Hi You sure are right about loud listing volumes causing hearing damage. At age 50 I developed a constant high frequency sound in my ears. My audiologist told me that the frequency of the buzzing I hear is approximately where my hearing drops off. Roughly 11,000 hertz. My advice is to always protect your ears-always.
Yes. Welcome from Yet Another Member of the Tinnitus Club! It's not the way I would wish to be, in my seventieth year, but it sure beats the alternative. I still get to listen to the music that I love, on a system that reveals is wonderfully!
@@christophernoto So sad! : ( From time to time I also have occasional tinnitus from my workplace. Using ear protection at work helps a lot, and also driving with ear protection on the highway. Looks silly, but it's effective! ;
If I would share my experience......and I know the one's of may other passionate people ........I would only repeat with my own words a,nd others with their expression...........what yoy tell us in your video's. I met Jean Hiraga at different moments during the nineties in Paris and I can assure you that this man is unique , smart and has a sense of diplomatic humor...... When you read or listen to his reviews and comment .........you must read and listen to what he says between the lines............;when he taks about musicyou knew the amplifier or other gear does reproduce MUSIC.................when he glorifies the performance of the items..........this item was for the " modern " orientated audiophiles (which he called in french ....idiophiles ) I had my first listening experience with 300B SE thanks to him ( The Legend amplifier in Paris ) also an AD1 amplifier and 2A3.............then I realized why I was still captured since my early years on this earth by the hypnotic musicality and beauty of music of our old radios ( SE) ......even when they were all but high fidelity...........something was missing in modern HIFI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Volume control settings...............you said it well.....; one day i became aware that this was a total missconcept....and the hot spot was not normal !!!! Today , i don't use volume control to find the hotspot or to make reproduced music play louder ot less loud...........but I use volume setting to place myself at a distance of the singer or the orchestra... Even when you are far away from an orchestra or a concert ........you will hear that it is a big band playing.........this goes totally wrong with most of the modern equipment !!!!!!!!!! And finding the wright setting to reproduce the right volume of a hun voice or instrument becomes evident..........not so with high end gear ! Good ( musical ) gear and free ( high sensitivity -or full range high quality speakers ) do have that ability ......and correcting the errors is worse than the error itself... As said Hiraga once to me........." Perfect amplifiers and no measurable distortion ......BUT THEY LACK THE QUALITY OF MUSIC REPRODUCTION " We must thank this man for opening our eyes........our ears ......and opening our heart again to the soul of the music. And thank you for sharing that knowledge to those who search up until today in vain for finding again the beauty and the soul of living music.......instead of the sterilized milk from a living cow that they sell us............no calf drinks sterilized milk ( and dairy products ).........only stupid humans do... Thank you........
Jean Hiraga always has been one of my audio heroes. Bien sûr, idiophiles! : _) Indeed, his writings inspired me quite a bit (lucky me I speak French). I think with these speakers he wanted to bridge the gap, and introduce idiophiles to real music - as an idiophile propre would never listen to an undampened loudspeaker that is not made to play with his high current solid state amp, compromises had to be made. Indeed, I so agree with Maître Hiraga, error correction filters out not just errors, but life itself. ;
@@realworldaudio That's exactly what he does and what he thinks............he's very smart ...and with a taste of humor for those who understand ! :) One day I was talking to him and a guy asked him if the best loudspeaker in the world like the one 's he owned would mary wit Jean Hiraga's amplifier.........I saw the twinkle in the eyes of Jean when he answered to this man by saying simply .....: " Your speakers need 55 watt and my amplifier only is rated for 50 wattt................ " We looked at each other with a smile when the man left ........with a deception he didn't expected. Another time someone complained that an amplifier witch had received a very favorable review from him did have som hum ..............Jean Hiraga replied : " I never wrote that this amplifier didn't have some hum ! "........... He's a real gentleman........and I think you know also the french "revue ) The audiophile .... Have a nice day. .....
@@frankgeeraerts6243 Wisdom, patience, kindness, and the ability to talk to people with their cups already full. :) Stu was just like him. Fortunately, we had a very substantial group of audiophiles who decided to learn from him and accept his advice. For decades Stu made monthly audio clubs when we gathered at his store and listened to him, shared experiences. He highly encouraged to bring our modified or entirely home build devices, share our own findings and ideas, and everyone was welcome to test his own creation in Stu's setups in the small and the big room. These meetings went on into the late night, and at the end we all went to eat out together and had a wondeful dinner to finish the meetings. We had several chefs and restaurant owners in our midst, and these dinners were always very memorable, quite beyond the scope of a regular restaurant experience. I miss those days. No matter what we showed Stu, even if it was a very bad or poorly executed idea he was never harsh, always supportive. He made you feel excited and at peace even when the demo turned out to be a disaster...
The loudness sweet spot, yes ! That’s the usually the biggest surprise for most new listeners to my VOTT A4 system, they cal really play at very LOW volume and still have amassing dynamics! I do most of my listening at very low levels after I got this very very efficient speaker system, I guess I use less than 1W of amp power event at max..
