olddude
Headphoneus Supremus
Nice. While I do have a preference for sound files, it has gotten to the point here on Head-Fi that stating so can bring on the Hordes, so other than stating that I HAVE a preference, I'm not going down that road.
I do, however, feel that while anyone can appreciate Art (capital intended), it takes some training and/or some instruction to begin to pick apart what elevates some pieces of art to a "higher" level. Enjoying art can be emotional, but clearly understanding WHY the particular piece of art "works" takes some knowledge and training. The direction of brush strokes, underpainting, layering, use of line, entering or exiting the frame, contrast, color application, etc., all are the parts that lead to the whole. It's easy to enjoy and have a positive response to a Seurat painting, but having a knowledge of what pointillism actually is, seeing/understanding how the dots are applied, how the manner in which different colors are laid in side by side and in what numbers, brings a fuller understanding of what the artist did that made you have the emotional response you did.
I believe this holds true for sound (music) as well. Note that I am not, and have not been, referencing my comments about sound as an understanding of what is "good" music. I'm speaking about hearing what makes up the sound, and understanding how your equipment is translating it to your senses. Clarity, timbre, transparency, decay, vibrations, interactions all lead to a sound that affects the listener. Just as the recording engineer must find a way to record and layer the sound while recording it, our equipment must reproduce that sound and deliver it to our ears and other senses.
So if we have equipment that can reproduce with great fidelity that which the recording engineer did on his/her end, we can better hear and feel and sense what makes up the music that brings us pleasure. If we train ourselves to really listen to and understand sound, or gain knowledge by reading about the parts that make up sound, it can give us a better understanding of what we are actually hearing.
So if I like a high-end DAP and an expensive cable and TOTL iems, it just means that, if I train myself to hear what I am hearing, I can hear what makes up the music I listen to. Or I can use a smartphone and Apple ear buds and rock out feeling total pleasure. Either way works. I've spent a number of years really paying attention to what makes up the sounds I listen to, and I've spent a bunch of money to get equipment that can translate those sounds to my ears in as near a "perfect" manner as is possible. Just like nearly everyone else here at Head-Fi.
I do, however, feel that while anyone can appreciate Art (capital intended), it takes some training and/or some instruction to begin to pick apart what elevates some pieces of art to a "higher" level. Enjoying art can be emotional, but clearly understanding WHY the particular piece of art "works" takes some knowledge and training. The direction of brush strokes, underpainting, layering, use of line, entering or exiting the frame, contrast, color application, etc., all are the parts that lead to the whole. It's easy to enjoy and have a positive response to a Seurat painting, but having a knowledge of what pointillism actually is, seeing/understanding how the dots are applied, how the manner in which different colors are laid in side by side and in what numbers, brings a fuller understanding of what the artist did that made you have the emotional response you did.
I believe this holds true for sound (music) as well. Note that I am not, and have not been, referencing my comments about sound as an understanding of what is "good" music. I'm speaking about hearing what makes up the sound, and understanding how your equipment is translating it to your senses. Clarity, timbre, transparency, decay, vibrations, interactions all lead to a sound that affects the listener. Just as the recording engineer must find a way to record and layer the sound while recording it, our equipment must reproduce that sound and deliver it to our ears and other senses.
So if we have equipment that can reproduce with great fidelity that which the recording engineer did on his/her end, we can better hear and feel and sense what makes up the music that brings us pleasure. If we train ourselves to really listen to and understand sound, or gain knowledge by reading about the parts that make up sound, it can give us a better understanding of what we are actually hearing.
So if I like a high-end DAP and an expensive cable and TOTL iems, it just means that, if I train myself to hear what I am hearing, I can hear what makes up the music I listen to. Or I can use a smartphone and Apple ear buds and rock out feeling total pleasure. Either way works. I've spent a number of years really paying attention to what makes up the sounds I listen to, and I've spent a bunch of money to get equipment that can translate those sounds to my ears in as near a "perfect" manner as is possible. Just like nearly everyone else here at Head-Fi.
