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What is it I'm failing to grasp?

I come across statements here and elsewhere by guys who say 1) their systems come very close to duplicating the experience of hearing live music and 2) that they can listen for hours and hours due to the "effortless" presentation.  

I don't understand how these two claims add up. In tandem, they are profoundly inconsistent with my experiences of listening to live music. 

If I think about concerts I consider the best I've witnessed (Oregon, Solas, Richard Thompson, SRV, Dave Holland Quintet, '77 G. Dead, David Murray, Paul Winter Consort), I would not have wanted any of those performances to have extended much beyond their actual duration.

It's like eating-- no matter how wonderfully prepared the food, I can only eat so much-- a point of satiation is reached and I find this to be true (for me) when it comes to music listening as well. Ditto for sex, looking at visual art, reading poetry or playing guitar. All of these activities require energy and while they may feel "effortless" in the moment, I eventually reach a point where I must withdraw from aesthetic simulation.

Furthermore, the live music I've heard is not always "smoothly" undemanding. I love Winifred Horan's classically influenced Celtic fiddling but the tone she gets is not uniformly sweet; the melodies do not always resemble lullabies. The violin can sound quite strident at times. Oregon can be very melodious but also,(at least in their younger days) quite chaotic and atonal. These are examples on the mellower side of my listening spectrum and I can't listen to them for more than a couple hours, either live or at home. 

Bottom line: I don't find listening to live music "effortless" so I don't understand how a system that renders this activity "effortless" can also be said to be accurate.   

What is it that I'm failing to grasp, here?  


 

stuartk
rickdoesaudio's avatar
rickdoesaudio
56 posts
 

I hope the Harrison and Young suggestions get others to listen. Damn good performances!

stuartk OP
2,427 posts
 

@rickdoesaudio :

Yeah-- I accept the limitations imposed by not having a dedicated room. I'm not chasing "the absolute sound" nor am I unhappy withy my system. But I know there's a whole lot I don't know about audio, so when I see something repeated as a truism that seems to run counter to my listening experiences, I feel compelled to try to deepen my understanding. This was my motivation in starting this thread. 

rickdoesaudio's avatar
rickdoesaudio
56 posts
 
Though I am not a huge Harrison fan I like all things Beatles and from "the Inner Light" the farther one travels the less one knows is appropriate here. I put in dedicated lines to all of my equipment only to find through reading posts that is not even close to enough (except to me) Like you I am actually very satisfied with my equipment. My room is more a mess than a listening room most of the time....very un-dedicated. Your thread is awesome and so much discussion is enlightening. I have enjoyed it more than any other to date. I am working towards the acoustic improvements of the room these days. I have no doubt that is where it will end for me. I have my dream VTLs and speakers. A small cable improvement may happen here or there (and I plan to add a Denafrips Aries II DAC soon) but the room is now #1 on the list. I hope you can listen to the 2 cuts I listed only because I think it will give a feel of the live performance in your room exclusively for you. That is what I felt and emphasizes I have been on the right track for my listening experience. He sits between my speakers and plays and sings to me. Thanks my brother. R
stuartk OP
2,427 posts
 

@rickdoesaudio 

Yes-- I've been very gratified by the content of this thread.

RE: ATMP, I read a ton of reviews of the recent remaster and decided it was not for me. Dhani asserted his primary goal with the remaster was to attract younger listeners and the reviewers' characterizations of the SQ certainly seemed to bear this out. It's not likely I'll buy it but I appreciate the recommendation. I'm glad you're enjoying your system. At some point, we'll move and then I'll have a dedicated room. 

rickdoesaudio's avatar
rickdoesaudio
56 posts
 

I’ll clarify. I would not have gone out and bought the remaster version either. I never read a review. I had the studio LP for years and maybe played it once. Not my cup of tea as they would say. It was a gift from a friend. I put it on to see how it sounded. The tracks are extra tracks added. They are not the studio version of the originally recorded tracks. They are intimate live recordings of the 2 songs where George sits nearly alone and throws his heart and soul into it....acoustically. They are the only 2 tracks I listen to. So, if you ever get the chance to just listen to them it is worth the listen..but probably not the purchase price for sure. Again, thanks for this thread...it has been a pleasure following. R

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