(OT) A good informative read.

**cradeldorf** · February 21st, 2013, 07:47 AM

I found this quite enlightening.
PA Systems

**Old Guy** · February 21st, 2013, 07:58 AM

Rod Elliot had been around the block. He has a pretty good knowledge.

One note of caution with his (and my own!) info is guys like us get opinionated. We do what works, just understand one size does not fit all. Read all you can, and take what you can use. It will serve you well in life.

**alancohen** · February 21st, 2013, 09:29 AM

I found this paragraph rather poignant:

Unfortunately, there are a great many people around today who have never heard a decent sound system. Home systems that consist of little cubes and one-note "subwoofers", MP3 players (with a cheap docking station perhaps) and generally pathetic live music systems have raised an entire generation of people who seem to think that what they have been listening to is "good". Anything that sounds different is likely to be considered "bad" - and that probably includes dynamic range. Almost nothing on CD or live is free of massive amounts of compression - everything is compressed to within an inch of its life, and everything is the same volume. Real bass (below 40Hz), good stereo imaging and overall clarity are generally missing from all the music sources and playback systems that are available for reasonable prices, and even some big-name (and comparatively expensive) systems are woeful. It's pretty hard for anyone to realise that a PA system sounds like pox if that's all one has ever listened to.

I fell into that trap. Convenience won out over quality. It got so bad that I almost forgot what quality was and what I was missing.

Before I started my journey back to real audio last year, my "system" had degraded to two little Advent satellite speakers and a KLH sub, with an Onkyo Surround Sound receiver and an iPod running Mp3s.

"Thankfully", I am not part of the younger generation and can remember what good audio was. When I started building amps, adding components and listening to the sound grow, it triggered those memories and I felt like Kevin Spacey in American Beauty when he finally woke up from years of living a half-dead life.

Gratefully, no matter how long a room is dark, a candle shines as bright.

The problem is we're still recording over-compressed crappy music these days. We should start a thread where we can list great recordings, regardless of genre, that can take advantage of our sytems.

**Alien_Shore** · February 21st, 2013, 10:51 AM

when I first got my model 14's last year, I set them up outside on the front porch on memorial weekend and serenaded the neighbors. Several came up and said "they never heard speakers that sound so good". It's a civic duty for us Altec fans to share the sound!

**Art J.** · February 21st, 2013, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by Old Guy

Rod Elliot had been around the block. He has a pretty good knowledge.

One note of caution with his (and my own!) info is guys like us get opinionated. We do what works, just understand one size does not fit all. Read all you can, and take what you can use. It will serve you well in life.

I have often referred people to Rod Elliot's articles because he writes and explains so well.
I wish I could. Down in that very article, he admits his own bias as quoted............

""It is important to point out that what I've written is mostly facts, but also includes opinions. Having worked in the industry for many years, it's impossible not to have opinions, some of which will inevitably be biased. I shall leave it to the reader to figure out which bits are biased. ""

**alancohen** · February 21st, 2013, 05:05 PM

Another good read linked off the OP article:

BiAmp (Bi-Amplification - Not Quite Magic, But Close) - Part 1

**Old Guy** · February 21st, 2013, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by Art J.

I have often referred people to Rod Elliot's articles because he writes and explains so well.
I wish I could. Down in that very article, he admits his own bias as quoted............

""It is important to point out that what I've written is mostly facts, but also includes opinions. Having worked in the industry for many years, it's impossible not to have opinions, some of which will inevitably be biased. I shall leave it to the reader to figure out which bits are biased. ""

Spot on. Beware the man who claims to be objective...

**cradeldorf** · February 21st, 2013, 08:16 PM

My favorite part was the crossovers and how the tuning will never be right no matter what because of all the variables. Oh and the Grateful dead using separate PA/s for everybody.

**martyh45** · February 21st, 2013, 09:05 PM

I like the ESP site too. Even more now that I read that.

Pretty sure I posted about this back at the old site but... the worst, I mean absolute worst system I ever heard was a pair of huge line arrays with a gazillion watts of power in a performance venue we helped remodel. The worst part, it started life as a 360 degree multi-purpose venue with a huge and beautiful Altec cluster in the center. When we finally got to the point that the new sound system was installed I could not believe how bad it was. They pulled a system that sounded way better in crappy space than their new system did in a good space. And the installers were the best part, they strutted around like a bunch of proud peacocks listening to their creation. I swear they were all tone deaf and I wasn’t the only one. There were quite a few salty old stage hands working on the rigging at the time and I had a few good laughs with them discussing the merits of the new house system.