Forgive me Father.. aka confession of audio heretic..

[fas42]

18 minutes ago, kumakuma said:

 

Have them first play in an anechoic chamber then move into a room which has no sound absorbent materials at all in it.

 

Come back and tell us if you still believe the room doesn't matter.

 

 

Of course the room will have some impact - it's impossible for it to be otherwise - but subjectively what you relate to is the direct sound of the musicians; if they happen to play in a very large space with hard surfaces, then that will produce strong echos; this will be very noticeable in any slight pause in the stream of music, coming from the instruments.

 

But none of that stops the emotional impact of what you hear - if you record the band in an anechoic chamber; and then move them into that big, hard surfaced space, and record the same material; and then playback the two takes - you will hear two different acoustics, in which they are performing - which will "sound better", which is "more correct"?

[fas42]

16 minutes ago, kumakuma said:

 

Let's see what Bev has to say...

 

In the early days, we went together to hear what other rigs were doing, especially the more expensive ones ... let's just say we didn't disagree on their failings ... 😜.

[sphinxsix]

https://ashidakim.com/zenkoans/1acupoftea.html

[botrytis]

@sphinxsix https://pvspade.com/Sartre/cookbook.html

 

Makes me think of the way Frank is going about things.

 

😁

[fas42]

Awww ... maybe we just need a bit of

 

 

[sphinxsix]

11 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

https://ashidakim.com/zenkoans/1acupoftea.html

For those who tend to think that this is not audio related - it's obviously all about headroom! 

 

[NOMBEDES]

On 10/9/2021 at 5:26 AM, botrytis said:

 

That is why treatments are important if you want a better sounding system.

 

A better sounding system or a better sounding room?   Chicken meet egg.

[sphinxsix]

Room is a part of a system. Egg isn't a part of a chicken..

Beside that, room is usually first.

Although I happened to do things in the opposite way - finding a room with big potential for good acoustics and well suited for particular speakers.

Seriously.

The effects tend to be astonishing. Highly recommended solution! 

[accwai]

53 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

Room is a part of a system. Egg isn't a part of a chicken..

Beside that, room is usually first.

 

So which came first, the chicken or the egg?

[sphinxsix]

3 minutes ago, accwai said:

 

So which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Chickegg.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

 

[sphinxsix]

1 hour ago, sphinxsix said:

Chickegg.

 

If there is anybody here for whom this answer isn't perfectly clear, I can explain it..

 

But since I wouldn't like to derail this thread, I have just created this:

 

[fas42]

It all depends upon what one is after - if one is after a very precise version of what one thinks playback should sound like, then doing all sorts of fiddling with the room may be exactly what does it for you - akin to having a play on a stage, where one spends great effort in having all the decorations of the surrounds just so, and meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the lighting; so that it enhances the action as it happens. Or, just have the actors walk out into any space where they can be seen, and have them go through their lines, with the accompanying physical actions. If they are well skilled in the craft, then you will be drawn into the sense, and the tensions, etc, of the story in no time at all - the actors themselves convey everything that is necessary to support the 'illusion' of what is going on.

 

Recording playback can be like those seasoned Thespians repeating an identical piece - a world opens up which is always the same, no matter what the surroundings are like.

[botrytis]

3 hours ago, NOMBEDES said:

 

A better sounding system or a better sounding room?   Chicken meet egg.

 

You listen to your system outside? If not, the room is a big part of the system.

[sphinxsix]

6 minutes ago, botrytis said:

 

You listen to your system outside? If not, the room is a big part of the system.

@fas42  If 'yes' - than the outside is (even bigger) part of the system 

 

[fas42]

There is a phrase that is used regularly - the ability to "see into a recording" ... and that's what happens - you are an observer, looking into the space captured by the recording, or one that was created purely synthetically; and often a combination of the two. A competent setup produces that 'mirage' - if what is in that vision is more interesting than what exists in your room, which is usually the case 😁, than your focus will be entirely on that 'picture' ...

[sphinxsix]

[fas42]

Just found this thread, https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/natural-sound.32867/

 

... only started reading it, right now, but it perfectly expresses what the journey can be like, discovering what is possible with sound reproduction. If one wants to move beyond a 'special effects' presentation style, and have something closer to how live music actually comes across, I would suggest that this could be good reading ... 😉.

[kumakuma]

24 minutes ago, fas42 said:

Just found this thread, https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/natural-sound.32867/

 

... only started reading it, right now, but it perfectly expresses what the journey can be like, discovering what is possible with sound reproduction. If one wants to move beyond a 'special effects' presentation style, and have something closer to how live music actually comes across, I would suggest that this could be good reading ... 😉.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Vinyl is the way to go if you want to come closer to how live music actually comes across.

 

Also extension cords. Lots of extensions cords.

[fas42]

Vinyl, and extension cords, are just a means to an end 🙃 - it's retrieving what's on the recording with the least damage that's key - if you do this well, you arrive at a special place where the vinyl, and digital versions "sound the same" ... whaaaat ??!! This little miracle occurs because you are no longer listening to the technology, but rather to the event that occurred - what went into the mics was the same, no matter what the following processing did to it ... and that's what you can get back to, 🙂.

[sphinxsix]

46 minutes ago, kumakuma said:

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Vinyl is the way to go if you want to come closer to how live music actually comes across.

 

Also extension cords. Lots of extensions cords.

You've forgotten about jumpers.

Lots of jumpers! Only blue ones!

 

[sphinxsix]

BTW I think I know why I prefer the sound of an orchestra on my home system than live.

But since this would require getting back on topic.. maybe tomorrow..  

[Rexp]

3 hours ago, sphinxsix said:

BTW I think I know why I prefer the sound of an orchestra on my home system than live.

But since this would require getting back on topic.. maybe tomorrow..  

Just checking, you do know, no one cares?

[Archimago]

8 hours ago, fas42 said:

Just found this thread, https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/natural-sound.32867/

 

... only started reading it, right now, but it perfectly expresses what the journey can be like, discovering what is possible with sound reproduction. If one wants to move beyond a 'special effects' presentation style, and have something closer to how live music actually comes across, I would suggest that this could be good reading ... 😉.

 

He kinda lost me at: "David sent me some NOS Ching Cheng power cords. Music became less homogenized, energy increased, and the bass in particular, improved. I was pretty surprised."

 

Sure. I've always found it interesting how bass supposedly improves with <name your brand> power cables.

 

Anyone want to try to listen for this magic? eBay has a few Ching Chengs:

 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=ching+cheng+power&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=wing+chung

 

[sphinxsix]

If the cables are more important than listening room acoustics, audiophiles should spend more on the cables than on their homes, correct me if I'm wrong..