What stereo equipment do respected musicians listen to?


With all the debate on this piece of equipment is better than that, it got me to thinking… What setup do well respected musicians have, e.g. amps, speakers, etc.  What does Wynton Marsalis listen to, for example?  Just curious and thought it might be a fun topic. 

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My experience is that self-designated audiophiles are extremely rare in the general population.  I would expect the same amongst professional musicians.  Classical or other acoustic music might on the whole be a bit more picky about accurate reproduction of the instruments with which they are most familiar.

The OP asked: "What does Wynton Marsalis listen to?".

For speakers the answer is Tetra.

Full disclosure, for years I was the only ATC dealer in California.

Now, retired, I consult in marketing for Tetra Speakers ( dot com).

It is quite true that many top artists, major studios and the world's greatest concert halls use ATC powered speakers. Artists mentioned and many more. 

In studios and concert halls, accurate presentation of the sound recorded and amplified is vital. +1 "extremely dynamic, supremely accurate". 

However, even though many artists want to experience music in their homes as they have in the studio, that sound is not necessarily what is desired in the home.

+1 "professional studio monitors and that ilk have a different set of design parameters entirely. Near field and hear all the details."

I first became aware of Tetra speakers when I fortunately got a pair of their mid line 506 speakers. I heard from those speakers what I have never heard from ATC or any speaker in 50 years: shockingly realistic music. And when I got a pair of Tetra's entry level speakers, the 120Us, they sounded as real as the 506s just on a smaller scale. 

And when I went to their website I saw the rave comments of many of the world's greatest artists. They all are dedicated and proud Tetra owners. From Herbie Hancock to Ron Carter to Dave Holland to Keith Richards, etc., etc.. Herbie has 6 pair and Keith takes a pair on tour.

Some may say, what do artists know of what is possible in High End Audio?

Tetra artists say that their Tetras sound like the hear themselves on stage.

I say, who would know better?

 

"They probably listen much more to the notes than the sound of the instruments."

Speaking for myself, I am very aware of every Note and Sound that is coming from Me.  As well as the notes and sounds coming from others in the band or orchestra. 

 

I can't keep my finger shut on Mr. Douglas's "How stars listen to music:" article.

3 of the 13 acknowledges the speakers.  4th clearly shows both of them.  But not mentioned. 

"Frederick Douglass is the senior home entertainment expert and focused on reviews. His specialities are: technology and home theatre systems."  Not so much into Speakers of a system..

 

 

Any mention of ATC usually brings up a lot of typical US audiophile forum nonsense from folks that have never had a proper demonstration of current product.

I'm a musician and I own ATC active monitors in my studio and ATC active tower speakers in my main listening room.

Ad copy or call it what you will, here's the official list:

ATC Client List

On the other hand, I know plenty of musicians that are as happy as can be listening to whatever they can afford, usually stuff that would make most of us get the heebie jeebies. And yes, that's the vast majority. Besides, most professional musicians these day are having a hard time meeting basic needs much less even a moderately priced stereo system. My older son is one of them.

Please keep in mind, those in the audience are hearing a completely different thing than the musicians playing on the stage. Live recordings are never made from the musicians perspective. I know several that think all my systems sound strange. One does this weird cupping thing around his ears, finally locks the hands in position and says, "now it sound like live music". I have no idea what't going on with him but I'm sure this perspective thing many have something to do with it.