Thanks for the kind words, Wayne. I value your feedback and positive attitude that sets a lot of the tone on this forum. The posting disappeared for a bit when I performed some edits. I agree on the XLRs, particularly the way I have my system setup. Running 30' RCAs is not advisable for anything other than LFE from what I have read. The Monoprice cables, despite being very low cost, appear to be very well constructed. Regarding the Triton Towers, I feel that the T2s and T1s are both excellent speakers. Having auditioned both, I can honestly say that if I already owned the T2s, I doubt I would bother to upgrade. Now, starting out new, that's another matter.

Art, I couldn't agree more. There is a lot of over priced gear in this hobby. The thought of someone paying more for speaker cables than I have invested in my entire setup is RIDICULOUS, IMO! There is also a lot of snobbery in the pursuit of audio nirvana. Many affluent audiophiles look down their noses at both Emotiva and even GET. It brings to mind the recent commercials centered around the idea of being stupid rich...

Anyways, I am fiscally conservative when it comes to my money. I'm not into paying for brand names to impress others. If it doesn't make a sound difference, it doesn't make sense. Monoprice cables are a perfect example. I have compared mid-priced AudioQuest RCAs to the premium RCAs offered by Monoprice. I couldn't hear the difference. So, the AudioQuest cables went back to the dealer. I did listen to some Nordost cables at the dealer in a direct comparison to the AudioQuest cables and they did sound better. Bottom line for me, I'm willing to spend a few hundred dollars here and there on things that make a difference but I would never, and I mean never, spend $30,000 on speaker cables.



Thanks for the feedback, gentlemen.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Great topic and discussion. I forgot to check back in after my posts on page 1. I don't disagree that great recordings are a pleasure but the flip side of that coin is I refuse to become that audiophile stereotype that listens to stuff I don't really love because its an audiophile recording. My signature on another forum is:

A music lover listens to music with his system.
An audiophile listens to his system with music.

imahawki wrote:

Well said. Not to go completely off-topic, but in my case I do both. I listen to music with my system and listen to the system with music. I love the Grateful Dead, but only a small percentage of there recordings are audiophile grade. Regardless, I listen to everything and have a rather large collection so trust me, everything extends well beyond "Disks Picks" and commercially available material. In th case of listening to music for the sake of the system, I imagine everyone does this to some extent, especially if the system is worthy of it. I would never listen to something I completely dislike, however.

From The Old Guy,

Yep - I agree that we all listen to our system while we listen to music. If we were not interested in what our systems sound like, we would probably not be on this forum.

One of the reasons I continue to participate is that I enjoy reading what other folks say about their systems and their likes and dislikes. I suspect that my musical tastes (classical, traditional jazz, folk, and popular songs from the 1920s through mostly the 1940s) run counter to the preferences of many, if not most, of the folks who regularly post and, because of my preferences, I probably have different listening priorities than many of you.

I do have certain favorite CDs for "listening to my system". I use these recordings to evaluate the results of changes I make. However, a number of my favorite "musical" CDs are reissues of original analog recordings. I return to these CDs regularly just to enjoy the beauty of the performances - not to evaluate my system. But, I can also say my GE Tritons and SuperSats have added significantly to the pleasure of listening to all of my recordings.

So, keep the dialogue going and I'll keep reading and, occasionally poking my ears into the mix.

Happy listening to all,

Art

Imahawki, sorry about the loss to the Spartans. I was really hoping they would pull it out. It was a great game. In the end, the Hawkeyes just need a little more offense. What a great season, though! Like GDHAL, I use my system for both. Great recordings can do two things: help you tweak your system AND introduce you to great new music! When I branch out of my normal listening habits and buy great recordings, I am often introduced to and appreciate new music. That is a fantastic thing!

Art, you're not old, just wiser than most. I appreciate your feedback, experiments, electrical expertise, and tireless enthusiasm for all things audio. Like Anthem, you have an amazing collection of CDs! Curious if you find the recording quality of older material is generally lower quality and if that carries over to vinyl or if one is better than the other. I'm interested in adding a turntable to my setup and would appreciate your insight.

I have some vacation time to use over the next couple of weeks and will be posting some more listening impressions. I've added some Vibrapods and Vibracones to my new CD player. The noise from my player seems reduced and the sound is a little less grainy or more smooth. I'm not sure if it's objective or subjective(maybe both), but things are sounding great. Even bad recordings are more musical. Even if it's placebo, the small investment is worth it.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Hey Guys,
Thanks for all your input. Great to have your voices here.
I like what all of you have posted, and I agree.
Sometimes, in order to evaluate a change in my system, I need to play music that I know well to evaluate whether or not I improved the system. And one CD I use for this is one I hate, "Three Blind Mice" some Japanese Jazz group, horrible music and pretty badly recorded. But is it closely recorded and IF I can get this disc to sound even reasonably "listenable" on my system then I consider that an improvement.
But once my system is dialed in, got it where I want it, then I am no audiophile, I just enjoy the music and movies.
Happy Listening,
God Bless,
Wayne