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Your reference for "the absolute" sound?

As the magazine referred to, the absolute sound was live music.  For most great music halls the best seats were centered and depending on your preference within the first ten or so rows.  I have never been to a great live performance,  indoors or out, where the music was coming at you from the sides, the back or anywhere rather than in front of you.  But now there are systems with speakers at the sides, rear, rear center and so on.

Is the point of reference for a great stereo system more like a movie theater with "surround" sound?

I do not want to attend a live performance where the singers/players are set up like some of these "music" systems seem to want to do....the vocalist behind me, the trumpet to my left side, the base to my right side...etc. 

"is it live, or is it Memorex" or is it just garbage?  


whatjd
whatjd OP
1,139 posts
 
edcyn, glad you mentioned the V-12 Ferrari sound.  I was lucky enough to have raced at Road America in Elhart Lake, Wi. and that sound is music to my sports car loving ears.  This has nothing to do with audio, but once at a Formula Ford and other events race at Road America there was a man that had a semi tractor trailer with a half dozen classic Ferrari's in it with his own crew to care for them.  And it seemed that the young lady on his arm was not likely his daughter. 


dramatictenor
183 posts
 
The absolute sound? Hmm. Hard one. But on the top of my personal list would be Sonny Rollins at the Bottom Line in Greenwich Village. He extended "Don't Stop the Carnival" for what seemed 15 minutes. I've been blessed to hear lots of great musicians, but that remains a highlight. oh yes, 15 feet from the great man's horn.

On the complete other end, when music quality was not the point, mosh diving at CBGB's with the DK's on the stage...

david_ten
5,480 posts
 
Elastic. Temporal...Points in time. Memory and Age dependent, etc. There isn’t one, even at the individual level.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Your reference for "the absolute" sound?

Absolute? No such thing. Absolutely.
cd318
2,636 posts
 
Great question as it's all too easy to get lost in a sea of subjectivity when it comes to audio playback.

One good way might to record friends or family talking. I found the quality from a digital camera to be surprisingly good but I'm pretty sure a decent smartphone would be good enough.

If the playback through your system convinces you that it's them then that's a good reference. I know it's an old Hi-Fi cliche but speech is a surprisingly good way to check accuracy, at least midrange accuracy.

As a bonus a simple home recording can also avoid innumerable recording effects such as compression, delay, reverb etc that are usually present in most commercial offerings.

I get the feeling that 'straight' recording is seen as  taboo by most recording studios.

Apparently it's not what we want.



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