[Klispch Lascala's II with Raven Blackhawk, Yamaha S2100 CD player, full Tellurium Q Black II cabling, fully tweeked by Mad Scientist Nano thangs] Once upon a time....for me it all goes back to one afternoon I sat on a friend's bean bag chair and listened to Cat Stephen's Tea for the Tillerman in a tiny basement room. I'm sure the entire system didn't exceed $1000. Bookshelf speakers ear level (Advent?) created the quintessential 3-D sound stage that transported me into an alternative sound environment that shocked me. It was at that point I became an audiophile "wanta be". My goal ever since has been to recreate this alternative realty which draws me into this musical world. Today my humble system transports me into this wonderful, amazing world I float effortlessly within. For me, therefore, it isn't about anything but my system's ability to replicate a 3-D, immersive audio picture I can nearly walk into like a portal to another place. Poor bass, or weak imaging, or misplaced emphasis on any part of the sound spectrum or simple distortion or smearing of detail hinders my goal. Recording quality or lack there of will likewise hinder this focusing of the portal's entryway. All's servant to that goal.
If a " system " cannot do this, I move on........
I have been advocating on here for some time, that horn speakers ( properly designed, tweeked, executed and set up ) are the only speakers that my brain and ears find acceptable, for the enjoyment of music listening. My listening standard has been live, unamplified music, for now over 50 years. I have also stated on many occasions, that as an audiophile ( as well as being a music listener ), that we are hindered by the recordings themselves, minimizing what we actually are hearing. There has been much talk lately about engineers using " auto tune " ( specifically with vocalists ). Adele ( I am a fan ), with her new hit " Easy On Me ", does not use auto tune, and I am thrilled. Besides being a great singer, she sounds " natural ", less processed. Most recordings in the past 20 years, have used this other electronic " equalization " if you will, that we find embedded in out prescious recordings. The strive for perfection, that " audio nirvana ", we all seek, with the purchase of a new speaker, amplifier, cables, etc., gets us only so far. So yes, dynamics and details are very important to me. Tone, coherence and spatiality are also very important. But the reality is, our recordings, by the time we receive / hear them ( whatever format ), have been severly altered from being close to the real thing. Yet, audiophiles continue to spend big bucks on their gear, their rooms ( their systems ), to get to that place of enjoyment. The title of this thread, " If a system cannot do this, I move on ", has a specific meaning. What I listen for, most of all, with every recording I listen to, is an engagenment between me, and the performers. Following the individual rhythms and musical lines, by the artists, is the number one factor I strive to hear. My system allows for this. My question is : how many of you actually listen for this, or even know what I am speaking of. My personal experience listening to so many high priced systems, has been very disappointing in using this criteria. I am not anticipating this thread to develop into a very large or popular one, but I have not participated in Agon for a while, and I just wanted to shine a light on a subject that is crucial to us and our time listening to music, which some of us spend much time doing. Enjoy, and be well. Always, MrD.