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In Reply to: RE: The Masses Apparently Think "No"...... And I'm Inclined to Agree.......... posted by Todd Krieger on January 08, 2011 at 21:50:55
Point taken. But this thread is about whether it is appropriate or not to purchase a good system to listen to pop music, no? The answer has to lie somewhere in between what is a good system and what is pop music, no?
That's the biscuit here. I'm sure you can get it, I know you are smart enough to answer the question.
Follow Ups:
...the same music on a mid or low-fi system. But don't expect to spend hours in the sweet spot listening to inferior recordings - unless you are willing to listen to a variety of musical styles on the same system and remind yourself of it's capabilities.
That's what I do, anyway.
After some speaker placement adjustment this morning, I heard a background voice on Candlebox's "Cover Me" that I had never heard before. I have listened to that song numerous times and never picked up on it until today. It was a pleasant surprise, indeed. After that went in Eva Cassidy followed by Nat King Cole.
It's moments such as those that keep this hobby interesting, among many other things.
I once agreed with the notion that all recordings would sound better on a better system. But with the hideous processing on some recent pop recordings, I think better systems tend to reveal the ills of the processing. Hence such recordings IMO are more tolerable on a lesser system.
Todd can you share some examples with us? I would like to hear them.For example my friend Bob gave me a live Dead double cd. Dicks picks from 1973 I'll post the actual show when I get home later. Can't think of it at work. Said he didn't like it sounded thin. Listened to it yesterday and guess what? Sounded like shit.
Would love for members to post their observations
What modern pop recordings are we talking about? Ie. New kings of Leon sounds great. Anyone disagree?
Edits: 01/10/11
I think better systems tend to reveal the ills of the processing
I think the reverse is probably more correct, pop recordings reveal the "weakness" of not an insignificant number "one-trick" pony high-end systems.
Music making the painting, recording it the photograph
"I think the reverse is probably more correct, pop recordings reveal the "weakness" of not an insignificant number "one-trick" pony high-end systems.
"
I disagree almost completely (I am sure there might be an exception but not many) with this statement. How you think such compromised recordings can reveal "weakness" in a system that is a "one trick pony" (not even sure how a system can be a one trick pony) is beyond me. Talk about putting the cart before the horse!
It reminds me of my recent experience with one of the newest HD TVs. The resolution was so good that it showed up all of the tricks that they do in Hollywood these days. Actors on a stage with a green screen behind them became painfully obvious, even in very recent films. Other tricks like moving backgrounds and such were no longer even partially convincing. The TV simply revealed all the warts and "man behind the scenes" trickery that is television. Live events like sports and concerts looked ultra-realistic though even as the highly processed and computerized movies now failed to do so. Even older flat panels could hide a lot of this but not anymore.
This is EXACTLY analogous to what I hear with modern pop/rock music on a high resolution high end stereo. It reveals all the tricks in the studio and exposes it for what it is a highly processed "product" and not seamless music. Well recorded, naturally made music without much in the way of tricks though comes through ultra-realistic.
I am sure there is an exception or two that you will try to use to "prove" your point but the reality is that most pop/rock recordings don't hold up that well under the scrutiny of a truly high end system.
"I think the reverse is probably more correct, pop recordings reveal the 'weakness' of not an insignificant number 'one-trick' pony high-end systems."
I think this is the case where recordings were "bad" in a classical sense- Limiting, tonal balance, etc. ..... But not with recordings that use excessive digital processing. Unfortunately more and more recent pop recordings are tailored to sound best either as MP3 files or through a Bose Lifestyle type system. High-end playback only reveals the nasty artifacts of the excessive processing- These recordings weren't even intended to be played back this way.
If I had more of a liking toward modern pop music, I'd probably have a dedicated system, which would be non-high-end, to best enjoy it.
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