Rock and Roll Snobbery

It is often cited in these threads that you can't (shouldn't) attempt to rectify a major weakness in a component by changing something else that pulls the system in the opposite direction - ie, don't attempt to correct a bright amp by applying extra-warm speakers. If your amp is bright to the point that you really don't like the sound, you have to change the amp. So, it doesn't seem consistent to say that a poorly recorded pop album is going to sound a lot better on a mid-fi system than a high-end one. If a CD is recorded with tons of compression, as many are, it isn't going to sound good on any system, IMO. It's going to accomplish only two "positives" - you'll be able to hear all the parts of the song better in an environment with a lot of unrelated noise (ie, a car) and it will "catch" your ear more quickly wherever it's played, a phenomena most people on this site find appealing for somewhere between zero and two seconds. I find the very compressed recordings I've listened to to sound pretty horrible and fatiguing on every system, and don't find that lowering the quality of the system to make the situation any better.

Kthomas, I agree that decreasing the overall resolution of the system will not correct a crappy recording, but maybe it changes us. That is, perhaps some people go into a different mode -- out of the critical listening phase. The other night I stopped by my local bar'n grill for a cheese-steak san'wich and beer(s),(forget audio, this is the most remakable phenomenon in L.A.), Crapola mass market electronics, equally non-audiophile approved CD's, speakers mounted on the wall, right against the ceiling (ancient bookshelf units with what I swear looked like balsa wood enclosures), ambient noise... you get the idea. Well, I enjoyed the music just as much as sittin in the dark watchin da tubes glow. Maybe more, since I usually don't have a cheese-steak in one hand and a Sierra Nevada in the other when listening at home. Maybe this is what happens in a lower res system... the listener, not the music, is adjusted. Dr. Leary was right about one thing, set and setting are the critical factors to one's experience... Happy New Year, all!

It is like "ceteris paribus, music reproduced by better equipments is more enjoyable." :) And, that everything encompasses a lot of things (too many to list). With that in mind, I stopped being a true audiophile (not too long for the audiophile career anyway). This certainly is not an attack on people with different philosophies. I redirect that money into guitars and various related gadgets anyway -- a similar path in a slightly different hobby.

There are two primary reasons for the use of compressors in producing rock/pop music. The first use was mentioned earlier by Phild. Compression is used to limit the dynamic range of music so that the average recording level can be raised to produce louder volume levels. Right or wrong, there are strong economic pressures upon artist to produce loud music. The second use is actually more prevalent. Compression sounds good on rock/pop music. Properly used, compression give rhythm oriented music a wonderful crunchy sound with good body. Compression can tighten a groove. Listen to the early Kinks "All Day & All of the Night" or virtually any period Led Zeppelin. Unfortuantely, some engineers are over doing the use of compressors and too much compression can take the life out of music. Like most things in life, a little moderation is a good thing.