Are linear tracking arms better than pivoted arms?

My minor revelation about the relativity in so much of this occured at a 2CH show while eaves-dropping on elevator conversation between four print magazine reviewers. They were exhanging preferences about various rooms. Each one had a different preference, none of which jibed with my own perceptions. One reviewer who liked the sound of what I considered a particularly mediocre and expensive room, had a published review the following month of that room's manufacturer. To thine self be true, particularly at today's prices.

Dear friends: Some way or the other IMHO all of you have reason, better yet part of reason.
The subject is very " conflictive "/controversial but very interesting and a learnning one.

It is no doubt that attend to hear/heard live music events ( with acoustic instruments or amplified. ) to any kind of music always help to understand the whole " thing ".

All we know that today is absolutely impossible to recreate/copy bis a bis what a live event offer to the recording microphones and I repeat: to the recording microphones and not what we heard/hear at our seat position on that music live event that is " different ". More than that: what the recording enginnering/producer want we hear.

IMHO less and less over the years the people/audiophiles ( noy you but the 98% of the audio people. ) are more in focus with the system hardware than with live music events and their comparisons are more between hardware vs hardware than software/music.

In the other side and due that the high end audio is a " commercial $$$$$ legitim activity " and as part of human activities the majority of the products that the audio industry offer to us are mainly " commercial " products where its first target is to make money ( nothing wrong with that ) sometimes taking advantage of a poor know how on the majority of the customers.

Exist in this audio industry the designers/manufacturers where their first targets are and have an intimate link with the Music and what this realy means and with top quality product performance looking for the best for the knowledge customers, unfortunately you can count these kind of designers/manufacturers with almost the fingers of your hands.

Many of us already posted in different threads what we are posting this time, can we agree?, I think that we did in the main part of the subject: the high end audio industry establishment where we belongs must change and seek/look for an evolution in benefit of the whole audio industry.

IMHO all us that belongs ( some way or the other. All the majorities. ) to the audio high end establishment have a responsability on those changes on that evolution and IMHO we have in our each " area/place/land where we move " to take action to make " things happen ".

It is not enough that we just " talk " about in this and other forums but to make something about to change our today " attitude " and share a new attitude to the whole audio industry.

From this point of view ( that could be wrong. ) every one on the high end audio industry must to change to " evolution ": designers/manufacturers, professional reviewers and audio magazines, audio retailers/dealers, we customers, audio forums, recording industry, record manufacturers and record retailers, etc, etc.

The majority of our audio establishment needs IMHO a set of new audio standards/rules.

An easy task?, certainly not. The problem is not when we can " finish " it but when all the audio industry can/could start/begin with, how the whole audio industry could agree on new standards, how the customers needs could be matched by the audio industry.
I think that we have a lot of questions about and maybe no sure/precise answers to amalgamate the different " sectors " and targets in the audio industry.

If all of us want that " things " improve and be better and goes faster than today I think that we customers that some way or the other " mantain " with money the whole industry have a main role on that " evolution " and we have to accept and take action according to that main role.

Talk and speak between us helps almost nothing.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Interesting thread, all opinions included.

FWIW I concluded some time ago that the 'problem' in our hobby had its seeds in the development of 'stereo' sound including multi channel sound, where the objective became creating/sustaining the fantasy of listening to a live performance in a manner more grand that 'mono' sound allowed.

The focus was on, and I think still remains in great part, the creation of that sonic 'stage' in your home. Not the replication of live music as heard live from an optimum position, although some effect was made and abandoned at various time at recording with a single or two closely spaced mikes.

Refer to all of the terms inherent in describing reproducing recorded sound. Sound stage height, width, depth, specificity, warmth, accuracy, linearity etc. What do any of these terms have to do with a live performance. Not much I suspect, and this may be why, were it otherwise possible, that we will never hear a reasonable reproduction of live sound that isn't at odds with the formats we are given to live with.

We will always be at the mercy of the recording engineer's and the industry's pursuit of a format that injects an artifice that is not consonant with the experience of hearing music live. Small wonder that many folks, myself included, who have graduated to a POV that allows them to set up their environment so that the music they play sounds good to their ear. I'm now at a stage that all that is important to me is that the equipment, software and hardware, not get in the way of the performance that I'm listening to. That alone is a tough enough task and its full of compromises but its easier in the long run than pursuing a Dulcinea.

Thanks for the chance to rant! :-)

Raul: So what would you like to see us/them do? The playback hardware is better than the recordings/media available to the consumer (at least 99% of the time).
Software on both the recording and playback ends are the bottleneck. Atmosphere is a fine fellow, but but he (and us) are minnows in the ocean.

on a related subject to 'the Absolute Sound'; having high quality RTR 15ips 1/4" master dubs and good RTR decks does allow one to 'calibrate' other sources. it will not calibrate the down stream signal path, but it's easy to hear how close an Lp/tt/cart/phono stage/digital player is to the actual recording. yes; not all master dubs are created equal....but it's the best one can hope to do.....and certainly better than not having it.

i have enough of these along with vinyl and digital masterings that the truth quickly is heard on what source/media is closest.