How do you know when a stereo sounds good?

@vitussl101 good answer.

roxy54

4,893 posts

11-27-2021 10:14am

With this thread, the OP proves that there is indeed such a thing as a stupid question.

Is it? It seems the core of arguments here and on all other audio groups revolve around what it is that constitutes good sound with people on one side who all but claim subjective observations of sound quality are meaningless. That people who believe stereos that sound good to them, do in fact sound good, are somehow delusional. Question, where are these staunch objectivists defending their position that what subjectively sounds good is not necessarily the most important criteria where sound quality is concerned?

Yours in music,

Ted Denney III

Lead Designer/CEO Synergistic Research Inc.

 

femoore12

171 posts

11-27-2021 9:32pm

Interesting discussion thread. This question has proven to be difficult to answer for a few people. It should be relatively simple. 

+1

 

wturkey

402 posts

11-28-2021 7:04am

“How do you conclusively prove to yourself that your system sounds good to you?” The proof is in the pudding. 

+1

 

 

sbank

2,469 posts

11-28-2021 8:49am

@ted_denney You should pose the same original question on ASR and Whatsbest and writeup a comparison of the responses. That would be entertaining! Cheers,

Spencer

Sadly we’ve got some angry birds here as well. Very strange in a hobby that’s all about enjoying your stereo, which is wholly subjective, there are people who have a significant problem with this, to the point of religious fervor. Fanaticism.

 

mapman

19,678 posts

11-28-2021 11:22am

I suppose this thread might be viewed as part of Synergistic’s research.

How do you decide what products to listen to? A crystal ball?

Asking audiophiles what constitutes good sound is somehow intrinsic to Synergistic Research? LOL

Typically we look at measurements to determine what to listen to first, compatibility with our systems. Personally I tend to like amplifiers that double power as impedance halves, with high dampening factors. That said, it tells me nothing about what will sound best in my stereo, for that I listen, subjectively. Pretty much like other audiophiles who also own good sounding stereos.

Yours in music,

Lead Designer/CEO Synergistic Research Inc.

 

winnardt

111 posts

11-29-2021 10:11am

hilde45

My confusion comes from your interpretation of what the OP wrote. He didn't ask: "How does someone else determine that you enjoy listening to music through your stereo?". That's how you interpreted his question but I don't think that's what he asked (it's possible I'm still confused). He asked: "How do you determine that you enjoy listening to music through your stereo?". That question is directed at the person listening to the music. I think the simple answer is if it brings pleasure, one is likely enjoying listening to music. 

+1

mijostyn

5,486 posts

12-01-2021 7:28am

Ted, look at it this way. If your system costs less than $100,000 you have a ways to go. I’m not joking. This is the only measure I can use to give you some idea on what I think it takes to build a system that I would be happy with. Your own happiness is up to you. It is more about values. How much are you willing to spend for better sound. None of us have systems that can not benefit from something somewhere. Technology always advances.

i hear systems all the time that cost a lot but fail to impress. In fact audiophiles with “shiny box syndrome“, seldom have great sounding systems unless they also pay attention to set up/synergy. I’ve heard systems with modest speakers and electronics outperform six-figure systems, and by a wide margin. This is because while the millionaire audiophile may have all the best shiny boxes, oftentimes they fail to pay attention to set up whereas the guy on a budget, may not have the money for the best gear, but he pays attention to set up and so, gets good sound. Ultimately tuning on anything other than your own subjective enjoyment, like spending a lot of money on shiny boxes and assuming that will give great sound, seldom yields great results. And I’m not saying measurements are not important, they are, especially when pairing electronics with speakers, or dealing with low frequencies in a state of the art listening room, but ultimately if you’re not tuning based on what sounds good to you, you’re not going to get a system that sounds good to you. This should make sense to most successful audiophiles.

Yours in music,

Ted Denney III

Lead Designer/CEO Synergistic Research Inc.

Very simple- it should sound real. There are times with great source material when my system sounds like I am at a live performance. Not only does the performance sound like it is in the room but my room is no longer my room but the space the recording was made in.

I too like it when a stereo’s sound field transcends the boundaries of my listening room. Tonal accuracy for me is not enough if the music sounds as if it’s coming out of the speakers, or with only a small envelope in between and perhaps slightly outside the speaker cabinets. My design criteria is always number one tonal accuracy, but number two is spatial accuracy and dynamics. I just can’t get excited about any system that throws a Lilliputian sound stage.

Yours in music,

Ted Denney III

Lead Designer/CEO Synergistic Research Inc.