So I got myself to thinking today about the words people use to describe things and what they mean by them.

Most of us have seen their share of Seinfeld and probably remember the 'Ugly Baby' episode where Elaine is flattered when the doctor refers to her as 'stunning' and then is horrified when he refers to the 'ugly baby' in the same way.

I myself am a pretty middle of the road person. I don't get excited easily and I don't get pissed off easily (except in traffic). As such I find that I also rarely use words and phrases that are 'extreme' such as:
phenomental
critical
awesome
disastrous
total change
and so on. Others I feel are much more expressive or committing in their language. For example they may say "That is the most awesome burger on the planet" where I may say "That was a pretty good burger" In this case both people think the other is nuts but reality is that it was the same burger and maybe on a scale of 10 it was an 8 or 9. We both mean it but express it differently.

Still awake? If so - I thought that maybe people could offer their opinion of how they think different components of a stereo affect the overall sound. Remember, that extremes are what they are so try to rate the following objectively:

Rate Importance 1 to 10
1 = unimportant
10 = vital

Head Units $199 compared to $999:
Head Units within $50 of each other:

Amplifiers (similar power rating) $199/$999:
Amplifiers (similar power rating) within $50:

Speakers $199/$999:
Speakers within $50:

PreAmp Wiring $5/$999:
PreAmp Wiring $50/$999:
PreAmp Wiring within $10:

Speaker Wiring $5/$999:
Speaker Wiring $50/$999:
Speaker Wiring within $10:

Power Cable (same gauge) Cheap/Brand name:

I am intentionally leaving out Processors as the field is too big and different systems have different requirements. Also, I am avoiding installation too as one can install a stunning sounding system for very little money if pretty isn't important.

[ June 01, 2005, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: Dukk ]

I always find words like "fine", "okay", "somewhat" to be passive in nature -- they waterdown the potency of a sentence; however, each to their own.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dukk:
[QB] Rate Importance 1 to 10
1 = unimportant
10 = vital

Head Units $199 compared to $999:

7

Head Units within $50 of each other:

under $450 - 7

over $450 - 3

Amplifiers (similar power rating) $199/$999:

6-8

Amplifiers (similar power rating) within $50:

4

Speakers $199/$999:

9

Speakers within $50:

4-9

PreAmp Wiring $5/$999:

8

PreAmp Wiring $50/$999:

6

PreAmp Wiring within $10:

1-7

Speaker Wiring $5/$999:

6-8

Speaker Wiring $50/$999:

2-8

Speaker Wiring within $10:

2-8

Power Cable (same gauge) Cheap/Brand name:

3-5

Hope I'm understanding this right.

To my mind I would put it as (ugly phrasing but I'm having a hard time wording what I'm thinking):

What is the point at which you feel returns diminish beyond your willingness to pay for them?

For me...

HU: $700-$1000 (Only because I like minimal features)

Speakers: $1000-$1500

Amps: Around $3 a watt, or $800-$1500 depending on power.

Pre-amp cableing: $30-$60 a run depending on length.

Speaker cableing: Cheapest OFC, high strand count, of sufficent gauge I can find.

Power cableing: Cheapest OFC, high strand count, of sufficent gauge I can find.

(All retail prices, I'l always try to find it used, on sale, whatever.)

[ June 01, 2005, 11:36 PM: Message edited by: Newb ]

Another thing to possibly point out is the durability and integrity of a product. Everything degrades or decomposes. So if a $200 set of components sound 90% as good as a $300 set, but lasts longer, would it not be better to buy the $200 set? It depends on what you are after. If you are into the latest and greatest then no. But if you are after a daily driven system that you intend to keep, then yes.

Cool idea Dukk. I like where you are going with this.

intersting that you used the word stunning in your last sentence, a little out of character by your description of yourself.

^ I pointed that out to him as well lol I think he meant to use that specific word to make a point.

I just think that maybe I thought of Dave and STUN popped into my head [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Adam - I'm not going anywhere with it. I just thought it would be neat to see what people thought was important.

^^^That's what I mean. People sometimes get so caught up with what they believe, (guilty) that they miss the rest of the car audio spectrum. It's a pretty wide gammut, that is cool to see once in a while.

Adam