I went through something like this in the past. I had all tube gear with Infinity Kappa 8 speakers. Listening to Led Zeppelin through them was amazing. Wall to wall big sound with good bass. I could hear John Paul Jones's bass amp speaker rattling. I mentioned this a long time ago. Friends would come over and say that it sounded great except my right speaker was rattling. I said, no that's JPJ's amp speaker. Later, I switched to Monitor Audio studio 6 speakers, because I wanted something more transparent for acoustic jazz, etc.. They were really good speakers and I enjoyed them. Recently I replaced them with Monitor Audio Silver 500's. Bigger speakers with strong midrange and bass. It's kind of a middle ground between the Kappa's and the Studio's. So now I can enjoy Led Zeppelin again, as well as other types of music. Good luck.
I'm confused - Different music...different speakers?
Thanks for allowing me this exploration. I've been on Audiogon before and find myself here for a very different reason this time.
I do believe my system is well resolving and will define gear at the end
Yet I keep getting steered to music genre based on sound.
What I mean by this is simple.
I can't seem to listen to old rock n roll favorites anymore.
There are albums I know from the past inside out and upside down - one example: The Allman Brother's at Fillmore East. I can mostly play every bit of this on guitar. I own three good copies on vinyl and can stream it at hi-res on Qobuz.
There are two drummers and Berry Oakley on bass- no slouch. Duane on slide...etc. An Epic and dynamic album
I can't listen to it - the metal tweeters are just aggravating. And what I remember from the bass and percussion is slam from the very opening to the end - it's not here.
What is going on here?
Gear is as follows:
Analogue side is a Nottingham Space 294, 12" Ace arm, Lyra Delos Cart and an EAR 834 MM/MC phono stage
Digital is an Antelope Zodiac plus with Voltikus power supply
All good and better cables
Totem Hawk floor standers
Amp is a Rogue Cronus w/ KT120 output tubes
Play Bill Evans or Bach ....and I can watch the paint melt off the walls and love every second of it......
I'm at a loss and thanks
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- 46 posts total
The OP brings up a very good point. Why do some types of music sound great on our systems and others, not so much? I think one of the detriments of high end audio is that as one's system becomes more and more resolving, the ability to enjoy marginal recordings gets less and less. While one could debate that the Allman Bros recording referred to is good or not, it is certainly NOT a high resolution recording with ultra realistic sounding 'live un-amplified' instruments. Therefore, the better systems will typically pull out its flaws more. Same goes for a lot of rock recordings from the 70's. OTOH, there is a chain of thought that the very best speakers and gear will still portray these albums like the OP is hoping to hear them. This is somewhat true, IME, BUT it is still a factor that the better sounding recordings will still sound far more realistic than these older rock recordings. Depends on what one is listening for, because IF one is happy with the rock sound that I think the OP is striving for, then a large horn based system is the way to go...and the other aspects that he likes so much will become secondary. It really is horses for courses with a lot of this music...IMHO. |
@daveyf - I think the OP does bring up a great point. I frequently read where "audiophiles" have their specific "audiophile" recordings (e.g. Diana Krall) they use for auditioning. I have several as well, but they run the gamut of my listening tastes. IMO, using the former approach leads folks into choosing equipment tailored only to specific music genres (e.g. female vocal, jazz, acoustic). Sounds wonderful with that limited material, but not optimal for other genres. Secondly, a number of folks here have stated their inability to enjoy music that isn't perfectly (in their estimation) reproduced, to the extent that they, for example, can't ever enjoy music in a vehicle. They have *IMO* lost the ability to just enjoy the music itself, and are more interested in / moved by the reproduction than the music. Not to say that better reproduction doesn't, or can't, enhance the musical experience, but if you have to have the best or you can't listen, well I think you're missing the point. |
- 46 posts total