tomcy6 quotes Valin saying positive things about digital & so he does while simultaneously criticizing the same HW for major soundstaging issues that analog does not have, again proclaiming it is overall the better more truthful medium.
Someone else asks basically, why we cannot just enjoy the medium w/o comparing. We can & cannot simultaneously as our hobby has that as intrinsic. Like anything else - it’s a balance that must be struck. An eternally sought after sweet spot between both. Much as must be done everywhere else in life.
stl brings up a really slippery point that too many hide behind (I would not include him in this & view it as intriguingly though provoking).
I’ve given this some thought over the years & just as there are guidelines & widespread agreement as to what makes great paintings great (in terms of composition, colour, texture, grace, spirit & much else conveyed among much else still) so too is it similar with audio. Subjectivity is not an excuse to let emotions run roughshod over the intuition. One is free to like the illustrations on hallmark cards - even preferring it to say, Rembrandt, Michelangelo & Van Gogh, but insisting others share your tastes is distinctly problematic. There are standards & while departing from them is an inevitability in audio - only to a degree. Valin often writes about the 3 types of listeners but always insists that anyone with any integrity in any type respects the preference of the others as long as it adheres to some kind of agreed-upon truthfulness.
Someone else asks basically, why we cannot just enjoy the medium w/o comparing. We can & cannot simultaneously as our hobby has that as intrinsic. Like anything else - it’s a balance that must be struck. An eternally sought after sweet spot between both. Much as must be done everywhere else in life.
stl brings up a really slippery point that too many hide behind (I would not include him in this & view it as intriguingly though provoking).
What sounds good? What sounds best?
What’s the best way to reproduce music?
It’s all a matter of opinion and we’re all entitled to our opinions.
I’ve given this some thought over the years & just as there are guidelines & widespread agreement as to what makes great paintings great (in terms of composition, colour, texture, grace, spirit & much else conveyed among much else still) so too is it similar with audio. Subjectivity is not an excuse to let emotions run roughshod over the intuition. One is free to like the illustrations on hallmark cards - even preferring it to say, Rembrandt, Michelangelo & Van Gogh, but insisting others share your tastes is distinctly problematic. There are standards & while departing from them is an inevitability in audio - only to a degree. Valin often writes about the 3 types of listeners but always insists that anyone with any integrity in any type respects the preference of the others as long as it adheres to some kind of agreed-upon truthfulness.