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Detailed sound? Real?

I have read about many audiophiles wanting more detail and air around the instruments to improve realism. usually, when i hear a system with these qualities, the sound is almost always thin and fatiguing. When I hear live music, it never sounds like air around the instruments and detailed. Most detailed systems sound way too detailed. When i hear live music, there is a sense of air, but not around the instruments. Actually, many times it sounds natural and mono. It seems to me that detailed systems are probably the most unrealistic in audio. Yesterday I heard a live performance of a piano and sax. The piano was so muffled sounding, much more so than on any system I have recently heard. The sax sounded more detailed, but still not like the stereos portray it. I think the secret to listening is to find something that sounds good and that you can listen to without fatigue. Natural Timbre, color and good bass, not overblown but good, gets you closer to the real thing IMHO
tzh21y

Showing 2 responses by lokie

lokie's avatar
lokie
528 posts
 
I think this hobby can be split between two types of people: Those who listen to music and those who listen to stereo gear.
lokie's avatar
lokie
528 posts
 

The biggest difference I find with "electric" live music is dynamics, bass impact, and how the room is energized. Clarity, detail and other common audiophile desires are pretty far down the list when trying to recreate this sound in my living room. As long as it's not too loud (which is a problem in smaller venues) I never hear anything harsh, fatiguing or bright.

With other kind of live music, it’s the dynamics and how great the tone is, especially in the midrange. I also notice decay hanging in the air a lot more than the leading edge having any great qualities.

I understand why people who are really into the gear side of this hobby like the ultra detailed sound. If you buy a $3,000 cartridge, you really want to hear the difference between it and the $1,000 one you just replaced. Which is cool, not trying to knock anyone and I'm sure people are having lots of fun doing that sort of gear worshiping. I find it a little amusing though that they never admit it and they always say it’s about the music. But to me, dynamics, natural tone and lovely decay is what I’m trying to achieve.
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