they wind up degenerating into people sniping and ranting at each other.
     
    tin ears, Anthrax, 33na3rd and 3 others like this.
  14. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Sounds like the artist intended.

    What people refer to by this is that a rock band like AC/DC intends their music to be able to rock the house down - you should feel the midbass in your chest and it should more or less be able to sound like a rock concert in your house. Something a lot of speakers do not do. Thus, they are not living up to what the artist "likely" intended for their music.

    The KEF LS-50's design weakness is that it is a difficult speaker to drive well due to the way it is designed. Speaker makers do tend to put a label for min-max power but they will downplay a speaker that requires a LOT of power or stability to 2 ohms because the amps dwarf the cost of the speakers.

    And dealers need repeat business because there is a finite number of customers into high-end audio. My dealer here in Hong Kong has carried several brands that have come and gone and a company called Audio Note has stayed for decades. And there is a simple reason - as my dealer notes "Audio Note sells a dream along with their products.

    For example - you go into an audio store that sells say Roksan (as they do) and they sell a couple of amps and cd players and speakers). But these are basically one sale and done customers. You go in and buy the entry-level Roksan amplifier - it's a nice amplifier - but there is very little chance a dealer will ever see that guy again because the model up from it is really no better (may have a little more power) but it basically sounds the same. The dealer makes that sale and that may be the end of the relationship. But a guy buys an entry-level AN amp and sees that they make 9 more above it. They listen and hear the improvement - then they try the DAC or the Speakers or the turntables - that guy comes back in over and over and over for a decade upgrading - the dealer makes 10 sales not 1 sale. Improving on what he already likes! IMO this is an enjoyable way of upgrading - not because the thing sucks but because you want more of what you like.

    Alternative - the other dealer selling the KEF LS-50 and the underpowered amp knows you will come back because the sound is poor and you need a new amp to FIX the problems. So the dealer will take your 50-watt underpowered bright-sounding amplifier and then sell you one of their high-powered bright-sounding amplifiers - sale number 3. Then when it still sucks - he will point to one of his magazines and it will say that XYZ cable is great so you spend $2,000 on a cable to "FIX" the sound you hate. Then he will sell you a highly touted but mediocre and bright sounding oversampling CD player at $2500 that will FIX the problem - only it does not. I'm sorry sir well maybe the LS-50 isn't for you - here - try these B&W speakers - they're great -0 George Lucas uses them in the studio didn't you know - that'll FIX the problem. Who knows this dealer might also make 10 sales out of someone. Although a lot of dealers like this that I used to go to for decades all closed down.

    I agree with him on people commenting on stuff they have not heard or heard well - but it's the internet. A lot of people say a lot of stuff they would not say in person.
     
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  15. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    He has Klipsch floorstanders !:p
     
    BrentB and timind like this.
  16. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    He doesn't know what he's talking about but I think he reflects how most people see this hobby. Seems like a funny guy.
     
    timind likes this.
  17. brockgaw

    brockgaw Forum Resident

    It used to be that if you had an opinion it was because you talked to someone or read something from a library or recognized news service. Now any twit can post whatever they like. I will have to include myself in that statement though I am insulated by the thick protective shield of self-importance. Those who live in glass houses shouldn't change their underwear with the lights on. Carry on.
     
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  18. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Maybe it is a generational thing, but I really don't like watching long videos of people talking. Bores me. I'm much more inclined to read text. I can pore over it, go back and re-read sections where I think I'm confused (or the author is confusing me) and generally get far more out of the written word than a talking head. Granted, something like an interview with [name your favorite artist] is a different thing, and seeing the person speak can be invaluable. But, for technical information, or gear related stuff concerning audio, I generally prefer text.
    If it is comedic in nature, that's a different thing. I watched a Jackie Mason clip that was embedded here in some thread, and though I've seen and heard it many times, including live, it was enjoyable and had me laughing. (How can one continue to laugh at a joke you've heard before? I dunno, but I do. Maybe just another lap around the goldfish bowl?)
     
  19. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    YouTube auto-generates transcripts now. Click on the three dots "..." under the video and select "open transcript".

    The transcripts aren't perfect. But do make it possible to scroll through the text of a 18 minute video like this and see if there is anything interesting and then jump to the timestamp if there is something interesting.

    His channel would be more interesting if he was CheapAudiophileMan instead of CheapAudioMan. I ain't got time or interest in cheap audio. But the budget end of audiophile does interest me.
     
  20. BrentB

    BrentB Urban Angler

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    I agree with most everything he states.
     
  21. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
  22. jmcecil

    jmcecil Analog Jitter

    His first 4 or 5 points are completely, ignorantly dead wrong. He doesn't understand the topics he's mad about in the slightest. His concept of compression and its historical precedent is hysterical. Had to stop before I burst a lung with laughter. Look there is a lot of snake oil and general BS in "audiophile". Even the topics he brings up have their points. Just none based on his take.​
     
    jesterthejedi likes this.
  23. JamieLang

    JamieLang Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    Digital yes. CD….? Questionable. I maintain that CD and vinyl are both lossy—and material (and to some degree personal preference) determines which set of losses you think sounds better.

    once you get to double rate digital or DSD you’re reproducing the analog mixer better without question. Even if you want another layer of analog tape limiting on the 2 track….whenever you want to stop changing the sound, you want studio rez digital.

    I felt like CD was a step forward. It was closer, with a specific predictable loss. I figured it was a step in the right direction__but, the industry decided it was some end game format, which has sort of chapped me a bit ever since.
     
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  24. A Grain of Sand

    A Grain of Sand Forum Resident

    Location:
    Riverside, CA
  25. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    That's a rant I can support. I agree about CD, especially the early CD with the early AD converters and early DA. CD is not, and was not, an end game format. High-res is getting there.
     
    Brudr, jesterthejedi and Atmospheric like this.
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