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

"Air, Extension, Resolution" to a limit is must have. This is what makes music Realistic sounding, provided you have good recording and good equipment that reproduces instrument harmonics faithfully. As soon the scale tips towards excessive ( few dbs above ideal falt response), no matter what the music does sound hifi. Analog on usually sounds warm, has 'complete' music information ( the wave form is not truncated like in redbook cd format), but most of the combos, inexpensive to expensive, I have heard tend to be so warm that it is slightly less realistic when upper mid and low highs( not to mention uppe highs) are few dbs lower than flat response. I think analog needs to be slightly tilted up at the upper freq to be complete. And I have heard some combos that has this. If you have evrything, meaning good cd or analog base system that has flat (my definition of flat being 1-1.5 db tilted up at low bass, flat from 125 hz to 4000 hz, 1-1.5 db up from 4000-7000 hz and then 20 db gently down from 7000 hz to 16000 hz) . I have found that this curve yields the most satisfying balance in my system. Of course my system also is dead quite, has good sound stage- L to R, F to B, and contains great to good components with good cables- nothing too expensive. So much so that I do not want to change a thing. At time where I attempted to go up in top of line preamp or top of line Cd player of same make, or have tried to insert expensive cables, It ruins the balance. I admit some of the things my systems does I know it does not sound right at times, but that is very rare and goodthings outweighs these rare occuances. When you get the acoustic guitar, piano, drum kit (watch for that body, highly defined but some what dullness of the high hats), human voice then everything else pretty much falls in place. In summary, My digital based system sounds pretty much analog with realistics upper mids and highs.

So What is my point? My point is that Air, Extension, Resolution are NECESSARY for high end system. But to a RIGHT degree, be it digital based or analog based. That good combination is hard to find and happens with LOT OF LUCK.

CDC - I use a 1998 Sony DVD player and Denon home theater receiver driving a pair of B&W DM302 speakers and Mirage subwoofer. The Denon does a really nice job. My bedroom system is a portable CD player driving $10 computer speakers. Without the Audiophile mindset, I am now able to enjoy my music from more sources, even with laptop driving good computer speakers or using headphones with my PDA as a player. Even the Bose system in my car played music I could enjoy!

Spending long trips away from home helped me detach from the Audiophile bug. When I spent a month away from home on business, my only source of music was my laptop and it served me just as well. I realized I was thirsting for music and not audiophile sound. More lengthier business trips simply reinforced the realization even further.

Auaarons

Exactly, we are thirsting for music, but it would be even better if that were consistently delivered to us in the highest quality, non fatiguing musical fashion.

My point about "downgrading" from Tympani IVa's to Tympani 1-Ds is the same - I want more MUSIC, and LESS "extension, transparency, inner detail blah blah blah"

Cdc

Your point about Epos is interesting. A few years ago, I bought a pair of Epos monitors (M12's?) over the phone, never saw or heard them, basically because they were on sale at Audio Advisor for 4 or 500 bucks.

I may have read a good review or two, but otherwise wasnt really bothered about auditioning them, because they were going in my bedroom, primarily to use while watching cable TV.

And guess what - although lacking the air, extension, inner detail etc of many other speakers I have had, they sounded great.

I hooked them up to iTunes with a Naim Nait integrated amp and spent more hours listening to MUSIC than I have in years -- with no bothers, worries, or neuroses about whether or not I needed to cryo my power cables.

This paradoxical discussion has taken place in different forms and in different threads on Audiogon, but I started this one to suggest and perhaps isolate the idea the worst non musical, audiophile evils live in the domain of high frequencies.

But if I do "downgrade" to the Tympani 1-Ds, I still want speed, dynamics, imaging, and clean, uncolored bass that my computer - or even the Epos monitors - will never provide.

CWLondon,

I agree with ARTG that the Signal Cables may be the issue in your system. I also had Signal Cables interconnects and speaker cables a year ago in a Naim Nait 5i, Arcam FMJ CD-23T and Von Schweikert VR-1 system. The highs were very bright after I plugged in the interconnect, even after 200 hours of breakin time. The manufacturer claimed the cables did not sound bright in his systems. I replaced the Signal Cable interconnects with the Transparent Music Link Plus interconnects and the system became musical with a full liquid midrange without all that glare and brightness.

I suggest that you consider trying the Transparent Music Link Plus (current MM version) interconnects. They are about $200 per pair used, but they are worth the money. Transparent cables have characteristics of a fuller midrange and bass, and low noise floor (dark background).

Auaarons yes, when I get bored with music is when I start thinking about the sound of the system. But it's the music I'm missing.
Cwlondon, nice to hear someone hears what I do :-). I think a gaincard or gainclone would give *some* of what you missed with the Epos as it is somewhat bright but immediate and detailed - from what I've heard.
Getting rid of the HF nasties is not easy.
Good luck.