Rap music on high-end speakers


Hello,

I have audiophile taste in gear, but not in music. I listen to rap music, and occansionaly R&B. Is there anyone out there like me? What do you listen for when buying gear? I was wondering what are the benefits in getting better gear? I want to upgrade the speakers to either proac response 3.8 or wilson cubs. Here is my system:

Levinson No.23
aranov ls-9000
Platinum audio reference 2
Paradigm servo 15
kimber speaker wire
esoteric component wires
amc cdm7
tru
I think that this thread has turned into a PERFECT example of just how "important" preconcieved ideas, prejudice and bias are in society. Is that bad ? I don't think so. Why should audio be any different than the rest of the various subjects that we could discuss ???

As such, anyone that thinks that they are not prejudiced or completely free of bias are either liars or fooling themselves. Those that worry more about being "politically correct" rather than speaking their mind and being forthright in their opinions are those that lack self confidence or convictions in their ideas. You can call it "tact" or "being understanding", i'll simply call it "lacking balls". As a case in point, would you rather have someone smile and nod in agreement while inside they look down their nose and think "what a jerk" or would you rather know exactly where you stand in their eyes to begin with ??? I think that answer is obvious.While there are ways to get the message across without ripping someone's heart out, the message remains the same: "I don't like or agree with that".

As to why people would have the ideas that they do about "rap", "hip-hop", etc..., take a look around. Most of the time that you hear this music or see the participants, the sound is HORRIBLE while the listeners and creators try to portray themselves as being "ghetto gangsters". If you doubt this, take a look at the "kicker boxes" that are sold to the public to recreate this music. Big woofers in untuned boxes and Piezo tweeters. The more "lo-fi" it sounds ( boomier, undefined, lacking detail, smeared and splashy, etc..), the greater the chance of the "car stereo enthusiast" installing it in his "pimp mobile". In plain English, what is "bad" to those that know better becomes "good" to those that don't know any better.

Since many of the participants here may have never listened to various artists that produce "music" of the above mentioned genres in detail, they base their opinions on what they have experienced. Is this wrong ? Hell no. You and i do it EVERY day, dozens of times a day. Whether or not it is a "good" opinion or "bad" opinion simply has to do with what side of the fence you stand on with that specific subject. Were they wrong to share their point of view. Definitely not. This IS a discussion forum. Could they have done it with a little more respect ? Quite possibly.

The funny thing is that the hi-fi world used to be divided between those that listened to Classical music and those that listened to "contemporary music" i.e. rock, blues, jazz, etc... As "music" has spread out even more and has such a wide interpretation as to what qualifies as such nowadays, i find it amusing that the "rockers" and the "old fogey's" have something in common. That would be their general lack of respect and disdain for "hip hop" and "rap". As such, nothing has changed. The shoe has just been moved to a different foot. The same thing will happen with the next generation and so on and so forth.

So long as there is freedom of choice, differences of opinions, personal taste, etc... to deal with, we will always have an "us vs them" to deal with, regardless of the subject. Of course, whether you are with "us" or choose to side with "them" can vary from subject to subject or incident to incident. That's what makes us all individuals with our own ideas. That is also why nobody can tell you what is "right" and what is "wrong", what is "good" what is "bad", etc.... These are all things that rely on one's personal perspective and preferences.

All i can say is that we should ALL be glad that we have the right to choose what WE like as individuals and that we can voice our differences of opinions without fear of reprisal. It is probably only after we've lost these "rights" that everone will agree on something. We should've been thankful for what we HAD. Sean
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I don't see anyone mention about the source. I'm not that young but I still like rap, pop and 80's retro music. I have a relatively expensive hi-fi system, but when I put in these CD into my player, the sound is just horrible compare to audiophile CDs. I guess the rap or pop music makers don't really care about music reproduction and the sound is either too harsh or too much bass.

My theory is that a good system will faithfully reproduce the source....meaning that it will make good CD sounds better and a lousy CD sounds worse.

Overtime, I have to force myself to listen to audiophile CDs more and more (classsic, jazz, vocal, etc.) than what I really like, pop music.

Any of you share the same dilemma?
Tru,
This thread is so far off track, I will offer you some HI-FI advise first of all... Look into some good subs with the proac 3.8s.. Some good subs are(least to most recommended) Carver signature cube, Bag End Infrasub 18, REL (the best you can afford) and Aerial SW-12. One other avenue is to hear an Avalon Acoustics theatre (sentinels, sub and center).
I currently have a pair of Avalon Eidolons in one system and a pair of Arcus in the other, both powered by tubes. The Eidolons will do about any bass note with authority when asked.. I am running them for HT...
And yes (what this thread has been waiting for), I do listen to ALL types of music -- rap, speed metal, classical, alternative, country, techno....

I have received the snobbish attitude at audio dealers, and have actually taken out equipment that has been inadequate with Beat Dominator, Addicted to Bass, Techmaster P.E.B, etc.

I also have neighbors that think that I have my own "clockwork orange" going on in my house when they hear the beat of Jamaican Reagge or Mr. Bungle followed by Mozart or the 1812. They are also impressed with the measures to make sure the siding and trim do not rattle from the bass.

Listen to what you want, and forget the people who ridicule you for that. Being an musician in a previous phase in my life, I can't waste my time worrying about what others think of my musical tastes...
Patrick123,
I use to have the same problem where I could not listen to certain CDs in my system. I use to own Avalon Radians, Rowland Model 8, Rowland Synergy II, CEC Transport, Classe DAC1, Cardas Neutral Cables, Linn LP12, Plinius M14 Phono. Now when I played CDs if the CD was recorded well (no matter what type of music) the systems sounded wonderful. Maybe the best I had heard to date (2 years ago). When I put in a CD that wasn't recorded well it sounded very bad. So I found myself listening to about 10% of my music. So I had a choice, keep buying CDs and listen to only about 10% of them, even though I loved the music, or change my system. I ended up changing the system because to me its all about the music. If I buy a CD I want to listen to it. When I started looking for a new system the dealers couldn't believe I wanted to change because they said a good system should do what mine was doing. I then told them that sorry but to me its all about the music not the equipment.

Just my 0.02 (before taxes :-))