Pay per hour audition to the best hi fi systems? Is it REALLY possible?

[DesiAudiophile]

Hello. Is there any dealers that allow pay per hour audition in their showrooms like pay 200/hour to listen with our own audio files only using their equipment. Think about it,

My Dream:-

Yesterday i had a dream of going through a audition where the owner allowed me demo for 30 mins for what is one of the best-in-class hi fi system in the music business.All components are in reference standard like Klipsch reference FS speakers etc. , Then in my dream when hearing i was just completely tranced out and after 30 mins i felt like im having dream in a dream and was mesmerized.After listening to the demo and asked price to the owner, he said entire hi fi system costs 8-10 Lakhs. Hearing the price itself woke me up and i found myself in my bed just laughing about it.

I've just been here like 2 days and spent some time scrolling through the forums and I've come to a conclusions that there are some things in life that only money can buy, i mean lots of money . I'm 21 year old student from Chennai just completed my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. I feel like it would take me atleast 3-4 years to finish my masters, get a job and save money to buy a decent hi fi system for 1.20 - 1.50 lakh but 3-4 years is too long and i wanna experience some sound bliss.My room has bad acoustics also, it's not rectangular in shape and has 2 glass windows to get a hi fi system.Now, I'm just thinking of getting a Audio Technica ath-m50x and an external DAC to my computer and download some good lossless musics in FLAC and ALAC formats, After-all this is all i can afford right now.

Think about it gentlemen. Why need to spend crazy amount in buying a flat keeping in mind of room acoustics, removing windows and sound proofing with sound absorption and distortion materials, attaching an AC and then splurging on 3-4 lakhs for a Hi Fi setup, getting shouts from wife or parents or from people for just using a bed-room only for hi fi listening. OMG ! too much effort for the search of that eternal sound bliss. Why not just have a member meetups , bring your audio sources like vinyls,CD's,laptop , group rent a studio with high end hi fi systems for half a day in the weekend sunday and enjoy the sound bliss together ? Is that a wonderful idea ?. This works best for people who are middle-class and don't wanna buy hi fi systems for 3-4 lakhs or don't have that room acoustics for perfect music but still want to listen to that lovely sound bliss.Share your opinions please

 

[raghupb]

It would be better to keep your queries limited to one or two specific threads.
Much easier for FMs to coherently answer.
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[elangoas]

I've just been here like 2 days and spent some time scrolling through the forums and I've come to a conclusions that there are some things in life that only money can buy, i mean lots of money .

Cheer up buddy...You need money, but you need lot more efforts in building your dream system.. It will need lot of understanding and trial and error in a process to unlearn yourself..

Don't get disheartened...Keep reading thru wealth of threads here and you will some day be close to your dream..

10 yrs back when i went to Onkyo showroom in C hennai with 50K, all i could get was a HTIB.. There were AVR aval more than my budget, but that didn't stop me... Few years down the line, i was able to own some very good gear at 100% lesser than what is priced in India..

I'm 21 year old student from Chennai just completed my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. I feel like it would take me atleast 3-4 years to finish my masters, get a job and save money to buy a decent hi fi system for 1.20 - 1.50 lakh but 3-4 years is too long and i wanna experience some sound bliss.

Where did u get the information that you need 1.5 Lacs to put together a decent hi-fi system.. If that is the case, 95% of the forum members wouldn't have that money...

My room has bad acoustics also, it's not rectangular in shape and has 2 glass windows to get a hi fi system.Now, I'm just thinking of getting a Audio Technica ath-m50x and an external DAC to my computer and download some good lossless musics in FLAC and ALAC formats, After-all this is all i can afford right now.

Again there is wealth of information abt acoustics on the forum, read them how to counter, do some trials.. There is no straight easy answer for anything..Get an understanding and evolve your system whatever you are trying to put together now..

 

[keith_correa]

I've just been here like 2 days and spent some time scrolling through the forums and I've come to a conclusions that there are some things in life that only money can buy, i mean lots of money . I'm 21 year old student from Chennai just completed my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. I feel like it would take me atleast 3-4 years to finish my masters, get a job and save money to buy a decent hi fi system for 1.20 - 1.50 lakh but 3-4 years is too long and i wanna experience some sound bliss.My room has bad acoustics also, it's not rectangular in shape and has 2 glass windows to get a hi fi system.Now, I'm just thinking of getting a Audio Technica ath-m50x and an external DAC to my computer and download some good lossless musics in FLAC and ALAC formats, After-all this is all i can afford right now.

