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Real or Surreal. Do you throw accuracy out the window for "better" sound?

I visited a friend recently who has an estimated $150,000 system. At first listen it sounded wonderful, airy, hyper detailed, with an excellent well delineated image, an audiophile's dream. Then we put on a jazz quartet album I am extremely familiar with, an excellent recording from the analog days. There was something wrong. On closing my eyes it stood out immediately. The cymbals were way out in front of everything. The drummer would have needed at least 10 foot arms to get to them. I had him put on a female vocalist I know and sure enough there was sibilance with her voice, same with violins. These are all signs that the systems frequency response is sloped upwards as the frequency rises resulting in more air and detail.  This is a system that sounds right at low volumes except my friend listens with gusto. This is like someone who watches TV with the color controls all the way up. 

I have always tried to recreate the live performance. Admittedly, this might not result in the most attractive sound. Most systems are seriously compromised in terms of bass power and output. Maybe this is a way of compensating. 

There is no right or wrong. This is purely a matter of preference accuracy be damn.  What would you rather, real or surreal?

128x128mijostyn
mihorn
517 posts
 

OP Real or Surreal. Do you throw accuracy out the window for "better" sound?

In reproduction audio, accurate sound means closer to the original music (real). The better sound is the more accurate sound.

The real sound = accurate sound = better sound. There is no chance a surreal sound is the better sound. Surreal sound is always worse (dirty sound, confused sound image and sound-stage, sonically and musically). Surreal sounds can be momentarily better to people who don’t have much experience in real music or true natural sound audio.

Since every audio systems (low-end, hi-end, all $million systems) sound un-natural (except my audio system). Your audio sounds un-natural and you may not know exactly what is real or surreal sound.

Alex/Wavetouch

mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,130 posts
 

The original recording is an acoustic perspective or take resulting from trade-off choices  conveyed by the gear system to another acoustic perspective ,where they will be translated  in our room  for specific ears/head...

Accuracy refer to measured numbers of specific factors  of any kind .... Digital, electrical, acoustical or psycho-acoustical MEASURES  but the end PERCEIVED EXPERIENCE is not about accuracy it is about the way a gear system convey an acoustical trade-off set of choices by the recording engineer and how it is translated through your speakers-room by ears and by your specific HRTF or head related transfer function to your speakers/room...

And i need an explanation about YOUR speakers being the only possible one accurate in the world, in any room for any inner ears structure and any HRTF sorry , Why and How is it possible ?

😊

Since every audio systems (low-end, hi-end, all $million systems) sound un-natural (except my audio system). Your audio sounds un-natural and you may not know exactly what is real or surreal sound.

 

malatu
58 posts
 

I like both.  My digital is very real.  My analog is surreal. 

audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,185 posts
 

Being in Audio 40+ years and owning a audio store synergy is very important

if using a turntable  changing to a different balance cartridge, and or audio cables 

would change that sometimes if using silver cabling in some brands can be too extreme.

audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,185 posts
 

Many times too a. Different mastering of a recording can be edited with more upper extension ,and ruin the balance.

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