Regards, all: Think I'll fire up the Ferrari F-10 & meet the pit crew at the country store three miles down the road for a sandwich. Smoked turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo & mustard on dark bread sounds good.
Taste is the ability to make discriminating judgments about aesthetic and artistic matters.
As remembered from long ago, Immanuel Kant (Kritik der Urteilskraftwork), maintained that taste is autonomous and appreciation of art an extension of subjective experience, reflecting personal interpretation. Veblen (the conspicuous consumption dude) cynically argued instead that honor is attached to possession. Standards of taste do not reflect autonomous and eternal standards of beauty, but rather a sense of costliness passing under the pretense of beauty.
Critics of mass culture argue that contemporary standards of taste are evidence of a degradation in individual autonomy and independent judgement, this is in contradiction of the current values assigned to egalitarianism and inevitably the homogenization of value is perceived as detrimental. It should be explicit that A'goners are rarely influenced by the "lowest common denominator".
Among those with an interest in music, some are characterized by an openness to a variety of musical expression which may include unamplified or acoustical instrumentation but are not restricted to it. An omnivore/univore pattern might be observed, creating a division which is strongly supported by adherents of either position, distinguishing omnivores or those who prefer a wide range of musical experience from univores, whose preferences are more restricted, some would say refined. Either type of listener may have an audio system.
W ether this leads to subjective relativism is a source of delightful, spirited and sometimes heated discussion. If there are no objective criteria of evaluation, the equalization of all hierarchies is the consequence. Wether this is seen as a failure to reproduce technically accurate aspects of audible response or whether an openness to a variety of experience as desired by the particular expectations (or peculiar, if you will) of the individual is the cause. To paint with an admittedly overly broad brush, this distinction may serve to define the difference between the sociological or technical perspectives of "high class" and "high end".
If it is accepted that taste is developed and sustained through exposure to a variety of musical forms or presentations, then an informed preference is an integral element in the selection of both composition and supporting gear, or mode and means. Just as there are those who have argued an objective evaluation can define value, others seem to suggest an exclusivist mentality results in the restriction of variety and and consequently a rigidly defined hierarchy of the acceptable. Some would find such a narrow definition of rewarding experience unnecessarily restrictive. Others maintain that if what is heard does not reflect, for instance, the intent of the composer then the result is an artificial construct, a facsimile and of diminished value. They may point out that critics of functionalists such as Emile Durkheim or Robert Merton will recognize this as teleological, that is, reversing the usual order of cause and effect by explaining things in terms of what happens afterward, not what went before.
Cars, the teleoligical and the visceral experience.
The BMW M5 is so well soundproofed, "Car and Driver" reports BMW introduces an exterior recording of the motor played through the stereo. Lexus has contracted with Yamaha's Advanced Sound Technologies Division in treating the V-10 engine in the awe inspiring LFA as a generator and developed componentry to direct the V-10s shriek to the cockpit. The Mustang GT is equipped with a resonator attached to the firewall, the Boss 302 (wow!) adds a second pair of exhausts tucked behind the rocker panels, open these up, punch it and grin while watching startled pedestrians run for cover. Returning to Europe, VW's GTI utilizes an audio file ("Soundaktor") stored in the car's computer. Played during advanced throttle application, broadcasting ALL under-the-hood sound through a dedicated speaker located near the throttle body. Can you hear me now?
Even Porche, the "nuts & bolts" driving machine, fits a Sound Symposer to the 991 GT3, 911, Panamera GTS. This consists of a tube, valve and diaphragm, when the "sport" function is selected the sounds radiating from the intake plenum are amplified. The stated objective is to ensure driver awareness of the current state of performance.
Closer to home, my new grocery-getter, a V-6 Honda Crosstour is equipped with a noise canceling application in the sound system, tuned to eliminate all cabin noises except those frequencies generated during full-throttle acceleration. This I attribute to a purely psychoacoustic intent. Cars with an abundance of decals always go faster. Don't they?
Carts (remember them?).
Moved the hybrid XLZ-4500S to the EPA-500H mid-low eff. mass arm, bass is more evident than with the 14gm eff. mass 250 wand which is a very neutral device, especially with the Yama. HS-1As ebony headshell. Personal thoughts are that the elimination of cart/arm/headshell self-resonances may not always be desirable, wether 'tis coloration or evidence of tonearm/cart matching is an open question. Virtual or visceral, car or cart---for the enthusiast, the operator's apprehension of performance just may be the most important component. The purist would, of course, have different criteria. The ongoing debate is at what point do high class (musical at the expense of accuracy?) and high end (accurate to the point of being overly analytical?) merge.
So, I've listened to the XLZ and in transient speed, imaging and absence of grain it compares well with the AT20SS and TK9/ATN25 stylus. Bass is controlled and hfs clearly defined. Mids are clean and avoid confusion during congested passages. There is an impression of distance not heard with the two others mentioned, this is most likely the fault of the entry level SUT which was ignored for decades but has now become a problem. Maybe not the equivalent of the F-10 in the realm of carts but the Pickering offers a tantalizing glimpse of exquisite performance. Problem is, it's being run on an 87 octane SUT.
I'm going to have to think about this one, and wether to try a D1800S (stereohedron), D2000Q (quadrahedron) or D2400Q stylus for the surprisingly good XV-15.
