How much reality do you really need?

To the poster who deleted the post that suggested that I have “disdain for the subject” and asked “why I need to announce it”. No worries, I can handle incorrect, not to mention silly assumptions and questions; and I’m glad that you saw the error in your ways 😊. I’ll try and answer anyway.

“Disdain”?! Hardly. I may be more frugal with my audio dollars than my means might allow, but I’m as much an audiophile as anyone 😱. However, I try to not let my interest in sound be a distraction from my (greater) interest in the music, as the OP suggests in his most recent post. If it bothers you that I “announce” this, then just ignore me; but, I thought that forums were a place to “announce” opinions.

Cheers.

No; if one always lets the primary focus be the performance.  Otherwise, that search is a constant distraction.  

Excellent post, realworldaudio; I couldn’t agree more. 

**** I find that _most_ current ultra-high end gear focuses too much on the enhanced resolution aspect, creating an illusionary sonic envelope that feels very much real, but also quite a bit different from the original source. It traps you in the superficiality, and shuts down the imagination, which is the exact opposite of what a live performance does. ****

Does it matter? I would ask: look at the sky, what color is it? You say blue and I say red. Then you ask: look at the ocean, what color is it? I say red and you say blue. We understand each other.

**** how much reality do you need to enjoy your system? ****

As much as possible; within the limits of what I’m willing to spend.

**** Does it have to be close to an exact match? ****

”exact match” is very subjective. For me, even the best are not “close to an exact match”. So, again, as close as possible.

**** How close before your satisfied? ****

Impossible to quantify. As long as I can understand the musical message, I’m satisfied. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake; and I do like icing. Having said that, there’s icing out of a can and then there’s icing made with real butter and vanilla.

Personally, I find that for many, a fantastic performance can be deemed “unlistenable” due to relatively minor (for me) sonic problems. I simply don’t get the mindset that doesn’t allow ignoring relatively minor sonic deficiencies for the sake of the music.


++++ how much dressing do you like on your salad? ++++

As much as, or as close to the amount that live music puts on its salad. Listen to enough of it and it becomes obvious when one is putting on too little or too much.