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Do we ask too much of our audio systems?

In high school, I taught myself to play guitar and later started playing in rock bands for about 10 years. I used a low powered mono tube record player in my bedroom to study Clapton, BB  King, Page, Hendrix, Beck and all guitar heros of the time and learn how to play. In those years, I never bothered to upgrade my system, mostly because nothing seemed to be able to replay what I experienced playing live in a band, with a Les Paul in hand and a screaming tube guitar amp. As the years went by I built half dozen speakers and had a decent Pioneer front end, using a Philips TT. My system sounded better, but never equalled the emotion and involvement of playing live. So, I guess I grew into Audiophilia thinking nothing is as good as live music. Now I have heard some very good systems and speakers, but still wonder..."am I chasing something un-attainable?" Do we ask too much from our audio systems?
dtapo
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
A skilled, hands-off audio recreation of an actual event is indeed nirvana.  But you can also find nirvana  in recordings rendered by skilled knob-twisters working with inspired musicians & composers guided by visionary, golden-eared producers.  For example, my Rhino Records vinyl reissue of classic Roy Orbison recordings is sometimes startling in its beauty.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,868 posts
 
Agreed @edcyn! Recordings can be magnificent on their own terms. In addition to the Monument recordings of Orbison, the Barnaby and Warner Brothers’ recordings of The Everly Brothers are sublime (the Rhino LP’s are very good, the UK Ace LP’s even better). The Classic Records LP pressing of the 1950’s RCA recordings of Elvis are startling in their "in-the-room" immediacy and presence, of his voice and the instrumental accompaniment. When those recordings were made (late-50’s/early-60’s), electronic manipulation was relatively minimal. Those recordings played back on a quality hi-fi create sound far superior to that heard at most live Rock ’n’ Roll shows.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,373 posts
 
The biggest trap people fall into imho is expecting their system to make everything sound exactly the way they want things to sound as opposed to allowing you to hear what is in the recording.  That puts you into endless upgrade mode and is like chasing a holy grail that does not even exist. 

Every recording is different and runs the gamut from horrible sound to spot on sound.

Hearing what is in each recording is one of the big attractions of this hobby for me.
mammothguy54's avatar
mammothguy54
951 posts
 
Live concerts are certainly a wonderful experience.  But when, really, do we ever get the perfect seating location?  At home, my "sweet spot" is, indeed, nearly perfect.  Imaging is nearly holographic.  And when I play one of those exceptionally well recorded/mastered/plated/pressed LPs it is such a beautiful experience.  Enjoy the music!
dpac996's avatar
dpac996
714 posts
 
@mapman and @oregonpapa you guys are spot on are as many comments here. I'd like to add, there have been many live shows where the actual sound was pretty crappy--I surely don't want my system to sound like that!

Cheers all!
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