Anyone with experience with the 881S?
Peace,
Taste is the ability to make discriminating judgments about aesthetic and artistic matters.
As remembered from long ago, Immanuel Kant (Kritik der Urteilskraftwork), maintained that taste is autonomous and appreciation of art an extension of subjective experience, reflecting personal interpretation. Veblen (the conspicuous consumption dude) cynically argued instead that honor is attached to possession. Standards of taste do not reflect autonomous and eternal standards of beauty, but rather a sense of costliness passing under the pretense of beauty.
Critics of mass culture argue that contemporary standards of taste are evidence of a degradation in individual autonomy and independent judgement, this is in contradiction of the current values assigned to egalitarianism and inevitably the homogenization of value is perceived as detrimental. It should be explicit that A'goners are rarely influenced by the "lowest common denominator".
Among those with an interest in music, some are characterized by an openness to a variety of musical expression which may include unamplified or acoustical instrumentation but are not restricted to it. An omnivore/univore pattern might be observed, creating a division which is strongly supported by adherents of either position, distinguishing omnivores or those who prefer a wide range of musical experience from univores, whose preferences are more restricted, some would say refined. Either type of listener may have an audio system.
W ether this leads to subjective relativism is a source of delightful, spirited and sometimes heated discussion. If there are no objective criteria of evaluation, the equalization of all hierarchies is the consequence. Wether this is seen as a failure to reproduce technically accurate aspects of audible response or whether an openness to a variety of experience as desired by the particular expectations (or peculiar, if you will) of the individual is the cause. To paint with an admittedly overly broad brush, this distinction may serve to define the difference between the sociological or technical perspectives of "high class" and "high end".
If it is accepted that taste is developed and sustained through exposure to a variety of musical forms or presentations, then an informed preference is an integral element in the selection of both composition and supporting gear, or mode and means. Just as there are those who have argued an objective evaluation can define value, others seem to suggest an exclusivist mentality results in the restriction of variety and and consequently a rigidly defined hierarchy of the acceptable. Some would find such a narrow definition of rewarding experience unnecessarily restrictive. Others maintain that if what is heard does not reflect, for instance, the intent of the composer then the result is an artificial construct, a facsimile and of diminished value. They may point out that critics of functionalists such as Emile Durkheim or Robert Merton will recognize this as teleological, that is, reversing the usual order of cause and effect by explaining things in terms of what happens afterward, not what went before.
Cars, the teleoligical and the visceral experience.
The BMW M5 is so well soundproofed, "Car and Driver" reports BMW introduces an exterior recording of the motor played through the stereo. Lexus has contracted with Yamaha's Advanced Sound Technologies Division in treating the V-10 engine in the awe inspiring LFA as a generator and developed componentry to direct the V-10s shriek to the cockpit. The Mustang GT is equipped with a resonator attached to the firewall, the Boss 302 (wow!) adds a second pair of exhausts tucked behind the rocker panels, open these up, punch it and grin while watching startled pedestrians run for cover. Returning to Europe, VW's GTI utilizes an audio file ("Soundaktor") stored in the car's computer. Played during advanced throttle application, broadcasting ALL under-the-hood sound through a dedicated speaker located near the throttle body. Can you hear me now?
Even Porche, the "nuts & bolts" driving machine, fits a Sound Symposer to the 991 GT3, 911, Panamera GTS. This consists of a tube, valve and diaphragm, when the "sport" function is selected the sounds radiating from the intake plenum are amplified. The stated objective is to ensure driver awareness of the current state of performance.
Closer to home, my new grocery-getter, a V-6 Honda Crosstour is equipped with a noise canceling application in the sound system, tuned to eliminate all cabin noises except those frequencies generated during full-throttle acceleration. This I attribute to a purely psychoacoustic intent. Cars with an abundance of decals always go faster. Don't they?
Carts (remember them?).
Moved the hybrid XLZ-4500S to the EPA-500H mid-low eff. mass arm, bass is more evident than with the 14gm eff. mass 250 wand which is a very neutral device, especially with the Yama. HS-1As ebony headshell. Personal thoughts are that the elimination of cart/arm/headshell self-resonances may not always be desirable, wether 'tis coloration or evidence of tonearm/cart matching is an open question. Virtual or visceral, car or cart---for the enthusiast, the operator's apprehension of performance just may be the most important component. The purist would, of course, have different criteria. The ongoing debate is at what point do high class (musical at the expense of accuracy?) and high end (accurate to the point of being overly analytical?) merge.
So, I've listened to the XLZ and in transient speed, imaging and absence of grain it compares well with the AT20SS and TK9/ATN25 stylus. Bass is controlled and hfs clearly defined. Mids are clean and avoid confusion during congested passages. There is an impression of distance not heard with the two others mentioned, this is most likely the fault of the entry level SUT which was ignored for decades but has now become a problem. Maybe not the equivalent of the F-10 in the realm of carts but the Pickering offers a tantalizing glimpse of exquisite performance. Problem is, it's being run on an 87 octane SUT.
I'm going to have to think about this one, and wether to try a D1800S (stereohedron), D2000Q (quadrahedron) or D2400Q stylus for the surprisingly good XV-15.
Anyone with experience with the 881S?
Peace,