wuffles wrote: > Interestingly, it seems we're nearly split between theories 1 and 2. > >
Yes. But it does not have to be an either or proposition. It may be a bit of both. For me, enjoyment of recorded music starts with a good performance that is well recorded. If either is poor, enjoyment is compromised. Excellent equipment, as opposed to an average car radio, will only bring out the deficiencies in performance, recording, or both. Unfortunately, as the late J. Gordon Holt used to say, often "the better the performance, the worse the recording, and vice versa." That maybe too acerbic a judgement, but we're all familiar with examples where it holds true. I have myself taken a few bad recordings to a high-end shop (where I bought my speakers) and listened through mega-buck systems, only to realize that they sounded no better than they did at home. That said, the same recording sound at least passable through my AKG 701 system in my bedroom (see below), which tends to roll off both frequency extremes and is thus less 'revealing.' As for realism, the element that has made a significant difference has been the fine-tuning of my sub, achieved in part with the addition of a DSPeaker AntiMode Dual core DAC/EQ device to control for room modes. I tuned the sub's crossover and level not by listening to the bass per se, but by finding the setting at which the soundstage starts to be noticeably more three-dimensional. At that point the bass foundation is also automatically adequate -- at least in my system. It's been a lot of fun getting there. I wish you a satisfying journey as well! Guido F. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ guidof's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=40448 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=97105 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
