Audiophile Aesthetics: The philosophy of hifi

[John Phillips]

Maybe it's a age thing-I've certainly stopped obsessing over minutiae once I realised how easy it is for them to be lost/blurred, obscured in the human noise floor of mood, nasal congestion and ambient factors.Too many of my hifi buddies seem to be more concerned with what's missing-the meal never satisfies and thus they actually don't seem to enjoy the listen. …

Exactly the same for me.

I mentioned earlier that I continue to look at the definition of "good" in "good sound". After a tweaking phase many years ago I concluded that for me "good" encompassed the notion of "good enough". Embracing "good enough", not always embraced by audio enthusiasts, does introduce the idea of having achieved satisfaction.

… My formative years consisted of AM radio, Caroline, 208, Radio 1, Bush record player etc yet they all provided me with what I needed at the time.

At the time - yes - I have observed that for me "good enough" does change with experience, but fairly slowly these days.

It also leads to the need to understand just what aspect of sound is not "good enough" and to identify which non-trivial aspects of sound are causing dissatisfaction. For me at my last upgrade (12 years on from the previous upgrade) I made a five-point priority list and as a result bought much better loudspeakers. I also de-cluttered the system and introduced better streaming support, but these points were not to do with sound.

Great HiFi reproduction is just a bonus now but that said theres nothing quite like that visceral buzz you get from big JBL's or Tannoys pumping out a 3d image of Orbital or Taj Mahal in my front room...

Well, I may have different musical tastes but I know exactly what you mean.

 

[cooky1257]

I mentioned earlier that I continue to look at the definition of "good" in "good sound". After a tweaking phase many years ago I concluded that for me "good" encompassed the notion of "good enough". .

100%, experience gets me to a 'good enough' when my system leaves me in a satisfied state of mind during and after a listening session, a similar feeling to a nice meal, great movie, enjoyable company etc.

 

[tuga]

I've just learned that AIX Records offers some of their multi-channel recordings with two different perspectives: 5.1 “Stage” Surround and 5.1 “Audience” Surround.

Interesting. (not of much use to me though, I'm only using 2-channels)

 

[chartz]

I’m sick of the hi-fi/car analogy.
I hate cars, the very symbol of man’s silliness. The opposite of music.

 

[Achim]

I like wide bandwidth and high resolution, as well as a relaxed, holistic presentation. When those two extremes meet, that's my sweet spot I suppose.

I find it interesting that when today a system "does it for me", it is a common occurence that this system achieves to reveal to me traits in my favourite music that I discovered and cherished 40 years ago when I discovered these musics for the first time on far far inferior playback devices like cassette player, kitchen radio etc.

Must be the law of diminishing returns at work here somewhere.

 

[chartz]

Yes, this is so true. I enjoyed music 40 years ago on poor equipment as much as I do now on proper hi-fi.

 

[vinylslug]

I think what I've gained most from upgrading my Hi-Fi over the years is 'Texture'. Detail (or the illusion of it) is something that I'd noticed from when I first bought a CD player back in the 80s - it sounded streets ahead of my Sanyo midi system's tape deck! At each step I've perceptively revealed more detail, but it's only in the last couple of years, when I've decided to actually spend a bit of money, that I've been experiencing more texture in the music. A thumb sliding against a guitar string or a bow across a 'cello. It feels real. I'd never experienced that with 'lesser' equipment. I've gone as far as I'm prepared to go in terms of spending money, but if this experience of physical texture in music reproduction is increased and intensified as you go further up the ladder, then I completely understand why some people are prepared to spend massive amounts chasing infinitesimal improvements.

 

[vinylslug]

...having said that - I get a huge amount of enjoyment listing to my £20 bluetooth speaker suckered to the shower wall!

 

[Millennium]

I think it's partially certainly texture I've found, a lot of this is buried in that catch-all term 'soundstage' which remains an accurate term, sounds not at all seeming to come from the speakers but from some easy yet surprising place in front of me (with 2.0). I'm going to have another listen to the main system now and I'll edit this if I come up with something else. New speakers on Friday too so I have some chance (though not much...) ofr noticing some decent improvement.

 

[2ManyBoxes]

What I'm interested in is 3 things:

1) the musical rightness of the sound, does the next note sound like it should follow the note before
2) am I getting the emotion of the song
3) does it make rhythmic sense, is everyone playing in time and does the song progress from beginning to end

For my brain to get the above from a piece of music I need to be repeatedly hit over the head with it over many years. Then it'll finally sink in. So part of it is continuing my musical education so that I appreciate all music more.

Some people and most women seem to get music naturally without effort. That isn't the case with me, it's hard work with crap material like my brain.

 

[hockman]

A good system should communicate the music and its subtleties better, making it easier for you to "get" it. That's the main reason why I am willing to pay for better gear.