Passion, or ..... Precision?


Hi Guys, 

In the last 2 years I have finally built what I consider to be a fairly decent System. Namely, DCS Bartok, BHK 300 mono's and KEF Ref 5 Speakers. With the introduction of Qobuz, which is all I listen to now, I find myself searching out artists or tracks that sound amazing on my rig. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and find something I really like that also sounds amazing. Streaming is brilliant for this. However, when I revert back to the music that evokes the passion in me I find that it tends to be of poorer recording quality. I'm 58 now and grew up with the 70's/80's Heavy Rock scene with bands like Sabbath, Ozzy, Rainbow, Lizzy and my beloved Status Quo etc. Their early material just doesn't 'cut it' on a high end system (IMO) and I find it more fatiguing to listen to. Modern technology and attention to detail in the recording studio has really dated some of my favourite bands to the point I find it harder to listen to them.

Does anybody else share this experience?

cheers, Mark

128x128markprice

Save the heavy rock music for when you are in your car, it may sound better to you (without the level of definition at the frequency extremes that your home system provides).

+1 @hilde45 I think the DAC far outclasses the amps and speakers.  I was just where you are @markprice.  I actually owned the BHK monos with the BHK pre and the DS DAC.  I first upgraded my DAC, which gave much more resolution.

But upgrading my other electronics ( I have moved through the Audionet chain) and speakers  (I had BW N802s) to YG Haileys made a huge difference.  The speakers were icing but the electronics made the leap.

Sure some recordings are just not as good, no doubt.  But it can get much better!

mitch2 - 100% agree on listening in the car, best place to exercise the tonsils. I also play rock via 'Alexa' when I'm in the kitchen washing the dishes!!

@hilde45   KEF Reference 5 is the the flagship of the KEF Reference series made in the UK. The R5 is the smallest floorstander of the R series and is unfortunately made in the PRC.

As you mentioned most of the music during that period was recorded poorly. Hard to do anything about that. Another part of the problem is we had speakers with no real bass, just a mid bass bump that stimulated the room. As you buy better speakers that actually play bass and get rid of the mid bass bump, the mid is cleared up, but the recordings sound flat and empty in the mids.

If it were a big problem for me, I would get an equalizer and bump up the mid bass for 70’s/80’s music.