Bolero:why can't my system reproduce snare well?

You might want to check out another post, here...

So... what do you use under your speakers?

Started on 1-14-13 by Nobrainer

The best way to learn what a, "forceful transient" sounds like, is to find a live music venue and listen to the drummer, as he warms up.

You need to provide more information for suggestions to be relevant. Have you ever heard "Bolero" live? Are you aware that the snare is supposed to be played as softly as possible and slowly gets louder only as other instruments join in? Often, the snare is situated at the rear of the orchestra so it will, in fact, sound "distant"; even later in the piece when the orchestra is playing fff. Now, you feel that it also sounds "muffled". Do the string pizzicato (plucked) notes have the appropriate snap? Do the upper winds and brass have the appropriate brilliance? If they do, then it's unlikely that the problem is your system. You may be expecting the kind of snare sound that is often heard in pop or jazz recordings where a mic is placed very close to the snare. Most well recorded classical recordings will not provide that kind of sound.

Frogman makes an excellent point and I agree with him except for one caveat; that most modern day performances of "Bolero" would be close-mic'd. The overall sound is determined by the record label producers (many classical labels have a 'house sound"), in conjunction with the engineers. The top conductors can also be involved in how their orchestra should sound.

Here's an example of Bolero with a well defined percussion section. The snare does start as pianissimo and builds to forte, but it is very prominent in the mix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK23BhEQVyU

So the question is which recording are you listening to? A good suggestion by Frogman is to also listen to the string pizzicato and the woodwinds.

Lowrider makes very good points about the role of the conductor and producer in determining the sound of the orchestra and solo instruments (in the case of a piece like Bolero). Sometimes the end result of a producer's "artistic license" can be a good thing; other times, as in the Dudamel/Vienna Youtube clip, not so good. Yes, the snare is very well defined in that clip, but it is unlike anything one is likely to hear at a performance. The balance between the snare and opening flute solo is totally wrong. The players may be playing a true pianissimo but it doesn't sound that way due to the miking. It is true, as Lowrider points out, that most modern recordings of the piece will be close(r) miked; an unfortunate reality from the standpoint of faithfulness to the score, even if sometimes sounding "better defined". Not even sitting on stage will one hear a snare sound that way when the player is playing a true pianissimo.

In this other performance, notice what the snare drum player has done which is fairly common: he has placed a small towel on the drumhead in order to further mute the sound (he also is situated further upfront within the orchestra); it is possible that is what the OP is hearing as "muffled". This is closer to what one is likely to hear sitting in the audience at a live performance:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A2BYkJS8GE0