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

@mrdecibel , of course the effect is source limited. Some recordings, the minority are capable of supporting the "live" illusion, most are not. 

Horns, as big as they can be, are point source radiators. They produce a miniature sound stage just like any point source radiator. They project power just like any point source radiator, the volume rolls off at the cube of the distance. Linear arrays loose volume at the square of the distance, much slower. They produce a large, powerful sound stage. 

You do not want to ruin your ears with 110 dB but you can get the "live" effect at 95 dB just by boosting the bass a bit, 3 dB/oct below 100 Hz. But that has to continue down to 18 Hz, real in room measured response. There are many instances where the sound of a great home system is superior to the live performance especially where large venue concerts are concerned. 

Right at this moment there is only one full range line array on the market, the 8 or 9 foot Sound Labs ESL. Most people have the impression that ESLs are wimpy, easy to damage, lacking in dynamics and incapable of louder volumes. While this is certainly true of early Quads it could not be farther from the truth when Sound Labs are concerned. All you have to do is give them the right power and pass off 100 Hz and below to a subwoofer and you can go way louder than is safe. 110 dB is no problem. Dynamics are also not a problem. Nothing produces the snap of a snare drum like big ESLs. On Mechell Ndegeocello's Peace Beyond Passion the snare drum must have been recorded with the mic two inches away. That snap is thrilling to hear and sets the rhythm of each song. What a great record. "Jesus cured the blind man so he could see the evils of the world."

Even the visual sensations can be produced at home now. The Blu Ray of RTF's "Returns" is a great example. You can see as well as hear the concert better than if you were at the actual performance unless you were lucky enough to get front row seats. My own popcorn and a bathroom are just a few steps away. Parking is free!

I am pretty sure you can get similar performance from any type of loudspeaker. The trade offs would be size of the sound stage and the amount of acoustic treatment required to kill the room's signature. Horns are not a sure fire way either. Very few horn systems entirely lack that horn signature megaphone quality. The horn's most significant positive qualities are their efficiency and limited dispersion. 

[Klispch Lascala's II with Raven Blackhawk, Yamaha S2100 CD player, full Tellurium Q Black II cabling, fully tweeked by Mad Scientist Nano thangs] Once upon a time....for me it all goes back to one afternoon I sat on a friend's bean bag chair and listened to Cat Stephen's Tea for the Tillerman in a tiny basement room. I'm sure the entire system didn't exceed $1000. Bookshelf speakers ear level (Advent?) created the quintessential 3-D sound stage that transported me into an alternative sound environment that shocked me. It was at that point I became an audiophile "wanta be". My goal ever since has been to recreate this alternative realty which draws me into this musical world. Today my humble system transports me into this wonderful, amazing world I float effortlessly within. For me, therefore, it isn't about anything but my system's ability to replicate a 3-D, immersive audio picture I can nearly walk into like a portal to another place.  Poor bass, or weak imaging, or misplaced emphasis on any part of the sound spectrum or simple distortion or smearing of detail hinders my goal. Recording quality or lack there of will likewise hinder this focusing of the portal's entryway. All's servant to that goal.