Home audio and classical recording evaluation

[dissily Mordentroge]

Off topic but I have a great fondness for this cartoonist's take on audiophile madness.

[Mandryka]

Yes it is, at least I imagine, that I am able to say something about the recordings as well as about the interpretations. It is one of Naim's middle sized HIFI systems, well scaled for my listening room which measures 13 square meters. So the size of the room definitely puts a limit to how much effect I can let out into it. But to get a larger room is practically impossible and also financially prohibitive for me. And no matter how large one's listening room and HIFI system is, the listening to musical reproduction will always include a large amount of mental abstraction compared to a concert experience and the acoustics in a concert hall or a church.

Ah yes, 13m square is very small, but fine for some speakers. You should try Rogers JR 149s, especially if you can see one in Ebay where they'll let you return if you don't like them, they don't cost much anyway. They were made for close listening, and IMO they are a wonderful speaker.

[Mandryka]

Andrei, re room acoustics, the old studio trick is to make sure that where you have two flat surfaces facing each other, one of them has something to scatter the dispersions. So, in practice in a domestic setting it means that the floor has some sort of rug or carpet near the speakers, and that one of each pair of facing walls has some books or something.

[dissily Mordentroge]

Ah yes, 13m square is very small, but fine for some speakers. You should try Rogers JR 149s, especially if you can see one in Ebay where they'll let you return if you don't like them, they don't cost much anyway. They were made for close listening, and IMO they are a wonderful speaker.

I'll second that but don't try to run them with underpowered valve amps. They were originally sold with a matching sub-woofer which can still be picked up on eBay.
They need solid stands and you should check that the tensioning bolts underneath are tight and the driver surrounds intact.

They're actually a 're-packaged' form of the respected BBC LS 3.5a ( I'm getting too esoteric for Glassical Music Forum)

[Mandryka]

I'll second that but don't try to run them with underpowered valve amps. They were originally sold with a matching sub-woofer which can still be picked up on eBay.
They need solid stands and you should check that the tensioning bolts underneath are tight and the driver surrounds intact.

They're actually a 're-packaged' form of the respected BBC LS 3.5a ( I'm getting too esoteric for Glassical Music Forum)

Touch wood on Monday next week some builders will be working in the room with the Krell. I'll use the opportunity to try the Krell with the 149s.

[dissily Mordentroge]

Touch wood on Monday next week some builders will be working in the room with the Krell. I'll use the opportunity to try the Krell with the 149s.

Your builders are audiophiles or lovers of organ music? If the later you'll need sub-woofers otherwise you'll blow the JR's trying to get there.
Remember, the JR's are based on the Rogers LS3.5a which was designed for close field monitoring in BBC outside broadcast vans.

[aukhawk]

My own opinion is, that a reasonably good system, which allows us to say something more or less definitive about the recording, can be had for less than 1000 Euro's.

I would agree with that. 
My own system cost a lot more (though like Mandryka I bought my 'expensive' power amp 2nd-hand) but if I were starting afresh I could assemble a speaker-based system I'd be completely happy with and which might well be better than what I have now, for under £1000 (Euros not much difference now  ) and using all new components - add £200 for a good pair of heaphones. 
That is assuming files and/or streaming as the source (saving the cost of a CD player).  I still buy some (used) CDs but I just rip them, throw away the case and store the disc and booklet, I don't have a CD player.

Personally I don't think it's necessary to spend anything out of the ordinary on cables - put it this way, I know someone who connects his speakers using orange lawn-mower cable - it certainly 'makes a statement'.

Regarding acoustic room treatment - room correction (hardware or software) inserted in the digital chain is a game-changer and a relatively cheap way to make massive improvements.  I use this black box which does source switching, room correction, DAC and pre-amp all in one.  Admittedly this one's bit outside the budget I outlined above - but it can be done much cheaper.

[prémont]

Personally I don't think it's necessary to spend anything out of the ordinary on cables - put it this way, I know someone who connects his speakers using orange lawn-mower cable - it certainly 'makes a statement'.

What I achieved with better cables was improved sonic solution resulting in a better definition of the stereo soundscape. In this case my former inferior cables was a "weak point" in the system. But everyone may decide for himself, if the improvement justifies the cost as everywhere where HIFI acquisitions are planned.   

[aukhawk]

For my own part, I recently replaced my audiophile speaker cables (that I've used for over 30 years) with cheap standard twin wire - and got a marked improvement that way.

Ah yes, 13m square is very small ...

13 square metres is quite small, but 13m square is HUGE  </pedant> 

[prémont]

For my own part, I recently replaced my audiophile speaker cables (that I've used for over 30 years) with cheap standard twin wire - and got a marked improvement that way.

Sure?

https://www.thomann.de/dk/shure_eac64bk_cable.htm