Nirvana - Are You there yet?

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And ultimately, isn't that what we are all striving for.

Exactly, Rich.

It seems that we have multiple perspectives, as always, which is great. I don't want to get too philosophical here. However, if we don't enjoy what we have we are miserable. If we enjoy what we have blindly, we are not fully aware of what's going on and are fooling our selves. My personal preference is to psychologically let go, not judge, and enjoy what we have when it is appropriate. At other times, be aware of shortcommings and purposefully look to grow and improve. Life is to short too sit in a warm pile of poop thinking it is a bit of heaven.
 
A lottery winner is ecstatic at first and then goes back to normal happiness level in a few months. A paraplegic at first is devastated and then returns to his baseline happiness level also in a matter of months. Human beings adjust to the circumstances for both positive and negative life events.

I made a mistake to visit Brian Walsh's home today and hear some of my music collection on his Soundlabs again. I am not sure if on a daily basis Brian's nirvana is greater than my nirvana, as he may have gotten used to his speakers. But I do know that if I were to get the soundlabs my nirvana would be greater than my nirvana now. I hope I can get back to my level of satisfaction sooner rather than later because right now I have no place to put the Soundlabs even if I could afford them. I think I am only going to listen to my wife's 15 year old boom box for the next 2 weeks so I can again find nirvana with my spires.
 
For those not there yet or still trying to get there, here are 2 relatively cheap ways that get you closer, at least for your digital rig:

Ayre IBE disk - about $20. Play it everyday before you jam.
Ultrabit Platinum cd cleaner fluid - $70 or so for 500 disks. Each application supposed to last 2 years.

Each makes as big a difference as $10K in cables based on my experiences.

Even those at "nirvana" should try this. It will get you to an even bigger "NIRVANA".

David,

Optrix is also quite good, IMHO, as far as a CD cleaner / treatment.
Treat all my discs with this product and it is well worthwhile.

Beware of time representations between applications.

With Optrix, it's much more about number of plays versus time.

GG
 
Lets not forget another angle: relative vs. absolute!

If you've heard your speakers in another setup which was excellent, you'll undoubtedly want to have your speakers produce that same quality of sound. This will involve all the known factors, including acoustic treatments, sources, amplification, and cables, to start the list. This is working toward the ABSOLUTE reference you are trying to duplicate.

However, if you already feel your system is tops relative to other similar systems you've heard, then your journey moving forward is that of continuous improvement--with the expected side- and back-steps this entails to keep you moving forward as you experiment. Since you never really have an absolute reference to what the ideal sound should or could be, it's potentially a never ending quest! However, if you make RELATIVE improvements from where you started, you'll eventually (hopefully) find a point of diminishing returns which will:

a) Cause you to relax and enjoy the summit (pun intended) you've reached, or
b) Frustrate you that you are not able to move past this point.

At this junction, your personality will dictate if you've reached nirvana!
 
...I'm content now, but RMAF is a few short weeks away, so who knows what sort of new toys may engage my sense of desire?...

Tim,

You indirectly bring up a good point. Namely, how on earth are we to evaluate the differences in the gear we're going to sample given that every setup will be completely different? In my case, I'm very interested in listening to some of the current generation DAC's including Ayre's QB-9. But how is Ayre's setup going to give me any basis of comparison to another DAC using totally different electronics and speakers?
 
A lottery winner is ecstatic at first and then goes back to normal happiness level in a few months. A paraplegic at first is devastated and then returns to his baseline happiness level also in a matter of months. Human beings adjust to the circumstances for both positive and negative life events.

I made a mistake to visit Brian Walsh's home today and hear some of my music collection on his Soundlabs again. I am not sure if on a daily basis Brian's nirvana is greater than my nirvana, as he may have gotten used to his speakers. But I do know that if I were to get the soundlabs my nirvana would be greater than my nirvana now. I hope I can get back to my level of satisfaction sooner rather than later because right now I have no place to put the Soundlabs even if I could afford them. I think I am only going to listen to my wife's 15 year old boom box for the next 2 weeks so I can again find nirvana with my spires.

Great post, David.

Out of interest, which Soundlab model has Brian got? And what does he drive them with?
 
This is an endeavour for many lives guys :D

Speaking of audio, my answer would be "pretty close to".
 
David,

Optrix is also quite good, IMHO, as far as a CD cleaner / treatment.
Treat all my discs with this product and it is well worthwhile.

Beware of time representations between applications.

With Optrix, it's much more about number of plays versus time.

GG


Thanks, Gordon. I will give Optrix a try if I can find it.

Best regards,
David
 
Great post, David.

Out of interest, which Soundlab model has Brian got? And what does he drive them with?

Thanks, Justin. The examples of lottery winners and paraplegics are actually based on psychology research, not just my opinions.

Brian owns the U1-PX, which is the latest technology from Sound Lab. The first time I heard them, the system was my Ayre c5, Atmasphere preamp, SS Parasound JC monoblocks. I was really blown away that time because I did not realize a speaker can sound that good.

Yesterday, the system was an AMR cd player/ $20K vinyl setup (Dr. Feckster??? or Kuzma???) , Atmasphere tubed pre, Atmasphere tubed monoblocks @140 wpc, and some killer (according to Brian, since I did not a/b) liquid metal??? cables.

The experience was just as amazing. It has been a few months since my first Soundlab experience. One thing that stood out this time is that the music was much more 3 dimensional -with infinite colors and shades. To me arguing about tubes vs. solid state amps is like arguing about whether peas or broccoli or carrots taste better. I listen and I make a decision based on that - not religious beliefs.

