Laid Back Speakers amps, players etc

if a presentation always sounds "laid back", and all recordings are not recorded that way, then "laid back", is a coloration.

incidentally, the connotation of "laid back" is usually, recessed treble response, or artificial depth.

are all speakers laid back ? if not, then, either those which are laid back are colored in the respect to which the definition applies, or, those which are not laid back are colored.

the problem i have with this term is the relation between recorded music and speaker presentation. if a speaker has a consistent character, while all recordings do not, it would seem that the speaker is colored in a certain respect.

thus, i would say that laid back is a coloration.

if someone suggests that having a relaxed presentation is the meaning of laid back, it too is a coloration, since all recordings are varied in this respect.

regardless of how the term laid back is defined, its consitency implies a coloration in speaker performance.

let the chips fall.......

whenever a designer voices a product in a certain way, it incorporates an intended characteristic. as i understand it, that's coloration.

coloration is either intentional or unintentional.

at any price point, it is almost impossible to create a product having no audible sonic signature. it is unrealistic to expect otherwise.

thus, choose your coloration wisely. configuring a stereo system is an art of balancing intended and unintended coloration to achieve a sound that pleases the listener.

personally, i prefer a rear hall or laid back perspective, but i realize orchestral recordings are not engineered that way.

hi classe30:

i agree with your view of colored. i think the concept can be applied to the subject of the thread. a laid back perspective has a non neutral tonal balance.

thus, front row, mid hall and rear hall have different frequency response characteristsics. as i have said, i prefer a rear hall or laid back presentation, and i admit it is not accuracy.

the phrase "laid back" contains two words, namely "laid" and "back". i believe the context for "laid" is position of the sound, i.e., where is it coming from ?

the word, "back", would indicate a rear of the stage presentation. thus laid back would mean tat the sound of instruments appears to be projected from the back of a hall, studio, or other venue.

now, consider a recording. where is the microphone placed in the recording venue in relationship to the performing musicians ? each recording offers a different presentation with respect to placing the musicians at some position in the room.

if a stereo system always gives the impression that the music is coming from the back of a recording venue, is this not coloration and wouldn't such a stereo system be considered laid back. if so, laid back is not a coloration. if instead, laid back is not a coloration, does this mean laid back means lack of coloration or neutrality ?

one can't have it both ways. and yes, laid back creates a tonal balance in which, instruments placed in the foreground seem to attenuate treble frequency to a greater extent than bass frequencies. after all, treble frequencies have a shorter wave length.

i hope i don't sound like a lawyer.

i agree with you, ralph, that one should strive to create components which are faithful to the timbre, harmonics and dynamics of instruments. however, the best efforts of designers do not produce perfection. a well trained listener will discern a consistent sonic characteristic, i.e., coloration when listening to most stereo systems.

thus, it seems reasonable to accept that all components are colored (imperfect) and strive to minimize imperfection.

ralph, how do you minimize coloration in your designs ?

i think laid back means a greater distance between listener and musicians than the distance between the microphone and musicians, while forward is the opposite of laid back. both are departures from the accurate reproduction of a recording.

thus, there are 3 possibilities, laid back, forward and neither laid back nor forward.