Musical texture

[PaulStewart]

Sad to hear the news about Jane Birkin's daughter, but it got me to thinking about Jane's career as a singer and I put one of my favourite Serge Gainsbourg albums on, which ends side two with "Je t'aime… moi non plus". I remember listening to this banned track when I was a kid...... Brought home to me what an incurable audiophile I have become, when I found my self concentrating on the incredible texture of the bass. :lol:

[John]

:lol:

[PaulStewart]

On a more serious note, I've had a couple of mates round over the last two days to hear the system with the latest bits and tweaks. The first has just returned to London after living in Colorado for a few years, as well as being a music lover himself his wife is an actress and musician from a family of pro classical performers. So you can imagine they had a good set up, including some DCM Time Windows, Yamaha amps, Pioneer DD TT etc. When I put the first disc on (Sketches of Spain, Miles Davis) as you hear Miles breathe in just before he starts to blow, he turned to me and said "Wow, just wow I have never heard that before". Later we spoke of the detail and the way you could appreciate the different textures of the instruments. He said that sometimes on other systems he felt overwhelmed by the amount of detail, but this had all the detail and separation and texture and just sounded the best he had ever heard.

Today, I had someone who many rate as one of the finest exponents of British blues guitar. despite the fact he's from California, Stephen Dale Petit plays regularly with the likes of Dr. John, Rolling Stones Mick Taylor and Ronnie Wood and Dick Taylor of the Pretty Things (who was the original bassist in the Stones). The list is a long one and knowing his music I wanted to get his opinion. Starting with his new album Cracking the Code, he said it was the best he had ever heard it, since the studio, this album is an analogue recording which was first released on vinyl BTW. His first observation was that he could hear everything, nothing got in the way of other instruments it was all there where it should be. He said as he has before, that he couldn't hear the system just the music.

With the latest changes, the signal now goes through no SS devices, everything is valve, even the Art Audio VPS pre, though I use it in passive mode, has a valve buffer. All the cables are either silver or silver plated OFC/hybrids. One thing that is very special is the textures of things like bass instruments. The Lockwoods are not designed using Theile Small parameters, which I think often give a one note bass feel to low frequencies. The upshot is that everyone who has heard the system now, rates the way it resolves the music in the room and you get to realise how important texture and tone of individual instruments are.

Cheers

[Macca]

you get to realise how important texture and tone of individual instruments are.



Yep

It is the difference between a good hi-fi system and something that really does make music and elicits that 'wow' response, even from the truly jaded. Not that my humble system does that, but I have got it to come close in the past with some combinations of kit. And I've heard a few quite expensive systems that just don't do it at all.

[MartinT]

The very first time I ever discussed bass texture with a mate was some 30 years ago when listening to his LS3/5as through an Art Audio Quintet. Ever since then, bass texture or quality has been much more important to me than sheer extension or power.