How good is your system


Can you clearly hear the whispers on Seal's Future Love Paradise?
douglas_schroeder
Hi bigkidz,- If you want to hear "micro dynamics" then you do need resolution amoung other things like a low noise floor which aids ALL aspects of sound reproduction. True imaging can only be had with acoustics involved. And after that you may find that your system (or some components therein) don't in fact image very well. Yes, not all equipment images well. I can start writing a book here....but we're talking about whisper detail which falls in the category of ambient information also.
So "how good is anyone's system" ? Good enough to hear a vehicle drive by outside a recording venue... then maybe your noise floor is good and therefore you should have decent amount of ambient information also, which is a start to good imaging ...

I have long since been a strong advocate for acoustic treatment in a sound room or HT room, long before I was actually in the business. If the equipment is up to it (110db or better Signal to Noise) then the room is the other half of the equation. To obtain a true sense of 3D imaging requires this as well. Check out my website and on the home page the first picture is the main sound room I demo with and spend most of my listening time in. Yes I'm a dealer but I'll likely not be selling anything to folks on this thread / geographically speaking...
www.audiobyditomasso.ca 
Even when I bring bookshelf speakers into this room they sound awesome. The room is also brutally revealing of shortcomings in recordings or equipment. For those who can't facilitate a dedicated sound room, placement of things becomes crucial, but applying just a few basic treatments goes a long way. (Vicoustic has good WAF if that's an obstacle)

Some key ingredients:
Signal to noise ratio of equipment
Equipment's ability to resolve (but balanced not tweaked top end)
Good phase response (seldom seen with speakers)
Low noise floor listening room (not overly absorptive rather diffusive & reflection free in the 0 to 10 /15 / or even 20 millisecond time domain)
Good impulse response from speakers / system / room
As flat as possible response from everything involved
etc....

G

I don't have that music but, If you are after micro details...
Sfar asks 'how good are your ears?'
I ask-- how good is your room?
Exactly, on my acoustics page there's a comment;
"don't expect more from your system than your room can deliver... "
You must have the right room,speakers, good match between pré-and poweramp,cables....listeningposition,distance between speakers..a match of thousand things..