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Originally Posted by split_brain /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Yep. Different types of headphones contribute to exploring other types of music I'd say. But it is still an analytical approach, and not focused on the spirit of the music. However, if you spend a long time with a particular genre the spirit will reveal itself.
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I kind of agree, but at the same time disagree. Gear can completely change the emotion, presentation, and feel of music, There are moments when you body will react by sending chills down your spine or the hair on the back of your neck will stand up because something sounds so good and the system has an overall synergy. The listener can now hear the original content or emotion of the music like never before. I have heard some systems make me completely re-think how I understood a song or piece from an emotional and contextual perspective. Gear can be very emotional.
the problem is when people who have compulsive and Asperger like connection to hardware and the music takes a back seat to Technophelia, I call it Gearotica, All of a sudden sound no longer matters and it's all about FLPD (flashing lights per dollar) People drone over specs on paper when they have no idea how something actually sounds/ works, or how it could sound within the context of a good system. This is the main problem with many audiophiles. They forget that all of the tech specs, reviews, and engineering explanations are only half of the story, and should never get in the way of one's decision on buying or enjoying gear. The technology is a means to an end it isn't the end itself. The emotional connection we have with music is.
I remember discovering Jethro Tull for the first time because I heard it truly and more emotionally on my fathers high-end two channel system. They have become one of my favorite bands now and sometimes I come across systems that make me re-examine and re-discover them all over again. That is how gear should be. But that is just my opinion.
To the OP, I have re-discovered Porcupine Tree so many times over because of the layers of meaning and music that Steven Wilson creates. If there is a reason to own High-End audio PT is definately one of those bands you want to unravel all of the layers of with a good system. I recall listening to stupid dream the first time over and not liking it. then I got the DVD-A remaster and the album has become one of my favorites. That band's music + plus a truly good system is the one thing that gives me any hope for this industry that things can sound truly good.
