I believe that a notable percentage, perhaps even a majority, of the poor quality sound I’ve heard at recent amplified/electrified concerts has indeed been due to the change to digital technology.
The best (read worst) example both my wife and I experienced was at a Todd Rundgren show at the Akron Civic Theater several years ago. My wife has been a huge fan for many years and has seen him in every conceivable venue. We’d seen the Liars tour in Sandusky State Theater and came away hugely impressed. The Akron show was quite another matter. Compressed, harsh, brash, poorly defined and generally unpleasant. This was true even standing directly behind the board. After the show, we checked out the equipment and discovered that both the incoming and outbound signals were entirely digital and transmitted via CAT-5.
We have since talked about that show as a worst-sound-ever reference point many times, and most recently a few weeks ago when we went to see a friend’s band play at a local bar. Our buddy doesn’t play with a garage band; they have a very loyal following, play top quality small venues (including the Beachland Ballroom for those who know NE OH) and has a top-notch sound engineer. Again, the sound was very disappointing. This time, it was overly bassy and so biased toward the guitars we couldn’t hear the vocals or the violin. The second set was better, but it still sounded like there just wasn’t enough power even though there was plenty of volume. Loud with no depth or clarity. That’s something I never expected to hear again after I dumped my early transistor gear in the 80’s. After the show, I checked out the board and PA. Active speakers with chip amps and what looked like a standard board.
Smaller venues seem to be less affected, perhaps due to a closer proximity between the sound board and the stage. For sure, the Beachland has always delivered better sound than Quicken Loans Arena here, anyway. That said, none of the shows we’ve seen since the last Pink Floyd tour have fully met our expectations on sound quality. That was at the transition point from transistors to chips in amplification. Perhaps just a coincidence, but our experience in the 20+ years since argues against that presumption. Pat Metheny’s Orchestrion tour was the only exception, but even that was 12 years ago now.
This weekend, we attended our first symphony concert and it was a revelation in many ways. We’re not huge classical or operatic fans, but have a number of favorite pieces we’ve listened to over the years. I’d always thought my system did pretty well with classical music, and I still think it’s pretty good. That said, I can now also say without a doubt that the classical recordings I have are far short of the mark. Other threads here have contained many comments that symphonic recordings are generally poor, and I’m now inclined to agree. One passage where there was a large string melody (violins and cellos) had a single bassoon counterpoint. One instrument contrasted against perhaps 30, and still clearly, perfectly audible. That’s not something I’d heard in any of my pressings (several of which are supposedly audiophile grade), and will be the subject of a new thread shortly.
Didn’t mean to give such a lengthy reply, but the above is a vehicle to support why I agree that clarity, depth and nuance are sorely lacking in many of today’s amplified performances. Volume has it’s place, but so does silence. Don’t lose faith though; there is still much happy listening to experience!
