Is imaging reality?

No, nothing that is recorded and reproduced is the same as the real thing. This is even more true, in my opinion, with rock and pop where the result or what you hear is purposefully manipulated in a studio.

But for me that makes no difference whatsoever. If the production quality is good and the SQ is good and the sound stage is pleasing who cares how it got that way? The concept of reality, in that regard, is a false economy.


I'd much rather listen to high production value music that sounds good than a poor recording of what someone deems a 'real' and 'live' performance.

I love attending live performances by the way. Classical and rock and jazz or whatever.

When I go to symphonic concerts I prefer halfway back somewhere in the middle-ish. Have sat down front many times and find I like the sound and the view less.

Opera is a little harder to say since in many places the orchestra is in a pit or down very low.

I have never chased after 'realism' in audio, nor in photography, one of my other hobbies (I shoot black and white mostly....and the majority of the real world is not in gray scale). I know those who do, in audio at least, and there is nothing wrong with that. A good recording and a good print need not be 'realistic' for me. They just have to be good.

I would say I have also come to appreciate recorded music that is produced with an intention of how the end user will hear it. Obviously no engineer or producer knows exactly what equipment the end user will have or his listening environment. But there are some bands who maximize those considerations. Steely Dan comes to mind. It is not just the playing of the song that represents the end product. The production and engineering are equally as important and equally well done.

To some Steely Dan sounds overproduced and artificial. I get that, but that's not how I feel about it. No, it does not sound live. No, it does not even sound like they are trying to make it sound like you are there listening to it being played. They make it sound the way they wanted it to sound coming out of your speaker. I like that. And most systems will capture that intent.


And I really dislike it when production and engineering are done poorly.....no matter how well the song was executed by the musicians.

And remember, plenty of rock and pop recordings are made without the musicians being in the studio at the same time and some musicians play all of the instruments on a given recording. Aldo Nova comes to mind.

In these situations there was never any reality to be true to.

@mrdecibel : "The genius of the artist ( s ). That is it, in a nutshell ! "

Agree completely. But good engineers and producers are also artists with their own levels of genius.........and lack thereof.

Unless its the organ in Saint Saens Second. ;-)