High Performance Audio - The End?

The hifi busines should split in two areas:
Area 1) Music recorded from real sources in real spaces.
Area 2) Syntetized or strongly manipulated music.

Area 1 offers audio gear which follows the rules of "realism".
Area 2 offers audio gear which follows the rules of abstraction, subjectivity and so on.

In this way we finally stop expecting to produce abstract images using a Nikon camera or to produce 100% photorealistic images using watercolors, or even worst, to produce both using the same device.

This would enourmusly benefit both worlds.

I noticed this many times. It's kind of ironic, but your loathsome NTSC video signals of years ago adhered to some fairly strict standards; IRE units, color temps, many things all very technical. Two inch helical scan quad head video tape recorders the size of your stove and very expensive. Engineers on staff to care and feed them. Some of that continues with HDTV, perhaps as fussy or worse on the production side, Joe Kane and SMPTE and all.

Any idiot could go into a studio and record music.........and you notice in an afternoon of listening. Bass, treble, gains, all over the place.

@daros71 

I largely agree with your post, except to say that even the 'realistic' school of audio recording and reproduction is still painting a watercolor more than taking a realistic image of the event

how do you fit a live band, jazz ensemble, much less an orchestra into a home listening room?

we are talking downscaled and artificial facsimiles here... and our minds do the rest

I enjoy Steve's reviews and for the most part, his personal take on things regarding audio. I pretty much agree with him on this.

When it comes down to it, we as audiophiles/audio enthusiasts are not all in the same box. While some aspire to a system that will fill a large room with the scope and volume of a live, large scale orchestral or rock performance, some may only want a system that will do justice to a small scale, live acoustic performance or have a considerably smaller space to fill. In any case, it sometimes takes years of investigation, trial and error to put together a system that all works together and does what we personally want it to do. Then, when we think we have it all dialed in and figured out and are most happy with what we have - circumstances, likes or opportunities change and here we go again :-)
Jim

@russhealy,

'Perhaps this is a bit like Frances Fukuyama claiming history ended when the Cold War ended, ensuring liberal democracy a long history devoid of any alternate system of governance.'


Yes it does look as if there's a convergence of a science based opinion of what constitutes a good sound lead by the likes of Harman Kardon, Audioholics and Audio Science Review. 

Maverick designs such as the Ohm Walsh's and Tekton Moab's do seem to be getting thin on the ground. 

The question of when to stop upgrading must therefore be an individual one dictated to by the majority of one's own listening material.

[The alternative would be let your choice of music be driven by your system, but that can't ultimately lead anywhere good other than visions of individuals with $$$$$ systems playing the same 5/6 fantastically recorded discs over and over again...]

If you've already passed that unfortunate point of too much resolution (you'll know by the range of your listening material and level of satisfaction) you might have to consider downgrading to something more suitable.

Many already have to their satisfaction.


Another option might be to push for an increase in industry recording standards. 
Unfortunately according to Steve Guttenberg and others with experience, the industry does not see audiophiles, who constitute less than 1% of their business, with any type of interest. 

They know we'll buy the music anyway, so they're far more likely to focus on those sectors that don't.

For those remaining audiophiles who still seek the maximum sonic pleasure from their music there is the additional, albeit time consuming option of searching for the best reissues/ remasterings/ pressings etc.

Sites like Steve Hoffman's Music Corner have been devoted to doing exactly this for quite some time now.

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/forums/music-corner.2/