A Newb's Cry for Help (trying to build a small system on a budget)

[topspeed]

No one for the most part who even comments on sound quality bothers to refer to what music they're exactly talking about which is a major problem.

Huh? You need to read more. Music preference is asked all the time and you're right, it should be. However, a great speaker should be just as adept at Pink Floyd as Berloiz, don't you agree?

What I'm talking about is talking plain simple English which alot of people here do not seem capable of doing.

Maybe you've been hanging out with the dinosaur rock guys too much and expect Queen's English ? Audio enthusiasts have, for better or for worse, their own lingo. Because music is so emotional, manytimes it is difficult to convey the intention without delving into overwrought and wildly romantic descriptors that have absolutely no relation to what is in technical terms, a bunch of math.

To me if you can get a system you're happy with, why spend thousands of dollars keep trying to make it better and better ad infinitum unless the technology demands it.

There isn't a person alive that would disagree with you on the first part. Who wouldn't want the best possible sound at the lowest possible expenditure? The second part is trickier because you have to understand the psyche of some audiophiles. Many are what I call "gear geeks" who are actually more interested in the cause rather than the effect. These folks buy and sell equipment all the time, always searching for their version of the holy grail of perfect sound reproduction. Of course, this doesn't exist. Different ears, different perceptions, different acoustics et. al conspire to make this goal unobtainable.

So why bother?

It's a hobby, friend. We are all on this board because we like audio. Listening to it, building it, tweaking it, recording it, fawning over it, buying it, selling it, and ranting about it. I'm perfectly content with my rig right now and am convinced that for my preferences, it is the best obtainable for the price.

That said, I'm still going to go buy some ARC tubes someday

BTW, to think that you have golden ears and therefore everyone should like what you like is being pretty presumptuous, don't you think? Also, calling established regulars here "retards" isn't going to help your cause. In fact, such childish slander only slights any useful information you may have and casts serious doubt on your claims. Just a thought...

[hershon]

Good points but I don't agree with you on the Pink Floyd Berloiz point unless a person wants to hear both classical music and rock music. If all I listen to is say rock music then I'd gladly pay less for a system that plays rock great and classical music soso then one that plays them both great. I mainly invest my money on the latest remastered upgrade of 60/70's rock groups and blues stuff then listen to the crap put out today. To be honest, my friends and associates are reasonably articulate people with normal social lives who can express their tastes in plain simple English. As I said, alot of people here can not.

Huh? You need to read more. Music preference is asked all the time and you're right, it should be. However, a great speaker should be just as adept at Pink Floyd as Berloiz, don't you agree?

Maybe you've been hanging out with the dinosaur rock guys too much and expect Queen's English ? Audio enthusiasts have, for better or for worse, their own lingo. Because music is so emotional, manytimes it is difficult to convey the intention without delving into overwrought and wildly romantic descriptors that have absolutely no relation to what is in technical terms, a bunch of math.
There isn't a person alive that would disagree with you on the first part. Who wouldn't want the best possible sound at the lowest possible expenditure? The second part is trickier because you have to understand the psyche of some audiophiles. Many are what I call "gear geeks" who are actually more interested in the cause rather than the effect. These folks buy and sell equipment all the time, always searching for their version of the holy grail of perfect sound reproduction. Of course, this doesn't exist. Different ears, different perceptions, different acoustics et. al conspire to make this goal unobtainable.

So why bother?

It's a hobby, friend. We are all on this board because we like audio. Listening to it, building it, tweaking it, recording it, fawning over it, buying it, selling it, and ranting about it. I'm perfectly content with my rig right now and am convinced that for my preferences, it is the best obtainable for the price.

That said, I'm still going to go buy some ARC tubes someday

[Geoffcin]

Good points but I don't agree with you on the Pink Floyd Berloiz point unless a person wants to hear both classical music and rock music. If all I listen to is say rock music then I'd gladly pay less for a system that plays rock great and classical music soso then one that plays them both great. I mainly invest my money on the latest remastered upgrade of 60/70's rock groups and blues stuff then listen to the crap put out today. To be honest, my friends and associates are reasonably articulate people with normal social lives who can express their tastes in plain simple English. As I said, alot of people here can not.

And I've been slowly replacing my old vinyl with DVD-Audio as they become available. Classic rock can be a revelation with a quality system, and I would strongly DISAGREE that your not going to hear a difference between a lower quality vs. high quality system with rock.

Not enough simple English eh? I've been following this post and IMHO most people posting here have been quite easy to understand, and present very lucid arguments.

I agree wholeheartedly with Topspeed on this;

Cambridge Soundworks is really hard to be in the "bang for buck" category. You also get a 10 year warrantee from a company that's likely to be in business far longer than that. If you want to save even MORE money, then shop from them on EBAY for the returned stuff. Still have the same warrantee @ 40% off of retail!

Orb I know nothing about, but if they are another "lifestyles" clone then I choose to remain ignorant happily.