I have been a reader for many years and a,so consider myself an audiophile. I have the new Paradigm 95s, new natural sound Yamaha amp and CD player with a Rega 6 turntable. Reading the review of the 95s in the latest issue reminded me just how subjective speakers really are. To me the bottom line is that I really like the way they sound with either a Coltrane CD or Coleman Hawkins vinyl.
In an age of numbers and headlines I really don't put too much weight into the reviews here as they are usually with components that are way out of my price range. The high prices of most components scares people as they believe if it costs a lot it must be good. When I worked in consumer electronics we conducted a test at the consumer electronics show. We put together two systems, one costing $20,000 and one costing $150,000. We then asked audiophiles to listen to various music without knowing which system was being played. To our surprise the less expensive system was rated better in blind listening but when the listeners were made aware of which system was being played they chose the better system.
Stereophile would be better served to have more real life reviews without the bloat played through affordable components as related to the price of the piece being reviewed. 99% of us think that 6 figure turntables and 5 figure speakers are way beyond our means. There exists a need for better reviews
I have been a reader for many years and a,so consider myself an audiophile. I have the new Paradigm 95s, new natural sound Yamaha amp and CD player with a Rega 6 turntable. Reading the review of the 95s in the latest issue reminded me just how subjective speakers really are. To me the bottom line is that I really like the way they sound with either a Coltrane CD or Coleman Hawkins vinyl.
In an age of numbers and headlines I really don't put too much weight into the reviews here as they are usually with components that are way out of my price range. The high prices of most components scares people as they believe if it costs a lot it must be good. When I worked in consumer electronics we conducted a test at the consumer electronics show. We put together two systems, one costing $20,000 and one costing $150,000. We then asked audiophiles to listen to various music without knowing which system was being played. To our surprise the less expensive system was rated better in blind listening but when the listeners were made aware of which system was being played they chose the better system.
Stereophile would be better served to have more real life reviews without the bloat played through affordable components as related to the price of the piece being reviewed. 99% of us think that 6 figure turntables and 5 figure speakers are way beyond our means. There exists a need for better reviews