Any Audiophiles Here?

[trekkeruss]

Reading the boards today...most specifically about waxes...made me think of how much these two hobbies have in common. When LSP's are said to make paint pop, or have depth, warm, etc. Those are the same things said in audiophile discussions. Those who claim to be able to distinguish between different speaker cables have "golden ears." I don't know if there is a like title for those of you with "golden eyes" that can see a difference in waxes.

[hernandez.art13]

I like having an audio system in my car. Have been having woofers in my car since I first started driving at the age of 16. Still do it and probably always will. As far as knowing different speakers, cables, etc... I can't get that precise. I do like a nice clean, crisp not distorted or rattling sound though.

I do however like my music loud and my bass rattling mirrors lol. I just don't "bump" near or where I live and make sure there aren't any that can pull me over. :D

I do play it loud when I'm on the fwy though, but grew out of trying to be loud at intersections a long time ago.

I am planning on getting some Alpines type R or Pioneer Champions and some Eibach's. Not really into driving fast, more slow and low. :)

I used to live here a few years back :coolgleam:

[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0SdyMY-wRU[/video]

[zmcgovern45]

Great comparison. I enjoy my home audio equipment, but it is a budget build as I do not have the "golden ears" that would tempt me to purchase $5,000+ speaker setup lol

[hernandez.art13]

If you tell them "I see swirls in your car"

They'll say :bat: "you see a what again?" :bat:

lol

[hernandez.art13]

Which one would you guys go with Alpine type R or a Pioneer Champion? I do have an Alpine stereo though so could keep it in the family.

Alpine
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvOJGL37t6U]Single alpine type r 12" ripping car apart - YouTube[/video]

Pioneer Champion

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIzKqMgKVOo]12" Pioneer Champion Series Pro - YouTube[/video]

[cheapbutshiny]

Golden ears? Maybe not. I might have bronze ears though. I've been putting aftermarket audio equipment in my cars for a long time though. I love having deep, rich, rattle free music during my drive time. It's a dream of mine to put a hi-fi audio equipment in my car someday but at this point, a high end audio setup would cost more than my car is worth...sooooo...

It really is a good comparison between detailing and high end audio! Hadn't thought about that before.

[JWilliams.RadiantDetail]

Car Audio can get out of control with the spending. I've always been into car audio, but I got a small roadster with literally no trunk room lkast year so I was safe - or so I thought. I can fit a class T amp behind the drivers seat and JL has a thin sub that will fit behind the passenger seat that sounds phenomenal. No I don't have the room for the equipment I use to have, But I'm still figuring out ways to fit more and more into my tiny car.

[trekkeruss]

Great comparison. I enjoy my home audio equipment, but it is a budget build as I do not have the "golden ears" that would tempt me to purchase $5,000+ speaker setup lol

When I was heavily into audio equipment back in the 80's, I would get my gear at Myer Emco here in the D.C. area when they would have their warehouse sales. That's the only way I could afford the high-end gear; when they would clearance out demonstrators and such. My best score was a Kyocera turntable, which I bought for I think $900. It turned out that very few of these turntables were ever manufactured and it is highly desirable on the used market.

[conman1395]

My polish isn't done until I break it down. My headphones aren't ready until I burn them in. LSPs are just like headphones too. Some give you an open soundstage, some closed. A lot of detail products are hyped, use words with a lot of syllables, and are expensive because of advertising and sponsorship costs like Beats and Skullcandy. Some detail products don't bother and are known by the enthusiasts and just work (Collinite or Duragloss) like Shure and AudioTechnica. Yeah, I'm an audiophile.

[kevin_1981]

I completely understand the comparison. I am by no means an audiophile, but I do appreciate a decent sounding car/home audio system - and love to be able to have the power to crank it up at times.

To me, I think Audiophiles are a little wackier - maybe they just have way too much money. I have all of my equipment hooked up using either 8, 12, 14, or 16 gauge wiring, and you do notice a big difference going from 16 down to 12 gauge for higher power applications. But as far as spending $10 on my 20' of OK quality 12gauge vs someone that is willing to spend $5K+ on cabling... thats a hard sell for me.

I also appreciate a nice clean, well taken care of car, but you'll never catch me spending $300 on wax or anything (at least not on a single product ;) )

[Guessless]

$5000 speakers? Forget it, if you want true Aduiophile speakers think 30, 50,80, $100K for a pair or even more.:)

Names like Marantz (except tube amps), Classe, B&O were considered low end of the spectrum in that hobby, others like Jeff Rowland, Mark Levinson, Krell, Audio research, Mcintosh, Wadia, ..... Were considered high end at that time.

I kicked the habit before getting into the game, was looking at a system where the disc player alone was (if I recall correctly) around $13,000 at the time (1995-6) saw the same one on the bay last year for around $200-300. You gotta have real deep pockets and then truly enjoy that hobby to get into it seriously.

I put a high end system in my car, Alpine top of the line CD player plus their high end speakers and Amp but no Sub (Not Ferrari stuff though), but IMHO a car for many reasons wouldn't be the right place for Audiophile grade components.

[trekkeruss]

For a short while, there used to be a boutique audio store in Old Town, Alexandria (here in northern Virginia) called Excalibur. They had all the "Gucci" gear like Krell, Apogee, Oracle. The pièce de résistance was listening to the $100-150K system they had hooked up in the front parlour. Mind you, this was $150K back in the 80's!

[randomevent]

I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I do use what I and many others would consider "choice" hardware for certain listening applications.

For music, I have a pair of Sony MDR-V6's, which many consider to the best bang for buck studio monitor headphones for the past 25+ years. I just want to hear things how they were recorded. For gaming, I use a pair of Astro A40's, also considered by many as the best headset for gaming. And I have a good Bose surround sound system at home (never the best bang for buck, but I really love the ease of use and style factor). So I can at least appreciate trying to hear things in the best manner possible.

Of course this is all subjective, but that's the beauty of it. We can all find new things to try by checking out each other's posts and suggestions.

[kevin_1981]

$5000 speakers? Forget it, if you want true Aduiophile speakers think 30, 50,80, $100K for a pair or even more.:)

Names like Marantz (except tube amps), Classe, B&O were considered low end of the spectrum in that hobby, others like Jeff Rowland, Mark Levinson, Krell, Audio research, Mcintosh, Wadia, ..... Were considered high end at that time.

I kicked the habit before getting into the game, was looking at a system where the disc player alone was (if I recall correctly) around $13,000 at the time (1995-6) saw the same one on the bay last year for around $200-300. You gotta have real deep pockets and then truly enjoy that hobby to get into it seriously.

I put a high end system in my car, Alpine top of the line CD player plus their high end speakers and Amp but no Sub (Not Ferrari stuff though), but IMHO a car for many reasons wouldn't be the right place for Audiophile grade components.

Guess - I was just talking about the cable from the amp to the speakers :)

[Quickstrike32]

Which one would you guys go with Alpine type R or a Pioneer Champion? I do have an Alpine stereo though so could keep it in the family.

Alpine
Single alpine type r 12" ripping car apart - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvOJGL37t6U)

Pioneer Champion

12" Pioneer Champion Series Pro - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIzKqMgKVOo)

I had a 10" Champion in a ported box paired with a Cadence 400 watt mono and it sounded great. The type R is a good sub as well...there are quite a few good budget subs. I like the Dayton RS from Parts Express...