LISTENING-what not to hear- OR THE BASE LINE
Hello Forum,
The idea that what we like to hear is very much influenced by previous experience- here we are talking of "reproduced sound" and not live sound.
It has just dawned upon me what DSJR Dave has been going on about Master tapes and CD and analogue and valves. He is as usual absolutely right. However-where I think he is wrong is that some how he is comparing the master tape-CD sound with the LP12 type sound.
I also realized that the "tizz" "ring" Euphony produced by Linn-Naim sound was wrong- It needs or took me literally yeas to get used to equipment which did not do that.
To put it simply- it is the dead-unimpressive sound that DSJR is talking about. Heard first it sounds utterly boaring. Well Tempered TTs were exactly like that and the same applies to VPI as well. They go enormous distances to "deaden" the sound- or "dampen it".
Then moving from Solid state (NOT CLASS A) to valves has the same effect- one can then add any number of variables- cables types, supports, cartridges etc and so on.
Then the methodology of what is 'better' sound system-utterly erroneous was introduced by the reviewers in the 80s. They started focussing on physical aspects of sound and NOT music.
We see examples of this on the forum-like the Piano hammer hitting the 'string'; like fingers plucking the string of the bass guitar; or the different skins of the drum!
These aspects of sound have nothing to do with the music the musician is trying to get across to you and might not actually be intended to be heard.
Imagine placing a microphone so close to a 9 foot Steinway?
DaveK's upgrade and listening
I was prompted by DaveK having been provided by some upgrades to improve sound reception.
This has made me return to my first intention for the thread-which was to raise a number of issues.
First of all- and briefly- people who sight read music- do not need nth degree of sound reproduction. That was the reason for putting the image of Mozart's caricatures in the score of his C Minor concerto K491. I do not sight read but professional musicians have to.
Anyway- listening the frequencies. Although most HI-FIs claim to have a frequency range of 20Hz to 20Khz- both extremes are outside the human ear's compass. There was a lot of excitement when the CD medium was new- that one could hear the conductor turning the pages of the score or the russle of people's clothes etc.
20Hz sound can only be reached by one music instrument- The Organ. But you do not hear it- you feel it as the seat you are sitting on or the walls start vibrating.
The sharpest sound of all wind instruments is made by the Piccolo- no where near even the 12Khz mark I would say.
Then in sound reproduction- or recording or listening- we have low soft pianissimo sounds-barely audible. One does not encounter this in Pop-Rock (examples- Dire Straits-"Down to the waterline" "Lions") much but is a nightmare with many classical works as any attempt to make the music more audible results in bringing out the Tape Hiss. The solution has- in my experience - always been expensive.
More later.
