Yesterday, in review.

1) Richer Sounds. Things you know are true, but are hard to deal with.
2) McDonalds. What we need is Mac Donalds.
3) Why I don't go out in my town.
4) Balance.

1) Richer Sounds.
Yesterday, my flatmate and I went out to buy him a new Hi-Fi. Since I can hear, I was deemed a good person to take along. So, off we went.
We went to Richer Sounds, because they have good stuff, and are always very cheap.
Naturally, in accordance with Rule #1 of buying speakers, we prearranged to have a listening session.
We set up a pair of Mordaunt Short speakers with a Cambridge Audio amp. Both of these brands have strong reputations, as you may well know.
They just weren't cutting it.
So we swapped in some Kef speakers; same problem. Then some floorstanding MSs. Same again.
It's got to be the amp, right?
So, since you're in a shop who want to take your money in exchange for hi-fi gear, and they're well aware that you're going to make your decision based on what you hear, you'd not think it would be an issue to swap out the amp - especially since they've just swapped you through three pairs of speakers.
"All these speakers aren't cutting it - and in the same way... can we try a different amp?", said I.
"But that's our best rated amp", quoth they
"Well, all three pairs of speakers, including your 500ukp floorstanders are sounding bad, and bad in the same way", I said. "I'm a mix engineer; my ears aren't off - and certainly not that off - take a listen to them, you'll hear it straight away. There's nothing going on between 200 and 400Hz, there's an odd lump down at 100Hz, and another weird lump around 8k. I know HiFi stuff often rolls down that low-mid region, and tries to sweeten the top, but that's not what I'm hearing. Treat me like I'm insane if you have to, but just let us try another amp, ok?".
Now, on reflection, I realise that the entirety of that would have gone over their heads.
So, I select a Denon amp as its replacement - it was in the right pricerange for a start, rather than the silver faced 300quid monstrosity they were trying to push us.
In it goes. Immediately, the problem is gone. Kef cones sounding nice, and like a pair of Kefs usually do.
So, back we go to the Mordaunt Short floorstanders... Not cutting it... It's a three-driver arrangement, and the lowest driver is doing nothing... naturally one checks the biamp bridging... which is not screwed in properly on one speaker, and is absent on the other...
Quietly, we ask if we could borrow some metal bridges to solve the problem...
And now they sound like 500ukp floorstanders.
So, we switch back to our original MSs, and we're home. Perfect pricerange, and sounding awesome.
But the sarcasm and contempt with which we were treated really does boggle the mind as to how this can be a professional organisation.
I've no naivety to believe that Richer Sounds is interested in customers who can actually hear - they're set up to shift boxes using the tools of bullshit and plain lies to people who want something that looks stylish, and who frankly couldn't tell if they were wired up correctly. That's fine. But courtesy costs nothing. Treating my flatmate and I like we were actually human would have been nice. After pointing out that the amp was making a huge difference, and that they might want to check that the amp was working correctly - on the grounds that it was an expensive amp, and evidently must be good - got the reply "oh, is that what you think, is it?". I have refrained from invoicing them for my time so far.

2) McDonalds
So, on the way back, we went to McDonalds.
I'm not proud of that.
I eat McDonalds perhaps once every six months. I know what's going on there. I'm well aware. But nevertheless, when it's close enough the only option for food, I eat there. Shameful.
What we need is Mac Donalds. McDonalds already has the wireless internet access...
I want really expensive fast food, made from the most expensive ingredients they can find (A new G5 came through the other day with a Western Digital harddrive. Thanks Apple! Your thoughts are being appreciated out here!). I want my food to be served in elegant packaging; it has to be good, but I want to enjoy unwrapping it too. I want to know that whilst I'm eating my meal, attention has been paid to my cullinary experience.
Yeah, yeah, I know Apple does some evil behind the scenes; eggs and omelettes, you know. But if more things paid more attention to the user experience, wouldn't life be a joy?

3) Why I don't go out in my town.
Because it's full of chavs.
Need I say more?

4) Balance.
Well, there has to be something to do with music in my blog postings, doesn't there? I mean, it seems to be pretty much all I do (eating at McDonalds and buying HiFi aside).

As they say, "Nature abhors a vacuum". Everything has to be balanced. Rough sounds with smooth sounds (drums and strings; everything else in the middle). Questions and answers. Mellow sounds and Evil sounds - this is my latest realisation. Grimy distorted sounds add that required balance that keeps a pretty tune sounding like music... rather than drifting off into the ephemeral realms of melodic prettyness, of which I am so often guilty.

That'll do for now.