SQ vs. Music


What percentage of the time do you you listen to your set JUST for the SQ and what percentage do you listen to your set JUST for the music? 
I know the obvious answer is you do both, but can you honestly answer the question?
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I rarely listen to SQ:  it just creeps up on me sometimes, as in 'Holy crap, that sounds good'.

But on my crappy bedroom system--a cd player w/ a mixer and computer speakers--I will often adjust everything to make it sound as good as it can sound.   I admit, the 'quality of sound' is in this case likely more related to the quality of [I'll just call them ingested sound enhancers] than anything in the system itself.
Since childhood, music has been an overwhelming passion in my life.
Thats why it’s particularly disturbing to me when SQ becomes such a seductive force.
I would like to say that I always listen to the music first.

However that wouldn’t be true.

Just a few weeks ago I found myself beginning to feel a bit sick listening to the Jam compilation Direction Reaction Creation.

Something felt wrong, despite an apparently nice full sound there was a distinct lack of dynamics, particularly bad on the more punchy tracks such as Start! or Going Underground, Funeral Pyre etc.

I later managed to get hold of a copy of Snap! yet another compilation, but far closer to original vinyl, and all was well again.

Digital compression nowadays seems to be a huge problem with heavy rock as fans of bands such as Motorhead or the Dead Kennedys might testify.

Why anyone would want to deliberately mute the dynamics of music (essentially its life), especially of rock, is disturbing.

If the majority of consumers genuinely prefer that mush, then they need to get to an Hi-Fi dealer and see just what they’re missing.

Who knows, maybe when listening on some weak-assed Walmart system, they might feel that kind of compression is adding some much needed body to the sound?

If so, they’re ruining it for many of us who are not using such systems.

Having said all that I usually can forget about sound quality once the actual listening starts - providing the sound is listenable.

Of course I might never quite stop wanting a little more, I’m a long time recovering audiophile.
Thats why it’s particularly disturbing to me when SQ becomes such a seductive force.
This is true ONLY when some optimal point is not passed by... Or when some obstructive negative force working in the audio system impact our unconscious ears...Be it vibrations, too high level noise floor or some acoustical settings problems...

But passed some quality level, sound is no more an obstruction but the vehicule of music....

My system is not perfect, but i was listening yesterday on youtube a very costly system,7 figures one, compared to my 500 bucks system, and even in spite of the youtube formating, i discerned problems in the acoustic of the room that negatively affect the sound unbeknownst to the owner it seems...The instrumental timbre and timbre voices were fatiguing and unnatural even through my own system... 😁

Then listening to this high cost system i was prefering my low cost system in my room.... 😊

This is why there is no more upgrading costly upsetting dreams for me.....For sure if money were on my tree branch i will upgrade but it does not disturb me at all not being able to do so...

Controlling the three working embeddings dimensions of an audio system is way more rewarding than buying an illusion or a small increase in S.Q....





Acoustic controls for example are in general way more impactful than the changing of an amplifier.... Why people never figure it out ?

The answer is simple: consumer conditioning through audio reviews about gear and through audio threads... Couple that with an unconscious depreciation of the huge importance of the controls methods in the 3 working embeddings dimensions, calling these essentials controls methods now secondary addition of "tweaks".... And like everyone know almost all costly tweaks are alleged "snake oil"....😁 All the importance is shifted then on buying the new electronic design.... This is consumers conditioning not audiophile experience at all....

At the end it is not suprizing that most people dont have a clue about how to install their audio system....They end up frustated and never satisfied....
There’s nothing better than the synergy of music with good sound quality.
That makes the audiophile struggle all worth it.