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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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In Reply to: RE: Is this the article? posted by the old school on May 25, 2012 at 22:22:24:
High End is a term that makes little sense. The fact are pretty simple. A review magazine gets in 10 speakers and they MEASURE and review 10 speakers. 3 speakers win the "measurements are king" camp and the rest fair less well.
The AN E and AN J have been measured by several outfits over the years. Hi-Fi Choice measured both loudspeakers and they go further - they pitted both speakers in Blind Level matched sessions. Both speakers won their blind level matched shooutouts with a panel of listeners (a panel of reviewers and competing manufacturers).
The goal is to create the belief that music being created sounds like the real thing with all the tricks the manufacturer can come up with to trick the ears into beliving it. Making a flat on axis measuring speaker any half-wit with a computer program and the phone number to Seas, dynaudio, scanspeak and ribbons R Us can create. And usually create speakers that measure great and sound dreadful.
SET amplifiers are the worst measuring amps there are - in no way should anyone purchase one over a Bryston. Bryston got me interested in "High End or Hi-Fi" but so many people I know have dumped those amps or amps exactly like those and went to SET not because they measure better but because music sound more natural and like real music and not some digitized hyperglossy version of it.
You try and have it both ways. You want people to buy Analog - LP or Tape but digital CD and SACD measure FAR FAR better than the best vinyl played on the best vinyl players in the history of vinyl. Cheap CD players measure better - it is a FAR FAR better source from a measurements standpoint.
You can't pick and choose which measurement you want to follow. One pop or click on an LP is a GROSS distortion of the signal (a loud BANG) during a music passage is pretty big distortion (Surface noise) that NEVER happens on CD or SACD. Yet you choose to listen to and greatly prefer the realism that vinyl possesses over CD (and so do I) even though you have no technical leg to stand on (and neither do I).
We prefer the sound of vinyl because it sounds FAR FAR more NATURAL than CD sounds - I 100% agree with you - but that's because of a voodoo factor and "variable" factor that is being missed in the measurements somewhere along the way.
And this very same factor is present in SET amplifiers. Oh sure there are some aspects in the measurements of SET and vinyl that people tend to make the case may be the "why's" as to why these sound better - no global feedback, lack of crossover distortion, linearity of SET, for LP a lack of noise shaping and digital processing (after the fact error correction is anbalogous to high negative feedback in amps).
So why is it a stretch then to say - gee if vinyl and SET sound so very much better despite the measured response (invented and changed by the CD and SS manufacturers wanting to package cheap as superior) then why not also take a hard look at the mega corporations selling cheap speakers at higher prices.
Audio Note E speakers are designed to resonate like a cello - the entire design goal is to resonate (control the resonance frequencies and remove them as quickly as possible). So of course JA's waterfall plots are going to show up HUGE massive resonances - they're SUPPOSED to resonate. They tell you this right on the website. They are designed to release energy not damp it inside the cabinet to linger around forever which is why a Paradigm sounds like a dead box and the AN E sounds like music. There is no comparison when playing piano - and AN E sounds like a Piano is in the room - a Paradigm makes it sound like a speaker reproducing a disc and a series of pings and pedals.
Unlike the American press that salivates over such speakers the Brits have a clue - see link of the Paradigm Studio 60 below.
SET/Vinyl and 60 year old cabinet designs made by one of the world's best acousticians and opera house designers (LL Beranek) had a clue.
There is a reason why so many of the best companies are in the business of restoring Western Electric tube amps - I recently heard Line Magnetic's offerings and the sound is a huge cut above most any SS regardless of price that I have heard. Silbatone big horn systems and tubes destroy the yahoos blathering on about "Hi-Fi" and "High End" speakers from B&W and YG Acoustics. That stuff may be lab geek's dream but it's completely a-musical based on my auditions (granted only twice at shows).
High End or whatever word is popular should be changed to what is generate the gut response to make me want to listen to the music and involve me in the experience. What a speaker does at 3khz or 10khz or 28hz is all fine and dandy - who the F cares? It's the wrong question or focus.
If I am reading about an audiophile I start with questions like gee the guy owned PMC, ATC, Bryston, Quad, B&W, Paradigm, Revel, Krell, Mark Levinson, Chord and he he bought some goofball SET and AN E speakers - I don't start with why did he buy graphs and old time technology I start with what does it sound like? Why does it sound better? I see these technical issues in the graph but how does it translate in person?
And the reason I give the speakers that measure weird the benefit of the doubt is because of vinyl and SET.
If musically "Right" and "Correct" and "Enjoyable" is not considered "High End or Hi-Fi" then "High End and Hi-fi" is marketing rubbish.
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Follow Ups
- RE: Is this the article? - RGA 00:42:00 06/05/12 (1)
- RE: Is this the article? - the old school 21:58:32 06/05/12 (0)
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