Most pleasing sound vs most hifi sound


Hi folks, I came to the conclusion that in fact I love the sound that is emanating from car audio. While driving I'm enjoying a live broadcast of an opera through the car audio and sometimes I think it is even better than the home audio system. I'm an audiophile who ownes a serious rig but everytime I'm listening to a system or attending some hi end demo the most pleasing sound to my ears is the one that is reminiscent of the car audio sound, of course with the usual high end characteristics as palpability, resolution, midrange liquidity, impact/slam, soundstage and treble smoothness. Does this sound ridiculous? Am I starting to have some hearing impairment?

Chris
dazzdax
Chris,

Ok. So you are basically saying you percieve things differently due to a difference in concentration when in the car. You are more relaxed in the car and able to enjoy it whilst the home system is more stressful as it is more resolving and requires more concentration to get the right picture.

FWIW: I would examine this angle a bit further - have you got the ideal match at home for your own tastes? People in the professional audio industry working 8 hours a day with studio systems discuss this issue all the time (just wander over to Gearlutz forums and you will see discussion on this). These pros recognize that they find some equipment fatiguing and stressful for mixing/monitoring whilst other types of equipment can be simply effortless and non-fatiguing. Not everyone agrees on what they like best in terms of equipment....perhaps each brain is wired differently - but all more or less agree that they want gear that makes their job easier, more enjoyable and such that it requires less concentration to quickly achieve a result.

Note that it is not about resolution => they all want powerful resolving gear to pick up issues with microphone placement etc - i.e. they certainly don't want a "dumbed-down" system excpet to check how something might sound to an ordinary consumer, however, among highly resolving systems there are some that are regarded as non-fatiguing whilst others make life stressful. For example "ambience"...are you getting too much reflections at home is it causing overload and stress?
I think you may be on the edge of realizing that the mental attitude you bring to a listening session can easily outweigh the quality of the system. You are the most important, and most variable, component in any system.
Could not having high expectations or any desire to improve your car system be why it is more enjoyable. Perhaps home listening is always critical, always looking to improve or change something. I found music is much more enjoyable when I decided just to listen to the music and not question what could be better.
You are the most important, and most variable, component in any system

...huh ...what about speaker cables and interconnects - aren't these the biggest variables in ultra high-end? What cables/interconnects is Chris using in the car? ;-) just kidding.