Trade offs?

My experience has been increases in system resolution comes in two phases. The first phase often involves increased resolution that may sound more analytical and unforgiving. The second phase is all about refinement of that increased resolution, this is the more difficult to achieve.

I'm at the point where I don't think there is any limit to maximizing both resolution and musicality. Evolution of one's system can likely go on indefinitely.

Thank you Tvad! Psacanli, there is absolutely no reason to give up on digital sound, you just need to find the proper synergy.

Tvad, refinement for me has come with parts upgrades. Duelund, Jantzen and VH Audio V-Cap capacitors have made all the difference. Vishay nude resistors are nice as well. Power supply mods are the latest upgrades.

This kind of refinement doesn't have to cost a lot, DIY saves a whole lot. Parts upgrades also allow for a multitude of voicing adjustments, much greater than cables and various isolation schemes, even some wholesale equipment changes IME.

I can't believe how few modders are out there, equipment recycling is relatively boring, endless and costly, I'm done with it.

Just sticking to cd playback. Your can get both high resolution and musicality, I've heard it with GNSC modded top-of-line Esoteric and Wadia players (my highly modded digital setup is pretty close). High resolution is relatively easy with digital, add refinement and your talking big bucks.

I can also understand where Tvad is coming from with the less resolution comment. I've had a couple tube DACs, more refinement with slightly less resolution, give up a bit here to get a bit more there.

Recording quality certainly needs to be accounted for as well, some recordings will always sound like crap.

MrTennis, while your contentions may be logical, they are more an academic argument than applicable to what we're discussing here.

I understand the jargon of sonics to be understood as semantics rather than objective descriptions. Therefore, musical means the ability to enjoy music rather than listening to the 'sound' of music.

As far as resolution relates to musicality, you hit the nail on the head. If a stereo system is highly resolving it can't always sound musical. 'Can't always' is the critical element, yes, too many recordings aren't inherently musical, ie. can never sound musical. As for many other, or perhaps most recordings, they can sound musical on a highly resolving system, they have some amount of inherent musical quality.

I doubt any system can always sound musical. You contend some recordings have no inherent musical qualities, any system that could make these somehow musical would be capable of performing magic. Colorations of a less resolute system would only add further color to amusical recordings, certainly not make them musical.

A system that is both musical and highly resolving allows one to enjoy the maximum number of cds within one's collection. Extracting maximum musical enjoyment, along with maximum information is the goal many of us are seeking. I'm not sure that adhesion to some perfectionist and objectivist ideal is what many of us are after, as you say, way too many variables to drive that delusion.

It seems musicality is only your perogitive to define for yourself. In looking up the definition of musicality I find there are so many meanings that it is mostly undefinable. Rather it is a feeling, thus, a semantic and/or subjective term.

It is perfectly fine to use the term musical as it is so often understood in these forums. It seems to get across the point quite effectively, most people seem to get it. Now, whether it meets your definition of musical is another issue entirely.

And if it doesn't meet your defintion, please tell us what term or terms you would use to define this feeling?

I also doubt "almost any stereo will be acceptable" in regard to this meaning of musicality is widespread. Look at all the system changes always being undertaken, something must be less than acceptable in order for so many to be undertaking so many changes.

In the end, some words simply have no agreed upon, universal meaning, we all do the best we can in using less than perfect language. How I long for a world in which all words have some perfect meaning, just think how much less confusion and conflict there would be!

And yes, I still contend, as do others, that this feeling of a system being musical and maximum resolution are not inherently exclusive, we feel music and hear resolution at the same time, quite an achievement!