You are overthinking this. Buy a decent amp. A decent pair of bookshelf speakers, a $25 DAC off eBay and you're sorted. Till you feel the need [most don't even wait that long ] to upgrade.

 

[sash]

1. The idea of pay per visit auditions is a good one. One can go and experience the best systems out there without having to feel guilty about having no plans to buy
2. But you think too much of the power of money. As the experts above have said, you do not need a lot of money to put together a great sounding system (50K could get you a lot)
3. Finally, some unsolicited advice. Don't overthink money. Don't overthink education. Just put in everything you have into the work that you choose. Money will find a way to flow in. Everything will just fall into place - trust me, been there

 

[sound_cycle]

Why need to spend crazy amount in buying a flat keeping in mind of room acoustics, removing windows and sound proofing with sound absorption and distortion materials, attaching an AC and then splurging on 3-4 lakhs for a Hi Fi setup,

you've already got at 21 years (with two days) what many others seemingly do not in a lifetime.

BTW what are these distortion materials, who has removed windows or sound proofed with distortion materials ? A thread on hfv, or are you just making these up?? Just curious.

FTR I don't think I want to dowload flacs for free and cannot afford to pay for the auditions of the sound I'd like to hear

ciao
gr

 

[mahaaprasaad]

...

I've just been here like 2 days and spent some time scrolling through the forums and I've come to a conclusions that there are some things in life that only money can buy, i mean lots of money . I'm 21 year old student from Chennai just completed my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering.

Dear friend,
You are totally wrong. There are many things in life, which, money can not buy. There is nothing like 'perfect' in the world, if you go on searching.

I have started my Audio Journey with two Philips Fullrange 8" speakers costing Rs. 800 each, at my age of 18, when I am in 12th, and two mud pots, of costing Rs. 15 each. Now I am at 50, the journey is not ended, still searching for that "pure audiophile sound". I still remember the day I bought those speakers from the the Philips showroom. I become totally blank when the seller asked me about ohms, watts etc... which I never heard before....., finally he only decided what I have to buy and also gave two connectors with cable along with that speakers. When I bought it home and connected to Philips stereo line-out at home, I could able to listen only some scratchy sound and low level audio with noise. It has taken two days for me to understand that the speakers needs to be fixed to a box or some container to get the full and accurate sound.

You are being a Mechanical engineer, I suggest you to go with DIY route, you will learn lot of things, with minimum investment. Don't worry about the "pure audiophile sound" now, it is never ending journey. Just start with some thing, which you love. FMs here will always there to help you in your journey.

 

[magma]

buy ipod
buy some nice headphones
listen to music and dont stress about the setup
live peacefully

3-4 yrs down the line when and if you still want to explore the 2 channel road
reconsider options again

 

[DesiAudiophile]

That's what im thinking.Right now i have realtek audio driver in my laptop so i guess dunno how my inbuilt DAC is.The format switch from mp3 to FLAC is remarkable.All i Want now is to get a good DAC with a headphone under 20k, then after some months screw the headphone, get an integrated amp and bookshelf speaker. i'm already enjoying my FLAC music quality and my quiet room

Or is there an integrated amp with inbuilt so i can just use my sennheiser px80 jogging headphones with it ?

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

Hello. Is there any dealers that allow pay per hour audition in their showrooms like pay 200/hour to listen with our own audio files only using their equipment. Think about it,

My Dream:-


I've just been here like 2 days and spent some time scrolling through the forums and I've come to a conclusions that there are some things in life that only money can buy, i mean lots of money . I'm 21 year old student from Chennai just completed my B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. I feel like it would take me atleast 3-4 years to finish my masters, get a job and save money to buy a decent hi fi system for 1.20 - 1.50 lakh but 3-4 years is too long and i wanna experience some sound bliss.My room has bad acoustics also, it's not rectangular in shape and has 2 glass windows to get a hi fi system.Now, I'm just thinking of getting a Audio Technica ath-m50x and an external DAC to my computer and download some good lossless musics in FLAC and ALAC formats, After-all this is all i can afford right now.

