Hi-fi cannot compete with reality

[marshanp]

...There's a piece in the classical repertoire where the string section are all beating their instruments with their bows as a percussion effect, wish I could remember what it is. A reproduction system can't approach it.

If you mean the col legno effect (with the wood of the bow bounced on the strings), it is used by quite a few composers. The earliest and perhaps most famous instance being Berlioz in the Witches' Sabbath finale of his Symphonie Fantastique. A great man for unusual orchestral sonorities, Berlioz...

Coming to Symphony Hall on February 2nd

 

[gingermrkettle]

Even Liverpool’s amazing horn-shaped Philharmonic Hall isn’t too great upstairs at the back

The Usher Hall is pretty special up there. The first f tutti in Sibelius 1 swelled beautifully when I heard it there.

 

[Del monaco]

Can hifi sound like music at a live venue? To me, they are very different experiences.

 

[chartz]

Hi-fi will never mimic the full scale and sheer power of a full orchestra of course, but it can do individual instruments pretty well.
For example I can get the sound of my piano, of my drum kit or clarinet pretty realistically.
But a big band orchestra, no. In reality it’s deafening!

 

[david ellwood]

In reality I challenge anyone to recreate miles Davis as well as my record player does.

 

[eisenach]

Symphony Hall, Birmingham has a great acoustic for the audience, but is a bit disconcerting to perform in, at least if you're an amateur. Not long after it opened, I sang there in a Birmingham Bach Choir concert. It felt like I was the only one on the stage. The sound just went out into the hall, and I could barely hear the people next to me, never mind what was going on in front.

For the first part of the second half, we legged it up to the top tier back seats, whilst a solo piano piece was performed. It was like the piano was just in front of me. Amazing.

 

[MUTTY1]

In reality I challenge anyone to recreate miles Davis as well as my record player does.

it maybe second best but it all we have ( in his case)

 

[cnocmoy10]

I'm never going to be able to hear Heifetz play at Carnegie Hall, but I can listen to him every night in my living room if I wish!

 

[Yank]

disconcerting

 

[Nic Robinson]

In reality I challenge anyone to recreate miles Davis as well as my record player does.

The other week I was at Conway Hall (Barbican) to hear Alison Balsom with Britten Sinfonia. One of the things they did was a recreation of Concerto de Aranjuez from Sketches of Spain in collaboration with the amazing Scott Stroman. Actually the band were incredible (BS is essentially freelance so can be infinitely flexible on ensemble and specific personnel). But the soloist really didn't get it. Which was odd as it was apparently her idea. Put it this way: it became clear pretty quickly that Ms Balsom was far from the best trumpeter in the room...at least in that genre.

 

[Darmok]

It always depends on the acoustic space.

My last really good / excellent listing space was, 28' long, 18' wide and the ceiling was 15' high.

A Hi-Fi friend described my sound reproduction as, " Stadium Rock."

System...

Garrard 401, Decca Unipivot Arm, Decca SC4E cartridge, Marantz 4240 Receiver (Used as a Pre-Amp) Radford STA25/3 and Goodmans Tri-Axiom 1220 L/ Speakers.

It easily out performs most PA systems I have heard except for Oxfords Brookes University's PA, that PA Stonks. heheh

I now have tinnitus in my left ear as a price for pure pleasure.

 

[k90tour]

Symphony Hall, Birmingham has a great acoustic for the audience, but is a bit disconcerting to perform in, at least if you're an amateur. Not long after it opened, I sang there in a Birmingham Bach Choir concert. It felt like I was the only one on the stage. The sound just went out into the hall, and I could barely hear the people next to me, never mind what was going on in front.

Interesting.
I used to regularly play in a youth orchestra in the Fairfield Halls, Croydon.
And there too, it felt as though you were on your own. I can still feel it now, now that you've reminded me.

 

[k90tour]

I'm never going to be able to hear Heifetz play at Carnegie Hall, but I can listen to him every night in my living room if I wish!

