Passion, or ..... Precision?


Hi Guys, 

In the last 2 years I have finally built what I consider to be a fairly decent System. Namely, DCS Bartok, BHK 300 mono's and KEF Ref 5 Speakers. With the introduction of Qobuz, which is all I listen to now, I find myself searching out artists or tracks that sound amazing on my rig. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and find something I really like that also sounds amazing. Streaming is brilliant for this. However, when I revert back to the music that evokes the passion in me I find that it tends to be of poorer recording quality. I'm 58 now and grew up with the 70's/80's Heavy Rock scene with bands like Sabbath, Ozzy, Rainbow, Lizzy and my beloved Status Quo etc. Their early material just doesn't 'cut it' on a high end system (IMO) and I find it more fatiguing to listen to. Modern technology and attention to detail in the recording studio has really dated some of my favourite bands to the point I find it harder to listen to them.

Does anybody else share this experience?

cheers, Mark

128x128markprice

I dunno... although I can tell the difference between recordings quality, I have speakers that sound great with just about anything: Epi 100, and Klipsch Heresy IV. Just have to have the attitude: well, it’s Hank Williams, of course the recording isn’t audiophile-pristine... but the music’s great. Likewise, Black Sabbath and whatnot.  I wouldn’t even want speakers that need pristine recordings to enjoy the music; in fact, I had some and tried to like ’em, but they just weren’t worth the restrictions on music and on listening position, so out the door they went... I like non-picky practical all-arounders.

Also note that some music of yore was actually mastered to sound good in a car, on a typical cheap car radio/stereo playing FM over the air... or even AM. Plus with the ambient noise of a car, I do agree that crankin it up in the car is cool and why I insist on having a cd player in the car... I hear a lot of oldies but goodies that way, and can test out cd "new finds" from thriftstore without much commitment of time nor money.

Bass and treble controls are a wonderful thing, and it’s one reason why I like gear with actual knobs to make it easy just to reach out and adjust at whim. It’s one fault of my Marantz Ruby amp: no knobs.

OP, You appear to have gone down the familiar audiophile rabbit hole of using music to listen to your system rather than vice-versa. Of those who enter this vast labyrinthine network very few are able to return….

@markprice 

I find myself in the same boat. Pretty much exactly. Qobuz 90% of the time, opportunity to find music that I like and that SOUNDS great on my system. Then playing my vast collection of LPs and CDs makes it much harder to find that great SOUND to go with the music I love. Still some jewels in there, but not more than 20% at best. We are definitely entering a different era in the music experience. I only feel bad for the many folks who haven't jumped into the streaming world yet. I never thought I would, look at me now!

 

Yeah, this has happened to me.  
I previewed a NM ‘13 “blood red” vinyl re-issue of Reign in Blood by Slayer (considered by many to be the next-best-thing, vinyl-wise, to an OG pressing) on the record store’s lo-mid fi TT-headphone listening station (can’t remember the headphones, but nothing fancy, pretty sure the TT was a Technics SL-1200).
It sounded warm, clear, dynamic, and powerful.  
I had $50 in store credit at the time. My sister’s boyfriend had just gifted me some great records for my b-day. I asked my sister, “I want to get him something. What does he like?” When she said, “Slayer,” I knew I had a winner. I had them x-out my store credit, handed the Slayer LP to him and said, “merry Christmas.”  

We both were excited to listen on my fancier system (at the time a Pioneer SX-3700 driving Usher CP-6311s, a Clearaudio Concept Wood with CA Concerto V2 Wood MC and Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+)  

When we listened to it on my system, I noticed immediately how it sounded less cohesive, less “warm,” more shrill, just not at all like it sounded on their record store listening station.

Obviously kind of a bummer.  
Hip-Hop, Metal, Punk, etc. does not shine in my system.  
Well-recorded, well-mastered stuff sounds fantastic (particularly jazz) but this is something I’ve experienced that aligns with the OP.

Ozzy, Rainbow, Lizzy and my beloved Status Quo etc. Their early material just doesn’t ’cut it’ on a high end system (IMO) and I find it more fatiguing to listen to. Modern technology and attention to detail in the recording studio has really dated some of my favourite bands to the point I find it harder to listen to them.

Get yourself a pair of 70s speakers for a couple hundred dollars and listen to Ozzy and his brethren through those speakers. They should be sufficiently non-audiophile for you to enjoy your music. If that doesn’t do it, try buying a 70s receiver next.