Think about it gentlemen. Why need to spend crazy amount in buying a flat keeping in mind of room acoustics, removing windows and sound proofing with sound absorption and distortion materials, attaching an AC and then splurging on 3-4 lakhs for a Hi Fi setup, getting shouts from wife or parents or from people for just using a bed-room only for hi fi listening. OMG ! too much effort for the search of that eternal sound bliss. Why not just have a member meetups , bring your audio sources like vinyls,CD's,laptop , group rent a studio with high end hi fi systems for half a day in the weekend sunday and enjoy the sound bliss together ? Is that a wonderful idea ?. This works best for people who are middle-class and don't wanna buy hi fi systems for 3-4 lakhs or don't have that room acoustics for perfect music but still want to listen to that lovely sound bliss.Share your opinions please

I am this person you describe in some form, I live in a flat and have spent a lot of time,effort and money chasing perfection. My room is sound proofed, well treated and overall a great deal of attention has been paid to the room in pursuit of music. I choose to use the word music because over time I have learned that it is about music, not sound and its a very personal and subjective experience.

Anyway what I would like to share with you is this, if the post you made is what you feel then you probably aren't as interested in sound as some or perhaps you simply don't have the ability to pursue your passion right now. What I can tell you very clearly is depending upon how strongly you feel about music it is the kind of hobby that will consume you, yes the rewards are great but so is the amount of time,effort and money that you put into it.

If you are just looking for casual listening you'd be best off with some basic system rather than day dreaming about expensive systems and on that note an expensive system is not necessarily better.

Take a good long look at yourself and think about how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, for most casual people its a very short trip between newfound excitement and an eventual shift to other hobbies/interests.

As for paying for an audition, you should remember the dealers are there to sell, not rent, speakers and further to the point it won't be quite the same as your own system that you tweak to the nth degree and listen comfortably to in your home.

As with all things in life, its about priority. I'm not nearly as old as many on the internet who have spent their lives pursuing perfection but at the same time I'm not as young as I used to be when I got into this hobby. Had I known what lies ahead I would have made different decisions regarding equipment and my approach.

There is no teacher quite like experience.

 

[DesiAudiophile]

I am this person you describe in some form, I live in a flat and have spent a lot of time,effort and money chasing perfection. My room is sound proofed, well treated and overall a great deal of attention has been paid to the room in pursuit of music. I choose to use the word music because over time I have learned that it is about music, not sound and its a very personal and subjective experience.

Anyway what I would like to share with you is this, if the post you made is what you feel then you probably aren't as interested in sound as some or perhaps you simply don't have the ability to pursue your passion right now. What I can tell you very clearly is depending upon how strongly you feel about music it is the kind of hobby that will consume you, yes the rewards are great but so is the amount of time,effort and money that you put into it.

If you are just looking for casual listening you'd be best off with some basic system rather than day dreaming about expensive systems and on that note an expensive system is not necessarily better.

Take a good long look at yourself and think about how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, for most casual people its a very short trip between newfound excitement and an eventual shift to other hobbies/interests.

As for paying for an audition, you should remember the dealers are there to sell, not rent, speakers and further to the point it won't be quite the same as your own system that you tweak to the nth degree and listen comfortably to in your home.

As with all things in life, its about priority. I'm not nearly as old as many on the internet who have spent their lives pursuing perfection but at the same time I'm not as young as I used to be when I got into this hobby. Had I known what lies ahead I would have made different decisions regarding equipment and my approach.

There is no teacher quite like experience.

Hello, Wise words sir ! Experience is a great teacher. I currently need to get independent first and then choose how to pursue this hobby. I'm now looking forward to get a decent system but dunno whether to go with Head-Fi or Hi-Fi system, head-fi setup seems to gimme the most bang for the buck but Hi-Fi is more safer and stable as listening too much to headphone will damage my ears. When i get my own Independence that is my own place, my own money ill get more serious with this like sound proofing, going for reference/flagship systems etc..

 

[raghupb]

Hello, Wise words sir ! Experience is a great teacher. I currently need to get independent first and then choose how to pursue this hobby. I'm now looking forward to get a decent system but dunno whether to go with Head-Fi or Hi-Fi system, head-fi setup seems to gimme the most bang for the buck but Hi-Fi is more safer and stable as listening too much to headphone will damage my ears. When i get my own Independence that is my own place, my own money ill get more serious with this like sound proofing, going for reference/flagship systems etc..

