Boring music or boring hifi?
- Thread starter James
- Start date
sideshowbob
Champagne fascia aficionado
What the hell are you on about?
I agree too but it goes further-I heard a track by Will Oldham a few days ago and commented that it was as if it was recorded in Iceland and low and behold it was- I've also been reading about how music can effect us emotionally without realising like a subliminal response which I get much more through my stereo now than i did with "lesser" equipment...
337alant
Negatively Biased
I have both and think they are both brilliant versions, I only posted this as it is an excellent track that is normally guaranteed to have this effect
"The children spontaneously bopping around the room.
An automatic tapping of the foot.
A flinch from a smartly hit drum.
Shivers down the spine during delicate musical moments"
Funk at its best
The term jiving means to dance
Alan
Space is the Place
pfm Member
darrylfunk
Banned
i know what you mean alan
jive is a type of swing and rock and roll dancing like the jitterbug.
mainly a 4/4 beat with a swing is the chosen type of music.
i quite like awb they were certainly a great band in the 'funking' sense even when they got quite smooth sounding later on.
you can hear there 'foot tapping-ness' even on that youtube clip though, certainly do not need a certain brand of hi fi to hear that.
alanjive is a type of swing and rock and roll dancing like the jitterbug.
mainly a 4/4 beat with a swing is the chosen type of music.
i quite like awb they were certainly a great band in the 'funking' sense even when they got quite smooth sounding later on.
you can hear there 'foot tapping-ness' even on that youtube clip though, certainly do not need a certain brand of hi fi to hear that.
Space is the Place
pfm Member
[YOUTUBE]hajlzzO-AP0[/YOUTUBE]
Tis a nice studio.
Have you got this album Simons?
http://welistenforyou.blogspot.com/2009/11/brian-harnetty-bonnie-prince-billy.html
it's fantastic.
Tis a nice studio.
Have you got this album Simons?
http://welistenforyou.blogspot.com/2009/11/brian-harnetty-bonnie-prince-billy.html
it's fantastic.
Indeed.
DevillEars
Dedicated ignorer of fashion
Apologies for partial quote and for singling out one post...
Let me re-phrase this quote to read more in line with "impersonal reality":
Proper hi-fi should endeavour to reproduce as accurately as possible, for the listener, the total musical experience as:
- Intended by the composer/songwriter who actually wrote the music;
- Interpreted by the individual musicians who actually performed the music;
- Re-assembled by the recording engineer responsible for final mix/master.
In this three-part chain, while parts one and two are crucial, the most influential factor is potentially the last one - as the recording engineer has the last word in any "discussion", and can significantly affect the end-result.
The problem with "impersonal reality" is that it completely ignores those characteristics that make us - the listeners - human beings.
Which, in turn, raises some issues with the original quote:
The term "proper hi-fi" has connotations of snobbery so let's just reword it for now to read "ideal hi-fi"
Next, let's examine us humans and those factors that govern our enjoyment of music (and do so using a rather unusual analogy):
- Means
- Motive
- Opportunity
Means implies investments made in source media, reproduction chain (hi-fi), and listening environment.
Motive drags in some real fuzzy stuff - why we listen to music, what we want achieve by the process, etc.
Opportunity adds some other wrinkles based on where we are physically at the time of listening - in the main listening room, in a car, on a train, at work.
These three factors interact in a series of complex by-plays that are further influenced by non-audio external factors, so to assume that the combination of means, motive and opportunity is always static and that our enjoyment of music can be linked solely to some concept of "proper hi-fi" and that those by-products of enjoyment can only occur when "proper hi-fi" is involved, is a wee bit over-simplistic.
Coming back to Means, Motive and Opportunity for a moment, I find that Opportunity tends to be the major driver for listening - life in the 21st millennium does not exactly abound with free time for those of us who need to earn a living. So, quite often, that Opportunity turns out to be commute time in the car. "Proper hi-fi"? Probably not! Enjoyable? Definitely!
When Opportunity presents itself, Motive tends to dictate what types of music or genres we will pick from. In this context, those external factors come into play - our health at the time, how tired we are, our mood, etc. each influence our Motive - or what we want to achieve by experiencing music.
Means is just that - the means in terms of available examples of source media, replay chain and venue that match the "filters" presented by Opportunity and Motive.
So, coming back to the re-worded phrase of "ideal hi-fi"...
There is no single panacea where one replay system can be "ideal" in all circumstances of Means, Motive and Opportunity.
What there are, are multiple specific and personal instances of systems that fit the circumstances and - while far from being "proper hi-fi" - produce most of the enjoyment factors listed: sparkle in the eyes; tapping of the feet; improved mood; etc.
And that's what it's all about!
PS: Apologies for lengthy monologue (I got carried away...)
I have everything else but this-had no idea that it existed-
Here is another Scandinavian band that I like. Not sure about the availability of the record so if you like I can send to you-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fBQIoVERxA
...this is them in Brighton a few years back when they stayed with us-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCydaT5gc7c
Si
darrylfunk
Banned
nicely put. dv ears.
i think although you point out the composer as crucial and the producer/engineer/mastering engineer as more important, this is the only bit i cannot agree with.
i think the original dialogue of music is always the fundamental element in regards enjoying it (music) but the engineer of the end result does have a massive responsibility to the music too.
now to wait for some 'prats' to come along and say this is all incorrect.
i think although you point out the composer as crucial and the producer/engineer/mastering engineer as more important, this is the only bit i cannot agree with.
i think the original dialogue of music is always the fundamental element in regards enjoying it (music) but the engineer of the end result does have a massive responsibility to the music too.
now to wait for some 'prats' to come along and say this is all incorrect.
Nik
pfm Member
Has anyone ever heard or read of 'Porcupine Tree' outside hi-fi dealers or forums? I'd never heard of them until recently. I have to say I have an aversion to music that seems to be liked only by "audiophiles".
sideshowbob
Champagne fascia aficionado
Music can indeed have a very strong sense of place, I have no problem with that idea.
Space is the Place
pfm Member
darrylfunk
Banned
i think they are a little bit to 'prog' now, i didn't dislike the first 2 l.p.'s but now i find it boring.
they are known in hi fi dealers because they were reviewed years ago as the new pink floyd which to me is a horrendous thought!!!!
they are known in hi fi dealers because they were reviewed years ago as the new pink floyd which to me is a horrendous thought!!!!
Steven Toy
Accuphase newbie
I doubt it. Could you please elaborate on this straw man?
darrylfunk
Banned
steven - just what has this got to do with this thread?
if your post doesn't prove you are obsessed with following me around the forum like a bad smell i don't know what does!
perhaps you care to elaborate on the original subject?
Has anyone ever heard or read of 'Porcupine Tree' outside hi-fi dealers or forums? I'd never heard of them until recently. I have to say I have an aversion to music that seems to be liked only by "audiophiles".
They get mentioned on here quite a lot is it. I thought I would listen to them on Spotify. I did, no need to buy any records or CDs then, not for me.
They come accross as Prog-Rock Lite. I am sure lots of people admire the musicianship and the production techniques and that makes them popular with those people there.
DS
