[Makiah S]

Maybe this doesn't belong here, but today for what ever reason I decided to REALLY pay attention to dynamics, and 3D imaging as present in a sound stage.
 
I was listening to my music today, the 9 songs I use to test most gear and it dawn'd on me that... my Hybrid Tube amp is horridly flat and lacking in dynamics and that my music was also lacking in those three [or 2] elements. 
 
Anyways, has any one else... found within them selvs an almost instinctual pleasure for listening? I swear each day I hear something new in my music. I new detail, a little more treble than yesterday, a high note I didn't notice before, a feel again'st my ears I hadn't noticed before or a texture in bass that's new. Of course after hearing it once you can easily pick it up again,
 
but it's pretty stinkin cool I think! And I like that with these... extra listening abilities it's changing the music I like. As I said the old music I had sounded... well flat! and it really was. Lacking in left and right seperation and dynamics, as well as sheer 3D placement! The music that has... ENERGY, shifts from high to low. A cello in my right ear and a Guitar in my left is just so much more enjoyable than before! And the differance in the push of each mid in each ear is oh man it's awesome! 
 
I'd post example of songs but you tube pretty much kills everything. 
 
So any one else care to share their day to day, growing love for music. An any one want to explain to me why I'm hearing all this extra stuff without even trying to?
 
Currently enjoying my Solid State amp a lot more as well. two weeks ago I would have told you the mids where rather poor on it, lacking warmth but they aren't. Mids are just more refined than on my very cheap Hybrid Tube
 
Listening to  Missing You-DaiQing Tana [& HAYA Band]- Silent Sky [Album] [16bit Flac through my oDac] 

 

[davidsh]

I have never really understood the idea about sound stage/imaging until I got my Stax'. Read Darth-Nut's sr-007 review if you havne't already..

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

I have never really understood the idea about sound stage/imaging until I got my Stax'. Read Darth-Nut's sr-007 review if you havne't already..

I will, I'm starting to grasp it even with my w1000x. It's really cool. but I can imagine a Stax would be cooler 10 fold! 

 

[xnor]

I find one instrument in the one ear and another one in the other ear highly annoying. It's just unnatural, hence the invention of crossfeed.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

I find one instrument in the one ear and another one in the other ear highly annoying. It's just unnatural, hence the invention of crossfeed.

True, but I think it's rather interesting. And it's not entirely in One ear. It's in both just loader in one. An interesting way to put a track together I think, 

 

[xnor]

Sure, but think of it this way:
the left ear will receive a low frequency tone played from a source to your right about only 1 - 3 dB lower in level
 
This difference obviously increases with higher frequencies, but then again usually you're not sitting in between speakers or instruments in an anechoic-like chamber.

 

[davidsh]

Quote:

Quote:

I have never really understood the idea about sound stage/imaging until I got my Stax'. Read Darth-Nut's sr-007 review if you havne't already..

I will, I'm starting to grasp it even with my w1000x. It's really cool. but I can imagine a Stax would be cooler 10 fold! 

Dunno, I think so compared to my other headphones... My Stax rig probably cost less than your w1000x rig anyway...
 
Anyway, the thing with Stax' lambda series is, that the sound/head stage is pretty small, but the imaging is extremely precise.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

Sure, but think of it this way:
the left ear will receive a low frequency tone played from a source to your right about only 1 - 3 dB lower in level
 
This difference obviously increases with higher frequencies, but then again usually you're not sitting in between speakers or instruments in an anechoic-like chamber.

True, but I like LIVE music. I've had a guitar playing to my left and a Cello to my right before and while the song is a little unnatrual it is still a cool thing. There is a Old Jazz recording that has the same effect, but it's imaged very well. The drums and bassists sound behind the Xylophone, the sound behind yet do not sound recessed. And sadly my k550 do not translate that dept of sound like the w1000x do
 
and honestly, my w1000x cost me $450 total [I price it around $600 because that is market value atm] the Dac and Amp ran me $400 so all in all $900 or so dollars. Still there is no doubting the Stax are very good cans! I've heard a lot of ppl recommend them as a solid Mid Fi set up! 

