My tip: If you are hesitating buying the product you really want compared to another due to price, wait with the purchase and save up some more to get what you really want. It’s more expensive to upgrade at a later stage.
For the cost of trying different equipment, consider it an education leading you to develop your own personal tastes and desires in a system you really want or at least find a high degree of satisfaction with.
My best high fidelity advice is options! Take note of the ubiquitous speakers-A, speakers-B, switch!! New and exciting experiences make life more interesting in the same way that listening to music can make your life seem more exciting and more interesting than it really is, this is the magic of audio worth chasing imo
One of my mistakes early on was when I bought a high impedance tube preamp and tried to use it with my low impedance SS amp. While the 10x rule of thumb was covered , the measurement was at 1khz only. The result was a total lack of bass. Because I had bought the pre used I couldn’t return it. Expensive lesson learned
@HiFiHuff : I am a non-native English speaking, and you find beautiful and, frankly speaking, touching words ( mainly at the last part ) to describe what it is all about. Thank you very much for sharing these your insights.
Thanks for this, From my 50 years of serious listening to music (part 3) mistakes done during the audio journey present major contribution to the fun Who wants to set up goals and aim straight for them?
Popori Acoustics Electrostatic Loudspeakers...they have a USA Dealer here now. The were picked best of show at 2024 Warsaw Audio show and the 2024 Capital Audio Fest show too. Major-Breakthrough for Electrostatic Loudspeakers....😇
thanks for sharing. I agree with most of the points you spoke about what I miss for example if you search for spectacular or relaxed sound. I have a different opinion when it comes to room size and speaker size. bigger speaker = bigger sound but not necessarily boomy more impact if you choose front or backported -or not ported especially or sub etc. when it comes to boomy effects. .
Musical Paradise is my favorite budget/ mid fi company! The MP701 pre amp with vcaps is an unbelievable value! Synergy is key! I think Musical Paradise new Dac might be a pleasant surprise!
Whoa! I have the same preamp with Vcap ODAM's as well! What a great preamp, right? I'm running it with a Nelson Pass Burning Amp 3. It's the heart of my system, i love it. If you aren't doing it now, you need to buy three 6922/12au7 to 6/12SN7 adapters right now! They crush 12au7 and 6922 tubes. 6SN7's are expensive so just flip the heater switch to the 12 volt setting if it's not now and get yourself some much cheaper 12SN7 tubes and you will be blown away. 12 and 6SN7 tubes are identical, they just have a different heater spec. I also have a slew of 5U4G tubes as well. But yeah, what a great preamp!
@@sean_heislerThanks for the tip. I will definitely try it. My tube amp and server are both MP. In my 701 I’m using nos rca tubes. 12au7 and 5U4G. Now I’m stoked to try those tubes with this.
Yes, no reason to use lesser advanced stylus cut. We can go further and say microline, shibata and so on is more important than if one cartridge has boron canteliver but a elliptical stylus and another cartridge has aluminum tube canteliver but a advanced stylus shape..😊 Always go with the advanced stylus shape and not get confused with but the other cartridge has...😮 One thing those advanced line contact stylus has. Is that they need a little bit more knowledge and attention to set up.😅 But that is a part of the hobby. 😂
I believe that a dealer that's been in the business for over 20 years should be able to help...actually it is tye best place for advice as they have heard alot of products and know what goes with what. Sadly there are alot of Internet companies today and alot of uneducated advice. Dealers are more expensive because we have to pay rent, staff, insurances, stock. But we do have leeway in pricing, especially in the Highend. Also, we give the support that a normal shop or Internet store doesn't
This was a very enjoyable presentation. I like your style. The background music was perfect and also at an appropriate volume. My ideal audio system is a full sized verrical system from the 1980s, with every conceivable component: tape, CD, equalizer, tuner, turntable. Something like a Sony or Marantz. OTOH, I like the idea of horizontal placement of components on a nice, low, Scandinavian sideboard. This would allow for a tube amp. Choices, choices. Either way, this won't cost more than a couple of thousand dollars. I have no need for anything more.
