Should We Prioritize Detail In Our Assessment Of Audio Quality?


So many times I’ve read posts, measuring the audio quality of components and recordings, by how much detail they offer. Especially where it pertains to DAC’s and streaming devices. Whenever there’s a thread comparing Qobuz with Tidal, etc… I find multiple posts attempting to win an argument, based on the claim that one streaming service offers more detail than the other.

I like detail but to me, it’s just one characteristic among many. If I sit in different parts of a concert hall, I may hear more detail in one place over another but it doesn’t make or break my desire to sit in one location over another. So many Audiogoners have stated their preference of analogue over digital but in my experience, digital playback usually reveals the most detail. How do others interpret the emphasis of detail when evaluating the level of audio quality in their listening experiences?

goofyfoot

Showing 2 responses by hilde45

Everyone know what detail means. You can look it up in the dictionary.

If that was true, we'd all know that, and there would not be a discussion happening here. So, no.

Dictionaries report how words are used. People use the same word in different senses, and sometimes those senses are in conflict.

You might consider, instead, that there are at least three levels of meaning.

The first level of meaning about a concept is an unreflective grasp of it, in everyday experience. I grasp "gravity" by knowing how to keep myself stable while walking.

The second level of meaning is to be able to give a definition of the concept. This will be general, apart from any particular experience. A dictionary reports the various definitions people come up with. They are often at odds with one another.

There is a third level of meaning, which is what this thread is working on. It aims to understand all the possible practical implications -- experiences, sensations, even measurements (where appropriate). Once all those possible, practical bearings have been explored, we have a full conception of what we’re talking about.

+1 to @millercarbon @jjss49 and others.

QUESTION: It would seem that "detail" would vary with what one wants to pay close attention to, no? Or is listening to the pace or the bass or something not in the upper mids and treble not considered 'detail' by most.

Toe-tapping, nimbleness of dynamics, are so crucial.

Give me the beat boys, to free my soul...