Hello Sonicbeauty,

Indeed I am not an audio reviewer, have never been and have no desire to be one. In fact, I am rather skeptical of professional reviews for a variety reasons, not germane here. I do work with ideas for a living, though and as is betrayed by my elocution, am interested in information, communication and the manner in which ideas are conveyed and transmitted (as well as the provenance apparent and proposed, behind speakers).

Commentary that is pointed invites response, akin to your observation that if one cannot stand the heat, remove oneself from the kitchen. I do not think anyone here is seeking some fact as fact, as might be the case in some court of law. My point is that you make strong assertions as to character and implicitly position your view as insight into the motives of another on the basis of some simple rumination of one's purchases, trials and tribulations in audio.

It is true that this is a public forum but the uptake of content is a choice and the decision to share may nor may not reveal an interior predilection to exhibitionism or flaunting and besides, what is exhibition without the voyeur? Indeed, a conundrum.

To others tracking this thread, sorry for the digression.

classicjazz April 24, 2010 14:47

I am not sure I understand the deal with the ad hominem attacks on Mihalis. Must we use solely a utilitarian criterion to evaluate the interest another person has in his hobby? Perhaps for some, audio possesses intrinsic value and is an outlet for years of work and 100 hour work weeks. The point is we don't know.

With respect to insinuating that Mihalis's posts are a sign of the larger hobby at large, I would beg to differ. I'd ask that you learn a little about logical argument, inference v. deductive reasoning, empirical evidence and the substantive ability to generalize from limited samples. The danger is convincing oneself that one knows everything about a person based on what one reads. Perhaps one knows nothing at all. I personally would pause and take a step back; the object of inquiry is often a reflection of ones own paradigm of analysis and reflects the biases, conscious or not of one's cognitive-emotional framework.

How exactly do we evaluate enjoyment? These things are tied into our cognition, the neural networks that fire the imagination, life experience, personality and a list of other phenomena that constitute our social being. The capacity to express oneself in a particular forum only reveals that the person is engaged with the given issue but says nothing about interests in other areas. I know of people who lead full lives in many arenas of life, from family and friends to profession, service, charity and health. Some have climbed the corporate ladder, others are artists. To live well, whether idly or in full throttle, is the goal.

Take a converse interpretation. Perhaps one finds wonderful self-fulfillment in audio, music and its reproduction. Would we not then say that to have found a path that makes one happy is a good thing? That being committed to one hobby and striving to realize some perfect system (as defined in an Aristotelian way) is actually a certain kind of telos (and one that happily correlates with an existential becoming)?

It is interesting this thing called social existence. What is a life worth? Smiles and memories? There is no need to justify ones life; this is a hobby not a debate on the merits of some or other political economic theory, justice, or system of fair or unfair social distribution.

classicjazz April 22, 2010 19:28

Hello Mihalis,

Greetings from California. I have followed the evolution of your system over time and was curious whether you still use the Accuphase DG38 or DG48 in your new room. I have contemplated adding one to see whether it works with omni speakers.

Also, I find your comments regarding Soulution, Goldmund etc to be interesting. I own both current Goldmund gear as well as Boulder 2000 series gear and I would characterize their quality as on the same level in general but with each possessing different strengths and (slight) weaknesses. I have not heard Soulution gear yet but someone I trust advised me that in fact the Soulution preamp 720 was somewhat more detailed in a technical sense than the Mimesis 22S while at the same time being a touch leaner. He also opined that the 22S conveys a greater sense of musical purity. In this I would agree as the 22S does elicit a stronger emotional response from me when playing the same music as compared with my Boulder 2010.

In response to your comment on Lamm gear, I have owned the M1.1, ML1.1 and then the M1.2R in that order although the speakers changed (the M1.1 and ML1.1 on Wilson Benesch ACT and the M1.2R on MBL 101E). While I am enamored of the Lamm sound, I sense that the sound is a touch on the warm, rough side in terms of tonality and imaging. With my current speakers the M1.2R could not cut it. Ironically, I differ with you with respect to the build quality, specifically the chassis and not the inside. I feel that for the price, the chassis of Lamm gear is too industrial and pedestrian. The heatsinks ring and ping as they heat up and the unit feels tinny. The inside, of course, is excellent.

I wonder if you ever tried the DCS Elgar Plus generation stuff. If so a comparison with Scarlatti would be appreciated. I have owned the Wadia 921/931, Esoteric 3 series stack and now have the Boulder 2020, Playback Designs MPS5 and just sold the Zanden 5000S Signature (and have assorted Esoteric one box players). It is always worthwhile to compare notes with others who have experience with commensurate gear.

Best regards and happy listening. William

classicjazz February 08, 2010 00:00