The Good old stereo stack system

[king tarzan]

Built to last and blast!!

[radioman33]

I think people who appreciate their music still go for them,with a turntable to play their classic records on.

[cunningman]

I think people who appreciate their music still go for them,with a turntable to play their classic records on.

You are kidding, right?
Nobody makes one with a turntable.  Or indeed makes one.
You can get cheap USB turntables, but entry with Rega is more than those things cost in total.
Why would you, when computer audio is so good now?

[Goldfinch]

Got most of my separates and speakers in 2001,updated the tuner to DAB later on,all still working fine and sound great.

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And I still have the 1st Amstrad stereo I bought in 1985,not been plugged in for over 25 years.

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[lillythesavage]

just got one, Technics with big fuck off speakers on stands, and a double cassette, turntable is coming out of the loft to go with it. My mate was binning it. 


It made up for the spotty 19 year old valet guy totaling the GTI, I cannot get another one for love or money new. 

[Marmalade]

You are kidding, right?
Nobody makes one with a turntable.  Or indeed makes one.
You can get cheap USB turntables, but entry with Rega is more than those things cost in total.
Why would you, when computer audio is so good now?

Computer audio does not reach vinyl audio quality. There’s been several attempts to get it made available — Neil Young invested a lot in it — but the music companies I understand are just not interested. Most people don’t want it, are happy with computer quality audio, or just haven’t experienced the difference.

That sort of best concert hall quality in your house is sadly a throwback to the 70s.

[Steve2]

Still got my Sony with twin cassettes , radio and turntable. Still sounds as good as new

[mr.bluesky]

Still have my Phillips audio system ,twin tape decks, cd player and radio . Use it all the time still great sound quality.  onlything missing is a turntable.

[Blackpool Rock]

Computer audio does not reach vinyl audio quality. There’s been several attempts to get it made available — Neil Young invested a lot in it — but the music companies I understand are just not interested. Most people don’t want it, are happy with computer quality audio, or just haven’t experienced the difference.

That sort of best concert hall quality in your house is sadly a throwback to the 70s.

Never quite got the argument about vinyl sounding better, all I remember was crackling and the potential for the needle to jump, moving to CD's was amazing as was not having to record vinyl to cassette to listen to it in my car 

This article explains why vinyl can theoretically be better than digital however the sting in the tail here is that a lot of modern vinyl is actually made from original digital recordings but people will still claim it sounds better 
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So vinyl perhaps wins the day Vs MP3 but not against a CD 

[PLeisure]

Never quite got the argument about vinyl sounding better, all I remember was crackling and the potential for the needle to jump, moving to CD's was amazing as was not having to record vinyl to cassette to listen to it in my car 

This article explains why vinyl can theoretically be better than digital however the sting in the tail here is that a lot of modern vinyl is actually made from original digital recordings but people will still claim it sounds better 
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So vinyl perhaps wins the day Vs MP3 but not against a CD 

heh heh... When I read marm's opening comment, I just knew it would launch the digital vs analogue debate 

From a diehard old school audiophile's perspective - admittedly a dying breed - vinyl does sound better. They're prepared to forgive the pops, click and warps in that belief. It's often described as 'warmer', more expansive or dimensional. When played on a top end system (apols for going off topic) you will hear nuances that CD doesn't reveal. This is catnip for music aficionados.

I haven't read the article yet but wonder if it talks about resolution.
 - CDs are limited to 16-bit resolution.
 - WAV or FLAC digital files can go up to Studio Master level, i.e. 24-bit resolution.
 - Vinyl is not limited by resolution.
Imagine it a bit like viewing a famous painting. If digitally reproduced, all the information is seemingly available on the surface. It's also a lot easier to transport in bulk. Vinyl is like viewing a very close facsimile of original painting up close. It has a richness, you can see the brushstrokes, colours pop out, etc.

Of course, in today's consumerist culture, few are bothered with that level of detail. Convenience is king.
Which is why audiophiles are in an ever decreasing circle. Often laughed at for being sad anorak types still living with their mothers. I've seen droves of them when attending hi-fi shows, earnestly asking manufacturers inane questions about the minutest detail. Bless 'em. At these price points, they are justified in questioning why.

I had a favourite album which I'd only heard on CD. When I got my record deck and played a vinyl copy, the music came alive in the room. It was so much more involving. There was detail I'd never heard on a frequently played album. You could get a sense of the 'sound stage', where musicians were positioned in the room 
When I later heard the same record at a dealer's, on their top end system (we're talking £23K just for the record player), it was like the singer was holographically suspended between the speakers. Astonishing.