I have 604s. What the reviewer writes about the peak in the midrange 1500 to 2.5k is true. This is an issue that's not easy to forget. The result is we tend to listen to recordings which somehow mask the issue a little. In other words this issue limits your enjoyment because certain records sound annoying and I have a tendency to avoid them and play others that don't sound so annoying. So, despite some theories about why high sensitivity increases enjoyment and the altecs do have strengths, they also have limitations.
Thank you Mark! Before I built my Altec speakers, I was debating whether to go for the 604 or the 515/288 - I chose the 515/288 as there's nobody playing around with them, people are using the VOTT cabinets and not much going on. Nevertheless, I'm still intrigued by the 604. Indeed, the original Altec 604 applications must be great to listen to those recordings that were mastered on them - which is quite a lot of records fortunately. I think their upper midrange hump comes from the woofers properties and the crossover design, and hopefully can be tamed (and I think it could have been avoided if the designers wanted it). I have not tried it yet, so it's conjecture at this point. Luckily there is no such issue with the 515/288. The 604 uses the 515 woofer, but the 288 is a much beefier compression driver than the one in the 604. As a result, it can go down to 500Hz instead of the 1.6kHz x over prevalent in the 604 applications. The 604/515 woofer has a natural rise in efficiency up to 2kHz, I think that's (partially) where the excessive midrange bloom is coming from. As I can get the 288 to go down to 500Hz, I am avoiding the bloom region. So, if you are thinking of a high efficiency speaker like the 604, yet without the midrange hump, the 515/288 will do that.
Yes, modern systems go for show, power, SPL, compact size and convenience, textural resolution. Shortly, in one word, modern systems have a mechanical character that makes you focus on the gear rather than the music. I think there's minimal demand for higher musicality / naturality, people are happy enough with their attention / focus on the gear. However, they don't understand why they get bored with the sound so fast, and try to fix the solution by changing gear, when their real solution is to fix approach....
@@realworldaudio I think Linn from Scotland had the musicality approach but their systems are beyond the reach of most. Even their entry level stuff is costly. I agree that manufacturers need to concentrate on reproducing musicality- the kind that gets me boogying and tapping my feet.
![If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/48PxwspDvrE/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi
You sure are right about loud listing volumes causing hearing damage.
At age 50 I developed a constant high frequency sound in my ears. My audiologist told me that the frequency of the buzzing I hear is approximately where my hearing drops off.
Roughly 11,000 hertz.
My advice is to always protect your ears-always.
I'm sad to hear it : (
Yes. Welcome from Yet Another Member of the Tinnitus Club! It's not the way I would wish to be, in my seventieth year, but it sure beats the alternative. I still get to listen to the music that I love, on a system that reveals is wonderfully!
@@christophernoto So sad! : ( From time to time I also have occasional tinnitus from my workplace. Using ear protection at work helps a lot, and also driving with ear protection on the highway. Looks silly, but it's effective! ;
If I would share my experience......and I know the one's of may other passionate people ........I would only repeat with my own words a,nd others with their expression...........what yoy tell us in your video's.
I met Jean Hiraga at different moments during the nineties in Paris and I can assure you that this man is unique , smart and has a sense of diplomatic humor......
When you read or listen to his reviews and comment .........you must read and listen to what he says between the lines............;when he taks about musicyou knew the amplifier or other gear does reproduce MUSIC.................when he glorifies the performance of the items..........this item was for the " modern " orientated audiophiles (which he called in french ....idiophiles )
I had my first listening experience with 300B SE thanks to him ( The Legend amplifier in Paris ) also an AD1 amplifier and 2A3.............then I realized why I was still captured since my early years on this earth by the hypnotic musicality and beauty of music of our old radios ( SE) ......even when they were all but high fidelity...........something was missing in modern HIFI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Volume control settings...............you said it well.....;
one day i became aware that this was a total missconcept....and the hot spot was not normal !!!!
Today , i don't use volume control to find the hotspot or to make reproduced music play louder ot less loud...........but I use volume setting to place myself at a distance of the singer or the orchestra...
Even when you are far away from an orchestra or a concert ........you will hear that it is a big band playing.........this goes totally wrong with most of the modern equipment !!!!!!!!!!
And finding the wright setting to reproduce the right volume of a hun voice or instrument becomes evident..........not so with high end gear !
Good ( musical ) gear and free ( high sensitivity -or full range high quality speakers ) do have that ability ......and correcting the errors is worse than the error itself...
As said Hiraga once to me........." Perfect amplifiers and no measurable distortion ......BUT THEY LACK THE QUALITY OF MUSIC REPRODUCTION "
We must thank this man for opening our eyes........our ears ......and opening our heart again to the soul of the music.
And thank you for sharing that knowledge to those who search up until today in vain for finding again the beauty and the soul of living music.......instead of the sterilized milk from a living cow that they sell us............no calf drinks sterilized milk ( and dairy products ).........only stupid humans do...
