Musetec (LKS) MH-DA005 DAC

I first heard the word organic when Meridian launched their 500 series IIRC at the Earl's Court, London HIFI show in the late '80s. It was a truly beautiful if not cloured sound they produced. The first real assault on vinyl if you like. I was so enamoured I bought a CD player, can't remember which one. 506 maybe?

Anyways since then I have associated organic with a coloured and unrealistic sound. The sound of tubes or old radios or receivers, if you like. These sounds may be very pleasing and even romantic but they are not accurate, that's why I prefer solid state. However you listen to what you prefer whether it's a syrupy Chet Baker or electronic music.

But please understand music can never sound organic, it's a word that you have been accustomed and conditioned to, but it really doesn't exist.

Maybe consider harmonious, everything playing in harmony, although if harmony exists the opposite must exist too which is found in the anti harmonic compositions of Zappa, Floyd and many classical composers.

What I'm trying to say is that "organic" cannot reproduce anti harmonic compositions, that's why we should strive for neutrality and accuracy.

The 005 is not perfect but for $3k it comes pretty darn close.

“But please understand music can never sound organic, it’s a word that you have been accustomed and conditioned to, but it really doesn’t exist”

Completely disagree , however just as I suspected it’s a semantic or lexicon problem. My use of the term Organic is quite different from your interpretation, and that’s fine. To be absolutely clear, organic is synonymous with natural in my vocabulary. So by default it obviously exists.

organic for me does not imply some form of added warmth or coloration, to others who use this term it surely does imply this. As I mention in my earlier post, Organic is the highest of complements toward an electronic audio product. It represents natural purity, and “breath of life “ realism. The polar opposite of artificial, fake,electronic and mechanical. This lofty goal is difficult to achieve.

So again it is obvious (And understood) organic means different things to different people. I just wanted to clarify my use and interpretation of the term.

Charles

@melm

We are left then with: it makes the music sound more like unamplified instruments in real space, or not. For the most part this limits the music to classical, most often performed without the benefit of microphones and loudspeakers. I was intrigued by your post suggesting jazz shows like that. Did I get that right? If so, kudos to them and to you.

Yes, un-amplified jazz venue. No use of microphones needed for the relatively modest audience space. I heard tenor and baritone saxophones, trumpet, piano, stand up acoustic bass, drum kit.and jazz guitar. A fabulous feast for the ears. You can’t get more natural than this type of setting. The epitome of organic. 😊

Charles

organic for me does not imply some form of added warmth or coloration, to others who use this term it surely does imply this.  . . . . .  So again it is obvious (And understood) organic means different things to different people. 

@charles1dad 

Then as the Brits would say, the word "organic" is not fit for purpose.  We need to agree on the meaning of words if we are to communicate.  If "organic is synonymous with natural in [your] vocabulary," why not just say "natural."

@melm 

True, I could substitute the word natural. But literally all words have corresponding synonyms. Hugh -large. tiny-minuscule, wealthy-rich and so on. 
Charles