[bootman]

Very interesing topic at Stereophile.

http://www.stereophile.com/soapbox.shtml

Please read before voting.

 

[Braver]

I voted both. Music is the most important, ofcourse, no doubt about it. I won't be listening to music I don't care about just because it sounds good.

but the music does get better when you've got some decent audio. music from my stereo's speakers is still music, and if they'd play some decent stuff on the radio I'd probably enjoy that too. but only for background sounds. not the sit down and close your eyes kinda listening. and listening to those stax's was just as exciting, even more actually, as buying a new cd.

and besides, it still is a hobby, nothing wrong with getting some good audio for the fun of upgrading. new-toy-hype is addictive

you need a fix every now and then

 

[mbriant]

I voted both as well, and agree with Braver that the music is of course the most important, but when you can match it with the power and realism a good audio system can bring to it ( speakers or headphones), it's just that much better.

 

[TerriblySorry]

It's got to be both, but at different time. Sound quality is an issue only when I'm auditioning for an upgrade. Once the new piece of kit has been selected, I just plug it in and enjoy the music.

Having said that, there's some music out there I wouldn't enjoy live, let alone played back on equipment that I know can never successfully compete with the real thing.

 

[Neruda]

the music is all that matters! good equipment is secondary! I mean, good equipment is really cool, but in the end it's really not necessary. Personally, I'd enjoy the music if all I got to use was a car radio, although I agree that it can be annoying having your equipment hinder your enjoyment at all. Even considering that though, I'm sure we can all agree that you don't need an orpheus to enjoy music

.

 

[AndreYew]

I say both, because the sound itself is very often part of the music. If you've sat in a good concert hall listening to a world class orchestra playing a late Romantic period or later piece of music, you'll discover that sound is a very important component of the music. Musicians obviously care about sound as well, when they pay $$$$ for Stradivari violins and other nice musical instruments, and when they talk about the beauty of the sound they produce.

--Andre

 

[Audio Redneck]

Another both.

But the music or song comes first. If I want to hear Spike Jones and his City Slickers, then I grab the cassette and put it on. If I am wanting Beethoven's 7th, I start chosing based on where I am at (bedroom, TV room) and decide between CD or Vinyl and version.

In short - for background, its strictly the music; for a musical experience, the system figures in.

And let me note, too, that I am not trying to down play the importance of background: in visual terms, the color of the walls and a painting/print can make all the difference in any room/office.

"nuthin like the mounted head of a Jack-o-lope to give a room pu-zazz"

 

[XXhalberstramXX]

the music without a doubt.

the sound actively does no exciting, it's the music that gets the work done. The audio equipment i have just makes sure theres as little as possible between me and the music.

This might be because i have only spent a certain amount of $ on audio equipment. Maybe if i had a $10K stereo i would pay more attention to the sound. But i dont, and i'm happy this way.

I don't think that i'm listening to a live concert when i listen to music, i just think i'm listening to music. I don't worry too much that it doesn't sound perfect. Maybe this is also why i like headphones, because they present music in a very unnatural way. but thats just my opinion

 

[thomas]

As the results have shown so far, no one admits that they listen for the sound. But i know for a fact that many audiophiles are so obsessed with getting the perfect sound out of a system that musical enjoyment is only an afterthought...but no one would ever admit that...

Personally, i find that sound goes hand in hand with the music, and i can't enjoy one without the other. Live music always sounds great IMO, but if the music isn't good then i won't enjoy it. On the flipside, I don't think its possible to make good music good if it does not "sound" good. Personally, i like to have an emotional connection with the music i listen to, and i find the emotion and artistic intent totally missing if played back on a $2 pair of computer speakers. So I think that you need a good balance between "sound" and "musicality" for an enjoyable musical experience...

BTW as a musician, the sound IS the music; the music is the sound

 

[erebus]

Yea, I think the poll should have been worded a little differently to get better results.

When you say "what excites you more, the music or the sound?" the only answers should be "music" or "sound" imo. I mean, almost everybody wants both, but from that article, it is interesting to see which matters MORE to people.

Erebus.

 

[bootman]

Quote:

Yea, I think the poll should have been worded a little differently to get better results.

In hindsight I agree.

But hey it was 3 AM.