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Can HI FI components really make music?

Hello everyone. I am posting this question possibly a bit early but I am getting frustrated and am about to throw in the towel, sell everything and buy a Bose wave radio and call it good. My question is does a good HI FI system ever really sound like live music? At this point I think not. I have been in this hobby for about 7 years and just can't seem to get there. Even the system at the local "hi end" dealer does not come close to live music. My system has evolved over the years to the following:

Wadia 861 CD
VTL MB 125 mono blocks
Supratek Chennin Pre
(2) Vandy 2WQ subs
Vandy 3A Sig
Cardas Golden Cross inter con
Kimber Bifocal XL spk cable
Vandy model 5 Xover

All this gear is in a 13x35x8 room. Although the sound is quite good. Better than most any other system Ive heard it still has a long way to go. In all fairness the 3As are not completely broken in but I dont think they will improve to the extent I want them to over the course of the next 30 hrs. My dealers solution is that I should get rid of the Supratek and replace with a VTL 5.5. I dont think so. Been there done that. Although the VTL is decent it cant compete with the Supra.

At this point I think maybe the VTL 125s are just not sophisticated or powerful enough to give me the sound Im looking for. I think they are the weak link along with cabling. I stated earlyer that the dealers system doesnt do it for me either and I think that may be due to the fact that their biggest amp is 185 wpc. Im thinking maybe a sophisticated amp with say 400 wpc might get me there with the 3As. I dont know... but I am not willing to spend 100K to what I want nor could I afford to.

For those of you that are still with me any and all input welcome. I am not one of those thin skinned audiophiles that cries like a baby when someone has the audacity to insult their precious gear. So fire away.

Thanks
braro
braro OP
87 posts
 
Thank you all for your time, consideration and excellent input thus far. I want to take a little time to re-read all of your posts and respond. In the mean time keep it coming. This is great stuff. Real and no BS. I love it!

Thanks
gs5556
1,218 posts
 
Everyone mentioned equipment and room. Even if you had the ideal of both, there's one more variable - the recording chain. The losses start at the microphone and continue to the speakers. So, no matter what you do on your end, the recording process is still a limiting factor that cannot be controlled.
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
Music contains expressive qualities that come through no matter what gear you listen through. My $11 Aiwa FM clock radio blasts golden oldies in the kitchen. A $68 Sony CD/Cassette/FM radio combo boombox, complete with headphone jack and digital clock, does it all in our playroom. Ditch the overpriced, distracting, nerve wracking system you have now. It obviously isn't connecting you to the world of music. Instead, go to the nearest music store and get yourself a real musical instrument. See if you can get that to really make music. Report back on your findings.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
No way dude!
Music is being made by composers and/or musicians or combination of both listed above.
stehno
1,453 posts
 
A well thought out system and configuration can provide you the very best that any recording has to offer. And that is all anyone can hope for in music reproduction.

In my opinion, the only way to achieve such sonic pleasure (even in many so-called 'poor' recordings) is by investing much time and thought into a system and properly addressing the obvious and universal drawbacks every system must cope with. Namely:

o Noisy AC.

o Inferior cabling between components and speakers that induce harm such as grain, hash, and/or time smear.

o Ensuring there is an abundance of AC power to the amplifier to fully reproduce the dynamics of complex and/or demanding passages even at lower listening levels. (dedicated circuits/lines)

o Obtaining the best possible speaker interaction with the room via proper speaker placement. (room acoustics itself is highly overrated).

o Implementing certain tweaks such as acquiring the best audio-grade accessories such as cryo-treated iec connectors, plugs, outlets, cables, etc..

o Air-borne vibrations captured instantaneously by the components and speakers themselves yet can only dissipate over an extended period of time.

o And never underestimate what a well-engineered amplifier can do to absolutely catapult your system's sonics into a whole nuther realm entirely. IMO, there are very few amplifiers that are capable of doing this.

In your specific case, I'd recommend starting off by experimenting with speaker placement, other interconnects, speaker cables, line conditioning, vibration control, and installing dedicated circuits/lines.

-IMO
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