Questions about Resolving Systems

Eric Clayton’s Lady in the Balcony- I hear his shirt sleeve buttons rubbing against the guitar strings down near the base of the guitar in a couple of his songs.  A Led Zepplin song- his drum pedal squeaks.  I forget which song but it is really annoying.  Hum in microphone cords, talking, coughing become very apparent and is distracting at first.  The upside is the black background, the holographic soundstage and the clarity transport me from my listening room to the stage.  Another fun recording is the Carly Simon Live at Grand Central.  The ambience and sounds from the crowd and station are wonderful to hear.

Truly resolving systems are more real than real.  For example being able to pick out individual voices in a Chorle or the individual instruments in an orchestra with breathtaking clarity.  It’s exciting to hear a system that resolving but in real life I cannot stand in front of a live orchestra and pick out each instrument so easily.  Same goes for a choir.  

Clarity and resolution are addictive to me.  I tried to dial it back some by removing isolation on components but once I experienced it I couldn’t go back.  I’m used to it now.  Like in life we learn to filter things out.

Of course the sound quality of a stereo system is proportional to the cost of the components.  But is is much more complicated than that.  Factors outside of the speakers, the amp, preamp and source have as much or more impact on the sound than the components.  The room, the floor, and the ambient noise level affect how we perceive the sound.  Electrical noise, EMI and RFI affect the performance of the stereo gear.  Just moving my bass traps around in the room affects the mid bass clarity.

The economics of stereo gear, just like about all products mass produced, is that for every $1 of material cost the selling price will be about $3.50- $4,00.  Once labor, overhead, taxes, insurance, R&D, admin, etc and then the distributor and final sales outlets get their cut that is roughly the cost to purchase.  So you see, we beat up a speaker manufacturer for using cheap capacitors but the reality is if they were to use say $400 worth of caps in their cross overs vs. $50 in caps, the selling price would end up being some $1400 higher which might price their speaker out of the market.  So the savvy audiophile can buy the $400 set of caps and upgrade their speakers saving $1000. 

Like it or not you pay $60k or more for a new car knowing that it has about $15k worth of parts in it.  Thing is, most of us would not know what to do with a pile of auto-parts, sheet metal and 7 gallons of paint.  And while the automaker pays $50 for a fuel pump module (they buy millions of units per year) the dealer will charge you over $500 for the same part.  Maybe you can get a similar unit at the discount parts store for $250.  Point is, you cannot cost effectively build your own car.  The same goes for a stereo system.  

Do everything you can to your room- seek professional help if need be (for the acoustics, I mean) and then do what you can to enhance the performance of your stereo components by using better power cords, power conditioners, cables, isolation and dampening devices.  And then the hard core audiophiles go into their speakers, amps, preamps and sources and replace internal components such as caps, wiring and resistors for even more enhancements.  This hobby really has no end and infinite permutations.  

Still, it’s cool to see these million dollars systems and admire the art of it.  They may or may not sound like a million dollars but I’ll never know.

Good, better, best.

Good- a stereo that blends into the room decor and has a good tonal range.  It might even have some strong bass and clarity in the midrange.  Good for dancing, background listening and parties.

Better- a stereo that is incorporated into the room decor.  It stands out in the room but still blends in and often times makes a statement as both tech and art.  It makes some friends just a little envious but most will admire it and be impressed with its performance.  Good for tuning out the world and just listening to the music.  Certainly engaging and fun.

Best- a stereo in a purpose designed/built room.  The stereo is the main object in the room.  The room electrical and acoustics are dedicated to optimum sound.  Large, room filling components and speakers that completely overtake the room offering limited seating for others.  Creates an immersive sound stage with totally engaging music.  Perfect for critical listening and tuning out the world for a few hours.  Escape comparable to a good movie.  Friends and family are no longer jealous, they are concerned.

That’s what I have been saying.  Resolution is a two edged sword.  The added detail and clarity can distract from the music- at first.  The little sounds and noises in the background were stressing me at first.  I still hear things that make me think someone has walked into the room at times.  Eventually, I grew accustomed to it all.  In a word, the added detail and clarity is exciting. 

It is not for everyone.  As I said before, I have had people get up and leave the room.  They didn’t much care for the realism.  

I understand. I’m talking about the other side of resolution, ie. the footfalls, coughs, hum in mic cables and whispers. That all comes through as well. It was distracting at first but I am able to tune it out, mostly. The benefits are hearing the voices of a Chorale spread out across the room vs. just a cloud of sound or the clarity of mid bass. That part is exciting. I mention mid bass a lot because I think that is the hardest thing to get right in a room/system. And unfortunately, I didn’t know it was lacking or missing until I heard a top notch resolving system some years back.

I was talking to a recording engineer at Axpona last year. He can hear where the splices are in the master tapes while playing back a song; but that is his job. That is a level of listening beyond my capabilities for sure.