Neruda
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very true, tomcat!
A really good article
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thomas
Who needs headphones when there's the JVC MX-GT80?
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I mostly agree with the article, but find it funny how live music is lumped together as a whole (ok, some seperate it into "amplified and unamplified")
There is just as many factors that affect how good live music sounds as there are affecting reproduced music. The acoustics venue, the skill of the performers, the types of instruments used, can all make the sound "bright", "warm", "musical", "analytic", etc...
If you listen to a piano recording made on a bachstein piano, and played it on bright equipment, it will sound like a Yamaha. But if you're listening to a recording, you have no idea what it "should" sound like, and either version could be the right one for all you know...
In the end, listen to all your recordings on all your equipment, and get what sounds best. Who cares if its "neutral", "coloured", or whatever's politically correct for audiophiles...
There is just as many factors that affect how good live music sounds as there are affecting reproduced music. The acoustics venue, the skill of the performers, the types of instruments used, can all make the sound "bright", "warm", "musical", "analytic", etc...
If you listen to a piano recording made on a bachstein piano, and played it on bright equipment, it will sound like a Yamaha. But if you're listening to a recording, you have no idea what it "should" sound like, and either version could be the right one for all you know...
In the end, listen to all your recordings on all your equipment, and get what sounds best. Who cares if its "neutral", "coloured", or whatever's politically correct for audiophiles...
The article was a great read...I find myself in the middle of that struggle myself right now. Do I want something where I can hear every damn thing? Or do I want MUSIC? Ultimately it's best to try and get a balance of both, which is the hardest thing to do really.
Tomcat
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Vertigo,
I feel, this balance analogy from the article might be somewhat misleading. To me, musicality is of the utmost importance. Emotional involvement and musicality are the same thing in my mind. So if equipment scored 95 on my personal captivating musicality scale, I couldn't care less about its score at other criteria - or their balance. As a matter of fact, I feel that listening very conciously for different criteria, might be the root of the problem. If something sounds more musical to me, I'd say it's simply better and more accurate in the only area that is truly important. There is more than enough time to ponder what aspect of the reproduction is responsible for this great musicality after having chosen the equipment.
thomas has a very relevant point:
"In the end, listen to all your recordings on all your equipment, and get what sounds best. Who cares if its "neutral", "coloured", or whatever's politically correct for audiophiles..."
Exactly. Therer are far too many audiophiles who have fooled themselves into believing that that equipment must be best that comes closest to their preconception of how their trusted set of three or four reference recordings ought to sound. I feel, that the opposite is true: the more accurate and musical your equipment, the larger the number of recordings and musical styles you can enjoy with it. And if their is even enjoyment with your really bad recordings, think about how gorgeous the truly good ones will sound.
I feel, this balance analogy from the article might be somewhat misleading. To me, musicality is of the utmost importance. Emotional involvement and musicality are the same thing in my mind. So if equipment scored 95 on my personal captivating musicality scale, I couldn't care less about its score at other criteria - or their balance. As a matter of fact, I feel that listening very conciously for different criteria, might be the root of the problem. If something sounds more musical to me, I'd say it's simply better and more accurate in the only area that is truly important. There is more than enough time to ponder what aspect of the reproduction is responsible for this great musicality after having chosen the equipment.
thomas has a very relevant point:
"In the end, listen to all your recordings on all your equipment, and get what sounds best. Who cares if its "neutral", "coloured", or whatever's politically correct for audiophiles..."
Exactly. Therer are far too many audiophiles who have fooled themselves into believing that that equipment must be best that comes closest to their preconception of how their trusted set of three or four reference recordings ought to sound. I feel, that the opposite is true: the more accurate and musical your equipment, the larger the number of recordings and musical styles you can enjoy with it. And if their is even enjoyment with your really bad recordings, think about how gorgeous the truly good ones will sound.
Beagle
His body's not a canvas, and he wasn't raised by apes.
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Quote:
Some of my best emotional reactions have been listening to an "awful" car radio and attending live concerts. I once got goosebumps listening to a new album on a Walkman with cheap phones. So whenever that happens, it's a good thing, regardless of the venue or equipment. If you have a very expensive system, and the music reaches the ears and the brain but not the soul, that system is garbage, regardless of how much you paid for it. If you got a major thrill listening to a transistor radio, at that moment that's the best system you can buy.
| That's why I feel that the best test is to watch your own emotional reactions. Ultimately, this is the only criterion that has any validity |
Some of my best emotional reactions have been listening to an "awful" car radio and attending live concerts. I once got goosebumps listening to a new album on a Walkman with cheap phones. So whenever that happens, it's a good thing, regardless of the venue or equipment. If you have a very expensive system, and the music reaches the ears and the brain but not the soul, that system is garbage, regardless of how much you paid for it. If you got a major thrill listening to a transistor radio, at that moment that's the best system you can buy.
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