Mixed Results from My Hifi

Sorry Marco, the correct answer is light up a fatty, kick back, relax and enjoy. Oh yeah, and you'll want something to snack on.

I know EXACTLY what you mean. I think there are several great suggestions and age-old audio rules in the threads above. I second the posts that urge you to consider auditioning different speakers and trying vinyl. If not vinyl, there are good tube CDPs to be had.

Could one of the numerous people recommending adding tubes to Hammergjh's system please explain how a tube circuit corrects for, lessens or otherwise modifies the effects of compression on the audio signal? Hammergjh specifically mentions compression and the wall of sound effect as things he has issues with.

Aw, now Timrhu, this stuff's supposed to be very serious. You're having WAY too much fun there...what do you reccomend for a snack to improve sound staging?

No clue as to how tubes might lessen/modify the effects of compression, but then again I wasn't one to make that suggestion. I would like to know more about that desert topping myself. I do think that tubes do tend to take the edges off the harshness of some rock, or music with extreme dynamics, but I don't know if that's what folks who appreciate that type of music really want. In general, tubes tend to sound a bit lagging in speed while, in general, SS keeps up with fast, congested, complex music a bit better to my ears, which leaves me tending to prefer SS when listening to the limited amount of that type of material I enjoy. Otherwise I like the softer edge of tubes for most of my musical tastes. I imagine it has something to do with the way the two handle clipping and add certain types of distortion and feedback to the signal. One only need look at a sine wave produced by each to note a marked difference in how each handle a signal. But what I really understand about the physics of all of it can fit on the tip of a stylus. My guess'd be that the tube advocates here are ignoring the very specific hurdle of the compressed signal / wall of sound, and focusing on the kinder, gentler, take-the-edge-off school of thought that might suggest that listening to music with lots of extremes densely packed into a Tazmo / Whirling Dervish package is easier on the ears with tubes.

Now I'm just waiting for the cable camp to chime in! The discussion's just not complete without a good hearty debate on power cords and speaker cable....ohhh and let's not forget power conditioning! You guys are slipping!

Marco

Had you considered a digital EQ,to EQ the bad recordings and run bypassed on the good ones?