Audio Science Review = "The better the measurement, the better the sound" philosophy

@axo1989

I’ve always been fascinated by the difference between live and reproduced sound.

I don’t pretend that my system (or any system) could reproduce all the recorded (acoustic) music as it sounded in front of the microphones (and that isn’t even the goal in most cases for recordings). But I do find it fascinating noticing to what degree reproduced sound can get closer to the real thing or not. It was actually discovering that a good system could reproduce *some* characteristics I love about live sound that got me in to hi-fi.

So I’m constantly checking the difference. For instance I live right near a very popular urban street surrounded by parks and live performances are a constant - small bands on street corners, in parks, in bars etc. So if I come upon, say, a quartet playing jazz, I will close my eyes and take note, asking myself "what does this sound like? What distinguishes it from reproduced sound?"

One of the main things that stick out to me are an effortless clarity, a timbral richness, dynamic life, but especially the sheer size of the sound. A sax or trombone sounds far bigger and richer, with very dense acoustic power. It makes most reproduced versions seem more like miniaturized, spectral toys that I can wave my hands through.

And drums always strike me for having a different balance than in reproduced sound. With closed eyes everything sounds BIG or life-sized, the kick drum is big, the snare is big, the cymbals sound BIG. There is no "pear shape" effect, like the cymbals being squeezed through tiny tweeters.

So it always impresses me whenever I hear a speaker that seems to portray instruments with more realistic size, weight and density, especially in the upper frequencies which is even more rare.

I don’t for a minute mean to suggest the Devore speakers produce drums or anything else with absolute realism. Only that to my ears, in some parameters, they are going a little further in that direction than many speakers I’ve heard.

I don’t demand that my system fool me I’m hearing real sounds. But when it’s a natural sounding recording of acoustic instruments, if a speaker is doing at least some of the things I like about real instruments, it can make "slipping in to the illusion" pleasurable and easier. I approach it like watching a movie. A movie is never going to look totally real (and often shouldn’t), it’s a 2D screen, contrast etc is never fully lifelike. But the reason many productions go to great lengths to "get things right" (sets, clothes, script that are plausible) is that it makes it easier to slip in to the illusion of the story. "Believable" being the goal, which acknowledges the user is willfully entering the illusion, not an impossible goal of "Absolute Realism."

One would expect that reproducing a full symphony orchestra via a pair of average sized floor standing speakers is a pipe dream, and of course it is in any Absolute sense. Yet, I’ve tweaked my system to the degree that I find it tonally convincing, and spatially prodigious, and when I play a good orchestral piece, if I meet the illusion 1/2 way, and just imagine I’m listening to an orchestra from seats further away, then the size seems "right" and life-sized, and the sensation of peering through a hall listening to a real orchestra can be quite thrilling.

As noted, I heard (until Covid), 1000s of live performances from my 100s of recordings, performances to season opera tickets (400-500 live opera alone).  I seek to reproduce the most realistic sound of those venues and my large music collection.  I've only encountered the total immersive experience with Von Schweikert Ultra 9 and 11 speakers in $1+ million system at two shows.  I've heard some rather good systems but none that "do it all" and sound like the mic feed (VS claims it's their reverse mic feed design of the speaker).     

My own main system does get close recorded small combo jazz right where the instruments sound live, like they are in my room playing.  Cymbals could be a little bigger but the drums are real sounding (my speakers are rolled off in the highs with a soft dome lower and ribbon upper tweeters).  My friend's YG Sonja 2.3s sound great but not as realistic, as in the room musicians performing, rather his system sets back musicians a distance.  Pleasant but not realistic.   

It's taken me a lifetime to get sound where I'm at now and the piece de resistance would be a high end full range speaker that does it all. 

It is common now for full range speakers to have a narrow footprint for most homes and your set up requires it.  

Black and white film on a screen often exhibits a shimmering effect which is captivating.  We watch many 30's and 40's films and great movies can be mesmerizing with that effect.  It's not 3D and it's not color but what a great experience. 

@fleschler you said:

the total immersive experience 

With the setup you have you certainly don't need to change anything. It might be interesting to discuss another way to get this "immersive" experience (especially if you like movies from the 30's, 40's, or today)

Please stop my my thread on atmos if you want to discuss more. Thanks

Immersive audio at CEDIA in 2022, check out how Focal deploys 7 FULL range speakers and 4 height channels so no big box subs needed. The demo spekaers are on display, at home you would use acoustically transparent fabric on the walls making both your speakers and room treatments "invisible":

@prof 

Having done various blind tests over the years, it's a very powerful lesson.  It's too bad many audiophiles haven't experienced their 'sighted' impressions dissolving away when they can't use their knowledge of which piece of gear is actually playing.   There's nothing that sinks in like an actual experience.

Yup, I've experienced my sighted impressions "dissolving away." It's both a  humbling and amazing experience. I've done it both with cables and testing a burned in amp against an identical model that hadn't been burned in. I can't express how obvious the difference in sound quality seemed to me during the sighted listening, so having the effect completely vanish just because I couldn't see which device I was listening to was like experiencing magic. In the end it taught me how malleable my perception of sound quality is to both conscious and unconscious expectations. My ear transduces the sound and then my brain interprets the resulting signal in the light of other sensory information.