Hifi/audio myths

musicphil

Prominent Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2017
Messages
1,179
Reaction score
966
Points
369
Location
Stratford Upon Avon
Cables, especially speaker cables the more you spend on them the better your system will sound.
In your opinion are there any myths you know of ?
 
Last edited:
There are some that post on here that say it's a myth that amps make a difference but my experiences tells me otherwise. There have also been a few that claim expensive streamers bring improvements despite going through an offboard DAC. I've always used Squeezboxes and never tried anything more expensive so I'm in no position to argue otherwise but I have no intention of paying good money to find out if they are right.
 
Room Correction doesn't work according to the OP though my real life experience says otherwise
 
The reality here is that what we each hear, feel, or become emotionally attached to is very different and what one person believes is radically different to another (This is still true regardless of any measurements as there are many thing that make up to how we each experience sound that cannot truly be measured. Take listening with friends whilst comparing it against solitary listening. The two are completely different as you can both influence each others opinion even though the sound hasn't changed as just one example).

In my many years in the industry, I've heard pathetic budget speakers (which would struggle to get a single star review) create quite a dynamic sound with sensationally priced cables worth over 10 times the value, yet sound as flat as a pancake when using them bell cable ensuring they barely get that one star review. I've also heard speakers which cost £10k+ sound just as lifeless with very expensive cabling yet when adding ridiculously price cable those speakers had the same effect as the pathetic budget speakers and came to life like I hadn't expected. It's funny that before the ridiculous cabling was added, the expensive cabling sounded fine and it was only when returning the original cables did it become so noticeable that everyone commented in the room (even those who didn't believe cables made a difference)

I believe that pricing shouldn't really come into the equation when people talk about cables as a good cable is a good cable, regardless of cost. One thing that is certain is that every cable (not to mention everything in the chain) is trying not to degrade the information from the amplifier and other sources before you hear as much information as is audibly achievable in your listening room. The only cable I'm a little sceptical about is the mains cables - but I'm a true advocate in clean mains to the electronics where possible from the electric junction box with the hifi having its own ring main

One thing that is certain, if you cannot hear a difference, then you can certainly save yourself some cash whilst laughing at those who do
 
Last edited:
Hifi/audio myths - All DACs sound the same.
 
Here is another myth.....Digital is so much better than analogue
 
another myth.. what hi fi 5 star award winners must be better than less stars or non reviewed products. some people still use it to sell or buy hifi.
 
Almost anything Linn claims about its various turntables.

Mana racks.

What hifi isn’t a daft comic.
 
loads of people still say 'what hifi 5 star' or ' what hifi award winner' in their adverts. loads of people still read their reviews and believe them.. their review if the mission sx and m50 series was unfair on those speakers imo
 
that £1m system might not be as good as a £200k system.. you'll save £800k if you pick carefully and not listen to other's reviews
 
Myth. Source first applies to systems using a digital source.
Reality. Speakers first have applied to the demos / bake-offs I've attended.

Myth. You should spend about as much on you digital source as your amplification as your speakers for best overall results. This myth is a variation on the first one.
 
Found this on YouTube.
 
that £1m system might not be as good as a £200k system.. you'll save £800k if you pick carefully and not listen to other's reviews

I walked into a demo room at a hifi show once and listened to 150 grand system....which yeah sounded great....

Didn't sound 15 times better than the other systems though

.......but it did look the dogs danglies
 
Didn't sound 15 times better than the other systems though
I'm not sure anybody has believed that one for a while.

It's always been the law of diminishing returns.
 
What’s not a myth is that the equipment section of any 2-channel audiophile forum, anywhere in the world, is a snake pit.

Snake pit
Noun: a place characterised by chaos, mutual hostility, or extreme competitiveness
 
Last edited:
That someone else can tell you which source/amp/speakers sounds best to you.

That someone else can tell if you prefer your source connected digitally or by analogue.

That someone else can tell if you prefer speakers single or bi-wired.

And today's real pearl, that someone else can tell if you prefer the Direct setting on your amp.
 
And buying a piece of equipment speakers or amplifier based on measurements, you know it measures great so it must sound fantastic.
Erh nope your ears are the only measurement we should use.
 
Last edited:

how does spending £400-500 in this hi fi rack as an example can make my hi fi sound weighty and give a natural sound.

i can buy a decent well made rack for quarter of the price and my opinion is that i wont be able to tell which rack is used in a blind test.

how does one hi fi rack over another improve detail, precision and sonic warmth?
 
Last edited:
Myth: Underpowering a speaker is as dangerous or more dangerous than giving it too much power.
(This one annoys me because there is some truth to it but people just blurt it out without understanding the complexities, as with most things the devil is in the details.)

Reality:
Take a speaker that is a 2-way/3-way or more with a passive crossover, say for sake of argument its rated power is 100W rms. Connect it to an amp rated at 50wpc, if you push the amp into clipping to get louder sound, the high frequency distortion in the clipped waveform can get past the crossover and fry the tweeter which is probably rated at 10-20w in a 100w speaker. In normal music 95% of the power is in the bass, so a heavily clipped waveform can fry the tweeter easily. There is some truth to the myth. On the other hand, if I take a single driver/woofer rated at 100w and connect it to the same 50wpc amp (no crossover, direct connection) then its pretty much impossible to fry the voice coil with any amount of clipping. The only way the amp could harm the driver is to put out DC at 50w, but any competently designed amp cannot do that.
 

how does spending £400-500 in this hi fi rack as an example can make my hi fi sound weighty and give a natural sound.

i can buy a decent well made rack for quarter of the price and my opinion is that i wont be able to tell which rack is used in a blind test.

how does one hi fi rack over another improve detail, precision and sonic warmth?
.. if you have to ask, then you are unworthy,
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom