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"Air, Extension, Resolution" Music or Hi Fi?

I have mentioned in other threads my efforts to tame the treble on my Tympani IV a's which has led to a number of upgrades:

tweaky resistors in line with the tweeters
MYE stands
a Musical Fidelity tube buffer
new tubes for the Audio Research SP11
new Signal Cable speaker cables and interconnects

Once in a while, with the right recording, late at night, the system sounds very, very good, and although not quite the midrange magic of my Apogess Stages with Jadis preamp and Aragon 4004 MK II, probably some of the best "sound" I have ever heard.

But to be honest, I dont find myself compelled to go and listen to the system and often, the system still sounds fatiguing.

Ever the audiophile, I have wondered if

Rives Audio room treatment and/or
Replacing the SCD-1 with a TURNTABLE

would really restore the passion that got me into this hobby nearly 30 years ago.

But reading an ad for Tympani 1-Ds on ebay a couple of days ago gave me a Eureka?! moment:

As much as the ribbon tweeters sound really impressive, with air, extension and detail that the non ribboned models clearly dont have...

...I am suddenly wondering if all of this comes at the expense of the MUSIC.

I cant ever remember, for example, listening to my Magneplanr MG-1Bs, for example, and saying:

"I stayed up all night listening to MUSIC, but sadly the experience was ruined by my craving for more "extension" "air" and/or "inner detail".

All of this is making me wonder if the evolutionary push for "transparency" "lifting veils" "inner detail" "resolution" is exactly what turns music into hi fi, and if I might enjoy a newly restored pair of Tympani 1D's more than my Tympani IVa's.

Just my latest thought.....thank you for listening.
cwlondon

Showing 1 response by sns

sns
3,003 posts
 
I experienced the same feelings as I built my present system over the past couple of years or so. My former system didn't have nearly the same resolution and detail yet was much more satisfying musically. Finally, after much trial and error with room acoustic treatments I can once again enjoy my system with both the head and heart. The room is a large percentage of your sound, and if that room is not right you are not hearing what your system is capable of.
I've probably taken the hard road in becoming informed as I've used a trial and error method to determine which treatments work best. If I had to do it all over again I would use Rives to design my room. It is also critical to finish all the room treatments before making any judgements. Absorption and diffusion are both necessary, and a somewhat large expenditure in time (if DIY treatments) and/or money is also needed.
With proper absorption and diffusion your bright highs can be vanquished, replaced by harmonically rich, palpable mids and highs. Believe me, you can enjoy extreme resolution and detail and not feel musically deprived!
I've also found that AC and speaker placement are also critical, get these three things right and you should be most of the way there to acheiving a musically satisfying system.
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