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Soundstage. Is it only a constuction?

herb said:
I get the idea that wealthy audiophiles only play rock and pop, girl and guitar etc. I suppose I should end my subscription to hi-fi news until he retires.
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Again I think that is highly unfair. I’ve got to see a lot of people’s very expensive systems over the decades and I’m always more interested in the record collections! I can think of very few collections lacking significant depth and breadth. The better the system the wider it allows its owner to explore IME. The best encompass everything and are phased by nothing. The worst seem to constrain their owners in an endless loop of repeating the familiar. A good hi-fi is a music discovery tool. I’d accept nothing less than that.
 
I didn´t know the "Trinity Sessions" was considered a special recording, probably just as well, I might have held on the supposedly special Japanese virgin vinyl edition I bought back in the days when to me sound came before musical quality. Fortunately I listened to side 1 and promptly gave it to a mate who was made up - Discogs had it at over 100 quid !
I am now a medically confirmed one-eared wonder and if I am honest, I hear everything as if my left hand speaker were the right hand one, singers are easily a couple of yards left of that over in the corner and the right hand speaker is just an ornament to fill a space. Viva la musica !
 
Tony L said:
I disagree entirely, for me it is very present with live classical music, though I must admit I far prefer listening right at the front than in the middle of a huge hall. The back is simply awful to my ears, more room reverb, coughing and sneezing than actual music! My most memorable classical music experiences have been standing right behind the conductor at The Proms (Rattle/BPO was spectacular, just massive wide deep string sound on Mahler) and listening to string quartets, piano trios etc in smaller halls, again as close to the front as I can get. I want to see and hear what is happening as clearly as possible, easily follow various lines etc. I have regularly been to classical concerts and been able to identify instruments I was unfamiliar with by ear/location, so stereo image is certainly present. I guess this fits with my love of nearfield listening to hi-fi too.
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My normal seat is front row of Grand Circle, above the violins. Any image is of course distorted and I rely mostly on sight to locate the instruments, My stereo locates audio images very effectively - obviously the result of mic placement and studio practices. It is most impressive.

For concertos I sometimes sit in the front stalls and yes it is a completely different experience. Pianos thunder and violins sing. I must admit that my kit also does that well.

My last non classical concert was Jack Bruce doing Cream. Spectacular and providing huge, vague electronic images. Opera uses an orchestra in the pit, which is a different experience entirely.
 
tuga said:
I know of only two "real stereo" recordings of rock-pop, Cowboy Junkies' "The Trinity Session" and the last track of Tindersticks' 2nd album.
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The Silos - "The Silos" (aka "The One With The Bird On The Cover" was recorded with the Calrec Sound Field Microphone by the same guy who did the Cowboy Junkies album.

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Tony L said:
Again I think that is highly unfair. I’ve got to see a lot of people’s very expensive systems over the decades and I’m always more interested in the record collections! I can think of very few collections lacking significant depth and breadth. The better the system the wider it allows its owner to explore IME. The best encompass everything and are phased by nothing. The worst seem to constrain their owners in an endless loop of repeating the familiar. A good hi-fi is a music discovery tool. I’d accept nothing less than that.
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Kessler should review a more varied diet then, his choice of music is very limited - no jazz or classical at all. He gives the wrong impression.
 
herb said:
Kessler should review a more varied diet then, his choice of music is very limited - no jazz or classical at all. He gives the wrong impression.
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What do you mean “wrong impression”? If someone doesn’t like classical or jazz then their opinion as a reviewer is lessened?
 
herb said:
Kessler should review a more varied diet then, his choice of music is very limited - no jazz or classical at all. He gives the wrong impression.
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I have to admit I don’t think I’ve read one of his reviews since the mid to late 80s when IIRC he was running an AR Legend, SP8, KSA50 and LS3/5As and I think listening to Sam Cooke albums. I’ve no idea what has changed since. I’ve certainly discovered a lot of amazing new music in that time!

The only magazine I read these days is Stereophile, largely because I can’t be bothered to cancel the subscription. I have a lot of respect for the music collections of the late Art Dudley, Herb Reichert, Ken Micallef, Michael Fremer etc. They all like a lot of cool stuff across many genres and really have a deep knowledge about it. My kind of reviewer. By saying that I always liked KK too, he was often very funny and had clearly found his niche.
 
Tony L said:
Again I think that is highly unfair. I’ve got to see a lot of people’s very expensive systems over the decades and I’m always more interested in the record collections! I can think of very few collections lacking significant depth and breadth. The better the system the wider it allows its owner to explore IME. The best encompass everything and are phased by nothing. The worst seem to constrain their owners in an endless loop of repeating the familiar. A good hi-fi is a music discovery tool. I’d accept nothing less than that.
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QED!
 
Yank said:
The Silos - "The Silos" (aka "The One With The Bird On The Cover" was recorded with the Calrec Sound Field Microphone by the same guy who did the Cowboy Junkies album.
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Interesting info, and music. Thanks.
 
Amber Audio said:
What do you mean “wrong impression”? If someone doesn’t like classical or jazz then their opinion as a reviewer is lessened?
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Reviews are overrated anyway. Most are meaningless drivel, a mix of the writer's (subjective) taste and infomercial material taken from the manufacturer's brochure...
 
Amber Audio said:
What do you mean “wrong impression”? If someone doesn’t like classical or jazz then their opinion as a reviewer is lessened?
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A reviewer should take into account how an item performs with more varied source material. Others like DP manage to do it and Andrew Everard at least takes it seriously.
 
herb said:
A reviewer should take into account how an item performs with more varied source material. Others like DP manage to do it and Andrew Everard at least takes it seriously.
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There’s plenty of choice as you point out, just read their stuff, KK presumably writes for a chosen demographic who don’t worry about how classical or jazz would sound. HFN has other interesting stuff without reading any of the KK articles, whether worth your dosh dunno. Stereophile do a cheap digital Sub think I paid £12 for 15 months, gotta while away the lockdown somehow.
 
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