 

[Hipper]

I think it's a way of listening.
 
Sometimes I listen and let the music envelop me. Sometimes I just let my mind wonder anywhere. And sometimes I really listen to the music and notice the sort of details mentioned - subtle harmonies; an acoustic guitar or other little fillers that just enhance a song, so that I begin to marvel at the songsmith's art.
 
Of course it helps to have good gear but if you listen in the right way some of this is noticeable on very low end players too. 

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

I think it's a way of listening.
 
Sometimes I listen and let the music envelop me. Sometimes I just let my mind wonder anywhere. And sometimes I really listen to the music and notice the sort of details mentioned - subtle harmonies; an acoustic guitar or other little fillers that just enhance a song, so that I begin to marvel at the songsmith's art.
 
Of course it helps to have good gear but if you listen in the right way some of this is noticeable on very low end players too. 

Indeed it is and I agree with you as well! When I'm not paying attention is when I REALLY notice new things, because they just HIT me out of now where.
 
But I enjoy letting go sometimes and just getting envloped into the music
 
Actually, going to revist Metallica's Ride the Lighting after 5 years. I'm not into metal at ALL any moar... but I'm curious to see how it sounds to my refined ears and through my rig,,, last time I heard it was through cheap Sony cans and some no name mp3 player lol 

 

[Happy Camper]

Better gear opens the mind to the artistry of music. Listening on a clock radio or buds don't offer the same depth of experience as quality headphones do. Headphones are a microscope of sonic exposure. Once you are exposed to it's presence, you start listening for it. I have listened to music for decades and I am still learning how to listen. Having a quality sound reproduction system has educated me to music I never appreciated in my youth.

 

[bigshot]

Clear soundstage is extremely important to certain types of music... acoustic jazz and classical primarily. Rock music, less so, since it's multitracked and layered in a mix with shifting instrument placement. The clearest soundstage comes from speakers. Interestingly enough, the 5:1 DSPs in my receiver are very good at widening and clarifying the forward soundstage in stereo recordings and pulling it out into the room.

 

[proton007]

While I'm all for imaging and sound stage, sometimes it can be a bit annoying of there's nothing to balance the sounds.
 
For instance, some songs have an instrument playing on one side, but nothing equivalent on the other side, and the vocals are in the center. These kind of songs are a hit or miss for me, I start to doubt my hearing after a while.

 

[ferday]

While I'm all for imaging and sound stage, sometimes it can be a bit annoying of there's nothing to balance the sounds.

For instance, some songs have an instrument playing on one side, but nothing equivalent on the other side, and the vocals are in the center. These kind of songs are a hit or miss for me, I start to doubt my hearing after a while.

one of my favorite records ever (portishead third, I have cd vinyl and hd versions) was recorded with extreme imaging, different sounds in L/R channels only (usually vocals in one, bass tracks in another).  i cannot listen to this album comfortably in headphones without some sort of DSP (crossfeed) set to very high. on my speakers this album is simply outstanding to me.


i would say soundstage and imaging are only sometimes important, to some people, for some music.  i've read quite a few articles (mostly from speaker mfr's) that say their testing shows that the general public could care less about imaging in particular.  bigshot is right though, at least for soundstage even crappy speakers set up poorly will offer a certain level of spaciousness that is not easily achievable with cans

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

one of my favorite records ever (portishead third, I have cd vinyl and hd versions) was recorded with extreme imaging, different sounds in L/R channels only (usually vocals in one, bass tracks in another).  i cannot listen to this album comfortably in headphones without some sort of DSP (crossfeed) set to very high. on my speakers this album is simply outstanding to me.


i would say soundstage and imaging are only sometimes important, to some people, for some music.  i've read quite a few articles (mostly from speaker mfr's) that say their testing shows that the general public could care less about imaging in particular.  bigshot is right though, at least for soundstage even crappy speakers set up poorly will offer a certain level of spaciousness that is not easily achievable with cans

Well I find imagining is like totally cool and is important for EVERTHING, the differance in a bass line that is "quiter" than the guitar and a Bass line that sounds "behind" the guitar is like totally excellent!