Frustrations as a perfectionist?

[igotcabada]

Does anyone else occasionally feel like they are not sure they are getting 100% out of the system they are using?

I have a problem where while I'm watching a blu, or a dvd, or tv that sometimes I'll think to myself mayyyyyyyybe if I set this setting like this or set my crossover freq to that or adjusted my backlight to this or set the tint to that or the gain on the fronts to this ect ect ect ect... that it miiiiiiiight look/sound/smell slightly better....



I mean my TV looks great and my speakers sound great, but sometimes its in the back of my mind.............

Do I need to get my system professionally calibrated before I will truly be happy?? this site is great for all the info, but sometimes living in ignorant bliss is better

[StimpsonJCat]

All the time. But only when I'm watching something that doesn't hold my interest. When I'm into a show/movie I can just focus on the entertainment. That and I can only do my tweaks when the wife isn't watching (drives her nuts when I mess with settings in the middle of something).

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by StimpsonJCat

All the time. But only when I'm watching something that doesn't hold my interest. When I'm into a show/movie I can just focus on the entertainment. That and I can only do my tweaks when the wife isn't watching (drives her nuts when I mess with settings in the middle of something).

+1...this is soooo true. Same thing here, with the material being watched and the wife not around. I can also add that I'll be sitting and think that hey, my front left looks just a little further to the left of my TV than the right....and so yes, I actually get the tape meaure out, LOL!!

I want evething to be aesthetically and proportionally perfect, all the while sounding and looking amazing. Hell of a balancing act......me soo

[raskal66]

Chronic Frustration is the companion of perfectionism.

There would be no drive to make things perfect if a perceived frustration did not accompany it. I'm think of myself as a perfectionist too, but my wallet limits my ability to shape the world as I think it ought to be. It's also why I don't subscribe to home theater magazines, because I'd be buying stuff every issue to "fix" my setup.

[igotcabada]

Originally Posted by StimpsonJCat

All the time. But only when I'm watching something that doesn't hold my interest. When I'm into a show/movie I can just focus on the entertainment. That and I can only do my tweaks when the wife isn't watching (drives her nuts when I mess with settings in the middle of something).

Yeah I have to agree with you there on both accounts

[tlmaclennan]

Welcome to the club! There is no cure!

[igotcabada]

Originally Posted by tlmaclennan

Welcome to the club! There is no cure!

Thanks! Now I can stop worrying about worrying about my settings and get back to worrying about my settings..

[Fors*]

Geez, well then, hi,.... I am an video and audioholic that suffers from bouts of upgraditis and perfectionism, all the while living with periods of power surge paranoia. Anyone got a small blu pill I can take?

[sdhobbs]

Paying to have my gear calibrated helped my frustrations. When I 1st got my Pio 5010 I was driving my girlfriend up the wall because I kept adjusting the video settings. I finally paid to have the tv calibrated by a local ISF tech. Same thing when I got my surround sound equipment. I had to have it calibrated by the same guy. It gives me peace of mind just to know that my equipment was calibrated by someone who knows what he is doing and I can enjoy watching movies instead of constantly second guessing my settings.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by sdhobbs

Paying to have my gear calibrated helped my frustrations. When I 1st got my Pio 5010 I was driving my girlfriend up the wall because I kept adjusting the video settings. I finally paid to have the tv calibrated by a local ISF tech. Same thing when I got my surround sound equipment. I had to have it calibrated by the same guy. It gives me peace of mind just to know that my equipment was calibrated by someone who knows what he is doing and I can enjoy watching movies instead of constantly second guessing my settings.

So when was the last time you upgraded or moved your gear around? I am always moving stuff around to satisfy the wife and kids....so I don't think I could do the audio calibration.

[mtbkr]

all of my electronics give me optical illusions is my theory. they are just screwing with my head. i always feel my t.v is not square with my stand, my monitors are not perfectly spaced, my receiver sticks out to far, my dvd's are not correctly alphabetized.

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

Geez, well then, hi,.... I am an video and audioholic that suffers from bouts of upgraditis and perfectionism, all the while living with periods of power surge paranoia. Anyone got a small blu pill I can take?

Lol - the door is Open but dare I step thru it...?!

errr, Moving right along (!!) - My Harmony One just came in Today, so I'll work on programming It later tonite. Now, I only need to borrow a Stud Finder (Stop right there with any comments "Forsberg21"!), and order my wall mount speaker stands next week. Then the SubDude, & some beige-colored foam squares for the walls, & that's it. The only thing left after that is to get some of those signs that many people here have for the walls (DTS-HD, BLU-RAY, DOLBY TRU-HD, etc.) for aesthetics.

