2. music
  3. 132191-89202

Do you listen mainly to Audiophile CDs and records?

I listen mainly to classical music, and the quality of sound varies greatly from disc to disc.
I was wondering if that’s the case with rock, pop and the like.
Do you tend to listen mainly mostly audiophile media?
128x128rvpiano
terry9
2,211 posts
 
I tend to listen to performance before recording, although sometimes they go together (e.g. Solti's Ring on Telefunken vinyl). Still it can be fun to have a sound spectacular.
rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano OP
2,414 posts
 
I didn’t know the Solti Ring was released on Telefunken.  I thought it was only on London.
You are right though, when the two come together it’s bliss!
quincy
322 posts
 
If we are entertaining guests  we use the CD player or the music channel on cable.
If I am in a listening mood the turn table / records. (They require more attention)
gents's avatar
gents
91 posts
 
I think when you're working with audiophile records more than regular dreck, you're listening to the equipment more than music itself.
I would love my rig to produce all the sonic tricks it can do with everything I play, but most times I just want to hear an album.
That said, there are actually a few great artists that (to me) were recorded so badly that I'm hesitant to play them on the main rig. A good system makes really shtty records unbearable and I get the heebie-jeebies when crap is crackling through my speakers.
bondmanp
1,782 posts
 

I would never let the quality of a recording dictate whether I would listen to it or not.  I have plenty of really badly recorded/produced/mixed recordings that enjoy.  I enjoy them in the car, on a secondary system, and on the big rig.  Besides the limited selection, audiophile recordings cost way too much for my budget.  I have a few Reference Recordings CDs that sound really great, but otherwise, I have the standard commercial CDs or LPs.  I am digitizing all of my LPs, gradually, for use on my server.


That said, my big rig is probably not as revealing or ruthless as many systems that you guys have.  Know what?  I prefer it that way.  I feel like I am getting enough detail, good dynamics and a smooth power response, and still have a musical sounding system that enables me to enjoy even the lousy recordings.  Sure, they don't sound as good as the better ones, but they are listenable.  I have taken some of the bad CDs to hear on more revealing systems than mine, and the results were simply unlistenable.  I wouldn't trade my modest rig for any of those systems, because, well, it's about the music.  The sound is secondary.  I wonder how much great music people with those deadly accurate, super-revealing systems are missing out on because inferior recordings are unlistenable on those systems.

More to discover