Most difficult musical instrument for Hi Fi Systems to reproduce ?

[Light Dependant Resistor]

IMO its the piano, there is a lot to understand about audio systems, if the piano as a specific instrument is listened to.

The piano of course disguises to a degree what is causing it to do what it does, as it is percussive.

What instrument would you say is the most difficult, for HiFi Systems ?

[anthonyTD]

Pipe organ!

IMO its the piano, there is a lot to understand about audio systems, if the piano as a specific instrument is listened to.

The piano of course disguises to a degree what is causing it to do what it does, as it is percussive.

What instrument would you say is the most difficult, for HiFi Systems ?

[Light Dependant Resistor]

Pipe organ!

Interesting choice ! Hymns Organs spheres by Keith Jarrett explores that instruments boundaries - have you heard that piece ?

[anthonyTD]

No, i havent heard that piece Chris.
Pipe organ is a very difficult instrument for a hi-fi system to reproduce for one paticular reason and that is; its capability to reproduce very low frequency with such power, and virocity!

Interesting choice ! Hymns Organs spheres by Keith Jarrett explores that instruments boundaries - have you heard that piece ?

[Sherwood]

Without question: the human voice!

[User211]

Without question: the human voice!

Nah it's not full range enough and therefore not a real challenge.

To be really challenging it needs to be very full range.

Stand next to a real drum kit and then go and listen to most hi-fi systems do it. The dynamics on real drums are absolutely incredible. And they're very full range.

Note most hi-fi systems can sound good just playing drums but they are nowhere near the real thing.

[Swann36]

Following on from the Pipe organ ....i'm going to add Bagpipes which to my ears sound completely different in real life to any recorded music i've heard

[Flo]

I’ve always felt a full drum kit and cymbals are near impossible to reproduce, I used to share flat with band. It’s the ability to simultaneously combine force and finesse with multiple textures, tempos and tones that few systems can mimic. Up close the volume and dynamics are scary, it’s why drummers are notoriously deaf.

I often tune speakers using under milk wood with Richard burton As voice is so rich and diction so perfect.

[Mikeandvan]

Gabba hardcore.

[Landloper]

IMO its the piano, there is a lot to understand about audio systems, if the piano as a specific instrument is listened to.

The piano of course disguises to a degree what is causing it to do what it does, as it is percussive.

What instrument would you say is the most difficult, for HiFi Systems ?

Good call for a thread.

I listen to recorded opera, lieder, and chamber music, and also have spent some time in the concert halls listening to the same stuff live. There's a fairly wide gulf between the two, usually in favour of real over electronically reproduced sound (though not inevitably so). In my opinion the human voice is the hardest to reproduce properly. This has been my conviction for the last couple of decades and I've spent a fair amount of money trying to progress up the hi-fi ladder pursuing a balanced set-up that did some justice to the artists and composers I was interested in. For me much of my thinking about hi-fi has been how rto educe the simulacrum effect that listening music through hi-fi seems to involve, but especially where works have one or more vocal parts. It seems to me that technology still has some way to go. Of course, those canny enough to have made better choices in what equipment they have bought, and those fortunate enough to have been able to afford more capable gear, might have more encouraging exeriences to relate.