Little Things That Irk You IX

[dataDave]

Don't do it guys. Your music playback equipment is there to try and reproduce as accurately as it can what the recording artist wanted you to hear. If you change things to how you think it should sound that intent is lost.

This is what I always thought. But when I got my headphones they sounded a bit mushy for metal music. Going online I find loads of presets for resolving (for lack of better word) my audio issues using the PEACE EQ. Granted, they're not the best headphones ever (Philips Fidelio X2HR) - but easily among the best for under €300. If it was up to the recording artist I'd have to use studio/reference/expensive headphones.

As Cassius says, I'm all for reference, and especially FLAC where possible; but it's going to be a couple of years at least before I look at upgrading my headphones.

These were mainly bought for gaming anyway, and for that use case they sound great. Other than when I'm running clean digital audio out of the MiSTer. There's no way I'm putting up with raw/unprocessed CPS-1 soundtracks, it's literally headache-inducing. Slap a 4kHz LPF on there and it sounds identical to a big old meaty cab, no more headaches when you give it a load more juice either (within reason).

this is hilarious, £170 quid £4000 euro yet you get the same picture as a £7.49 amazon basics HDMI cable the human race really are stupid at times.

Could you tell the difference in picture quality between a €80,000 Sony OLED and a €200 Aldi job? If you could, would that margin be worth €79,800?

People with Lambourghinis don't try to save money by purchasing regular tyres, or even second-hand ones just to make sure they get through their MOT. This is exactly the same deal.

Don't worry, I'm also amazed at what some people spend on branded underwear.

[Lebowski]

My point is It's a digital cable sending ones and zeros, its not a analogue cable where the materials used make an actual difference, if i used a £10 or a £4000 hdmi cable you'd still get the same picture.

[Asura]

Could you tell the difference in picture quality between a €80,000 Sony OLED and a €200 Aldi job? If you could, would that margin be worth €79,800?

I think, with TVs - for me it's always been trying to figure out the difference between a TV that costs £1000 and a TV that costs £50k.

I can tell the difference between the bottom end and the top end, but not the middle and top end.

Similar with headphones. I have a set of Sony noise-cancelling headphones I bought as a Christmas gift for myself in 2022, which were about £250, which is more than I've ever spent on headphones before. These were to replace a set by Mixcder which I bought in 2019 for £50 that had finally fell apart due to wear and tear, and I was happy to treat myself as the death of the older set proved I used them enough to buy a better set. I can hear the difference between the two. But £250 is nothing on headphones in the audiophile space, and I struggle to understand how much better a £25k set of headphones could be over this £250 set.

My point is It's a digital cable sending ones and zeros, its not a analogue cable where the materials used make an actual difference, if i used a £10 or a £4000 hdmi cable you'd still get the same picture.

Yeah; the only reason to spend more on an HDMI cable is if you really need it to be robust, i.e. it won't break easily. So on-site use, where you're constantly plugging/unplugging it, or if you're setting it into a wall where you really don't want to ever have to replace it, so you buy a good brand. But even then, that's like spending £30 instead of £5.

[Hirst]

My point is It's a digital cable sending ones and zeros, its not a analogue cable where the materials used make an actual difference, if i used a £10 or a £4000 hdmi cable you'd still get the same picture.

This is exactly my point - with analogue there will be a difference. Whether that’s perceptible or not is up to the person in front of it, but it is indisputable that there will be a quality difference that can be measured somehow. I can tell the difference between a cheapo Scart lead versus a heavy duty gold plated one easy.

With digital, all it can do is work or not work. It can’t give varying grades of quality based on the shielding or anything like that. It might look nicer (the lead itself), have a better durability level, last a long time (I’ve never had a digital cable fail to be honest), but it will perform the same. It’s like comparing calculators and their ability to do a sum - you’ll get the same answer from any of them.

[QualityChimp]

It’s like comparing calculators and their ability to do a sum - you’ll get the same answer from any of them.

->Open Spoiler<-

5318008

[QualityChimp]

Those new bottle lids that remain attached so you'll recycle both.
Just makes drinking out of them a bit clunky.

[wheelaa]

Minimum ice cream bars.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/03/20/unilever-cuts-magnum-packs-quarter-prices-stay/

I don't even eat that poor quality ****e, but it still irks me!

[Neon Ignition]

More than time for a price war. It's just money gouging now.

[Lebowski]

More than time for a price war. It's just money gouging now.

I've seen quite a few posts on Reddit about the 80s quality street tins, it takes 4 2023 boxes to fill one box from the 80s

[wheelaa]

As a fan of savoury snacks, the inflation / shrinkflation irks are too numerous to list.

A couple of specific irks.

Frazzles. 18 months ago, 8 pack for £1. That dropped to 6 for £1. Locally it's now £1.50 (smaller Tesco / Sainsburys). Double the price in 18 months. I don't even care for Frazzles that much, there are far better bacon flavour snacks. Even so.

Deals, clubcard prices etc. Many of these deal of the week prices are more than the regular price was 6 months ago, such is the gouging.

There is a smile. My waistline is shrinking and I'm really not missing all that crispy goodness (badness really).

Although that brings an irk. Need to buy new trousers.

[wheelaa]

Seems that Quality Street pic is several years old, so it's even worse now!

The Sun (apologies!) has a breakdown since 2009 - https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/20250...hrinking-tubs/

I'm not sure what's more disgusting, the shrinkage, or the product itself (coconut aside).

[Asura]

Two things.

A tray of boneless, skinless chicken thighs from Tesco is now >£6, when I'm sure it was around half that much not long ago.

A single large pizza at Pizza Hut is £22. Given, you can spend £28 and get 3 pizzas, 6 sizes and a tub of ice cream. But sometimes you're not having a party; you just want a large pizza for a few people and you end up spending tons.

[wakka]

Yeah chicken has gone way up. Those chicken thighs used to be about £2.75.

The pizza thing has been that way forever at pizza chains though. The whole thing of Papa John's, Pizza Hut and Domino's is predicated on a complex ecosystem of exotic financial instruments via leaflets shoved through doors. 1 pizza? £48. 6 pizzas a bottle of Coke and some wedges? £17.99.

You need a decent independent spot for solo pizza munching or you're just getting ripped off.

[charlesr]

The neverending grind of cooking good food every day. It's enough to make you turn to ready meals... I'd bulk prepare, but the freezer is full of raw meat for the Husky. Dogs should also be banned. And humans.

[fishbowlhead]

Guys, no offence, but inflation has hit manufacturers of all descriptions in the uk, and all over, massively, from ingredients, to packaging, to labour, to machinery, and everything in between.

Prices of products or size of the product can’t stay static, otherwise you become unprofitable, then very very quickly you don’t exist as a business.