Hi-Rez Highway

RE: "I find that surround tends to obscure tonal deficiencies"

68.183.100.107

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Hi-Rez Highway ]

I'm not the first to mention that surround sound can make it more difficult to discern timbral inaccuracies. Harry Pearson of The Absolute Sound brought this up in his Workshop column about a year ago. I can only speculate that the additional speakers somehow distract the ear and brain to lessen the ability to focus on the direct sound from the instruments.

This can happen in live concerts, in the Berlioz Requiem, for example. There is a certain *wow* factor, but it can be distracting. I heard a concert at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA. There are two organs, front and back, and two sets of horizontal trumpets, left and right. The organist decided to exploit this to the hilt. The sound was coming from four directions, and everyone was turning their heads to try to maintain orientation. It was a thrilling performance, but it was only when the organist went back to a piece played only on the front organ that I was able to fully appreciate the tonal beauty of the performance.

Have you noticed how the style of orchestral recording has changed since the introduction of digital sound? The perspective is more distant and there is more reverberation. Engineers did this to make the sound more acceptable to the ear. With the advent of higher rez formats, SACD and DVD-Audio, there is the beginning of a move back in the other direction, more like the classic analogue recordings. The Fischer recording is an example of this. SACD recordings, especially if done with the Meitner convertors, can stand the closer scrutiny.


Follow Ups:

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

 Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Hi-Rez Highway ]
[ Comment ] [ Edit ] [ Delete ] [ Copyright Warning! Click for Details ]
[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2007, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]