I've been assembling and experimenting with all sorts of drivers, cross overs and amp modules. Haven't spent as much as one of your mid fi systems yet but heading there. You are right... When embarking on a quest it is vital to have a clear idea of the intended destination. Without that you won't have a sense of direction and may not even realise that you have arrived. One of the problems i have encountered is that each improved component reveals the weaknesses in other components. Especially audio files. MP3 and Spotify sound so inferior. I'm having to buy CDs that I ripped and gave away years ago. FLAC seems excellent. I bought a couple of HiRes albums online, but the massive dynamic range requires constant volume tweeking. Haven't gone back to vinyl yet. But it could happen.
Love your vidoes they are always amazing! I am slowly moving intro this world myself. And so far some of my dream dream speakers is the Fleetwood DeVille SQ loudspeakers, and if I ever in my life get the chance mabey the Avantgarde Acoustic UNO SD iTRON Active speakers haha. But yea my system right now is some old B&O Penta mk3 from the 1990's they are active speakers. But been looking intro saving up for some Triangle Esprit Antal Ez or the 40th Anniversary speakers with a Leak 130 or 230 as my amp. So yea an amazing world to start becoming a part in and again thanks for your amazing content cant WAIT to see even more from you and ALOT of amazing helpfull tips in this viedo aswell! Best wishes from Denmark!.
With the new DSP integrated self powered amplified speakers you can tune the system to whatever your listening environment happens to be. The beauty of DSP is that you can adjust the sound to exactly match what you want to hear and set the system back to flat response to judge any improvements. Perhaps the only relevant thing now is the size of the speaker cone because the laws of physics limit the lowest sound that can be reproduced with a given cone size. A woofer that is eight inches in diameter should go low enough for most listeners. Ten inches or more will start to move the floor and walls and may lead to room resonance issues apart from annoying the neighbours.
I’m in that honeymoon with my Buchardt s400mk2 speakers. Looking for that little bit more. Thinking of getting sonos fabar electa amator 3 speakers. Going to listen to them this week.
Hello, I am curious about the Mator series from Sonus Faber as well, especially Maxima Amator. Would great if you can share your impressions from the demo.
I recently picked up the s400 mkII and am really enjoying them. I also have the Triangle Comete EZ which I also like a lot. With the s400, I have no need for my subs in my room. I’m really impressed with those speakers. I’m finding I’m able to keep things fresh by switching out speakers every month or so and changing amplification (SS vs Tubes). For example, last night I fired up my R8 for the first time in about a month and once the tubes warmed up it was audio bliss with the s400.
I rent, which has a large living room. I bought Focal Kanta 3s, which could be too big for my next place, but can you not just have it at a lower volume if the space is smaller?
I recently bought some Kanta 2's and absolutely love them! I have a fairly large room (20x25) and the 2's are more than enough to fill the space. If you move and decide your 3's are too large for your new space, maybe consider flipping them and downsizing to the 2's. Even though the 3's are rated a few Hz lower, the 2's still have plenty of bass.
AUDIOVECTOR R3 AVANTGARDE + HEGEL H600 + IN-AKUSTIK cables allround, the expensive stuff :P and at last some CLEAN Power so i need something to fix that. Need to try before buying = DONE! :D so like around 30k usd + / - :D
You may answer your own question yourself... Some people simply don't listen to music in a rather isolated manner giving the listener a so-called deep joy. In case you listen to music rather from the background an investment in a multi-thousand dollar gear is, for sure, heavily overdone. You may be happy with a mid-priced Bluetooth speaker for around 200USD, maybe with a pair for stereo linking. Then simply feed them with your phone or tablet. Done 🤷🏼♂️ You may be surprised how well BT speakers can sound, if properly set up.
$15k to experience hifi? 🫣 $5k for mid fi?... wow. $4k must be low hi, then. For someone new to the hobby, they might as well buy a bluetooth speaker and cancel that hifi streaming service unless they're a part of the 1%.
