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High Performance Audio - The End?

Steve Guttenberg recently posted on his audiophiliac channel what might be an iconoclastic video.

Steve attempts to crystallise the somewhat nebulous feeling that climbing the ladder to the high-end might be a counter productive endeavour. 

This will be seen in many high- end quarters as heretical talk, possibly even blasphemous.
Steve might even risk bring excommunicated. However, there can be no denying that the vast quantity of popular music that we listen to is not particularly well recorded.

Steve's point, and it's one I've seen mentioned many times previously at shows and demos, is that better more revealing systems will often only serve to make most recordings sound worse. 

There is no doubt that this does happen, but the exact point will depend upon the listeners preference. Let's say for example that it might happen a lot earlier for fans of punk, rap, techno and pop.

Does this call into question almost everything we are trying to ultimately attain?

Could this be audio's equivalent of Martin Luther's 1517 posting of The Ninety-Five theses at Wittenberg?

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Can your Audio System be too Transparent?

Steve Guttenberg 19.08.20

https://youtu.be/6-V5Z6vHEbA

cd318

Showing 1 response by jhills

jhills
622 posts
 
I enjoy Steve's reviews and for the most part, his personal take on things regarding audio. I pretty much agree with him on this.

When it comes down to it, we as audiophiles/audio enthusiasts are not all in the same box. While some aspire to a system that will fill a large room with the scope and volume of a live, large scale orchestral or rock performance, some may only want a system that will do justice to a small scale, live acoustic performance or have a considerably smaller space to fill. In any case, it sometimes takes years of investigation, trial and error to put together a system that all works together and does what we personally want it to do. Then, when we think we have it all dialed in and figured out and are most happy with what we have - circumstances, likes or opportunities change and here we go again :-)
Jim
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