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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
c5150
115 posts
 
Can HI FI components really make music?.....no
Can you learn to make a WHOLE system...room and tools etc,make you smile again ...yes....Go beyond what you thought was possible and blow the doors out of all hi-fi....hell yes
sheffb
64 posts
 
My apology on my mis-statement regarding the 3A Sig. possible veiling. I was thinking of an earlier vintage Vandy. I still recommend the Star Sound sistrum platform appropriate for your size speaker. It can make a big difference. Product is guarenteed.
76doublebass's avatar
76doublebass
254 posts
 
I have played live music for the past 30 years and have played in my symphony for the past 15 years.The speaker that comes very close to the recreation of a live event our my Martin Logan QuestZ's.My Grado Reference Phono Cartridge The Reference also adds to that sense of real playback your looking for .I wrote a review on this cartridge and should write a product review on the Quest Z's as well.Don't throw in the towel yet.With careful listening you can find something out in AUDIO LAND.
veroman's avatar
veroman
299 posts
 
it's a zen thing. what the heck is music really?! what you THINK you are looking for is not to recreate noises generated through musical 'instruments'. if the PLAN calls for you to be neurotic about this stuff then that is what happens. you may think you have a choice but that is part of the divine hypnosis of human experience. obviously your $$$ system and tweaking is not the 'problem'. everything is relative in human experiences. the searching 'Doer' is the conceptual impediment. then again it could be speaker cables... or migrating wildfowl smashing into elec. wires
cdc
1,785 posts
 
Hi Braro, I was talking about a single driver speaker, not yours. I don't think I'm all that experienced, just like sharing what I have discovered. Maybe it does some good.
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