Audio reproduction is a matter of taste?

[GregWormald]

21 minutes ago, mfsoa said:

Just thinking out loud - not directed at anyone-

 

Ooooh I hate the term "Accurately" or "Accuracy" in these discussions.

 

Accurate to what?  <snip>

👍

An addition: If I listen at a volume that is different than that of the mixing room/earphones then the treble-bass balance changes due to the ears different sensitivity at different volumes.

..............

While in general I like to hear—as close as possible—what is on the recording, I've got more than a few recordings that are bad enough I want to change them.

[GregWormald]

2 hours ago, fas42 said:

<snips>you're not breaking Laws of Physics, you're just taking advantage of the fact that the mind wants to make sense of everything ...

...and that's why short auditions, trying to hear the "realism" can be quite useless. The harder the mind has to work to 'make sense' the more fatigued it gets. 

 

As had been said, perfection (in audio reproduction) hasn't been achieved yet, so our preferences choose our music and our reproduction. I've heard very 'accurate' (according to others) systems where my favourite music was ruined, and others where I didn't want to turn it off.

[GregWormald]

6 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Every recording engineer I've ever talked to, including those who've won Grammys for best engineered album, chose microphones for their sound. If the listener doesn't know the sound of the microphone being used, he can't tell if the playback is accurate because he doesn't know what sound the microphone has on the recording. 

 

If a microphone adds warmth to a vocal, but the playback system doesn't sound warm, the listener may say it's more accurate without the warmth. However, that isn't what's on the record because the microphone added warmth that was selected by those involved in the recording. 

 

Thus, people may know instruments all day long, but without knowing the sonic signatures of microphones, they are still guessing what's accurate. 

👍

I watched a video of my favourite singer choosing a new microphone for her tours and recordings. She would sing a phrase or two and choose. 

I could barely hear (OK maybe not at all) the differences. 

But boy, do I love music in my living room.