If a " system " cannot do this, I move on........


I have been advocating on here for some time, that horn speakers ( properly designed, tweeked, executed and set up ) are the only speakers that my brain and ears find acceptable, for the enjoyment of music listening. My listening standard has been live, unamplified music, for now over 50 years. I have also stated on many occasions, that as an audiophile ( as well as being a music listener ), that we are hindered by the recordings themselves, minimizing what we actually are hearing. There has been much talk lately about engineers using " auto tune " ( specifically with vocalists ). Adele ( I am a fan ), with her new hit " Easy On Me ", does not use auto tune, and I am thrilled. Besides being a great singer, she sounds " natural ", less processed. Most recordings in the past 20 years, have used this other electronic " equalization " if you will, that we find embedded in out prescious recordings. The strive for perfection, that " audio nirvana ", we all seek, with the purchase of a new speaker, amplifier, cables, etc., gets us only so far. So yes, dynamics and details are very important to me. Tone, coherence and spatiality are also very important. But the reality is, our recordings, by the time we receive / hear them ( whatever format ), have been severly altered from being close to the real thing. Yet, audiophiles continue to spend big bucks on their gear, their rooms ( their systems ), to get to that place of enjoyment. The title of this thread, " If a system cannot do this, I move on ", has a specific meaning. What I listen for, most of all, with every recording I listen to, is an engagenment between me, and the performers. Following the individual rhythms and musical lines, by the artists, is the number one factor I strive to hear. My system allows for this. My question is : how many of you actually listen for this, or even know what I am speaking of. My personal experience listening to so many high priced systems, has been very disappointing in using this criteria. I am not anticipating this thread to develop into a very large or popular one, but I have not participated in Agon for a while, and I just wanted to shine a light on a subject that is crucial to us and our time listening to music, which some of us spend much time doing. Enjoy, and be well. Always, MrD.

mrdecibel

What I listen for, most of all, with every recording I listen to, is an engagenment between me, and the performers. Following the individual rhythms and musical lines, by the artists, is the number one factor I strive to hear. My system allows for this. My question is : how many of you actually listen for this, or even know what I am speaking of. My personal experience listening to so many high priced systems, has been very disappointing in using this criteria.

That’s for sure! Your auto-tune example is a good one. Human hearing is exceedingly fine-tuned. There is a character to real live sounds that is impossible to reproduce.

That said, there are better and worse ways of doing it. The better ways are all analog, tube, and minimalist. Don’t believe me, listen to a gramophone some time. Nowhere near modern audiophile standards of frequency response, signal to noise, dynamic range or volume, nevertheless uncannily engaging and real.

This is why things like auto-tune, tone controls and especially DSP are such an abomination. They mess with the relationships. A singer’s voice for example, the sound you hear is extraordinarily complex. It starts in the vocal cords but the whole respiratory system and chest resonates, the shape of mouth and position of tongue, every last detail has an influence on the total sound we hear.

This is what I strive for. One time recently a listener said, "She was smiling. You could tell she was smiling. You could hear it in her voice." I never was so happy or heard a better compliment.

Good post...

You explain well why i prefer the simplicity of mechanical equalization to electronical equalization...One is digital equalization for a microphone with pre-frabricated tone sets the other analog equalization with a real voice timbre bandwidth for ears/speakers/room, and the mechanical equalizer is part of my room/speakers...It is way more than just a useful tool then...It is a permanent addition...

 

We can ultimately hear a smiling mouth through a "timbre" event...But your system is probably more resolving than mine....😊 I dont pretend to hear that myself i only guess through my present system/room what you spoke about....( I will need a ZOTL amplifier in the years to come i guess)

Smiling speech expressions versus more weeping sound characters in speech are audible facts in psycho-acoustic....

 

Adele being considered great demonstarates how far the level of music has fallen.

Chuckle at the above...

I think the immediacy seekers are drawn to horns for their in-your-face general presentation, at least IMO after a lot of years hearing lots of them. I do agree that some can be great but I tend to walk away from the semi-intense sound myself.

I did have electrostats for 16 years (still do) as mains but ultimately moved to high resolution dynamic loudspeakers (with ribbon tweeters though). I get what the O.P. speaks of and enjoy it as well, but I don't need that up front presentatoin to fully enjoy it.