Duke Ellington said, "If it sounds good, it is good." Perfection is not achievable, and no system is ever going to sound quite like a live performance. So I try my best to just enjoy the music and not stress over the system. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't.
The Symphony of the Audiophile: How Do You Define Enjoyment in Sound?
In a world increasingly driven by fast-paced interactions and instant gratification, the art of truly listening to music can feel like a rare treasure. It's a deliberate act that requires time, attention, and a genuine appreciation for the layers and nuances that make up a musical piece. This passion for detailed listening is at the heart of what it means to be an audiophile. But what specifically makes listening to music enjoyable for us, and how does it shape our journey as audiophiles?
Many factors can contribute to the enjoyment of music listening. It could be the emotional connection that a particular song or album invokes, the sonic intricacies that reveal themselves over time, or even the shared experience of listening to music with others. Additionally, there is a technical aspect that audiophiles often delight in - the equipment that reproduces the music, the acoustics of the space, the format of the recording, and more.
For us audiophiles, the joy of listening extends beyond the music itself. The pursuit of high-fidelity sound reproduction, the meticulous setup of audio equipment, the thrill of finding a rare vinyl or an exceptional recording - all of these elements form part of the audiophile experience. But how do these elements intertwine to define our enjoyment as audiophiles?
I invite you all to share your insights and experiences on this topic. What specific elements of music listening bring you the most joy, and why? How has your pursuit of high-fidelity sound enhanced this joy? And conversely, have there been instances where the audiophile pursuit might have detracted from your enjoyment of the music?
In essence, how do you balance the technical pursuit of sound perfection with the inherent emotional and aesthetic enjoyment of music? And as we look to the future, what do you hope to see in the evolution of high-end audio that would further enhance your enjoyment as an audiophile?"
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Live performance sound as the only goal is a fool's errand. Being a musician and having experienced firsthand the travails of horrible venues, power issues and the quest for all participating to do their part, rarely do the stars align and produce nirvana. The goal with my system was to eliminate all those variables and try to produce the most powerful sound possible in my given environment. Once that goal was achieved, it became apparent to me that the recording was going to be the deciding factor as to my connection with the music. I now put as much effort in the search for great music recorded well as I did into building my stereo and room. God bless the internet. At least where this is concerned. |
@stuartk +1 If you focus on how it sounds, you miss on why it sounds. These two mental attitudes - analytical versus immersive listening - tend to be mutually exclusive. We like to believe we have freedom of thought, so you might think there’s a choice. But once the brain gets entangled in the audiophile frame of mind this come at a price. Not just the absurd cost of getting into the high resolution audio rabbit hole, but you run the risk of loosing your connection with the music itself. There are audiophiles who are mostly (only?) interested in the sound itself and there are music lovers who don’t seem to care at all how it sounds. It’s only those unfortunate folks who care about both who find themselves in this predicament. Wisdom comes with age as some would have it, but in this case physical deterioration comes to our aid as well. There comes a moment when you can no longer deny that the kind of spacial cues or minuscule details that previously enthralled you are no longer audible..... unless you’re lucky, or maybe not. When the focus on those details only brings a sense of loss and no longer satisfies, the brain will eventually move away from this mind set. It’s as if those carefully developped ’audiophile’ connections start to shrivel away and if you make an effort the ’musical’ connections already there will start building up again. This observation is from personal experience at age 63. I’ve been in denial for quite a while, but a significant hearing loss above say 12kHz and a mild form of tinnitus have forced me to shift my attention away from how things sound. I now recognize this as a blessing, because it no longer stands in the way of truly hearing the music. It almost feels nostalgic, like coming full circle. Nonetheless it’s still very easy to distinguish between recordings and recognize the ones that sound best. Not for all those details, stage depth or other audiophile hang ups, but for its inherent rightness. For this mode of listening you really don’t need an expensive, high resolution audio system. These days I can enjoy music just as much with my vintage system from the 70’s and with the tone controls (remember those) I can easily correct bad recordings of which there are so many. And waddayouknow: the ones that always sounded best in the high resolution system also sound best on the ’old’ rig without needing the tone controls. So from a sonic perspective the truth of the matter is that the quality of the recording was, is and always will be the most important factor. What, you already knew that? |
Over the years I’ve learned to be less analytical and just enjoy what’s playing. If it drives me to tap my feet and or nod my head, then I’m in my happy place. There are times I put something on and it’s not so enjoyable, but usually it is because the recording is not all that great. Not every single piece of music I play on my set up sounds perfect, but overall I’m pretty happy. There is no perfect system, I think that is unobtainable really. Being an audiophile brings both joy and sometimes frustration, and it can empty your wallet quickly. |
@jmalen123 Thanks for your perspective. Frankly, quality of gear today often produces SQ far above live performance. Genre and venue dependent of course ... |
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