Malabar Front wrote:
I'm not sure we care about the price, JC. Hell, I paid £30 for my standard Apple keyboard, and feel that's absolutely worth it. People are just getting a bit confused about the claims these companies makeabout the hardware; specifically why they'd be genuinely any better than a standard keyboard, macros and comfort, bells and whistles aside. You can't really refute what Mr Dave was saying.
I don't want to refute it.
People asked me why these keyboards were called gaming keyboards and I did my best to explain why. They
are different . I mean, even if the differences are mostly cosmetic they are still different to a normal keyboard. That's just the point I was making. Those speakers I posted (the ebay Martin Logan ones) are different to normal speakers. They're electrostatic. They still make music, and they still make sound, but they are different.
And the more I calmly try and point that out to people the more they carry on and then start making claims of snake oil. Thing is, I don't care about that part and it starts to become blatantly obvious that it's nothing but a spiteful attempt to make me unhappy with my purchase.
Part of the reason why we have this massive range of products and choice is down to things like this. Sure, they may not be what they're cracked up to be but as long as someone is happy with them and is paying for them fuelling an economy who gives a fuck?
Take the Bose thread. I know
a lot about stereo equipment and acoustics. I won't bore you with why right now but I do. I spent about eight years working in the audio industry and far more being a fan of high fidelity equipment (going into the extremes of audiophile).
And I know that Bose aren't all that good. Here, I'll give you a really fucking anal example as to why.
A woofer (or driver, depending on the size) has what is called a basket (USA) or a frame (europe). If you're not sure what that is then it's basically the bit the magnet sits on the arse of and the woofer's surround (the usually foam bumpy bit) connects to at the front end.
Bose were using
plastic in their 101 drivers. Any idea why that's so all kinds of wrong? Here I will explain.
That part of the speaker is mostly made from steel in cheap woofers. It needs to be super rigid to prevent warping, but also it needs to carry a lot of heat from the motor assembly (the voice coil). Plastic isn't a great conductor, let's put it that way. Over time they become brittle and crack. Now in an ideal world good quality baskets or frames are made from aircraft aluminum. Why? because they are rigid and dissapate all of the heat away from the motor (or voice coil) allowing the motor to live a longer life and not end in failure.
And Bose used plastic.
Plastic. Steel isn't fantastic either, but at least you only usually find that on cheap drivers.
And you know what? all of the above adds to or subtracts from the listening experience. 80% of the world would say "I can't tell the difference and it's a con ETC, ETC" but you know what? I do have the critical listening skills to be able to tell a difference. Yet I'm not going to start going
on and on and on and on about that determined to get my point accross or piss on someone's parade because opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, but push yours too far and you become one.
So even if I cannot tell the difference when playing Tomb Raider (and I won't because I can't fucking stand it lol) it doesn't matter. Sure, the differences on those keyboards may be completely undetectable, but scientifically they are differences and make me rather happy and joyful.