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Detailed sound? Real?

I have read about many audiophiles wanting more detail and air around the instruments to improve realism. usually, when i hear a system with these qualities, the sound is almost always thin and fatiguing. When I hear live music, it never sounds like air around the instruments and detailed. Most detailed systems sound way too detailed. When i hear live music, there is a sense of air, but not around the instruments. Actually, many times it sounds natural and mono. It seems to me that detailed systems are probably the most unrealistic in audio. Yesterday I heard a live performance of a piano and sax. The piano was so muffled sounding, much more so than on any system I have recently heard. The sax sounded more detailed, but still not like the stereos portray it. I think the secret to listening is to find something that sounds good and that you can listen to without fatigue. Natural Timbre, color and good bass, not overblown but good, gets you closer to the real thing IMHO
tzh21y

Showing 2 responses by dcstep

dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Tzh21y, great observation and question.

A great piano, in a great room, with the lid open and turned in the right direction will not sound muffled. OTOH, many piano recordings actually place the mics inside the lid!!! My favorite recordins place the mic to the side, not far from the piano and mimic live piano that I've heard in a small recital space. It can be done, but MOST piano recordings will not reflect this.

"Detail" does NOT mean elevated highs, with extra tizz. For me it's about inner detail and richness with no etching on the top. Most systems at RMAF erred toward tizzy, thin highs instead of realism and richness.

AS Mapman said, you need to be able to listen without fatigue and hear details that are realistic, given the perspective of the mic. Finding great recordins is every bit as hard as building a great system.

Dave
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
"Do we hear in stereo or Mono?"

I think that the answer is, "it depends". Generally, at an acoustic concert you'll hear the performers in something close to mono, with very little left/right distinction. A brass quintet, for instance, will only sound "stereo" if you're able to sit on stage. In the auditorium it'll sound mono, although there will be some very small left/right clues.

To simulate an orchestra or large organ you need a large system in a large room. Many of us hear have actually heard a pretty convincing reproduction of a marching band on a football field. Kimber's IsoMike recordings give very good size and direction cues. Still, those mics are relatively close to the stage, more so than any seat, so you'll hear more cues on playback. However, in a large room, sitting well back, you'll hear mostly mono.

Performance replication is actually very possible with only small compromises, BUT at what cost. Most need to compromise for budget and space issues and end up with a scaled down replica of the "real thing."

Dave
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