Just how it is. With that said, I’m far from the 1%, not even close. I actually make poverty level income yet this is what we enjoy in life. Live very simply, no debt, and stay home 99% of the time. HiFi is expensive these days, yet selling better than ever it seems. I also own a couple of BT speakers that I use when outside. Nothing wrong with that :)
I always tell the truth and no, it won’t. The main system, the Maria and Amber will not be replaced. Why? There’s absolutely nothing I desire, no other gear I even am interested in for my personal enjoyment. I’ve not and never heard anything finer for my preferences. Noting has even come close. My $30k separates sound disjointed in comparison. I’ll review new things as they come in but will not be changing from Hertz. There’s nothing like it. Can’t imagine having anything else here. So that’s the truth. Streamers? Sure, maybe. DAC? Maybe, but haven’t heard any DAC yet to better the Maria DAC. This system is another level and I’m 1000% happy with every aspect of it. I want for noting and that is not normal for me. I’d cry if I lost it :)
@@HiFiHuffout of all the Dac’s you’ve had in your systems which one come close to the maria’s sound characteristics? How would you describe analog on steroids? thanks for great reviews.
My tip: If you are hesitating buying the product you really want compared to another due to price, wait with the purchase and save up some more to get what you really want. It’s more expensive to upgrade at a later stage.
100%
no truer words have been said
Absolutely! I totally agree.
For the cost of trying different equipment, consider it an education leading you to develop your own personal tastes and desires in a system you really want or at least find a high degree of satisfaction with.
Buy once, cry once.
My best high fidelity advice is options! Take note of the ubiquitous speakers-A, speakers-B, switch!! New and exciting experiences make life more interesting in the same way that listening to music can make your life seem more exciting and more interesting than it really is, this is the magic of audio worth chasing imo
One of my mistakes early on was when I bought a high impedance tube preamp and tried to use it with my low impedance SS amp. While the 10x rule of thumb was covered , the measurement was at 1khz only. The result was a total lack of bass. Because I had bought the pre used I couldn’t return it. Expensive lesson learned
@HiFiHuff : I am a non-native English speaking, and you find beautiful and, frankly speaking, touching words ( mainly at the last part ) to describe what it is all about. Thank you very much for sharing these your insights.
Thanks for this, From my 50 years of serious listening to music (part 3) mistakes done during the audio journey present major contribution to the fun
Who wants to set up goals and aim straight for them?
Popori Acoustics Electrostatic Loudspeakers...they have a USA Dealer here now. The were picked best of show at 2024 Warsaw Audio show and the 2024 Capital Audio Fest show too.
Major-Breakthrough for Electrostatic Loudspeakers....😇
1st mistake : being an audiophile. The rest is history. Hahahaha.
thanks for sharing.
I agree with most of the points you spoke about
what I miss for example if you search for spectacular or relaxed sound.
I have a different opinion when it comes to room size and speaker size.
bigger speaker = bigger sound
but not necessarily boomy
more impact if you choose front or backported -or not ported especially
or sub etc. when it comes to boomy effects.
.
Wow! This is a serious set-up for your production! Big light!
Musical Paradise is my favorite budget/ mid fi company! The MP701 pre amp with vcaps is an unbelievable value! Synergy is key! I think Musical Paradise new Dac might be a pleasant surprise!
Whoa! I have the same preamp with Vcap ODAM's as well! What a great preamp, right? I'm running it with a Nelson Pass Burning Amp 3. It's the heart of my system, i love it. If you aren't doing it now, you need to buy three 6922/12au7 to 6/12SN7 adapters right now! They crush 12au7 and 6922 tubes. 6SN7's are expensive so just flip the heater switch to the 12 volt setting if it's not now and get yourself some much cheaper 12SN7 tubes and you will be blown away. 12 and 6SN7 tubes are identical, they just have a different heater spec. I also have a slew of 5U4G tubes as well. But yeah, what a great preamp!
@@sean_heislerThanks for the tip. I will definitely try it. My tube amp and server are both MP. In my 701 I’m using nos rca tubes. 12au7 and 5U4G. Now I’m stoked to try those tubes with this.