Apparently, Heifetz was not well represented on his recordings. He liked to be very closely miked, which made him sound much harder than he really was.
I had a violin teacher that played on some of his London recordings. Said he was truly amazing, if you liked such blazing intensity.

 

[cnocmoy10]

I do!!

 

[rough edges]

It seems to me that Heifetz preferred somewhat brisk tempi, which works some, but not all of the time. His recordings of Sibelius and Bruch are peerless, IMHO, but for me, his Beethoven sounds fairly rushed. Oistrakh and Milstein are more to my taste, FWIW, both having a tone that haunts one’s soul. It all depends on what one prefers.
Live music and home audio are apples and oranges. Each has their advantages, but in the end, when it’s 25 degrees below zero and snowing like a bitch, I’m glad to have audio gear that makes me want to listen to music. That means a lot…

 

[TheDecameron]

Symphony Hall has stunning acoustics!

Gary

It also has a fantastic orchestra!

 

[Colin L]

Posted this in the "other" what are you listening to thread..

"Blimey, I played this last night at concert-levels (the volume kept creeping up it was so intoxicating - 105db peaks at 4m).
Amazing block-busting live recording - hugely dynamic and vigorous interpretation".

When you have a sufficiently capable system, with the right speakers, with amps capable of clean power, you can get very close to the concert experience.

 

[John Phillips]

... "Blimey, I played this last night at concert-levels (the volume kept creeping up it was so intoxicating - 105db peaks at 4m).
Amazing block-busting live recording - hugely dynamic and vigorous interpretation".

When you have a sufficiently capable system, with the right speakers, with amps capable of clean power, you can get very close to the concert experience. ...

... with the right recording. And I see this one is on Qobuz so I will try it too when the opportunity arises.

I do agree with the OP and most later contributors that live performance is always better for many values of "better". However, to me the art of improving a home audio system is to identify with good enough sources what it is that the system is doing wrong that detracts from real experience. Then find equipment which eliminates the most annoying elements of what's wrong. Then repeat until you have no choice but to be satisfied with what you have.

It's a matter of personal taste of course, and how you want to pursue the hobby. But on my third identifiable system I think I am close enough because I haven't identified anything consistently wrong is some years. And IMHO clean 105 dB SPL peaks needs loudspeaker / amplifier combinations that can actually do more, so that they are operated sufficiently within their limits at this level. Keith Howard wrote a good article in HFN (pdf) entitled "Loud Loudspeakers".

It can't be an exact reproduction of everything that's great about being in a concert hall, but I too think you can get to a reasonably similar audio experience at home.

 

[Colin L]

Mine not on Qobuz. DSD64 version DR21.

 

[bobovox]

Posted this in the "other" what are you listening to thread..

"Blimey, I played this last night at concert-levels (the volume kept creeping up it was so intoxicating - 105db peaks at 4m).
Amazing block-busting live recording - hugely dynamic and vigorous interpretation".

When you have a sufficiently capable system, with the right speakers, with amps capable of clean power, you can get very close to the concert experience.

It’s a super performance and nicely recorded to boot. Many of my favourite recordings were made in the Concertgebouw Hall. I’ve only ever heard the CD layer though - iirc the SACD layer is multi-channel. For me stereo can never be more than a “window” onto a performance - it can be a hugely enjoyable window, but multi-channel is necessary to even border on a feeling of “being there”.

Pre-COVID I was a semi-regular concert-goer, although it’s now been almost two years and a change of speakers since I’ve been in a concert hall. However, I don’t think I have ever heard a system which convincingly reproduces orchestral bass - I suspect it’s not possible in a domestic room. Also, most recordings present a slightly unrealistic balance between instruments, particularly the balance between soloist and orchestra in a concerto. I’ve started to question if reproducing the concert hall experience exactly really matters though - provided the sound is clear and free from any obvious faults and the tonality of each instrument is realistic.