Yes, it's true that most albums today are recorded digitally so that would put the argument to bed.
Inevitably, a few small independent record labels have sprung up to produce an all-analogue recording pathway. Naturally, you pay more for the privilege, and it keeps audiophiles happy. Plus, they have their collection of vinyl cut in the 60s/ 70s/ early 80s, when quality was a given. 
It's possibly the last call for these types, stubbornly holding onto their vinyl. Maybe two more decades and they're gone? I'm one, yes - been buying it ever since I had pocket money. There's so much, I don't dare move homes 

Apologies again for briefly going off on a tangent 

[Marmalade]

I was fortunate to have a top end system back in the day, which I guess was necessary if we compare with subsequent developments and computer sound. It was not just a case of a turntable and a needle. The arm was delicately balanced with an adjustable weight that could be adjusted by tiny increments.  I can’t remember the cost of a new needle (stylus) for it but the figure forty quid comes to mind which was a small fortune back then. So I’d not let anyone near it in case they bumped it down on the record accidentally or too fast. The sound was amazing and completely transparent, so you felt like you were in a concert hall. Fortunately I had no neighbours!

[Blackpool Rock]

I guess it's like a lot of things though where people compare old and new, some love the modern stuff and some hanker for the good old days when things were better, sometimes they were and sometimes they weren't 

I used to be a petrol head and would love to get another fast sports car but my thinking is to go for an ICE car rather than an electric.
Many years ago I worked with a guy who reminisced about his old Morris minor and other similar British classics while at the same time admitting they weren't reliable especially compared to the modern Toyota he then drove.
Didn't stop him buying a 2nd car as a classic for weekends and then complaining about having to nurse it home when it used to over heat 

I know people who love reading books and wouldn't use a kindle until they relented as it was so much easier when going on holiday or out and about however they still go for physical books when reading at home as the experience feels more connected and they even like the smell of a real book.

Instant coffee is so much more convenient however I take the extra time and let "Real coffee" brew for 5 minutes in a cafetiere

I actually still have my Sony stack system which hasn't been touched for almost 20 years but all I remember was not liking crackle when playing vinyl

[lillythesavage]

I guess it's like a lot of things though where people compare old and new, some love the modern stuff and some hanker for the good old days when things were better, sometimes they were and sometimes they weren't 

I used to be a petrol head and would love to get another fast sports car but my thinking is to go for an ICE car rather than an electric.
Many years ago I worked with a guy who reminisced about his old Morris minor and other similar British classics while at the same time admitting they weren't reliable especially compared to the modern Toyota he then drove.
Didn't stop him buying a 2nd car as a classic for weekends and then complaining about having to nurse it home when it used to over heat 

I know people who love reading books and wouldn't use a kindle until they relented as it was so much easier when going on holiday or out and about however they still go for physical books when reading at home as the experience feels more connected and they even like the smell of a real book.

Instant coffee is so much more convenient however I take the extra time and let "Real coffee" brew for 5 minutes in a cafetiere

I actually still have my Sony stack system which hasn't been touched for almost 20 years but all I remember was not liking crackle when playing vinyl

What is deemed a classic car today, the biggest market in them, are perfectly reliable, late 80,s and early 90,s cars with EFI or diesel, serviced will take you anywhere.

Of course there is still a market for older stuff, but as people get older the market declines, it is mainly about cars of the youth and what was around at that time. It causes financial bubbles for a number of years that drops off a little as years go by.

For instance a MK1 Lotus Cortina peeked at over 100k, probably 50/60% of that now, MK1 and 2 Ford Escorts, always popular because of motor sport, have been over taken by RS MK3 and MK4 models. The early 3 door Cosworth Sierras are where the MK1 Lotus used to be. Ford have been the highest value and highest demand classic car for years.

talking of Toyota, I saw a lovely original low miles, series 2 MR2, for 20k, miles and condition is always the main factor on value of the vehicle, age of enthusiasts factor demand.
Any car properly maintained can take you anywhere, after all Morris Minors did just that for years, usually with a kit of tools and service spares to hand, it is lack of use and not checking before using that is the cause of reliability issues.

[Dark_Gable]

At the moment I listen to music either via my laptop speakers or my TV

When I move to a bigger place, separates are on my list of essentials. I have really fond memories of my father's old separates system and his modest but well selected vinyl collection when I was growing up.

[cunningman]

Computer audio does not reach vinyl audio quality.

