wht is the difference between good and bad sound ?

Hmmmm, well, I can see that nothing gets by you, Mrtennis.

Good sound engages you, and makes you want to stay in the room. Bad sound makes you want to leave the room and go out to play tennis. :) Subjective for sure, but that's audio, like everybody says.

Mrtennis, this thread is starting to remind me of that Monty Python skit, the one in which a man [Eric Idle] comes in for an argument [with John Cleese].

Mr Tennis, I will answer your question as soon as you provide me with a concise definition of your terms. Please define 'good sound' and 'bad sound'. When I understand this I will have a basis for reaching a conclusion about what differences, if any, may exist.

hi newbee once i have defined the terms good and bad sound, the difference will be apparent to me.

you are asking me to answer my own question.

its obvious that such a question is philosophical and has no answer.

however, there are 3 answers to this question.

1) pure subjectivity as previously stated--an attiude toward the sound of a stereo system. if favorable, the sound is good, if unfavorable, bad sound.

this does not indicate what good/bad sound is because there would be disagreements as to the evaluation of a stereo system, and the same listener may alter his/her attitude toward the same stereo system over time

2) good and bad sound relate to intrinsic qualities of the sound a stereo system produces. the problem here is to specify what criteria conote good/bad sound ?

has anybody so far specified criteria for good sound ?

standards could be presented, but there may be more than one set of valid standards, so which prevails ?

here lies the essential problem, namely that inherently good sound is not an absolute state.

3) the affect of the sound of the stereo system upon the listener. thus the actual sound of the stereo system is not a factor but rather how a person reacts to it. surely we all have some awareness of what "good" is , so applying the concept of good, certain behaviors, physiological states and physiological states would determine whether a stereo system has good sound or bad sound. of course, how does one distinguish the affect of the music from the affect of the stereo ?

one would have to select sources which would be neutral as to content with respect to lyrics.

the probelm with this concept is the possibility that the same stereo system could produce inconsistent behavior bewteen listeners and among listeners over time.

thus one comes to the conclusion that there is no definitive answer to your question but rather the subjective state of personal judgment and opinion.