Microline stylus for the turntable - the sound will improve in terms of HF detail, especially so in the inner grooves of the LP.
Yes, no reason to use lesser advanced stylus cut.
We can go further and say microline, shibata and so on is more important than if one cartridge has boron canteliver but a elliptical stylus and another cartridge has aluminum tube canteliver but a advanced stylus shape..😊
Always go with the advanced stylus shape and not get confused with but the other cartridge has...😮
One thing those advanced line contact stylus has.
Is that they need a little bit more knowledge and attention to set up.😅
But that is a part of the hobby. 😂
I would like you to try the claytan shaw speakers. the caladan speakers. This would be the ultimate comparison.
I believe that a dealer that's been in the business for over 20 years should be able to help...actually it is tye best place for advice as they have heard alot of products and know what goes with what. Sadly there are alot of Internet companies today and alot of uneducated advice. Dealers are more expensive because we have to pay rent, staff, insurances, stock. But we do have leeway in pricing, especially in the Highend. Also, we give the support that a normal shop or Internet store doesn't
This was a very enjoyable presentation. I like your style. The background music was perfect and also at an appropriate volume.
My ideal audio system is a full sized verrical system from the 1980s, with every conceivable component: tape, CD, equalizer, tuner, turntable. Something like a Sony or Marantz.
OTOH, I like the idea of horizontal placement of components on a nice, low, Scandinavian sideboard. This would allow for a tube amp. Choices, choices.
Either way, this won't cost more than a couple of thousand dollars. I have no need for anything more.
I've been assembling and experimenting with all sorts of drivers, cross overs and amp modules.
Haven't spent as much as one of your mid fi systems yet but heading there.
You are right... When embarking on a quest it is vital to have a clear idea of the intended destination. Without that you won't have a sense of direction and may not even realise that you have arrived.
One of the problems i have encountered is that each improved component reveals the weaknesses in other components. Especially audio files. MP3 and Spotify sound so inferior.
I'm having to buy CDs that I ripped and gave away years ago. FLAC seems excellent.
I bought a couple of HiRes albums online, but the massive dynamic range requires constant volume tweeking.
Haven't gone back to vinyl yet.
But it could happen.
In almost every 2-3 videos you change equipment
So how can one believe what you advise
Lol, he is an audio reviewer.
I find this type of content interesting & entertaining. Thanks.
Love your vidoes they are always amazing! I am slowly moving intro this world myself. And so far some of my dream dream speakers is the Fleetwood DeVille SQ loudspeakers, and if I ever in my life get the chance mabey the Avantgarde Acoustic UNO SD iTRON Active speakers haha. But yea my system right now is some old B&O Penta mk3 from the 1990's they are active speakers. But been looking intro saving up for some Triangle Esprit Antal Ez or the 40th Anniversary speakers with a Leak 130 or 230 as my amp. So yea an amazing world to start becoming a part in and again thanks for your amazing content cant WAIT to see even more from you and ALOT of amazing helpfull tips in this viedo aswell!
Best wishes from Denmark!.
Peace, serenity, happiess and & love 😊
With the new DSP integrated self powered amplified speakers you can tune the system to whatever your listening environment happens to be. The beauty of DSP is that you can adjust the sound to exactly match what you want to hear and set the system back to flat response to judge any improvements. Perhaps the only relevant thing now is the size of the speaker cone because the laws of physics limit the lowest sound that can be reproduced with a given cone size. A woofer that is eight inches in diameter should go low enough for most listeners. Ten inches or more will start to move the floor and walls and may lead to room resonance issues apart from annoying the neighbours.
Very knowledgeable & informative.. episode thank you sir 🙏
I’m in that honeymoon with my Buchardt s400mk2 speakers. Looking for that little bit more. Thinking of getting sonos fabar electa amator 3 speakers. Going to listen to them this week.
Hello, I am curious about the Mator series from Sonus Faber as well, especially Maxima Amator. Would great if you can share your impressions from the demo.
