Volume Control

Agreed Opus88!

All it really takes IMHO is listening to live unamplified music to hear that sort of brightness is not what one hears from real instuments! As my daughter is a college music major I am treated to frequent live musical performance that "calibrate" my ears to the "real thing".

And I couldn't agree with you more, Hifiman. I also attend live orchestral concerts fairly regularly, and do not hear the kind of crystal clear neutrality, squeaky cleanness and treble prominence that is fairly frequently projected by stereo equipment, including a good portion of which costs tens of thousands of dollars. We all enjoy our own preferred, reproduced illusions in the comfort of our homes. Some of them may come closer to approximating reality than others, but there's obviously something unique about unamplified music, and it's easy (and often uplifting) to notice this when we hear the sound of the violin or piano live. As you say, our re-calibration kicks in. Indeed, the warmth and natural, often easy tonality of the violin is rarely approached by electronics. Instead, we are often "treated" to a wiry, acidic and somewhat unfulfilling representation that belies the sort of relaxed enjoyment which accompanies the genuine event. Nonetheless, fortunate are those who, often after a long and sometimes expensive electronics journey, have been able to reap the rewards of their hard won audio nirvana.

Opus88 I absolutely agreed. Music were mixed down from prerecorded sessions especially for pop music. The so called imaging, localisation, tonal balance etc etc were products of mastering. Perhaps classical music recordings using minimal miking could present a truer stereo. I guess some cables are capable of taming those illusions and in doing so you enjoy more of the music.

Hoi: Years ago the Mercury classical recordings used minimal miking, and the results in most cases were very gratifying. Afterward, virtually every record company went to multi-miking, considered a mistake by many present day classical music fans who cite that approach as having been responsible for a less realistic sounding reproduction of the music's performance and setting...Otherwise, I get the drift regarding your point about "taming those illusions". It's precisely around this issue that impressions, preferences and arguments about the Cardas Golden Reference and Golden Cross seem to resonate. Some listeners feel those cables obliterate detail while others claim they simply present details in a different, more listenable and enjoyable way.

Hoi,

Enjoy the new-found musicality of your system using the Golden Cross. If the music sounds "real" to your ears and supplies you with listening pleasure, then just sit back and enjoy!