The Absolute Sound vs Pleasing Sound

I have always been fortunate to find that the hi-fi gear that most mimics real life sound is the equipment that I enjoy the most. I’ve never understood the desire for flat sound that so many seem to search for, other than it just gives you the foundation for adjusting the sound to emphasize what sounds best to you. Giving that the physiology of the ear, the resulting vibrations, and the brain’s interpretation of it is different for each person, the idea that there’s a single universal goal we should all strive for as audiophiles in order to be listening “correctly” ( whatever term you believe fits best) is frankly a little nuts. Every brand of recording and playback equipment has it’s own flavor of sound. When you’ve spent the cash to get equipment that you know does a great job producing clarity, detail, and completeness, then just pick out the flavor that pleases you the most and voila! Listening pleasure ! It’s sadly so much harder to compare components these days as there are so few hifi shops around anymore, and purchasing some pretty expensive pieces based purely on others’ recommendations is a real roll of the dice. Although the desire for improvement may be present, there should be balance. Some listeners describe what sounds to be almost an obsession with finding something that’s better than what they have, and really feel they’re missing something and thus, rob themselves of really enjoying what they DO have. Nothing wrong with seeking improvement, right up to the point where you spend more time feeling that something’s not right rather than experiencing the joy of hearing great music thru wonderful gear. Keep it balanced grasshopper, and the result is always good whether you’re seeking to improve or not!  

Not going to get it to sound like 'real live music' because you have no idea what the circumstances are under which it was recorded, what the mic placement was, how it was mixed, etc. 'Real live music' is subjective, not objective. You can hear it from the front of the venue, you can hear it from the back of the venue, you can hear it sitting next to the performer, and it does not sound the same at all. Seems to me that the object should be to have music sound as much like the master as possible, after it was recorded and mixed. 

larsman

Not going to get it to sound like 'real live music' because you have no idea what the circumstances are under which it was recorded, what the mic placement was, how it was mixed, etc ...

You can have a fairly good idea if you make your own recordings.

Well said, mahgister; once again. 

Thanks....  😊