I recently picked up the s400 mkII and am really enjoying them. I also have the Triangle Comete EZ which I also like a lot. With the s400, I have no need for my subs in my room. I’m really impressed with those speakers.
I’m finding I’m able to keep things fresh by switching out speakers every month or so and changing amplification (SS vs Tubes). For example, last night I fired up my R8 for the first time in about a month and once the tubes warmed up it was audio bliss with the s400.
I rent, which has a large living room. I bought Focal Kanta 3s, which could be too big for my next place, but can you not just have it at a lower volume if the space is smaller?
I recently bought some Kanta 2's and absolutely love them! I have a fairly large room (20x25) and the 2's are more than enough to fill the space. If you move and decide your 3's are too large for your new space, maybe consider flipping them and downsizing to the 2's. Even though the 3's are rated a few Hz lower, the 2's still have plenty of bass.
I have different systems for different rooms.
Wise advice.
Don't over think it , buy some speakers and a amp , krank it up and enjoy 😊
Are you sure ?
Do you still use your pure fidelity TT? I never see it in your videos anymore?
Rule 1. Buy once, cry once.
Mistake 1. Upgrading.
If you would not seek for new stuff you would never have owned and switched to daniel hertz system...
Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition and Focal Stellia
Thanks for sharing
great explantion!
so , being satisfied now, what exactly is your system ?
Mark Levinson ! ❤️🎼🤟
AUDIOVECTOR R3 AVANTGARDE + HEGEL H600 + IN-AKUSTIK cables allround, the expensive stuff :P and at last some CLEAN Power so i need something to fix that. Need to try before buying = DONE! :D so like around 30k usd + / - :D
Bring up that cost!
If you are anything but a critical listener (sitting in the sweet spot by yourself), you don't need quality equipment?
You may answer your own question yourself... Some people simply don't listen to music in a rather isolated manner giving the listener a so-called deep joy. In case you listen to music rather from the background an investment in a multi-thousand dollar gear is, for sure, heavily overdone. You may be happy with a mid-priced Bluetooth speaker for around 200USD, maybe with a pair for stereo linking. Then simply feed them with your phone or tablet. Done 🤷🏼♂️ You may be surprised how well BT speakers can sound, if properly set up.
Never place a Sub in the middle between the speakers🤦
"I've made tons of mistakes" :::shows UTurn table:::
Would love to hear smaller, boutique builders like Tyler Acoustics gets some love.
Daniel hertz horns are even better than yours... sorry for mentioning that itch.
$15k to experience hifi? 🫣 $5k for mid fi?... wow. $4k must be low hi, then. For someone new to the hobby, they might as well buy a bluetooth speaker and cancel that hifi streaming service unless they're a part of the 1%.
Just how it is. With that said, I’m far from the 1%, not even close. I actually make poverty level income yet this is what we enjoy in life. Live very simply, no debt, and stay home 99% of the time. HiFi is expensive these days, yet selling better than ever it seems. I also own a couple of BT speakers that I use when outside. Nothing wrong with that :)
Speak faster ! I listen at 1.5 five speed and you sound perfect and ... younger! 😂
Lol
Tell the truth within a year it will be different 😅
I always tell the truth and no, it won’t. The main system, the Maria and Amber will not be replaced. Why? There’s absolutely nothing I desire, no other gear I even am interested in for my personal enjoyment. I’ve not and never heard anything finer for my preferences. Noting has even come close. My $30k separates sound disjointed in comparison. I’ll review new things as they come in but will not be changing from Hertz. There’s nothing like it. Can’t imagine having anything else here. So that’s the truth. Streamers? Sure, maybe. DAC? Maybe, but haven’t heard any DAC yet to better the Maria DAC. This system is another level and I’m 1000% happy with every aspect of it. I want for noting and that is not normal for me. I’d cry if I lost it :)
If I remember correctly, you matched the Buchart’s with the Billy Heaven 11 with nice results. A match I would like to go with in my small area.
@@HiFiHuffout of all the Dac’s you’ve had in your systems which one come close to the maria’s sound characteristics? How would you describe analog on steroids? thanks for great reviews.