Hopefully this will add to what Redkiwi so well stated and, coming from a relative newbie, provide some insight into what catches the attention of "the masses" when they hear a high end system. The masses do believe that quality requires volume and actually it's for good reason. With mass market systems high volumes are necessary to hear any detail, albeit out of proportion to the rest of the recording. Unfortunately, it is also fatiguing to the ears because of the high levels of distortion that accompany the increased detail. As my new system first began to come together it was played LOUD out of habit. Of course, it handles high volume with aplomb and on occassion it is still quite enjoyable to jam with Van Halen in the living room. Almost literally. Eventually I, and my neighbors even more quickly, grew tired of 100+ db and now the levels are rarely so "uncivilized." Here's the real kicker: as time goes by the sound level keeps going down. Unlike mass market systems where high volumes are necessary to bring musical details to the surface, this system does it at virtually all volumes. The volume knob does what it's supposed to do: Control the volume, not the volume AND *sound*. That this is the belief of the mass market was recently confirmed when my buddy, high tech whiz and fellow music lover (and my guess is soon to be audiophile) came by for an evening of music. "Listen to this," I said and played a familiar track at half of the normal volume. "What do you hear?" I asked. He attentively listened for a few minutes and said, "Wow. Everything! That's impressive." He thought I'd added something new to the system, but I hadn't. It was something I "discovered" on the trail to audiophilia. Being a salesman I'm always keying into what gets people's attention. When someone new comes over and wants "the tour" I first explain what everything is and what it does. Just a basic description of the components because too much detail because that makes their eyes glaze over. They don't need to hear 20 or even 5 minutes on carbon fiber cones, cables, etc. No dollar amounts are given unless they insist, and then only grudgingly. I emphasize the system is to reproduce music, and though I *am* proud of it, the intention is not to impress anyone, but instead to provide listening pleasure. I play four cuts: the first track on Diana Krall's "All for you" (sometimes track seven, too, because of the three-way harmony), the first and last track on Patricia Barber's "Modern Cool" (the first is just, well, cool and the last is reminiscient of a Southern Baptist chorus hymn) and track one on Al DiMeola's "Kiss My Axe." The latter is especially impressive to the uninitiated because of Al's lightening fast guitar licks that come through so cleanly, the well applied chimes that show off the HF, the dead quiet passages, and most importantly the deep, thunderous bass drum licks that demostrate the LF. All of these recording show off the deep soundstage (one of the first things they notice) and imaging of the system. After this I turn them lose in my CD collection or have them bring in something from their car. That allows them to details in music they know. None of my friends listens to anything "deep" and most generic music is very superficial with respect to detail and production value. I don't point out anything like "air" or "dark background" at any point because if it doesn't hit them in the face (or ears) they'll only nod yes and give a blank look like they're concentrating. No use embarrassing them unnecessarily. ;-) I'd be curious of what others do for "demos".
