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RE: to Stehno.

Posted by stehno (M) on March 19, 2015 at 22:04:50

In Reply to: RE: to Stehno. posted by huubdas on March 19, 2015 at 20:31:14:

I have no idea what your system config, consists of, well except for the Magnepans, but here goes.

Answer for 1 and 2. If it's true you can't stand your CD's or DVD's for a month of a classical concert or opera, it most likely is due to the following reasons:

a. your digital is more revealing than your analog. If this is the case and since a revealing component is indiscriminate about what it reveals, then along with revealing more musical detail your digital is also revealing more of the universal distortions inherent in every system which quickly leads to ear fatigue. For most, 15% more distortions easily can overshadow 15% more music.

b. your digital is less revealing than your analog, in which case more flat, 2-D, less engaging, etc, and hence, boring.

But since your system is no different than everybody else's as they are all overwhelmed with universal distortions, whichever system is more revealing, we're basically splitting hairs as one is just a tad more "musical" than the other and it's only your love for music that keeps you coming back for more with the analog because its slightly rounder, softer, "warmer", less detailed presentation is less offensive and therefore is interpreted as a bit more musical to you.

3. I'd guess much of the musical potential is most likely already embedded in your CDP but with distortions (whether analog or digital) that induce the ear fatigue that you're probably experiencing. Most likely, your analog along with the valves are rounding off the sharper notes so that you don't wince as much as with your digital. You're hearing less of the note and as a result you're hearing less beaming of the note racing toward your ear like a laser.

What you may not know is that the worst distortions which we all face are not audible. In fact, they simply raise the noise floor to such an extent that you're only hearing a small percentage of the music embedded in the recording (whether digital or analog). I would guess the percentage of music embedded in a given recording that remains audible is perhaps somewhere in the 35-55% range. That implies that you're also only hearing the same percentage of every single note as well. I suspect that's why piano is known to be the most difficult instrument to reproduce. It's a percussive instrument and it doesn't take much volume on a few hammers at the higher registers to cause somebody to run from the room. That's an excellent example of the partially audible note making a bee-line straight for your ear.

Choral and opera are also known to be the most difficult music types (some call it the most torturous). As a result of the sustained voices (only hearing partial notes) leading to immediate breakup and flattening out, as do some complex orchestral pieces.

My hunch is, your analog and valves seem more musical but I would guess that since they most likely provide a slightly rounder and "warmer" presentation (a perverted view of the live performance) that you're hearing, you've convinced yourself the analog is superior when it's actually less musical (less of the music), but since it's more palatable, you're less likely to run out of your room with your ears bleeding, hence it must be more musical.

But it also depends on your preferred listening volume. Since "audiophiles" have trained themselves well to listen at far lower listening levels, both digital and analog can be somewhat enjoyable or palatable. But then we're getting closer toward the elevator music thing which certainly has nothing to do with live music, but then again, we can listen to it all day long.

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Case-in-point. It's not my best example nor is it the worst distortion, but it works well. Noisy AC coming in from the street induces quite a bit of sonic harm into every playback system. Even in those who claim universal AC noise does not affect them.

Some years ago, to fund an R&D project, I was an at-home dealer. My inventory included, Esoteric, nuforce, Legacy, Foundation Research, Furutech, and a handful of other products.

At that time the nuforce amps were quite musical compared to much of the competition, especially for their price. In every case, if I sent out a pair of amps for audition, if the customer did not employ proper line conditioning to cleanse or purify the noisy AC, they returned the amps claiming the amps were too harsh, brittle, bright, overly detailed, etc.

Well, there is no such thing as overly detailed, but that's another topic. But those customers who DID employ proper or superior line conditioning or perhaps I loaned them some Foundation Research line conditioners, in every case they purchased the nuforce amps, and if the Foundation Research line conditioners were loaners, they purchased them as well.

Now I'm only talking 8 - 10 cases total, but it was clear that without enhanced detail being properly nurtured, nobody had any interest in a more revealing product. It hurt their ears too much and It was less "musical" to them.

Noisy AC is just one of several universal distortions and a lesser one at that. But with that one distortion alone, I'll bet dollars to donuts you do not employ proper or superior line conditioning. Otherwise you would not have posted your message.

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