Is live reproduction the goal of audio?

Perceptions are reality. Without sight ,smell,touch ......you would not be able to perceive the physical universe which you are supposed to confront. The problem with humans are they don't intrepret thier perceptions right. A computor is said to be smart. Well if i look at it I'm convinced that if I give it a problem that it will give me the right answer. If I ask a human he will probably error.

A human built the computor. A human has a problem and needs a calculator to solve the humans problem . No it's a tool that adds. The human punches up the keys and waits for an answer ...which then human will evaluate and use it. Put in the wrong info you will get the wrong answer. Nothing wrong with human or machine. Human nature is perfect . The guys with the wrong view point are perpetuating errors. In order to fix the problem we must apply and do. We have instead , thought of a better way. Blame the other guy and that relieves us of the responsibilty of putting in ethics to fix our problems. You see everyone is eager to push his reality on the other but won't fix up his own inorder to present it without confusion.

I feel better already....LOL

The big issue arises when people who were not in the room try to explain as authorities what took place there because they heard a recording of the event.

Let me give you an example. If real chef looks at a receipe and then watches a tape of beginners he could see the ones that understood the fundemental points of putting a dish together. If you do not preheat the oven ...you will not get the results starting off with a hot oven.

I do not need to be in the room with you. Rambling on about tubes and ss and tt ...is like beef vs veal . Show me how your going to handle and apply the technique. You guys are stuck on canadien vs usa prime vs french. I need to see who will apply the tech of the roasting method.

When I see the set up of some hi-fi then ...how do you know my sound will suck. I apply the tech my friends. Your pictures tell a thousand realities.

The problem with humans are they don't intrepret thier perceptions right. A computor is said to be smart. Well if i look at it I'm convinced that if I give it a problem that it will give me the right answer. If I ask a human he will probably error.

There is a WORLD of difference between the answer to a mathematic equation and the feelings a human being experiences when listening to music. In terms of interpreting one's perceptions I say there is no right or wrong. I do not ask another to tell me what I should be feeling or what I should enjoy. It is not the simple solution to an equation. It is infinitely more complex, and layered, and dependent upon variables, both tangible (the space, the intruments, the temperature, etc.) and intangable (the baggage we each come with..the filters through which we perceive the world). It is a sad concept to want to break down those complexities into numbers and some concept of right and wrong.

Re: your example of cooking. Try to get a machine to prepare a gourmet meal. Again, probably someone already working on it, but I doubt it will be as effective as a master chef. Even if it were, and again, I go back to perception, how a group of individuals enjoy the final product (the food in this case) is entirely subjective and individual. There is no right or wrong there either, regardless of technique. Some folks like it, others may not.

Marco

Jax2...thank you for being human

It seems we are doing the tango.....you lead.

Look at this point of view. Who is using the perceptions. When you turn on the "sound " or whatever you are perceiving, You are looking from the point of view of you. med-rare is it. Med-well is good but you would pay a 5 star pro to mess up your choice. Yor reality is your 100% truth. All we need to is to agree somewhat on the function rather then the tools. Then we will all be on the same page without the confusion.

Hey you could walk into a guys room listen and figure ...He's stuck in the 70's with treble on max and the bass 3/4 of the way. Full volume on Zep and have a smile ear to ear. You can never match the reality of the tool (components ) only the function. We do don't boil prime steaks.

Or we do not absorb sound.

I don't know that I agree with your last statement C5150. I'm not sure what your point is there either. I'm not sure that all we need to do is agree on the fucntion. I may prefer a different rendition from a specific album than you prefer...perhaps I like the warmth of tubes and you like the detail and muscle of SS. I don't see either as having anything to do with an objective "truth", either yours or mine. It is simply what either of us prefer in the moment. It may change as well...maybe a year from now I tire of tubes and am swayed by SS. What does that indicate about the "goal of audio" as the original post asks? The "function" of this stuff is to bring music into our homes, and to provide enjoyment for us in doing so. Beyond that, every person has a different set of preferences which may or may not be suited by a given manufacturers answers, no matter how good the manufacturer is. Not everyone strives for the experience of "live music" in their home, while others may think "live" to sound a different way than you or me might. Tubes/SS, Med-Rare/Well Done, crank bass/no tone controls, vanilla/chocolate, Lamm/Pioneer, Dinner at 21 Club /Dinner at McDonalds. No decision is right or wrong or objectively "better" than the other. If there were one singular goal of any of these things, there would be far fewer alternatives and variations available. It is the fact that the world, and the people in it, are so diverse, and so in flux, that creates markets with such a tremendous variety to choose from.

Marco