When you look at a piece of art by Robert Ryman, it’s impossible to understand it without knowing a little bit about art history and knowing that Ryman was reacting against the heroic nature of the abstract expressionists who preceded him. (It doesn’t make Ryman any better, IMHO, but at least you know what he was doing.)
Audio “journalism” is clearly part of the high end marketing machine but when they talk about a system placing the musicians in space with such precision, when they talk about the soundstage extending horizontally outside the range of the speakers, when they talk about a three dimensional soundstage in which some of the musicians are behind other musicians, I’m lost.
Sometimes the piano comes more strongly out of the left side than the right. If I close my eyes and direct my thoughts towards the task, I can imagine the piano player being on the left side. But that’s not exactly what these “journalists” are talking about.
(I used to be a journalist and I’m protective of the term. “Working together, it took company CEO and myself only two days to build and position the speakers.” Are you kidding me? Whoever is writing that nonsense shouldn’t even be allowed to use words that start with “J”.)
As I see it, there are three possibilities why this “journalist” sees precision that I can’t even begin to grasp: 1) My $3,000 system doesn’t buy me admission to this phenomenon, 2) It’s all BS, 3) I lack knowledge or understanding that the “journalist” has.
As to the first possibility, my LS50s are said to throw a soundstage so I don’t think that’s the problem. I’m not in a position, don’t have enough knowledge, to declare this to be BS. But there’s lots I don’t know, much like I could look at a Ryman and not know what he was trying to do.
MillerCarbon’s very presence has attracted much of the action (that guy must have some history on this forum) but he encourages me to learn the terminology. I know a good bit of the terminology and it doesn’t help. Others are referring me to out of date links. I appreciate the effort but the question I ask can’t be an obscure one. I can’t be the first person to run into this wall. Answers should abound. I should have found them myself with Google without ever resorting to this board. If ignorance is my problem, I shouldn’t need Daryl Wilson in my basement to find an answer.
I’ve been listening to music for 40 years played out of every form of reproduction in existence so I don’t think that lack of experience is my problem.
Someone please tell me that I haven’t stumbled into yet another area where men who are smart enough to accumulate enough money to blow 100K on a stereo system live in a world of illusion. What does acoustic science say on the subject? If I was at Juilliard, what would they teach me in my intro classes? Hasn’t KEF, so helpful in so many ways, published something?
Audio “journalism” is clearly part of the high end marketing machine but when they talk about a system placing the musicians in space with such precision, when they talk about the soundstage extending horizontally outside the range of the speakers, when they talk about a three dimensional soundstage in which some of the musicians are behind other musicians, I’m lost.
Sometimes the piano comes more strongly out of the left side than the right. If I close my eyes and direct my thoughts towards the task, I can imagine the piano player being on the left side. But that’s not exactly what these “journalists” are talking about.
(I used to be a journalist and I’m protective of the term. “Working together, it took company CEO and myself only two days to build and position the speakers.” Are you kidding me? Whoever is writing that nonsense shouldn’t even be allowed to use words that start with “J”.)
As I see it, there are three possibilities why this “journalist” sees precision that I can’t even begin to grasp: 1) My $3,000 system doesn’t buy me admission to this phenomenon, 2) It’s all BS, 3) I lack knowledge or understanding that the “journalist” has.
As to the first possibility, my LS50s are said to throw a soundstage so I don’t think that’s the problem. I’m not in a position, don’t have enough knowledge, to declare this to be BS. But there’s lots I don’t know, much like I could look at a Ryman and not know what he was trying to do.
MillerCarbon’s very presence has attracted much of the action (that guy must have some history on this forum) but he encourages me to learn the terminology. I know a good bit of the terminology and it doesn’t help. Others are referring me to out of date links. I appreciate the effort but the question I ask can’t be an obscure one. I can’t be the first person to run into this wall. Answers should abound. I should have found them myself with Google without ever resorting to this board. If ignorance is my problem, I shouldn’t need Daryl Wilson in my basement to find an answer.
I’ve been listening to music for 40 years played out of every form of reproduction in existence so I don’t think that lack of experience is my problem.
Someone please tell me that I haven’t stumbled into yet another area where men who are smart enough to accumulate enough money to blow 100K on a stereo system live in a world of illusion. What does acoustic science say on the subject? If I was at Juilliard, what would they teach me in my intro classes? Hasn’t KEF, so helpful in so many ways, published something?