I disagree.  Computer audio for me is an active system, bit perfect replay every time.
There is no way that a vinyl system can have so little distortion.
Of course, some people like the distortions.

[lostandfound]

Defo in the camp that fings ain't wot they used to be - they are much better!

Only argument I can see in favour of the Hi Fi stacks is that in them olden days recordings were deliberately engineered to sound good on the listening gear available at the time. But then there are remastered recordings which overcomes that.

Same with old cars - they are just crap compared to modern ones.

But a basic tenet of economics is that consumers enjoy a flow of utility from goods and services they have chosen. So if old cars and vinyl records make people happy that's all to the good.

[maxQ]

  - Vinyl is not limited by resolution.
Imagine it a bit like viewing a famous painting. If digitally reproduced, all the information is seemingly available on the surface. It's also a lot easier to transport in bulk. Vinyl is like viewing a very close facsimile of original painting up close. It has a richness, you can see the brushstrokes, colours pop out, etc

Vinyl isn't perfect, the quality suffers as you get closer to the end of the disk, which is a pity because many great albums finish with the best song

[Murray Mint]

The one thing nobody's thrown into the mix is age - yours, not the hi-fi's. Once you hit about 40, the dynamic range of your ear starts to drop off. Slowly at first, but by the time you're in your 50's and 60's you'll be lucky to hear anything above about 6kHz. No amount of fancy hi-fi is going to compensate for that!

[Doc Holliday]

Vinyl isn't perfect, the quality suffers as you get closer to the end of the disk, which is a pity because many great albums finish with the best song

Indeed. Inner track distortion or something like that?

I made the decision to sell my considerable vinyl collection around five years ago having been an audiophile when younger. I just wasn't listening to music as much and it was gathering dust and taking up space.

[mr.bluesky]

Indeed. Inner track distortion or something like that?

I made the decision to sell my considerable vinyl collection around five years ago having been an audiophile when younger. I just wasn't listening to music as much and it was gathering dust and taking up space.

Likewise, I got rid of my considerable vinyl collection many years ago. I wish I hadn't as vinyl is making a comeback. LP's now selling for about £25 

[maxQ]

I disagree.  Computer audio for me is an active system, bit perfect replay every time.
There is no way that a vinyl system can have so little distortion.
Of course, some people like the distortions.

AFAIK The vinyl fans claimed for years that vinyl sounded better Vs Compact disc, most people dismissed them as cranks, but it turns out they were right, when people actually tried to figure out what was going on, they found that the frequencies that were left out of CD sampling and play back does effect the sound of the music, so the vinyl fans were right, but I'm not sure it this applies to lossless digital music files

I actually put together a Sony stack system during the lockdown, CD player, radio tuner, Tape deck, Minidisc and Amp, not sure if I will get a record player, but I kind of like the one in the video below, one of the interesting things about music these days, is very few people can copy music or record a radio program

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[lostandfound]

AFAIK The vinyl fans claimed for years that vinyl sounded better Vs Compact disc, most people dismissed them as cranks, but it turns out they were right, when people actually tried to figure out what was going on, they found that the frequencies that were left out of CD sampling and play back does effect the sound of the music, so the vinyl fans were right, but I'm not sure it this applies to lossless digital music files

I actually put together a Sony stack system during the lockdown, CD player, radio tuner, Tape deck, Minidisc and Amp, not sure if I will get a record player, but I kind of like the one in the video below, one of the interesting things about music these days, is very few people can copy music or record a radio program

External Link/Members Only

What?! 

[radioman33]

Cassette tapes became popular again,life was simple recording the top 40 on a Sunday then playing the charts in the car or on a Sony Walkman,retro returns.

[Watts.E.Dunn]

The one thing nobody's thrown into the mix is age - yours, not the hi-fi's. Once you hit about 40, the dynamic range of your ear starts to drop off. Slowly at first, but by the time you're in your 50's and 60's you'll be lucky to hear anything above about 6kHz. No amount of fancy hi-fi is going to compensate for that!

No, its Frequency response which is totallay differnt from dynamic range that the diffenct in the Level of the audio, the Frequency is the pitch of the audio!

Yes the frequency reposnse does fall off with age but as long as you havent grown up with your ears stuffed in Bass Bins then unless you have another issue it should be good up to 8 Khz KiloHertz)

Mine is still there !.. despuite the age!

[king tarzan]

Cassette tapes became popular again,life was simple recording the top 40 on a Sunday then playing the charts in the car or on a Sony Walkman,retro returns.

I have many cassettes piled up!!