Thank you........
Jean Hiraga always has been one of my audio heroes. Bien sûr, idiophiles! : _) Indeed, his writings inspired me quite a bit (lucky me I speak French). I think with these speakers he wanted to bridge the gap, and introduce idiophiles to real music - as an idiophile propre would never listen to an undampened loudspeaker that is not made to play with his high current solid state amp, compromises had to be made. Indeed, I so agree with Maître Hiraga, error correction filters out not just errors, but life itself. ;
@@realworldaudio
That's exactly what he does and what he thinks............he's very smart ...and with a taste of humor for those who understand ! :)
One day I was talking to him and a guy asked him if the best loudspeaker in the world like the one 's he owned would mary wit Jean Hiraga's amplifier.........I saw the twinkle in the eyes of Jean when he answered to this man by saying simply .....: " Your speakers need 55 watt and my amplifier only is rated for 50 wattt................ "
We looked at each other with a smile when the man left ........with a deception he didn't expected.
Another time someone complained that an amplifier witch had received a very favorable review from him did have som hum ..............Jean Hiraga replied : " I never wrote that this amplifier didn't have some hum ! "...........
He's a real gentleman........and I think you know also the french "revue )
The audiophile ....
Have a nice day.
.....
@@frankgeeraerts6243 Wisdom, patience, kindness, and the ability to talk to people with their cups already full. :) Stu was just like him. Fortunately, we had a very substantial group of audiophiles who decided to learn from him and accept his advice. For decades Stu made monthly audio clubs when we gathered at his store and listened to him, shared experiences. He highly encouraged to bring our modified or entirely home build devices, share our own findings and ideas, and everyone was welcome to test his own creation in Stu's setups in the small and the big room. These meetings went on into the late night, and at the end we all went to eat out together and had a wondeful dinner to finish the meetings. We had several chefs and restaurant owners in our midst, and these dinners were always very memorable, quite beyond the scope of a regular restaurant experience. I miss those days. No matter what we showed Stu, even if it was a very bad or poorly executed idea he was never harsh, always supportive. He made you feel excited and at peace even when the demo turned out to be a disaster...
gorgious themes in all your vids, Janos, ❤
The loudness sweet spot, yes ! That’s the usually the biggest surprise for most new listeners to my VOTT A4 system, they cal really play at very LOW volume and still have amassing dynamics! I do most of my listening at very low levels after I got this very very efficient speaker system, I guess I use less than 1W of amp power event at max..
Indeed, even at 0,1W you are at 99dB with the A4! :) Most of your listening is done at the microwatt scale, and the loud bits in the milliwatt range;
I have 604s. What the reviewer writes about the peak in the midrange 1500 to 2.5k is true. This is an issue that's not easy to forget. The result is we tend to listen to recordings which somehow mask the issue a little. In other words this issue limits your enjoyment because certain records sound annoying and I have a tendency to avoid them and play others that don't sound so annoying. So, despite some theories about why high sensitivity increases enjoyment and the altecs do have strengths, they also have limitations.
Thank you Mark! Before I built my Altec speakers, I was debating whether to go for the 604 or the 515/288 - I chose the 515/288 as there's nobody playing around with them, people are using the VOTT cabinets and not much going on. Nevertheless, I'm still intrigued by the 604. Indeed, the original Altec 604 applications must be great to listen to those recordings that were mastered on them - which is quite a lot of records fortunately. I think their upper midrange hump comes from the woofers properties and the crossover design, and hopefully can be tamed (and I think it could have been avoided if the designers wanted it).
I have not tried it yet, so it's conjecture at this point. Luckily there is no such issue with the 515/288. The 604 uses the 515 woofer, but the 288 is a much beefier compression driver than the one in the 604. As a result, it can go down to 500Hz instead of the 1.6kHz x over prevalent in the 604 applications. The 604/515 woofer has a natural rise in efficiency up to 2kHz, I think that's (partially) where the excessive midrange bloom is coming from. As I can get the 288 to go down to 500Hz, I am avoiding the bloom region. So, if you are thinking of a high efficiency speaker like the 604, yet without the midrange hump, the 515/288 will do that.
I like your accent!
So basically, modern systems are clinical and basically less musical and there needs to be a move to more musicality?
Yes, modern systems go for show, power, SPL, compact size and convenience, textural resolution.
Shortly, in one word, modern systems have a mechanical character that makes you focus on the gear rather than the music. I think there's minimal demand for higher musicality / naturality, people are happy enough with their attention / focus on the gear. However, they don't understand why they get bored with the sound so fast, and try to fix the solution by changing gear, when their real solution is to fix approach....
@@realworldaudio I think Linn from Scotland had the musicality approach but their systems are beyond the reach of most. Even their entry level stuff is costly.
I agree that manufacturers need to concentrate on reproducing musicality- the kind that gets me boogying and tapping my feet.