Salutations Head-Fi Watercooler from chilly Melbourne!
Tonight I had the very great pleasure to attend a concert of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at our world-famous Arts Centre, with some dear friends of mine - the DX240 and IE600s!
Previously I haven't been much of classical listener despite a longstanding adoration of movie soundtracks, and consequently this was my first proper concert in years. In fact what with the pandemic I'd almost completely forgotten what real instruments sound like!
Tonight's performance was Dvorak's New World Symphony, Symphony No. 9. I prepared for the occasion by purchasing a new version in DSD256 format from NativeDSD.com, which you see being played above. As expected it sounds appreciably better than the humble 16/44 FLAC album I already owned.
The house was perhaps three-quarters full. It's almost the middle of winter here, which would no doubt discourage attendance.
This was probably my first time at Hamer Hall since a school excursion countless eons ago, a venue reputed to have tremendous acoustics. I'm certainly no acoustical expert but what I heard tonight sounded breathtaking.
It took less than the first second of the performance, two if I'm being generous, for realisation of how far away musical reproduction technology is from reality to sink in.
This is by no means an expression of dissatisfaction with the portable rig I own. Indeed it is nothing short of remarkable what incredible sound is possible from pocketable gadgetry for (comparatively) reasonable prices these days. Particularly with DSD128 or higher recordings, which I find have substantially improved dynamic range.
However the real thing is just a completely different experience. What immediately struck me was the earth-shattering dynamics of the performance. When the horns and drums really fire up, as they do periodically throughout the New World Symphony, the sound is absolutely thunderous. There is a tremendous sensation of loudness and power, of visceral force without distortion or smearing of sounds around them. The sensation is partly physical, and satisfying in a way that borders on sexual.
This is contrasted exquisitely to the utmost delicacy with which string instruments can convey wispy tenderness at low volumes, yet remain effortless to discern. Actually, and you may find this funny, one of the most satisfying instruments was the triangle - I was absolutely captivated by the unmistakable resonances of its' metallic decay, which despite the zest and fury of the orchestra around it rang out in a delightful manner I lack the words to convey.
Of course the other great difference was being able to effortlessly pick out individual instruments even when the rest of the orchestra was playing. To really zero in on a flute or a french horn, to hear the notes with such body ring out unimpeded, without feeling compressed by the confines of a recording.
Another revelation was the remarkable bite and zing that instruments (strings in particular) possessed. The sheer attack on certain notes, not all mind you but merely those the performers chose to play that way, was terribly satisfying yet not the least bit fatiguing. In fact the entire performance did not fatigue the ear in the slightest, despite the loudest passages being very loud indeed. It was all effortlessly thunderous in the most richly delicate manner, a magnificent collection of musical contrasts.
From an audiophile perspective, my biggest takeaway from tonight is that frequency graphs probably matter less than people think, but technicalities more, at least from the perspective of re-creating a true to life orchestral performance. Dynamics I think are the big one, along with sheer speed. Nailing the tone of a piano or a violin is important of course, but without those jaw-dropping dynamics and sizzling bursts of a strings appearing out of nowhere the performance will lack drama. In fact I had no idea just how truly dramatic the New World Symphony is before tonight, recordings don't capture the raw emotional punch and the extreme contrasts the same way.
Anyway, tonight was quite the occasion and will not be the last concert I attend this year. Listening to the performance it was impossible to shirk the notion that we in the west possess a rich cultural heritage to be incredibly proud of.
Tonight I had the very great pleasure to attend a concert of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at our world-famous Arts Centre, with some dear friends of mine - the DX240 and IE600s!
Previously I haven't been much of classical listener despite a longstanding adoration of movie soundtracks, and consequently this was my first proper concert in years. In fact what with the pandemic I'd almost completely forgotten what real instruments sound like!
Tonight's performance was Dvorak's New World Symphony, Symphony No. 9. I prepared for the occasion by purchasing a new version in DSD256 format from NativeDSD.com, which you see being played above. As expected it sounds appreciably better than the humble 16/44 FLAC album I already owned.
The house was perhaps three-quarters full. It's almost the middle of winter here, which would no doubt discourage attendance.
This was probably my first time at Hamer Hall since a school excursion countless eons ago, a venue reputed to have tremendous acoustics. I'm certainly no acoustical expert but what I heard tonight sounded breathtaking.
It took less than the first second of the performance, two if I'm being generous, for realisation of how far away musical reproduction technology is from reality to sink in.
This is by no means an expression of dissatisfaction with the portable rig I own. Indeed it is nothing short of remarkable what incredible sound is possible from pocketable gadgetry for (comparatively) reasonable prices these days. Particularly with DSD128 or higher recordings, which I find have substantially improved dynamic range.
However the real thing is just a completely different experience. What immediately struck me was the earth-shattering dynamics of the performance. When the horns and drums really fire up, as they do periodically throughout the New World Symphony, the sound is absolutely thunderous. There is a tremendous sensation of loudness and power, of visceral force without distortion or smearing of sounds around them. The sensation is partly physical, and satisfying in a way that borders on sexual.
This is contrasted exquisitely to the utmost delicacy with which string instruments can convey wispy tenderness at low volumes, yet remain effortless to discern. Actually, and you may find this funny, one of the most satisfying instruments was the triangle - I was absolutely captivated by the unmistakable resonances of its' metallic decay, which despite the zest and fury of the orchestra around it rang out in a delightful manner I lack the words to convey.
Of course the other great difference was being able to effortlessly pick out individual instruments even when the rest of the orchestra was playing. To really zero in on a flute or a french horn, to hear the notes with such body ring out unimpeded, without feeling compressed by the confines of a recording.
Another revelation was the remarkable bite and zing that instruments (strings in particular) possessed. The sheer attack on certain notes, not all mind you but merely those the performers chose to play that way, was terribly satisfying yet not the least bit fatiguing. In fact the entire performance did not fatigue the ear in the slightest, despite the loudest passages being very loud indeed. It was all effortlessly thunderous in the most richly delicate manner, a magnificent collection of musical contrasts.
From an audiophile perspective, my biggest takeaway from tonight is that frequency graphs probably matter less than people think, but technicalities more, at least from the perspective of re-creating a true to life orchestral performance. Dynamics I think are the big one, along with sheer speed. Nailing the tone of a piano or a violin is important of course, but without those jaw-dropping dynamics and sizzling bursts of a strings appearing out of nowhere the performance will lack drama. In fact I had no idea just how truly dramatic the New World Symphony is before tonight, recordings don't capture the raw emotional punch and the extreme contrasts the same way.
Anyway, tonight was quite the occasion and will not be the last concert I attend this year. Listening to the performance it was impossible to shirk the notion that we in the west possess a rich cultural heritage to be incredibly proud of.
