Strange stuff indeed!
Forget live, you'll never get it. The best any of us can hope for is SOME of the aspects of a live performance in our playback systems. This is why we all say "listen for yourself". You're always going to be choosing the type and/or amount of colorations that most appeal to you. DougDeacon and I have almost identical analog systems, until you get to the speakers. That's seems to be the component that is most subjected to personal tastes and preferences. Seems strange on the face of it, but perhaps not when you consider we all diverge to some extent when it comes to the genre of music we each prefer and even what we may emphasis within a particular genre.
Then you take those components that sounded so good at the show or at some other place into your listening room and suddenly the magic isn't there. Or vice-versa.
Same with recommendations. We all ask for them, give them and listen to them to some extent. Some of the worst system performance I've experienced in my home has come from components and cables I've tried based on the high recommendation of others whose opinions I hold in high regard. Synergy is important.
On the flip side I've been able to make great improvements in my system based on feedback from people who hear my system. It is amazing to me that I, or anyone, can listen to their system day after day and be happy with the sound. Or maybe not quite sure what is missing, or just plain wrong. Then your friend comes in and within 5 minutes tells you exactly what is going on. Sometimes when this happens you begin to recognize what they were saying. Sometimes this happens right away, sometimes it hits you a few weeks later. Sometimes you can accept it and be happy, sometimes you go to the ends of the earth to correct it. Which sometimes only takes you back to square one.
Maybe it isn't any component or the system as a whole. Maybe it is the room interaction. Do you need acoustic treatments? Probably, but which ones and how many and where to place them?
But with so many other hobbies you can measure in some way the improvement or degradation of a change. In this hobby you can't always find a difference using test equipment or some other empirical data. The only test you have is how it sounds to you in your system in your listening room.
Strange stuff indeed! Sometimes it all makes my head hurt. That's when I try to stop thinking. I pull out an LP or CD that I know doesn't sound "audiophile" and just enjoy the reason I bought that music in the first place. I know I'll get back into the crazies tomorrow.
Forget live, you'll never get it. The best any of us can hope for is SOME of the aspects of a live performance in our playback systems. This is why we all say "listen for yourself". You're always going to be choosing the type and/or amount of colorations that most appeal to you. DougDeacon and I have almost identical analog systems, until you get to the speakers. That's seems to be the component that is most subjected to personal tastes and preferences. Seems strange on the face of it, but perhaps not when you consider we all diverge to some extent when it comes to the genre of music we each prefer and even what we may emphasis within a particular genre.
Then you take those components that sounded so good at the show or at some other place into your listening room and suddenly the magic isn't there. Or vice-versa.
Same with recommendations. We all ask for them, give them and listen to them to some extent. Some of the worst system performance I've experienced in my home has come from components and cables I've tried based on the high recommendation of others whose opinions I hold in high regard. Synergy is important.
On the flip side I've been able to make great improvements in my system based on feedback from people who hear my system. It is amazing to me that I, or anyone, can listen to their system day after day and be happy with the sound. Or maybe not quite sure what is missing, or just plain wrong. Then your friend comes in and within 5 minutes tells you exactly what is going on. Sometimes when this happens you begin to recognize what they were saying. Sometimes this happens right away, sometimes it hits you a few weeks later. Sometimes you can accept it and be happy, sometimes you go to the ends of the earth to correct it. Which sometimes only takes you back to square one.
Maybe it isn't any component or the system as a whole. Maybe it is the room interaction. Do you need acoustic treatments? Probably, but which ones and how many and where to place them?
But with so many other hobbies you can measure in some way the improvement or degradation of a change. In this hobby you can't always find a difference using test equipment or some other empirical data. The only test you have is how it sounds to you in your system in your listening room.
Strange stuff indeed! Sometimes it all makes my head hurt. That's when I try to stop thinking. I pull out an LP or CD that I know doesn't sound "audiophile" and just enjoy the reason I bought that music in the first place. I know I'll get back into the crazies tomorrow.