In the case of SL, both sound great. With Logans, I definitely prefer SS because I like the dynamics better due to SS grip on the panel - it's no contest. However, the SL did not seem to suffer reduced macro or micro dynamics with tubes. Brian said I can bring my entire rig over to A/B SS vs. tubes, and so I can get judge the rest of the system within a more familiar context. I probably shouldn't, though, for the sake of Nirvana...but thank God my wife still has that boom box.
 
Relatively often, though I'm getting close to having the CLX's on one end of the room and system two on the opposite end. I'll lose a little bit of image depth, but it will make it easier to review more gear.

The CLX's are top shelf, but lately we have some pretty exciting stuff. The Verity Sarastros were excellent, The new Gamut S-7 ($43k/pair), The YG Anat Reference ($107k/pair) and the Gamut S-9 ($180k/pair), there are plenty of good speakers on the horizon.
 
Nirvana vs Reality

I have very much enjoyed this thread because it touches on alot of the issues that audiophiles think about when they reflect on their present and possibly future systems.
I don't know if the CLX's are the ultimate speaker but I doubt that I will be replacing them any time in the foreseeable future.
My goal in assembling a sound system has been to get to the point where
a. I don't have the urge to turn it off for any reason.
b. Listen to entire selections from start to finish
c. Feel a connection with the artists and myself.
It is not just about "the sound" but the about "the music." I listen to live music as often as I can. I do not expect that my system in my room can recreate that experience exactly. I am happy when it comes close and I can close my eyes and feel the "presence" in my room. I am close to that point now as I have ever been. Maybe a good time to pause and smell the roses.
 
Babydoc - an absolutely wonderful read. I'm happy for you and I believe you summed it up very much the way I would have. I am VERY happy right now just listening to music and in fact am often disappointed when I need to either go to work or go to bed.
 
Hi babydoc,

By any reasonable measure, you clearly have an outstanding system.

Having said that, I totally agree with your a, b, and c reasons for having a hi end system.

I do want to make a comment about b), that being listening to a piece of music from beginning to end and ask others to provide input as appropriate.

It took me many years but I'm finally able to "connect" with the particular piece that is playing within the context of listening to it in its entirety.

Maybe it's because I'm listening more to classical and / or jazz although I still listen to rock (Pink, Dire, etc.) and some cross over techno music (Parov Stelar, Portishead, Sen, etc.). and then there are artists like ani defranco and others who write / record / perform truly original material.

Maybe not.

What I do know is that my system is sufficiently "musical", that IMHO, I don't have the need to switch to something else because it doesn't sound "good".

GG

PS: To underscore what is hopefully the obvious, our systems, regardless of their particular abilities, exist to help us hear the message, that message being an emotional connection to the music.
 
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Interesting concept Bernard.

I really wonder if anyone would read it or have any interest at all.

Gordon
 
Interesting concept Bernard.

I really wonder if anyone would read it or have any interest at all.

Gordon
I for one would read it ! I did a few, but did not get much feedback. I don't think there are too many fans of classical music here, unfortunately, but I don't believe in giving up.
 
So how about doing some reviews. That area seems to have died. Tim (MiTT), my old buddy, promised to do some....and I wait......

I had fully intended to my friend, but after reading the absolutely stunning reviews you did I was too intimidated to proceed. :bowdown:

Gordon brings up a very interesting point when he talks about connecting to the music, and that he has found his tastes migrating to more classical and jazz. I've had a similar journey with an interesting side departure as well. Over the years I too have listened to more and more classical and jazz. I still listen to a wide range of pretty much everything (not much country or hip-hop, but some). When I listen to classical and jazz I find that I more often than not tend to listen to it on vinyl, and that I tend to listen more intently, and that I listen to entire albums rather than single cuts or even album sides.

When I listen to my Sonos system, be it either in my listening room or in other areas of the house both inside and out, I tend to just select either a playlist or just run through my entire library randomly. I find myself doing other things - chatting with the wife, surfing the net, working, etc. I'm certainly still enjoying the music, but it is more of supplement to other activities.

The "goosebump" moments though seem to come only when I am concentrating on the music alone, and it is then that I really appreciate how good my system can sound because it IS conveying that sense of the music to me.
 
Classical music reviews

I had fully intended to my friend, but after reading the absolutely stunning reviews you did I was too intimidated to proceed. :bowdown:

Gordon brings up a very interesting point when he talks about connecting to the music, and that he has found his tastes migrating to more classical and jazz. I've had a similar journey with an interesting side departure as well. Over the years I too have listened to more and more classical and jazz. I still listen to a wide range of pretty much everything (not much country or hip-hop, but some). When I listen to classical and jazz I find that I more often than not tend to listen to it on vinyl, and that I tend to listen more intently, and that I listen to entire albums rather than single cuts or even album sides.

When I listen to my Sonos system, be it either in my listening room or in other areas of the house both inside and out, I tend to just select either a playlist or just run through my entire library randomly. I find myself doing other things - chatting with the wife, surfing the net, working, etc. I'm certainly still enjoying the music, but it is more of supplement to other activities.

The "goosebump" moments though seem to come only when I am concentrating on the music alone, and it is then that I really appreciate how good my system can sound because it IS conveying that sense of the music to me.

If there is enough interest in reading BRIEF reviews of classical music, I would be happy to do some. I have done this professionally in the past. The issue is whether readers would be interested solely in new material (within the last 6 - 12 months) or reviving older recordings that could be of interest to Classical music enthusiasts. This latter point is quite relevant since most of the major labels (Naxos being an exception) are doing a lot of recycling of older performances that have been in the can for 40 to 60 years or more.
Perhaps, Tom D. will allow a new thread category to go up so that interested readers can go directly to that rather than trying to troll through the general main menus.
 
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