what system musicians prefer? Do they care?

@phasemonger--

You hit the nail on the head ! ! ! 

Audiophiles believe SOUND is the gateway to perceiving and enjoying music,whereas musicians focus on, as you listed: "...articulation, pitch manipulation, tempo, instrument usage, and dynamic choices" etc. 

As you say, they're "very different things" but perhaps only those who both play and enjoy hi-fi can truly grasp this distinction.  

By no means a professional musician but I get the job done. I have lots of musician friends and I don’t think any of them have even an off the shelf Best Buy’s system and I’m not talking about the Magnolia section.

Most of my musician friends either have something fairly old or just use their smart phone with cheap Bluetooth inears. They know of Spotify but no idea of Tidal or Qobuz. They flat out think I’m nuts for the audio system I have.

Not sure there’s any correlation between being an audiophile or a musician but I think it does give me and edge over many non musician audiophiles I have meet over the years to know how or what to listen for or what may be more accurate.

I also believe being an audiophile who appreciates higher end equipment has pushed me to buy the best drums and equipment I can afford and appreciate as well. Owned my share of drums and what I have today to my ears sound the best, which again my musician friends probably think I’m nuts there too

 I will say all my musician friends love and prefer vintage gear and when it comes to their instruments they strive for great sound. They can definitely wrap up a lot of money and have just as much passion in their hobby as well.

"One told me that his mind probably fills in the missing information"
Cheap but so practical!

Sometime ago on Steve Guttenberg’s “Audiophiliac” vlog he had a prominent guest audiologist who catered to a clientele that were in the music industry, musicians, engineers, masters, etc. for custom IEM’s.  She had some interesting observations to share. She said audiological testing results indicate that musicians hearing was more likely to be compromised than non musicians. That the test results can usually indicate what instruments the musician tested played. And that classical musicians hearing tended to be the more compromised than other genres  (she postulated that that might be due to the additional increased practice time of classical musicians).
I don’t play, but know many musicians and have attended many rehearsals and performances. Some music professionals asked for my help in buying audio systems. Usually they buy good value oriented budget high end systems that can play back the particular instrument they play especially well, violinist choose differently than trombonist.
I have the feeling that musicians tend to be more interesting in the construct of the music and how they can fit into it, than in the pure sonics of it. What they hear on the bandstand is very different than what the audience hears in their seats.

@gano,
"One told me that his mind probably fills in the missing information"

Cheap but so practical!


Does this mean that we audiophiles who are refusing to employ our imaginations are lazy compared to musicians?


@dekay ,
Thanks for posting the Lou Reed links.
I can imagine that John Cale would use similar tactics with the use of the volume dial to determine amp/speaker credibility. 

@mcslipp ,
Yes, ATC do seem to be the goto brand for professionals and musicians.