[wafi]

Originally Posted by mbader21

Does anyone else occasionally feel like they are not sure they are getting 100% out of the system they are using?

I have a problem where while I'm watching a blu, or a dvd, or tv that sometimes I'll think to myself mayyyyyyyybe if I set this setting like this or set my crossover freq to that or adjusted my backlight to this or set the tint to that or the gain on the fronts to this ect ect ect ect... that it miiiiiiiight look/sound/smell slightly better....



I mean my TV looks great and my speakers sound great, but sometimes its in the back of my mind.............

Do I need to get my system professionally calibrated before I will truly be happy?? this site is great for all the info, but sometimes living in ignorant bliss is better

I for one think its a sickness...I do it all the time, so much so that one of these I can see my wife walking out on me! I dont think I will stop doing it even after I get my Kuro calibrated...no sirree!

[sdhobbs]

Forsberg21,
I have not upgraded my display but I have upgraded my center channel speaker since the audio calibration. I had to re-run the Audessey auto calibration. I wasn't to concerned because it sounds the same and the ISF Calibrator ran the auto calibration and then used his equipment to test all the levels and found the auto calibration to be spot on with the exception of the speaker distances, those were entered manually. I have confidence in my receivers auto calibration, if I have to move my furniture around or upgrade my speakers I can get it to sound good without having to pay for another audio calibration. Display is another story, I couldn't calibrate a new display on my own.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by sdhobbs

Forsberg21,
I have not upgraded my display but I have upgraded my center channel speaker since the audio calibration. I had to re-run the Audessey auto calibration. I wasn't to concerned because it sounds the same and the ISF Calibrator ran the auto calibration and then used his equipment to test all the levels and found the auto calibration to be spot on with the exception of the speaker distances, those were entered manually. I have confidence in my receivers auto calibration, if I have to move my furniture around or upgrade my speakers I can get it to sound good without having to pay for another audio calibration. Display is another story, I couldn't calibrate a new display on my own.

I just know that if I changed the speaker distances, my primary seating position or furniture it would have an effect on what I would hear to some degree, thus starting the procedure all over again and again and again....

[SDBlu]

Mbader, I feel the exact same way sometimes. I find myself wondering the same queries. I also find that the cure for me, or what puts me at ease is when I invite friends or family over to watch a movie and they are all AWWED by the PQ or AQ of my HT.

It feels good when other people can appreciate the hard work we put into putting a system together.

[SRTCraig]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

+1...this is soooo true. Same thing here, with the material being watched and the wife not around. I can also add that I'll be sitting and think that hey, my front left looks just a little further to the left of my TV than the right....and so yes, I actually get the tape meaure out, LOL!!

I want evething to be aesthetically and proportionally perfect, all the while sounding and looking amazing. Hell of a balancing act......me soo

You're not crazy, more hardcore!!! LOL

When i initially set up my speakers i got a spirit level and tape measure out to get things right. It still took a few micro-millimeter adjustments to get things perfect, but it's well worth the effort.

HT, that's the beauty of it, tinker, tinker and tinker some more.......

[htgeek]

Originally Posted by sdhobbs

Paying to have my gear calibrated helped my frustrations. When I 1st got my Pio 5010 I was driving my girlfriend up the wall because I kept adjusting the video settings. I finally paid to have the tv calibrated by a local ISF tech. Same thing when I got my surround sound equipment. I had to have it calibrated by the same guy. It gives me peace of mind just to know that my equipment was calibrated by someone who knows what he is doing and I can enjoy watching movies instead of constantly second guessing my settings.

Man I am a pro and I still can't stop. At least with the audio. After I calibrated my projector and tv I won't fuss with them , but even though multi eq dose a fantastic job Ican't help but tweak and play with my stuff. Great thread man. Anybody who's been at this a while knows our pain.

[repete66211]

Most a/v experience is about perception and our senses aren't always 100% reliable. So you could have a horribly calibrated TV and, because you're used to it, you just don't notice. Or you could have a perfectly calibrated sound system and still feel like something's off or you're missing out on some element. I attribute this to human nature; we're never happy. Win the lottery and you'll still have the same number of problems you as today. They'll just be a different set of problems. So, knowing that if you allow it to get to you things will never be perfect, I just get a decent setup, do what I can with it and let it go. Life's too short to sweat this sort of stuff.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by forsberg21

So when was the last time you upgraded or moved your gear around? I am always moving stuff around to satisfy the wife and kids....so I don't think I could do the audio calibration.

I'm lucky in this regard. With the furniture we have, electronics we have, space to put it in, and location of things like in-wall speaker wiring and cable outlets, it's practically impossible to rearrange my room. So for me it was a "set it and forget it" situation.