[mr.bluesky]

I have many cassettes piled up!!

Likewise, but infuriating when they get chewed up by the tape deck 

[king tarzan]

Likewise, but infuriating when they get chewed up by the tape deck 

Thankfully Japanese made my tape deck and stereos and still tough to this day

[Watts.E.Dunn]

As to Vinyl and CD a or analouge and digital...

I've been in places like the concert hall at Broadcasting house and Madia vale where you can go and listen to the band in the studio, and then the control  room and its pretty bloody accuate!

Now as to Vinyl and Digital as to tech accuracy Digital is a clear winner:)

Where the differnces are is that Vinyl alters the orignal audio, thats to say makes it sound differnt as it intoduces its own "colourations" to the audio and a lot of people like that "sound"

Now digital can do the same, its doen to the CODEC used and the BITRATE used. High bitates and a linear PCM encoder can be about the most accurate medium around BUT reduce the bitrares and then the qualirty will deteroiate and thats what makes the "computer"  sound the sound you hear on mobile phones etc, and DAB radio one of the main offenders!

We still have some Analouge mastertapes from whuch Vinyl records will have been cut, they are of very high quality i do have a Studer A80 machone you would not what to lug that areound but tapes recordered back in the Sixties, Fifties even, sound fine!

Analouge tape was far more accurate than what Vinyl ever could be!

[mr.bluesky]

Thankfully Japanese made my tape deck and stereos and still tough to this day

Showing my age but it was usually car tape decks that used to chew the tapes ( or at least mine did)

[Murray Mint]

No, its Frequency response which is totallay differnt from dynamic range that the diffenct in the Level of the audio, the Frequency is the pitch of the audio!

Yes the frequency reposnse does fall off with age but as long as you havent grown up with your ears stuffed in Bass Bins then unless you have another issue it should be good up to 8 Khz KiloHertz)

Mine is still there !.. despuite the age!

No  -  the two are connected. By the age of 60 most men have lost about 30dB at 6kHz - i.e. the audio power at that frequency needs to increase by a factor of 1000 to compensate for this compared with a 20 to 30 year old!!....

[cunningman]

Yes the frequency reposnse does fall off with age but as long as you havent grown up with your ears stuffed in Bass Bins then unless you have another issue it should be good up to 8 Khz KiloHertz)

This is really interesting if you are into DIY speakers - it suggests that a good 'full range' is adequate above lower bass because you might not need the higher frequencies - and that means that you can use a 2" or 2.5" driver that goes off after that - and push down to just a big woofer at 200Hz or so, maybe lower.

It means that there is less phase shift and crossover issues in the main human perception regions (which are mostly about 'mother's voice').

[Murray Mint]

............, one of the interesting things about music these days, is very few people can copy music or record a radio program

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Really? I thought that's what you used iTunes for. I copied all my CDs onto my iPod Classic over a decade ago using iTunes.

[Marmalade]

I disagree.  Computer audio for me is an active system, bit perfect replay every time.
There is no way that a vinyl system can have so little distortion.
Of course, some people like the distortions.

Horses for courses and I hope we can agree to differ amicably otherwise it gets boring!
My experience is that distortion on a vinyl system is due to poor quality equipment or dust and imperfections on the vinyl disk (I've also used crappy vinyl systems and they are pretty fucking bad!) I can look up the technical stuff maybe, or someone else can. I've listened to top rated modern hifis with CD or electronic as well and they are impressive – at a price – and of course background hiss-n-click distortion has been removed electronically. To get the best from either system I recommend electrostatic speakers, though they do take up rather a lot of room.

The other problem I have with electronic is lack of full ownership, which is more like an extended rental. itunes really fucks about with albums, especially classical ones. At least with a CD you can see exactly what you have. Vinyl is, or was, also a social experience. If you have a great system, others will bring their albums over, you can pore over the covers, carefully enshrined details, pass them round, and look through each other's collections. That degree of involvement is somehow missing even from CDs. 

[maxQ]

Really? I thought that's what you used iTunes for. I copied all my CDs onto my iPod Classic over a decade ago using iTunes.

And so did I, but apple no longer make the ipod classic

My point is different, if I asked you to copy a CD you own on to a tape or Minidisc, could you do it, the average person using spotify can't. back in the day that was one thing most people wanted to be able to do

Its the same with television, back in the old days if you recorded onto VHS you always owned the tape, if you stop paying your SKY sub you lose access to the recordings on the hard drive

[Watts.E.Dunn]

No  -  the two are connected. By the age of 60 most men have lost about 30dB at 6kHz - i.e. the audio power at that frequency needs to increase by a factor of 1000 to compensate for this compared with a 20 to 30 year old!!....

