I notice that in this and related violin forums, nobody mentions the complexities of the human ear. An early very sophisticated attempt to explain vagaries of massed-violins tone is by Mark Dolson in the early 1980s. This paper is not directly useful to improving the sound of your hifi set, but gives you some ideas. eg, I have many CD on which massed violins sound fine; but I have bought 5 CD of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2, and the violins are bad on all. Does Rachy score the 1st and 2nd violins in some peculiar way that creates "Dolson Effects"? I can hear massed-violin problems even at high-quality live concerts, the Vienna Philharmonic, eg. Wall & ceiling reflections can damage massed-violins tone—also, like Dolson, published in acoustics journals. I suggest that female-chorale distortions arise similarly. Of course, it is highly likely that the situation gets worse via the processing and playback chain.
How do I smooth out violins?
I have a decent system (bit of a mixed bag) but know that I can achieve a smoother, more integrated, and more relaxed massed violin sound. I listen to a ton of orchestral music and notice that massed violins in their upper registers (1500-3500 Hz) often jump out from the mix and sound a bit harsh, unlike what one hears live. Right now, I have the following:
Spendor SP1/2E
McCormick DNA-125 (original)
NAD 1600 (pre/tuner)
Marantz CD3000
Audioquest Sidewinder ICs
Audioquest Type 4
Would a tube pre help (maybe a AA M3A)? I'm thinking that the NAD may be the culprit. Any advice from those of you who have quested for "real" violin sound is very much appreciated.
Spendor SP1/2E
McCormick DNA-125 (original)
NAD 1600 (pre/tuner)
Marantz CD3000
Audioquest Sidewinder ICs
Audioquest Type 4
Would a tube pre help (maybe a AA M3A)? I'm thinking that the NAD may be the culprit. Any advice from those of you who have quested for "real" violin sound is very much appreciated.