HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

Stu, have you considered the various options for the diaphragms in microphones?

I applaud your enquiring mind but your headline statement says it all. Take an instrument and play it in your lounge (better make it something smallish like a violin or flute) and then go and play it in a large hall, obviously it sounds different. Peter Walker's famous comment "the closest approach to the original sound" was right. All the manufacturers are trying to achieve that, and failing because they are trying to measure their results.

If you listen to studio albums you might get reasonably close to the sound the mastering engineer heard, otherwise, who knows how close an approach you might achieve. Please don't drive yourself mad by trying to achieve perfection, just enjoy the music. Meanwhile, here are some thoughts on Hi-Fi from the 1950s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fJmmDkvQyc

Geoff.R.G wrote: ↑Sat Oct 30, 2021 12:38 pm Stu, have you considered the various options for the diaphragms in microphones?

I applaud your enquiring mind but your headline statement says it all. Take an instrument and play it in your lounge (better make it something smallish like a violin or flute) and then go and play it in a large hall, obviously it sounds different. Peter Walker's famous comment "the closest approach to the original sound" was right. All the manufacturers are trying to achieve that, and failing because they are trying to measure their results.

If you listen to studio albums you might get reasonably close to the sound the mastering engineer heard, otherwise, who knows how close an approach you might achieve. Please don't drive yourself mad by trying to achieve perfection, just enjoy the music. Meanwhile, here are some thoughts on Hi-Fi from the 1950s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fJmmDkvQyc

Thanks for giving it your consideration Geoff. Peter Walkers comment is a very famous one and is of course the ultimate goal. My own instrument (drums) can be made out of many different materials and they do all sound different.

"Please don't drive yourself mad by trying to achieve perfection, just enjoy the music" - I tried to but I think I am so far up my own backside now that I need rescuing. I wonder about everything and my search for perfection is taking over my life. Thanks for your concern and you are of course correct. Less thinking and talking and more doing is required.

What are your speaker drivers made of ?

Stu the best thing to do is to have a control.
I did exactly the same, disappearing up my own arse chasing..... something.
In my csse the control was a pair of quad 11l standmounts, they were nice little speakers, enjoyable, did things i liked, and things i didn't.
I always had something to go back to as a reference.
I built all sorts of speakers and didnt go back to them for a long time. When i did, it gave a reference point, and clarified what the hell it was i was chasing because id completely lost direction.

With the turntables and arms, i have my jbe dd, the airprodigy linear arm and the at33sa cart. Thats my reference, thats what i go back and listen to when i change something on the arm im working on. Thats the reason i havent disappeared up my own arse with the cx arm. I make a change, its either closer to that reference or further away, it tells me which direction to go in

Its like being in a desert without a compass sometimes, you go round in circles ad nauseum until you cant see anything but sand.
Then get very frustrated and give up.
Once you have a reference to go by it becomes a lot less frustrating

karatestu wrote: ↑Sat Oct 30, 2021 12:59 pm

Geoff.R.G wrote: ↑Sat Oct 30, 2021 12:38 pm Stu, have you considered the various options for the diaphragms in microphones?

I applaud your enquiring mind but your headline statement says it all. Take an instrument and play it in your lounge (better make it something smallish like a violin or flute) and then go and play it in a large hall, obviously it sounds different. Peter Walker's famous comment "the closest approach to the original sound" was right. All the manufacturers are trying to achieve that, and failing because they are trying to measure their results.

If you listen to studio albums you might get reasonably close to the sound the mastering engineer heard, otherwise, who knows how close an approach you might achieve. Please don't drive yourself mad by trying to achieve perfection, just enjoy the music. Meanwhile, here are some thoughts on Hi-Fi from the 1950s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fJmmDkvQyc

Thanks for giving it your consideration Geoff. Peter Walkers comment is a very famous one and is of course the ultimate goal. My own instrument (drums) can be made out of many different materials and they do all sound different.

"Please don't drive yourself mad by trying to achieve perfection, just enjoy the music" - I tried to but I think I am so far up my own backside now that I need rescuing. I wonder about everything and my search for perfection is taking over my life. Thanks for your concern and you are of course correct. Less thinking and talking and more doing is required.

What are your speaker drivers made of ?

I haven't a clue!

The impression I've gotten from the speakers featuring kevlar woofers has been that they've not been good at transients. Smoothing them over and taking the edge off them. I don't know if that's inherent to kevlar or is a result of design decisions made by the manufacturer?

The woofers I've liked the sound of best - so far - have been made from paper / doped paper.

Paper is mentioned as a lot of people's favourite.. Must be something to it.

Paper is light. Fast transient response?

Paper can be doped to variable density. To give more strength / rigidity where it's most required and less mass where it isn't.

I've not heard any Hartley woofers. I'd love to some day. Latex with the surrounds being an integral part of the cone. Instead of being a glued on assembly as per the vast majority of speakers.

Personally I haven't a clue. I've doped paper, fibre glass and Kevlar and had no problems, with the final sound. What the drivers sound like inherently , don't ask me .

Me thinks nobody in fora land as sufficient simultaneous experience to draw any worthwhile conclusions so I will just use my ears as and when necessary