Do we really know what "Live" music sounds like?

I know my system doesn’t sound like live music. In many cases that’s a good thing, my system sounds better than live music. If I went to a lot of classical chamber or symphonic concerts and I could afford the good seats, I might try to reproduce that sound at home. In the meantime I just want my system to sound really good to me, to relax or excite me when appropriate, and give me that endorphin burst from time to time.

PS Audio has started a side project called Octave Records. The idea is to produce the best sounding recordings for SACD, PCM and vinyl. If you’re familiar with Paul McGowan you know that his descriptions of the releases will be very enthusiastic.  Keep that in mind when purchasing any.

They have a few releases out from people you’re probably unfamiliar with. Still I think this is a venture worth supporting. How many record companies even care what their releases sound like? So check out their website and see if there might be something you’re interested in. Hopefully they will grow and one day get well known performers to record with them. The website is:

Octave Audiophile Masters – PS Audio

Having been to over a thousand  Symphonic concerts I think so.

I know that those who go to Rock concerts are clueless .

Unamplified listening acoustic music HABIT is key...

Timbre perception is the key factor...

Engineering audio vocabulary is USELESS to tune acoustically an audio system....

Speaking about "bass" or "highs" end of the spectrum made no sense, save to compare 2 amplifiers or 2 pieces of gear... This is USELESS in listening experiments and experience in acoustic...

Acoustic is the sleeping princess and all pieces of gear are only the 7 working dwarves...

Skoff: "Correct judgment requires a fixed standard – one that is absolute and unvarying....we need to know what the reality we’re trying to re-create actually sounds like. And in order to gain that knowledge, we need, somehow, to experience the real thing."

From which row? Which side? There is no one fixed standard at the live event itself. There is no "the" to the initial reality.

@edcyn "I know my system doesn’t sound like live music. In many cases that’s a good thing, my system sounds better than live music."

Great observation. Indeed, the quest may be to get back to the music as conceived not as performed or performed and initially reproduced. This was Glenn Gould's idea. Concerts were not ideal ways to approximate the music. Concerts are dispensable. He did so and to all our benefit.

I will not add anything to this very good post! thanks...

He wrote more economically than me anyway..... 😊

Skoff: "Correct judgment requires a fixed standard – one that is absolute and unvarying....we need to know what the reality we’re trying to re-create actually sounds like. And in order to gain that knowledge, we need, somehow, to experience the real thing."

From which row? Which side? There is no one fixed standard at the live event itself. There is no "the" to the initial reality.

@edcyn "I know my system doesn’t sound like live music. In many cases that’s a good thing, my system sounds better than live music."

Great observation. Indeed, the quest may be to get back to the music as conceived not as performed or performed and initially reproduced. This was Glenn Gould's idea. Concerts were not ideal ways to approximate the music. Concerts are dispensable. He did so and to all our benefit.