Well thats an odd way of looking at it yes you can take any spot frequency and measure its level or amplitude any range of frequncies if what you meant was you have to boost the upder frqunciey ranges cos of hearing loss than yes thats applicable.

Dynamic range really is the differnce usually expressed in Decibels between one level and the other! Intresting example,

 Imagine your in a quiet churchyard at night no more noise than some bloke bonking his lass across a tombstone like they sometimes do in these parts;)

A jet fighter goes overhead the dB level change is is maybe 120 dB!

Now he comes back with a mate, anyone any idea how many extra dB that will be?.


240 dB  or what?.....

[Marmalade]

No  -  the two are connected. By the age of 60 most men have lost about 30dB at 6kHz - i.e. the audio power at that frequency needs to increase by a factor of 1000 to compensate for this compared with a 20 to 30 year old!!....

It's a good point (even though not a reflection on the quality of sound output). I'd also welcome some sort of volume modulator on my tv that would let me hear quietly spoken words in a movie without annoying neighbours with the sound of people singing and shouting loudly in the scene that follows. That's not frequency range as much as differences in volume. If I use my Apple earbuds (airpods pro) they will do that but at the expense of limiting the maximum volume altogether. Sitting with big earphones on only seems justified for the most serious of focussed viewing (that is if I could even get the right connectors).

The thing with quality is not just range and volume but crystal clear precision. Many download sites give a choice of lossless formats/codecs if you have space to store them, with FLAC appearing to be one of the best. But irrespective of other considerations, songs originally recorded for vinyl frequently have to be remixed for other formats. The "re-mastered" Satanic Majesties Requests will sound better than an older digital version, but an original vinyl in good condition, played on the best equipment, will sound better than either. It will sound as the artist intended.

[Marmalade]

The late Sixties was also a time of incredible experimentation and development in music, making full use of high quality reproduction systems. Big electrostatic speakers could give a realistic "surround sound" without any additional kit (though I did experiment). The experience was more one of total immersion, which is barely approached by anything else. This encouraged bands like Pink Floyd to produce wildly immersive experiences like the UmmaGumma album -- which sounds relatively flat nowadays on current kit.

There's also, I feel, a certain ritualist element to playing vinyl.

Firstly you would have taken a trip into town, gone into a record store, found out if it was on sale, possibly ordered it if it wasn't. You'd ask to hear a sample which would be played through headphones in a soundproofed booth.

You'd take it home, possibly devouring much of the artwork and cover notes on the way. You'd maybe show it off to the people you lived with and arrange a time to sit and and enjoy it.  Even the action of lowering the stylus is iconic, nowadays often used in close up in movies. You take the album out of its sleeve, handling it only by the edges, carrying it to the sound system and lowering it carefully onto the turntable and, with the controls adjusted just right, place the stylus arm so that it connected with the very first half centimetre from the outer edge vinyl. Then you sit down and make a point of listening.

No "click and play": music was serious stuff!

Compare that with music today... composed and engineered so it can be 'appreciated' on practically anything and with nominal attention. That's the market basically.

[mr.bluesky]

The late Sixties was also a time of incredible experimentation and development in music, making full use of high quality reproduction systems. Big electrostatic speakers could give a realistic "surround sound" without any additional kit (though I did experiment). The experience was more one of total immersion, which is barely approached by anything else. This encouraged bands like Pink Floyd to produce wildly immersive experiences like the UmmaGumma album -- which sounds relatively flat nowadays on current kit.

There's also, I feel, a certain ritualist element to playing vinyl.

Firstly you would have taken a trip into town, gone into a record store, found out if it was on sale, possibly ordered it if it wasn't. You'd ask to hear a sample which would be played through headphones in a soundproofed booth.

You'd take it home, possibly devouring much of the artwork and cover notes on the way. You'd maybe show it off to the people you lived with and arrange a time to sit and and enjoy it.  Even the action of lowering the stylus is iconic, nowadays often used in close up in movies. You take the album out of its sleeve, handling it only by the edges, carrying it to the sound system and lowering it carefully onto the turntable and, with the controls adjusted just right, place the stylus arm so that it connected with the very first half centimetre from the outer edge vinyl. Then you sit down and make a point of listening.

No "click and play": music was serious stuff!

Compare that with music today... composed and engineered so it can be 'appreciated' on practically anything and with nominal attention. That's the market basically.

