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RE: Are we discussing test equipment or audio systems?

Nice response.

I'm not going to continue to defend the objective listeners position because I don't agree with it and ultimately my pov is going to be very similar to yours. All I want to say on that is people can define the job of the stereo to be whatever it is they want it to be. I don't think that more than a few audiophiles are capable of building a true and accurate musical reference using that methodology inspite of what they believe. In fact I think the dissatisfaction with their results leads to continued purchasing but that's just what I've observed.

Where you lose me is with a comment like "That includes the ludicrous attempts at making bad recordings sound better. If it was engineered badly, you can't replace what isn't there with gear ... or Mrytlewood (hehe)."

You sound so much like a recording engineer! What's a bad recording? Heck a bad recording sounds like a bad recording but in my book that doesn't mean it sounds bad. And a good recording sounds like a good recording but it doesn't mean it sounds good. Of course our stereos should be good enough to differentiate recording quality but it's the quality of the inaccuracy within the system that threatens to limit our ability to enjoy a diversity of recordings or may enable us to enjoy a wider diversity.

I'm not saying compression, clipping and eq sounds good but given reasonable volume levels lots and lots of popular music can deliver great listening experiences for those who are interested.

Like I said in my response to your Original Post, the most measureably accurate stereo may be the best but given the fuzzy specifications for the universe of recorded works it seems highly unlikely it would be chosen by listening. Of course one could select recordings that tend to substantiate any desired conclusion.

I agree there is no magic - there's only selecting equipment that works well together whose shared strengths and compromises best meet the owners expectations.




Edits: 11/25/12 11/25/12

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  • RE: Are we discussing test equipment or audio systems? - Goober58 09:58:05 11/25/12 (0)

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