Chris, I am very interested in the videos on speakers. I am also glad that you stepped up to the plate to do at least some of them.
However, I am having a hard time understanding you. A lot has to do with the production. The miking makes your speech difficult to understand. You speak softly, perhaps a higher speaking volume might help as would different mike placement and less distant shots. Seeing a speaker’s mouth move makes understanding messages easier.
I also miss eye contact. Talking to the camera as if you are talking to us would help.
There are times when I have a hard time following a topic. Sliding to a tangent may be a reason. It is hard to follow when you come back to the main theme.
I know how hard it is for anyone who has not been in front of a camera much to get everything right enough that viewers can easily follow. It took me a while to learn.
Apart from your knowledge, you have great physical presence and a very soothing and reassuring voice. I think you can be an excellent presenter for PS Audio if those things I mentioned are corrected.
Others may not have a problem at all, but I suspect a good many of us PS video watchers do. It just takes learning and practice.
Thanks for doing them, Chris. I hope for many more.
I agree on everything, very well said. I especially struggle to extract nameable information getting to the point of the topic instead of talking around it somehow.
This is not meant at all as bashing at all, as I really appreciate Chris‘s sympathetic nature, his big knowledge shining through and the topics as such. It just mostly seemed to me as if there’s honestly nothing major and final to tell about them. It seemed as if those are not Chris‘ own topics and if he’d talk differently about things that really engage his mind.
That said, I’d do it not half as good I guess, as most of us. I guess the fact that not everyone’s familiar with this is the fact that we unfortunately also don’t hear from Gus yet.
For me in this situation the problem would be that the topics are usually answered in 3 sentences but I’d have to talk a few minutes. Paul meanwhile is used to this and regularly intersperses other topics and otherwise stays on track
Maybe the best hint for the moment for Chris is to keep it shorter?
Everyone has their personal style and quirks and that is what makes us unique. I love the info being disseminated and will take it any way I can. Thanks.
I agree as well with everything said. I struggle through for the topics but have a difficult time sometimes hearing each word. I do want Chris to keep doing the videos, his info is great. Cheers, Jim
Chris,
I greatly value your presentations. I would note that all the people offering suggestions love your work and are supporting you with their suggestions.
Keep up your good work.
Chas
Chris…Count me in as one who loves your videos. The only constructive thing I would say is it would be great if you can replicate Paul’s recording equipment & method as his videos almost always sound great but your recordings sound a bit muffled.
We greatly appreciate the information that you provide and hearing your perspective! Keep up the great work!
I have never had issues hearing Chris videos. I use iphone and sony noise canceling Bluetooth ear buds though. Perhaps it is equipment related and his voice is not clear with a myriad of devices.
I enjoy the perspective he offers and engineering slant. I have been able to relate.
I also had commented about eye contact. Experts will tell you non-verbal communication far outweighs what is actually said in the communication process for understanding. Chris’ videos are certainly content rich. Following the above suggestions would make the videos appear more professional.
Some really good points here. I think that i could “stick a tent pole in the ground” and state my personal views more strongly, rather than focusing more on the inherent compromises in engineering (a number of good approaches) - it’s hard to say something is “best” at times and there kind of needs to be a deeper dive as to say “why” without a bit of controversy (maybe a good thing for entertainment). Maybe, narrowing the topics would be a good thing?
Paul has so many great personal stories and i have a few as well. I wrote a bit about my association with the development of planar magnetic drivers here: https://www.psaudio.com/article/attack-of-the-20-foot-tweeter/ and I have a lot more stories of industry folks and my personal experiences that I can pepper in.
Chris, you have a long history with planar-magnetic and, presumably, ribbon drivers. Maybe a good place for your tent pole would be an exposition (hopefully a whole series of them) that revolves around why you’ve chosen to be a champion of this particular genus and species of drivers.
The discussion of engineering trade-offs could come in the context of a comparison to multiway piston, electrostatic, hybrid designs of all the above, and driver arrangements (i.e. how they relate to being used in line source, D-Appolito, dipole / open-baffle and other sorts of topographies.
I’ve heard all of the above sound amazing as well as dreadful, and price points are not necessarily a reliable guide to SQ. The approach Galen Gareis has taken to his design of the Iconoclast cables comes to mind. That is, what are the parameters that are known to be essential for an “ideal transducer” and how do the various engineering alternatives address them.
Finally, and importantly, how the above permutations and combinations of design interact with optimal room size and optimal speaker placement would be a great bonus.
All that should keep you busy and allow you to erect your own Big Top.
