In Reply to: RE: Stereophile coverage of the same system posted by 4everyoung on January 19, 2016 at 06:02:23:
Thanks for your contribution and I do not entirely disagree.
But I view things a little differently.
If a room sounds fantastic to an experienced listener with a long enough track record that people have been able to compare the writer's writings to their own experience, I can easily go along with, the room sounded fantastic.
And I cut it off right there. The room as a room sounds fantastic, and someone who was not involved in setting up the room really can't divvy up the respective roles the source, the electronics, the cables, and the speakers played.
So, I think "Fantastic" is easy. And for me, it usually happens only once or twice per show.
The really hard thing is trying to separate out unfortunate room effects from whatever the equipment is doing. And so when a reviewer says, this room sounded like Adele was singing into a box of Kleenex, that may reflect what he heard but it certainly is not the last word on any piece of equipment in that system.
The prototype of my S/PDIF cable was the smallest part of Grace Design's RMAF room. I did not attend, but, a couple of real veteran journalists (and one poster on AA) said it was one of the better-sounding rooms at the Show. But even taking that at face value, there was a bit of slight of hand involved! The system was built along the lines of, "First, Do No Harm" and "Bite Off Less, Chew More Carefully." The Luxman tube amp might have seemed a strange choice, but, better to err in the direction of listenability, especially when the first row of seats is so close.
I attach a photo (By JVS, courtesy of Stereophile) because it was a really cool setup, especially the ritzy acoustical panels from Delta H Design, which are intended to go right up against the back of the speakers. In an ideal world, the speakers would have been flush against the wall behind, but obviously impossible there.
The point being, the system as a whole reportedly from many sources sounded very musical, but I think that really is all anyone could say. And if you were setting up in a totally different room, different speakers and electronics might have been necessary to get the same subjective sonic impressions.
ATB,
JM
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Follow Ups
- "Fantastic" is easy... But in a brief listen, it's hard to get a fix on "Eh..." - John Marks 07:50:13 01/19/16 (6)
- I don't think we really see things so differently - 4everyoung 08:26:22 01/20/16 (5)
- Ayre, with which speakers? (+Interesting Photo) - John Marks 12:56:29 01/20/16 (4)
- Speakers? - 4everyoung 23:29:32 01/20/16 (3)
- Ya never can tel... - Ivan303 07:19:21 01/21/16 (2)
- RE: Ya never can tel... - 4everyoung 08:42:14 01/21/16 (1)
- RE:. "Nice people, but the ugliest speakers I've even seen." - Ivan303 09:34:24 01/21/16 (0)