You've summed that up perfectly Marmalade,  I didn't get into music until the mid to late 70's and one of the first albums I bought was Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield and was absolutely blown away by the sound quality and even though I had the original on vinyl (which I foolishly got rid of with all my other vinyl LP's) then had it on CD and downloaded onto my MP3 player The sound quality on that original vinyl always sticks in my memory especially when you listened to through headphones.  I always prefer listening to music through headphones that completely covers your ears so that all outside noise is blocked out and you get to hear the music without any other noise pollution.

[Watts.E.Dunn]

Well TV audio should be sorted out at source but the probelm is the very low number of people who are taught to record well, the BBC orignally dispensed these skills but not so much now..

Yes Vynil is a retual several others have said that over time, i've got a technics SP10 MKI2 must get it plugged up and a few discs;) Likes a bit of snap and popple:)

And yes Marmalade electrostatics are excecllent for accuracy, a pair of QUAD ELS 63'3 s can be had for a few hundred quid but you must make sure they are in decent condition and havent been abused!

Finally the extra jet aircraft is only 3 dB extra!, as a 3 dB increase is doubling the power! 240 dB would be the same as 10 feet away from a Nuke blast and you would go very deaf!.

Odd thing decibel scaling but very usefull for expresing large changes all to do it naiperian logarthims etc...

[Blackpool Rock]

Well TV audio should be sorted out at source but the probelm is the very low number of people who are taught to record well, the BBC orignally dispensed these skills but not so much now..

Yes Vynil is a retual several others have said that over time, i've got a technics SP10 MKI2 must get it plugged up and a few discs;) Likes a bit of snap and popple:)

And yes Marmalade electrostatics are excecllent for accuracy, a pair of QUAD ELS 63'3 s can be had for a few hundred quid but you must make sure they are in decent condition and havent been abused!

Finally the extra jet aircraft is only 3 dB extra!, as a 3 dB increase is doubling the power! 240 dB would be the same as 10 feet away from a Nuke blast and you would go very deaf!.

Odd thing decibel scaling but very usefull for expresing large changes all to do it naiperian logarthims etc...

Ah yes I was thinking 10db but that's double the sound whereas as you say 3db is double the power input

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[mradventures]

hearing does change as you age, i hear high pitched stuff my parents simply dont :/

bass heavy stuff sounds more as you get older, i think?

[radioman33]

This is a decent one.

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[Watts.E.Dunn]

Ah yes I was thinking 10db but that's double the sound whereas as you say 3db is double the power input

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Basically decibel scaling is a Relative measurement. We say that something is 30 dB above "zero level" in audio thats .775 milliwatts

In radio terms we say thats 50 dBm the m suffix is one milliwatt of radio energy so a 50 dB increase is 100 watts of power a 10 dB increase is (10 times) is  that! is 1000

Its all do do with the power of Ten..  Nuff said!..

[Blackpool Rock]

Basically decibel scaling is a Relative measurement. We say that something is 30 dB above "zero level" in audio thats .775 milliwatts

In radio terms we say thats 50 dBm the m suffix is one milliwatt of radio energy so a 50 dB increase is 100 watts of power a 10 dB increase is (10 times) is  that! is 1000

Its all do do with the power of Ten..  Nuff said!..

I'm guessing by your Nick that this is an area of expertise, for the rest of us it's a bit confused.com and all we need to know is does the Amp go up to 11   

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[Watts.E.Dunn]

I'm guessing by your Nick that this is an area of expertise, for the rest of us it's a bit confused.com and all we need to know is does the Amp go up to 11   

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LOL! reminds me of this sketch!..

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[Blackpool Rock]

LOL! reminds me of this sketch!..

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Another classic 

[shed]

LOL! reminds me of this sketch!..

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Sadly don't make comedy sketches like that any more. Hilarious.

[anyfucker]

hearing does change as you age, i hear high pitched stuff my parents simply dont :/

bass heavy stuff sounds more as you get older, i think?

test your hearing
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[Watts.E.Dunn]

test your hearing
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That assumes that the high frequency response of your computer speakers is level/flat up to say 15/20 Khz.

OK here to 11.5 K.

This is a much better real world test from the Naitional Institute for the Deaf..

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[cunningman]

That assumes that the high frequency response of your computer speakers is level/flat up to say 15/20 Khz.

A reasonably decent pair of headphones is likely to be pretty flat past 15k.

When I started doing sweeps with REW to set up the miniDSP crossover I used, I was surprised how high a frequency 8kHz seemed to be.