Is Audio nirvana real?

asvjerry

But....it’s not created that way. Music is not created between one’s ears.
Or performed that way...well, not yet, anyway...

Music has a visceral quality that 10oz. of Anything ain’t gonna serve up.
Nothing legal, anyway...

+1 Asvjerry

You know i tried to make it work with headphones. When our fraternal twins were born, I was faced with crying in stereo. They also never slept at the same time and I helped breast feed (I held one :^) ...a couple of footballs (picture an American football shape)

I needed music and I could not wake the babies. But I found to achieve the level of compression and equilibrium I enjoy in my rooms, I needed to raise the volume to where I feared for my hearing. Maybe it was my state of being at the time. Entry in personal log. Creation of my personal panic room. The year 1994.

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Geoffkait’s personal portable nirvana and your comments reminded me of something I read many years ago. I think it is very fitting to post an excerpt of it here.

Interview with Peter Walker of Quad discussing the thread topic.


Interviewer : Is the path to that goal, then, with headphones perhaps?

PW: There is, I think, possibly a future in headphones if the material is recorded through an artificial pinna. (The shape of the outer ear.)

Interviewer: A dummy head?

PW: Yes. Then to do it properly I think you’ve got to use the pinna of an actual person there’s a lot of difference between the pinnas of people and according to Shroeder’s theories, if it was recorded on a dummy head with your own pinna, or with microphones in your own eardrums, then it can be very good. But if it’s somebody else’s pinna you lose these little decays from these little reflections. There’s a good article in America by Gardner. Even filling in a little gap in your ear with wax stops a lot of your up and down capabilities because you have lived with that shape for a long time.

TAA: You’d have to have a casting of your own ears, in other words, to make good "headphone" recordings.

PW: Well. it’s impossible to make records that way, because a variety of people have got to listen to them! There might be a future there, or there might be a future for sonic sort of close-up loudspeaker.

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Could it be that Geoffkait likes his sony lighweight headphones so much because their shape is close to his personal pinna ?

Should probably point out that all sound waves from speakers and live performances enter the ear and are processed as it were inside the head. The advantage of headphones of course compared to speakers is that the distortion and noise is significantly lower, you know, for the reasons I already outlined. Of course the will be those who swear that the sound should come from in front of you. It comes down to personal preference. The headphone set up has it’s advantages, including SQ, as I already outlined. And then there's cost. Shall we just sweep cost under the rug?

Ask a question openly and I get some honest answers from real audiophiles. Then...... As usual we get the same people with the same comedy skits and negativity. Lol.  I would tell you to go away but you don't have anywhere to go or do so enjoy it while you can. I wish you would leave the forum but it's America! You are free to tell jokes that are not funny. Back to my my wires and worthless equipment.  TGWR! 

On a more serious note. During this chase of nirvana I have learned so much. I've learned from some great guys who are no longer with us. Charles Threat and Dave Baskin. They were great friends with each other and they were my friends. I will attending services for Charles this Saturday down in Texas. Enjoy your system while you are still alive.  Tomorrow is not promised and if your system fringe you joy or the chase of equipment makes you happy do it like there is no tomorrow. Both of these guys did!

ct, IMHO there's the inherent limitation of headphones of any type (in ear or over, and the types of the latter) that your interview 'quote' addresses.  All ears are not created equal from birth, and get subjected to all matter of 'inputs' through the course of one's life.  We find ourselves with no 'common ground' short of sterile test equipment generating specs that unless those doing these tests exercise extraordinary care to match the situation of any other set of specs generated elsewhere, variations inevitably crop up....
And then there's the 'subjective listening commentary', performed by someone that's lucky enough to make a living listening to these wonderful objects that we're drawn to, who we take into account as we wade through the choices of said objects...
So, short story long, one could surmise that I've developed a rather jaundiced opinion of our pursuit of the years.  And since I've become 'officially old' recently (thank you, but I'm not terribly thrilled about it), I feel I'm entitled to do what I like to do and generally ignore the hubbub.

Headphones:  I've owned them.  I've used them primarily in the same way that you employed with the twins (How's the kids, BTW? *S*), an escape that allows enjoyment without annoying those about one.  I own a wireless one now, used just for that purpose.

I prefer my music 'presented spatially', fully aware that the space effects the response, as does everything between the space and the format that renders it (LP, tape, CD, digital file).  And the means by which I perceive it is pretty much SNAFU at this time, and is deteriorating incrementally as the daze go on....

Geo, you may be lucky as ct points out.  If so, may the road rise with you and the wind be at your back...and 10 oz. will be a light load on the path to Nirvana.  From what I read here at AV, few have gotten as close as you have.  We should all be so blessed....

And I'm not joking/teasing/being facetious/trolling/or ?....seriously...

Heaven IS in your mind.  Now between your ears.  Ignore us...Enjoy. *S*