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Do I really want the musicians in my room?

I've spent the last month - as time allows, at least - auditioning some of the popular gold/gold hybrid cables on the market. I noticed something very striking between a couple of the manufacturers: with one set in my system, my system "puts the musicians in my room". With another, the musicians are not in my room, but in the room the recording was made in; that is, I can hear the reverberataions in the studio or the venue. When I listen to the former, I think about how much information is on the source that I'm not hearing; with the latter, I wonder why I've spent ridiculous sums of money to get such resolution. Interestingly, though, my experience has been the "less resolving" "musicians are here" cables tend to have a more lush, seductive sound, while the "higher resolving" cables have a faster, more detailed sound. Which I prefer depends on my mood and the type of music I'm listening to.

Unfortunatly, it seems to me that these conditions are mutually exclusive. You can't have a system with a high degree of resolution and still have that "musicians are in your room" feeling, unless the recording itself allows for that. I don't seem to have many recordings that allow for both, though. Even then, the lushness is missing in the "higher resolving" cables.

Has anyone else struggled with this? If you found a way around this frustration, how did you do it?
aggielaw

Showing 2 responses by dcstep

dcstep
1,518 posts
 
The OP has a "high class problem".

Personally I err toward total resolution and let my mood determine how I interpret the recordings. Some days I sit there and think, "I wish they'd used a used a different mic on Blanchard's trumpet" or "I wish the bass wasn't in such a small isolation room" or "I wish she'd move away from the mic just a little", while other days I just think, "Wow, what a performance!" or "Listen to the air around those bass strings" or "Her voice is so expressive, and beautiful, even at a whisper".

When your system resolves well, you have an option of how to interpret it. When the system leaves things out or smooths over details, then you can only interpret things one way.

Still, it's a personal choice and only the OP can answer for himself.

Dave
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Aggielaw, at least you've recognized that your needs can change from day-to-day and there are no absolutes. Adding to the confusion is that several of us with the same point of view might have several systems made up of totally different components.

Besides cultivating relationships here, you should really hunt for a dealer with a philosophy that jives with yours. They DO exist. Once you started a relationship, then the good dealers will let you borrow demos when you're considering a next step. I never would have spent $1800 on Analysis Plus speaker cables if my dealer, Soundings in Colorado, hadn't loaned me a thoroughly burned-in set.

Several components were auditioned in my system before purchase. Also, I'm now so familiar with my dealer's setup that I was entirely comfortable buying a $8800 Rowland Continuum amp yesterday before I heard it in my system. Still, I'm certain that it I hated it I could have taken it back.

Enjoy the music.

Dave
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