| Originally Posted by pbirkett /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thats an interesting point. I personally have always felt that there are two types of hifi in this world. I've seen them referred to in England as "round earth" and "flat earth" hifi. God only knows where they got these descriptions from, but i digress 
So called "Round Earth" hifi tends to major in things like detail, soundstage and that sort of thing and is often said to be to the detriment of the music itself. I know what they mean, I've often heard hifi that sounds ultra detailed and superficially impressive, but often just winds up sounding like a collection of sounds rather than a cohesive tune. They often lose the "groove" in the process. Then we get the "Flat earth" hifi which tends to major on the actual musical message, this stuff is often said to be toe tapping. In comparison to flat earth, the soundstage and detail levels sometimes (but not always) is not quite up there with the best, but you tend to forget that because its just so damn enjoyable. I find its actually a very difficult thing for a system to get right. I've spent years and hundreds of pounds trying to assemble a system that does the important hifi stuff but also retains the "groove". I think I've got there now. Its not even about price, more about smart choices and assembling a system that is greater than the some of its parts. I dare say there might be some here who are wondering What I am going on about, because on the face of it, hifi is designed to play music, but you either get it or you dont. Bizarrely, I often find that cheap components often get the basic "groove" right more often than some of the more expensive gear which is quite often why many are perfectly content without the higher end stuff. Witness for example, the love of classic grooving headphones such as the Koss KSC-35/75/Porta-Pro, low end Grados, Beyers DT531. These headphones all manage to deliver surprising bang for your buck but important deliver the musical message clearly. I just feel sometimes that the music itself can be lost in the quest for "soundstages" and "detail". |
| Originally Posted by pbirkett /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bizarrely, I often find that cheap components often get the basic "groove" right more often than some of the more expensive gear which is quite often why many are perfectly content without the higher end stuff. Witness for example, the love of classic grooving headphones such as the Koss KSC-35/75/Porta-Pro, low end Grados, Beyers DT531. These headphones all manage to deliver surprising bang for your buck but important deliver the musical message clearly. |
| Originally Posted by rjp /img/forum/go_quote.gif X2, here. The SR60/E-MU 0404 combo is sweet-sounding, not hideously expensive, and (important for me, as I'm in the midst of digitizing my vinyl) has recording capability. 24/96 FLACs are incredible when played through this setup, whether they're live recordings or vinyl rips. I can't imagine spending many thousands of dollars on audio; the value proposition isn't there for me, unless I were buying professional gear to build and run a recording studio for profit. |
| Originally Posted by pbirkett /img/forum/go_quote.gif So called "Round Earth" hifi tends to major in things like detail, soundstage and that sort of thing and is often said to be to the detriment of the music itself. I know what they mean, I've often heard hifi that sounds ultra detailed and superficially impressive, but often just winds up sounding like a collection of sounds rather than a cohesive tune. They often lose the "groove" in the process. Then we get the "Flat earth" hifi which tends to major on the actual musical message, this stuff is often said to be toe tapping. In comparison to flat earth, the soundstage and detail levels sometimes (but not always) is not quite up there with the best, but you tend to forget that because its just so damn enjoyable. |
| Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif The music is the passion, and the gear is the hobby. How wonderful that my passion and my hobby work so well together. |
| Originally Posted by OG10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are a music fanatic then live is where its really at. |
| Originally Posted by OG10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are a music fanatic then live is where its really at. |
