Hi @clarinetmonster2,
@Jond graciously gave you a superlative reply. Give it some thought.
Charles
@Jond graciously gave you a superlative reply. Give it some thought.
Charles
3D lifelike sound and impeccable measurements - mutually exclusive???
The more I investigate gear the more it seems that it’s easy to get organic involving sound with flesh and body and a 3D immersive soundstage with the right matching of components but it also seems like it necessitates choosing some components that don’t measure well/add colorations/even order harmonics etc My question is are there components (specifically amps/preamps and integrateds) are out there that combine great measurements and in your mind also have that organic immersive sound that really helps many of us get more emotionally involved in the music or are these qualities mutually exclusive?
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No, good measurements and good sound are not mutually exclusive, but good measurements don’t ensure good sound. Poor measurements don't ensure good sound either. For example, Pass Labs preamps and amps measure well and most people think they sound great at their price point, which isn’t cheap but not outrageous these days. Of course other people don’t like the Pass sound. In general, if you want 3D immersive sound without spending a fortune, go with tubes, pre and power. They don’t measure as well as solid state and you can often hear those poor measurements, loose bass, for example. I think tubes is where the sounds good / measures poorly dichotomy can be most readily experienced. |
I will say that I’ve only heard one setup so far that would probably satisfy both sides of this equation- it was a pair of higher end magicos with an all Moon front end. Pretty much had everything sonically. Other than that I’ve heard a lot of compromise as tomcy6 referenced, usually when you get that beautiful holographic imaging and organic texture to the music there May very well be some trade offs, it seems until you get to the megabuck gear perhaps. |
op Really only one or two people have answered my question and made suggestions of brands that they believe both measure very well AND offer an immersive musical experience in their opinion. That’s really all I’m looking for. How hard is that? there is a website that is right up your alley, run by a ex microsoft guy who uses measurement as the key yardstick to audio equipment greatness, then he listens to the gear, sometimes, as an afterthought... you can get his greatest hits list and cross tab against opinions here or the recommended lists of stereophile or the absolute sound good luck https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?forums/stereo-and-multichannel-amplifier-reviews.... |
Charles1dad yes, i appreciate the sentiment and it’s pretty much what I’ve always followed is just my ears not worrying at all about measurements hence why i run Harbeths with a hybrid notorious for measuring poorly and sounding great. But you know how it is, we get bored and want to see what is possible in this hobby. |
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