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The Sound of Live Music

67.23.216.74

Posted by krrodman on April 16, 2006 at 09:42:58

The holy grail, for anyone smitten with the audiophile bug, is to reproduce live music through our home stereos. I spent the last week listening to live music, primarily classical(piano, string trio, solo violin and cello) up close and personal. I could sit as close or as far away as I chose(trying to emulate front row vs midhall)paying particular attention to the things that matter most to me; timbre, soundstaging, dynamics and clarity. I went home with the sound of live music burnt into my brain.

When I got home from my trip, I immediately put on my favorite classical pieces and was completely surprised at just how different live music is from home stereo except for the very finest of recordings. Here are my impressions:

1. We spend alot of time in audiophile circles debating the merits of tube vs SS. In my mind it is really a debate over timbre(tube) vs. clarity(SS). LIVE MUSIC HAS BOTH PROPER TIMBRE AND CLARITY. My tube amps are often able to bring out the wood vibrato of a violin, but in many recordings the music is "dark" and somewhat veiled when compared to live music. Altenatively, solid state has clarity and dynamics, but is often "sterile" when compared to live music.

2. I really love the precise soundstaging of my audio system. For example, in a string quartet I can see exactly where each performer sits and if the violinist sways from one side to another, the sound of his violin moves with him. LIVE MUSIC IS NOTHING LIKE THAT. The sound of the instruments blend in such a way that(again using the string quartet), the four instruments almost become one. Yes, if you close your eyes and concentrate it becomes clear that the violin and cello sit on opposite sides of the quartet, but the space is not defined like in reproduced music. Rather, and this is really the point, live music envelopes the listener in a way that reproduced music does not. The clearly defined soundstage that we audiophiles prize, in my opinion, actually takes away from the totality of the music. Live music is much more involving because it completely takes over the listening environment.

3. Finally, dynamics in live music is astounding, even in classical music. Perhaps, if I had more tube power, or a SS amp I might feel differently, but the dynamics of live music allow for an emotional involvement that is not always present in reproduced music.

I love my system, but alas, my search for the holy grail continues.

My system:

AMPLIFIER: WAVELENGTH AUDIO TIMPANI 300B PP MONOBLOCKS(25 WATTS/CH)
SPEAKERS: SILVERLINE AUDIO LA FOLIA MK II
SOURCE: WADIA 302
INTERCONNECTS AND POWER CORDS: AUDIENCE
SPEAKER CABLE: CARDAS NEUTRAL REFERENCE
POWER FILTER: AUDIOMAGIC STEALTH

regards

richard rodman

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