Sophisticated - If something is sophisticated, it's complicated and intricate.
adjective: : having, revealing, or proceeding from a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture.
"
synonyms: urbane, cultivated, civilized, polished, refined, advanced, modern, state of the art, the latest, elegant, stylish;
Live sophisticated sound?
1973 The Coliseum; Jacksonville FL.
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon tour
Getting there a bit early and with no organized seating, I curiously migrated towards the mixing consel manned by two PF engineers wearing the usual PF tour T shirts and jackets, set pretty much dead center of the room. Built up onto a two and a half foot tall platform all the lighting and sound controls would be directed there. The platform was about seven or 8 feet wide and six or 7 feet deep.
Two fools were engaging the engineers in convwersation as my friends and I approached and suddenly one of these idiots shoved one of the PF employees hard into his chest forcing him to fall back onto the make shift platform. The second fool did likewise just before we got to them all. My friends and I were 3, the Cretans were 2. We won.
The PF board Ops made us enough room on the platform so my buddies and I could all sit on it with our backs aginst the stands of the mixing boards while facing the stage about 40ft ahead. A far better arrangement than sitting on a cold concrete floor like everyone else.
With 8 stacks of speakers fueled by 21 Phase Linear amps, along the circumference of the largely circular venue, lasers (?) or special lighting fixtures hung on the ceiling joists, a totally immersive audio and visual experience was delivered that night.
When the lighting spots moved, the sound accompanied them. There were pyrotechnics as well as they lit the outer edge of a 8 – 10 foot Gong and blew in smoke across the stage flooring to about waist high of the musicians. Later they sucked it all away just as subtly as it was deployed.
The show was astonishing. At the time, calling it miraculous would not have been a stretch. I think the tickets cost less than $10 each.
Stunning.
Most impressive and sophisticated live setup and presentation I’ve witnessed to date.
Most sophisticated retail oriented sound?
In a local dealership I went to hear one item but not being too impressed, was escorted into another room that room was unforgettable. Shanlin tube SACD player, thor line stage preamp, Thor PA 30 EL34 monos, VSA VR4 Jr, Audience cabling, Chang Light speed PLC.
It was like the first time you ever saw a Corvette. Jane Mansfield. Drove a quarter mile under 10 seconds. Or jumped out of an airplane when it wasn’t parked.
With then, $27k worth of front end gear & power, and $4K worth of speakerage, I was forver convinced it is indeed what’s up front that counts.
haunting.
Most SOTA Domestically arranged system?
Some years back, while at a friends house wherein his rig contained; Jamo R909 loudspeakers, Bel Canto DAC 3, Wavelength USB to BNC or Sony Phillips digital interface, converter, Bel Canto 500 mono amps.
Doing an impromptu DAC shootout, with Mietner, BC, and Berkley initial offering DACs, it wasn’t until the BC & Wavelength setup entered the mix that things became vivid and tangible, remarkably organic and real.
Intriguing sound.
Most sophisticated sound on an personal level?
All tube power with semi high eff (93db) speakers in my house.
Silverline Sonata 3s. Velo DD15 sub. Thor Mk II line stage Dodd EL34 Mono blocks. NOS Amperex & RCA tubes throughout. SCD 777 SACD player, BC DAC 3. Cabling was from MIT, and SR. PC were Shunyata, VooDoo, Nirvana, Dynamic Research, and Elrod. PLC were PSA & Running Springs. Racks amp stands, and speaker stands by Sound Anchor.
Totally engaging. It was definitely a hard outfit to turn off after it got energized .
Although I’ve heard more pricey speakers in various setups, and many sounded great, far exceeding the cost of these mentioned here, it takes the whole enchilada to pull off the goose bumps effect IMHO.
