Thread: ZEUS - New Forum Section?

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Post by zeus February 10, 2009 (11 of 19)
duchski said:

I got another idea. How about a third separate forum dedicated to trade?

I implemented a system for people to sell discs here long ago but pulled it. You're better off listing your unwanted discs on Amazon as a third-party seller ... I know some here already do this. The listed discs will show up automatically in buyer's wish lists here. Not only that but the potential audience for the sale is much wider than just this site.

While I appreciate all suggestions (not that I'm actively looking for things to occupy my time) I should warn you that I tend to think about these for a long time and then implement them quickly. It's not the implementation that's difficult, it's making the feature genuinely useful that's the hard part.

Post by rammiepie February 10, 2009 (12 of 19)
When it comes to equipment reviews, a genuine pandora's box is thus opened. Hearing is subjective, and what is nirvana (not the group) to some, may be the opposite to others. I honestly think that when a new player is announced (such as the recent Sony SACD player), an announcement on SA-CD net is sufficient and interested parties could research reviews (again, subjective) on their own and arrange to hear the unit in person. The disparity in cabling, amplification, room acoustics, speakers, power conditioning and the individual age of the reviewer (can a 60 year old hear like a 25 year old? (yes, if the 25 year old continually blasts an Ipod into his eardrums and frequently attends bombastically loud rock concerts) would tend to color the review. I agree with Zeus that it's enough keeping track of new SACD releases/reviews and the liability of recommending an expensive SACD player which does not meet the criteria of its readers may end up doing a disservice and create ill will rather than achieve the opposite effect.

Post by duchski February 10, 2009 (13 of 19)
zeus said:

I implemented a system for people to sell discs here long ago but pulled it. You're better off listing your unwanted discs on Amazon as a third-party seller ... I know some here already do this. The listed discs will show up automatically in buyer's wish lists here. Not only that but the potential audience for the sale is much wider than just this site.

While I appreciate all suggestions (not that I'm actively looking for things to occupy my time) I should warn you that I tend to think about these for a long time and then implement them quickly. It's not the implementation that's difficult, it's making the feature genuinely useful that's the hard part.

What I actually had in mind was trading. I recently traded disc with another forum member and it seems like a good idea as oppose to selling on Amazon of e-bay. Some title are very rare and trading seems like a very good option.

Post by duchski February 10, 2009 (14 of 19)
rammiepie said:

When it comes to equipment reviews, a genuine pandora's box is thus opened. Hearing is subjective, and what is nirvana (not the group) to some, may be the opposite to others. I honestly think that when a new player is announced (such as the recent Sony SACD player), an announcement on SA-CD net is sufficient and interested parties could research reviews (again, subjective) on their own and arrange to hear the unit in person. The disparity in cabling, amplification, room acoustics, speakers, power conditioning and the individual age of the reviewer (can a 60 year old hear like a 25 year old? (yes, if the 25 year old continually blasts an Ipod into his eardrums and frequently attends bombastically loud rock concerts) would tend to color the review. I agree with Zeus that it's enough keeping track of new SACD releases/reviews and the liability of recommending an expensive SACD player which does not meet the criteria of its readers may end up doing a disservice and create ill will rather than achieve the opposite effect.

What I was thinking of was more geared toward general description and maybe some insight on quality of used components..
There are many devices on the market, many used ones on ebay and it is hard to figure out what is worth and what is not worth any money due to DSD-PCM conversion issues etc etc.

Post by The Seventh Taylor February 11, 2009 (15 of 19)
rammiepie said:

When it comes to equipment reviews, a genuine pandora's box is thus opened. Hearing is subjective, and what is nirvana (not the group) to some, may be the opposite to others. [...] The disparity in cabling, amplification, room acoustics, speakers, power conditioning and the individual age of the reviewer (can a 60 year old hear like a 25 year old? (yes, if the 25 year old continually blasts an Ipod into his eardrums and frequently attends bombastically loud rock concerts) would tend to color the review.

Agreed, but I can't imagine reviews of music being any less subjective than those of the equipment!

Post by The Seventh Taylor February 11, 2009 (16 of 19)
duchski said:

What I was thinking of was more geared toward general description and maybe some insight on quality of used components..
There are many devices on the market, many used ones on ebay and it is hard to figure out what is worth and what is not worth any money due to DSD-PCM conversion issues etc etc.

That sounds fine but to me it also sounds like something that would require a more or less objective reviewer who writes the descriptions which I don't think you're going to get. Still, such a forum could be useful. The next question I see is what the scope should be: SACD equipment only or amplifiers and receivers also, plus speakers, cables, etc.

Post by duchski February 11, 2009 (17 of 19)
The Seventh Taylor said:

Agreed, but I can't imagine reviews of music being any less subjective than those of the equipment!

Good point! :)

Post by duchski February 11, 2009 (18 of 19)
The Seventh Taylor said:

That sounds fine but to me it also sounds like something that would require a more or less objective reviewer who writes the descriptions which I don't think you're going to get. Still, such a forum could be useful. The next question I see is what the scope should be: SACD equipment only or amplifiers and receivers also, plus speakers, cables, etc.

I would probably try to limit this forum to SACD players and DSD compatible amps as there are plenty of sites focued on "generic" equipment...

When I say equipment reviews I mean details that are hard to find like the infamous DSD to PCM conversion etc.

Post by rammiepie February 11, 2009 (19 of 19)
The Seventh Taylor said:

Agreed, but I can't imagine reviews of music being any less subjective than those of the equipment!

Also agreed, but an SACD purchase is a much less costly investment than an SACD player and from all the reviews of SACD players I read in hifi mags, one has to spend megabucks to achieve nirvana in SACD playback (i.e. I recently purchased the Marantz SA-11S2 player and in a very recent review in The Absolute Sound, the reviewer compared it to the CARY 306PRO which in his opinion trashed the Marantz in EVERY parameter, albeit at a cost of $8000.00 (US) compared to the Marantz @ $3400 (US). Of course, one can be happy with a much less expensive player, but the purpose of SACD is to unleash the much higher fidelity intrinsic in the format and as I've learned with MOST audio equipment, You get what you pay for.

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