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The vicissitudes of listening to classical music

Hello,

I'm a novice. I recently purchased a decco int. amp and usb/dac and era d5's. I am using a Mac mini. I've been using this set-up for two weeks. The sound is starting to become more dynamic. This is on the desktop, nearfield listening to cd's, internet radio and rips.

My problem is that when I listen to symphonic music everything is garbled during heavy orchestration. Solo piano, guitar, string quartets sound good except strings in the high register can be grating. Also, I find myself listening to a softer passage at a nice volume and when the brass and strings and percussion kick in I must always turn down. Opera is a problem as well.

I wish the mids were warmer, too.

Since there are area contraints on the desktop I thought a hifi integrated amp might suit my needs. More power to even out the louder passages and tame the high end. The decco is 50wpc. I would like to pay maye $1500- for the amp. I would buy another usb/dac.

I think the speakers are fine. I don't want anything bigger on the desk, anyway.

I'm in a small room approx. 12'x14'. I purchased the d5's hoping the bass at lower listening levels would work. The room is somewhat open on one side. I usually listen at moderate volume levels.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

jj
128x128jackiejr
amfibius
282 posts
 
For $1500, you could get yourself a killer headphone setup. My experience with headphones suggests that sound quality of headphones compared to hifi is roughly 10:1 - a $1000 headphone setup is as good as a $10,000 hifi setup. You lose out on the imaging and the space, but you probably aren't getting very much if you have your speakers on your computer desk anyway.

Trouble is, a $1500 headphone setup will reveal any upstream flaws. You really need to feed it the best source possible.
veroman's avatar
veroman
299 posts
 
lemme get this straight... you want quality sound with symphonic digital recordings and you can spend $1500? ditch the toys and get an oppo cdp, affordable int tube amp, and see what you get then. if it still sucks, get some better speakers. i am unfamiliar with yours so i cannot say, but be realistic here. call m a snob but classical music needs more to accurately reproduce than any desktop pc system i ever heard. jmo. ps i love classical music too and it took me yrs to firure out it demands a quality stand alone systm to fully appreciate for any length of listening time, even near field.
amfibius
282 posts
 
Oh yes, I forgot to mention in my above post - I am a classical music listener too. I listen to everything from soloists to pipe organ to lieder to massive orchestral works. This type of music is extremely demanding on a hi-fi system and ALL of them, without exception, fail. I have heard very expensive speakers, including my own, and none of these systems can do it all. I may prefer vocals on one system but find it falls flat with orchestral works. Or prefer orchestra on another system, and find the vocals sound awful.

Plenty of systems can make sounds, and your brain does the rest and turns it into music. I can listen to music in my car, or on my iPod, and it does not diminish my enjoyment one bit. However, if I want to listen deep into music, I need my hi-fi system. Sometimes I have the score in front of me as well - it really fills you in on what the recording has failed to capture.

In any case, I have learnt to become less demanding and have stopped trying to recreate the live experience. These days, if the system is revealing enough for me to hear what the musicians are doing, I am happy. It all depends on what you want - if you want to analyse deep into the music AND do it on a budget, get headphones.
jw94055
125 posts
 
Classical music is the most demanding sound for any system.
To truly judge the quality of any system, play classical.
It may well be your set up is doing the best it can, but your hearing needs a better system.
jackiejr's avatar
jackiejr OP
26 posts
 
I was listening to a rinky-dink system just 4 weeks ago. I never thought internet radio streaming was going to satisfy my need for quality audio but the array of classical stations is appealing.

I appreciate the feedback. I know it's impossible to get hi-end on the desktop. I just want something with some weight and clarity that will bring me into the music.

I want to rip some audio. Not a lot. I'll use aiff. I want to listen to cd's and have that great soundstage and enough power so I can listen to a symphony and not adjust the volume for different passages. Good, clean power and desktop speakers.

Grazie,

jj
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