Is there hope for audiophiles?

[Tomcat]

Quote:

I think that the idea of audiophiles caring more about his/her system than the music played on it, is for the most part a myth and nothing but a stereotype.

KR, if this was true, why is 95 percent of all this hifi and high-end gear sounding so annoying, strenuous and fatiguing? Why do most audiophiles unhesitatingly prefer the "analytic" component to the musical one, at what point in their audiophile career did they learn to go against their instincts? And how do you explain the results of the Ackermann experiment Sauer reports about?

I don't think it is insane to spend large amounts of money on audio equipment. But it is very much insane how easy it is to diminish your musical enjoyment in the process. The standard audiophile answer is: "It is the better and more accurate equipment that is just more "revealing", all you have to do is upgrade." Really? Think about it: the perfect component would not be perceivable at all, zero sonic character of its own. Doesn't this mean that you would just hear better what is to be heard there? The music as well as the distortions introduced by the less than perfect components higher up the chain? And through which miracle of psychoacoustics would I be forced to focus my perception on the imperfections of the reproduction instead of on the music, why would this only be happening when the perfectly accurate component was introduced into my chain? The way I have come to see it is this: Whenever a component is called revealing it is most likely to be revealing of its own flaws. It is its own imperfections we perceive, its inability to preserve the coherence of the complex musical signal, its inability to convey music. Whenever a new component makes your chain sound worse, it just might be sounding worse all by itself.

That is what people typically say in regard to The Sennheiser HD 600 for example: "These phones are so good, you just have to upgrade to enjoy them." Really? I think they are strictly about hifi. For starters, their tonal balance is just too bright (I think this is true for a very large number of headphones, the Sony MDR-CD3000 and probably most Grados as well). On this year's "High End" exhibit, I had a chance to listen to the Stax Omega II driven by the 007tube amp, for about 40 minutes. They are indeed highend at its worst. They are completely about artificial detail, emphasizing events in the treble in a manner that your only hope for squeezing any degree of musical enjoyment out of them is to pair them with the most musical front-end you can find.

I am not against accuracy, I am just questioning the prevailing criteria for judging it. If the most accurate equipment and the musically most enjoyable are not one and the same in an audiophile's mind, he is definitely headed down the wrong path.

 

[malkmus]

hey, I totally agree lini that finances have alot to do with it, thats why (as a starving student-and now a starving worker), I try to buy most of "big ticket"stuff used from dealers, or their floor models. Most high end stores are full of super expensive stuff that resells for a fraction of the original price, often only a year or two later. Also, my other point was that alot of people here, while maybe low on funds still have 2-3 expensive phones and amps, and instead of changing or buying new ones every year, try looking for a bargain on a cool source- lots have great features(remotes etc.) ANd about tomcat's thread on people picking the mid over the high end stuff, I've also read articles that suggest a reason for these types of results stem from years of listening to car stereos, portable radios, walkmans etc., and thinking this IS how your fav songs sound- and that when hearing a truly "high end"system its disturbing coz your hearing things you thought were never their, or in such detail it freaks you out.

 

[legoman]

yep, buying showroom models is what I did with my main system. i listened to stuff until i found something i liked and then agreed with the dealer that when new line came out, i would buy it off him. the only problem was the wait (several months). i especially like it because (at least in germany) i got the full warranty protection, just like if it was new. also, the speakers & stands had cosmetic damage from a trip to a hifi-show.... all in all i got a lot better system than i could have afforded otherwise. and: i think a key to this hobby is finding a good dealer, where you can bring your own cds and listen for hours and ideally (once you are serious about buying a particular component) have a weekend trial set up at home to prevent last minute nasty surprises (doesn't work with the room, existing equipment). that's where the urban guys really have the advantage............

 

[grrr223]

Last summer, I had some money to spend and I wanted a stereo. I ended up with bose and sony because I thought that was the best. Then i began doing some research online and discovered everything else that was out there. Then I began adding home theater components only much better quality this time (atlantic technology, klipsch, pioneer elite) but after getting my grades back this semester, my parents won't let me bring my DVD player back to MIT, so I've kinda turned all my attention to music (no use spending money on speakers that are going to sit at home for the next 9 months).

As Thomas was saying, my interest in all this equipment, has now opened my interest to music of all kinds. I just bought the Stereophile test CDs, and I was listening to what I think was an excerpt from the Marriage of Figaro and then I realized, oh my god, I'm listening to opera, and I don't feel the need to turn it off, I actually like how this sounds. I've gained a better appreciation for classical music as well as more classic rock. And this is driving my desire to hear more details in the music which I can't hear above the hiss coming from my sony receiver. That's why I can't wait for my HD600s to show up, I'm hoping I haven't psyched myself out as to how good they're going to sound.

 

[thomas]

back to the analytical vs musical debate....

for classical music, the article describes the limitations in classical recording, and that perfectly accurate reproduction may not be desireable... So for those recordings, adding a bit of colouration using tubes/analog will improve the sound. However, for almost any other type of music, i find colouration to be distracting and makes the sound worse. Almost all non-classical recordings are heavily procesed by the audio engineers, until the artist approves the sound. A recording conveys the artistic intent of the artist, and any colouration is changing it. Because i listen to so many different types of music, the most natural sound is obtained through neutral equipment.