Speakers can damage ears too. There is something called volume control that must be exercised for both headphones and speakers.
Anything in the range of 75-85 dB SPL at listening position is OK for short periods of time.
Above this, one risks hearing damage.
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[DesiAudiophile]

Speakers can damage ears too. There is something called volume control that must be exercised for both headphones and speakers.
Anything in the range of 75-85 dB SPL at listening position is OK for short periods of time.
Above this, one risks hearing damage.
Cheers,
Raghu

Sir, I actually tried to measure the DB range in my phone thru an app called "Sound meter" which measures DB's from the mic of the phone. I tried with highest volume in the laptop but it's showing only 65 db. I dunno if there is anyway to measure accurate db or is the laptop volume in the headphone capped to 70-80 db ? Is there any software that can tell me the decibel level from the volume which i hear? I'm much concerned about the safety of ears

Regards
DA

 

[raghupb]

Sound meter can give you a general sense of how loud the room/listening space is.
It is not very accurate but it is useful in a room with speakers. It is useless for IEMs and on/over ear headphones.
There may be some SW to measure all this but I choose to trust my brain.
Wear headphones/IEMs and rap the table with your knuckles softly; if you can hear them with music playing, you are OK. Otherwise you are at risk of long term hearing damage.
Alcohol messes with hearing temporarily. So after a couple of drinks, headphones is a bad idea

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

Hello, Wise words sir ! Experience is a great teacher. I currently need to get independent first and then choose how to pursue this hobby. I'm now looking forward to get a decent system but dunno whether to go with Head-Fi or Hi-Fi system, head-fi setup seems to gimme the most bang for the buck but Hi-Fi is more safer and stable as listening too much to headphone will damage my ears. When i get my own Independence that is my own place, my own money ill get more serious with this like sound proofing, going for reference/flagship systems etc..

Let me ask you, and be honest, are you in it for the unbridled joy of music or do you want gear you can show off/feel better about as being better in some way (objectively,expensive/branding,aesthetically etc)?

Speakers can damage ears too. There is something called volume control that must be exercised for both headphones and speakers.
Anything in the range of 75-85 dB SPL at listening position is OK for short periods of time.
Above this, one risks hearing damage.
Cheers,
Raghu

I've been listening at levels far in excess of this for many years and my hearing is fine, as verified by my ENT and ear testing. I test my ears every year and get them cleaned as well, as of the last test this year everything is fine.

A few hours ago I was listening to 130db + on the bass but my average is about 105db, ears are fine

 

[raghupb]

D_S,
105 dB is really pushing the limits. Don't risk it. You have only one pair of ears.
Once they go "out of warranty" replacements are impossible and you will lose the pleasure of music.
-Raghu

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

D_S,
105 dB is really pushing the limits. Don't risk it. You have only one pair of ears.
Once they go "out of warranty" replacements are impossible and you will lose the pleasure of music.
-Raghu

My ENT also says this but hey, I love music. I don't consider 105db loud but to each their own. Notably the level is at the bass range where our ears are a lot more tolerant as can be seen by the ELC curves, the mid/treble is considerably rolled off by a significant amount producing a smooth and fatigue free experience. I do take care of my ears as noted, I do intend to keep enjoying the music but that does mean I have to actually use them for my goals.

We all must "go out of warranty" at some point.

Let the music play.

 

[DesiAudiophile]

130+ Db ?!! OMG , take care sir. Too harmful. One should listen to that range for like 5 mins max per day. I'm now following a rule of 60:60. that is don't go more than 60db and don't listen more than 60 mins on a headphone and also listen in a silent room because of the noises we tend to raise the volume and i feel that's a bad idea. How do you feel about me idea ?

Also raghu sir I have decided to go with a decent Head-Fi setup as i only listen like 20 mins a day during late nights only. As time passes by ill move over to a Hi Fi system so is Fiio e10k + ath-m50x a good beginner Head-Fi setup ? e10k has both DAC & Headphone amp built in and i see it's a good combo . Need some suggestions please

Regards
DA

 

[DesiAudiophile]

Let me ask you, and be honest, are you in it for the unbridled joy of music or do you want gear you can show off/feel better about as being better in some way (objectively,expensive/branding,aesthetically etc)?

For the joy of music with the pursuit for that studio recording reproduction quality. I want to listen like I was present at the studio while the song was recording , That realism is what i'm gonna purse both efforwise and money-wise

 

[raghupb]

If you were present in the studio when the song was recording, 50% of the time you would make a lime-sucking face and walk out.
The credit for the finished product goes equally to the music producer who puts it all together from possibly multiple studio sessions.
When it comes to rock music, let's give guys like George Martin, Alan Parsons, Paul Rothchild, etc a bow or a hat tip to what they achieved with the bands they were associated with.

Cheers,
Raghu