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Old 07-06-15, 10:14 PM   #2
jeff5may
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA
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When I moved to Kentucky, I was an electronic tech in civilian life, an avionics tech in the navy reserve, and a ham radio operator for fun. I moved here from Colorado. After interviewing around, I took a job at a "pimp my ride" shop mainly due to the sorry wages the local industry was offering. I ended up running the shop for 5 years, securing premium product lines to grow the business and its reputation. I learned more about the consumer electronics industry during that time than I ever wanted to know.

The one unwavering premise that resounds with audio and audiophiles is that everything is subjective. Yes, there is theory to guide you, but what sounds good to one person sounds like crap to the next guy. It just depends on you and your ears.

Toward the end of that gig, Sony came out with the super audio cd. All this bitstream audio and 4k video that you see in the market now was already figured out way back then. The mpeg4 standard had already been designated as the platform that would replace the compact disc audio and DVD video formats.

Within two weeks of each other, our tech and sales staff had classes from Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic that were literally the same as each other. The only difference between all three classes was the product offering sections and the tech tips for troubleshooting said products. All three mandated that "premier" dealers purchase the same hd test equipment, a sencore box. We did.

This major event happened right before the DMCA was enacted. As soon as the manufacturers had the law behind them, two tons of new hd products hit the market. This was before the hdmi standard was agreed upon, so most products used dvi and either toslink or RCA digital audio. Thus began the great divide between the new hd, totally digital experience and the old school, analog signals.

Back then, the cutting edge stuff was class bd and class d in audio. Now, they are way up to class t in amplifier technologies. To me, most of the newer, high efficiency, dsp driven gear all sounds either very sterile or doctored up to not sound lifeless. The only real exception to this is in subwoofer technology. It is actually difficult to color bass notes without getting unwanted harmonics and/or phase distortion that is immediately unpleasant.

As for me, I still like tube amps the best. They just sound like they should, are easy to troubleshoot and repair, and if you want to make them sound exactly how you like, just roll some tubes through the sockets. They are still being manufactured today, and with the mail order internet, you can trade tubes with others to test drive before purchase if you like. Even though technology has advanced and miniaturized everything, speakers and ears have not changed drastically.
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