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How close to the real thing?

Recently a friend of mine heard a Chopin concert in a Baptist church. I had told him that I had gone out to RMAF this year and heard some of the latest gear. His comment was that he thinks the best audio systems are only about 5% close to the real thing, especially the sound of a piano, though he admitted he hasn't heard the best of the latest equipment.

That got me thinking as I have been going to the BSO a lot this fall and comparing the sound of my system to live orchestral music. It's hard to put a hard percentage on this kind of thing, but I think the best systems capture a lot more than just 5% of the sound of live music.

What do you think? Are we making progress and how close are we?
peterayer
peterayer OP
1,382 posts
 
Fredseas2,

You banged the one note on my kids' upright piano and then compared it to a recording of a concert grand, as I remember. I agree with you that that one note did not sound identical to any one of the many notes in the recording. It wasn't even really close. But the recording certainly resembled the sound of a piano, and it wasn't a particularly good recording and it certainly was not one of the "best" systems available.

At this past RMAF I heard a live piano recital in the hotel lobby and then heard Ray Kimber's incredible four channel system play one of his IsoMic? recordings of a piano. Not identical, but boy were they similar to my ears.
irvrobinson
295 posts
 
Well, Edseas2, I'm so glad that your view settles everything, after all! And of course, you have the BAS to back you up. And to think we've created a thread five pages long discussing a conclusion we could have just asked you for. :)

Merry Christmas, Ed.
timlub
2,043 posts
 
Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy your families, see you back in the threads... Tim
edseas2
12 posts
 
Mr. Ayer-

I assume that you forgot all about listening to Holly Cole - "Don't Smoke In Bed" -on your system. I listened to the entire album but that was when your system was a year or two older so I guess that I haven't heard a "great recording on one of today's great systems" have I?

Furthermore, I'm not talking about a recording being acceptable if it "certainly resembled the sound of a piano", I'm talking about a recording being indistinguishable from the sound of a real piano.

We are nowhere near that today from everything that I have heard so far.

Ed
edseas2
12 posts
 
I am a VERY new member to the BAS and I am NOT speaking for them at all! I simply asked a couple of their members the same question that is being posed here for their opinion just as I asked my musician friend for his opinion.

Happy New Year Irv!

Ed
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