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Distinctly Different Upgrades. Surprisingly Similar Musical Outcomes?

Deliver more of what you want.  And, less of what you don’t want.  Seems simple enough.

 

I’m not sure about you guys/gals, but it appears that many sonic upgrades produce similar aural characteristics.  When we make something better, the sonic benefits can span a wide terrain regardless of what phenomenon was responsible for the improvements.   I’d like to set aside the quite obvious bandwidth extension created by adding subwoofer(s) or increase in dynamic range from a serious amplification upgrade and concentrate on the improvements created by projecting a more correct version of music information into our listening space.  This could include, but not limited to: cable upgrades, better DACs, AC power delivery, amplification, better (not bigger) speakers, and higher resolution source components/processors.

 

We all have our own ways of defining what happens when a sonic breakthrough happens in our systems.  I certainly have my own words to describe what’s going on in my musical world.  And you all have distinct musical vocabularies of your own.  I use a term I call “pinching the midrange.”  This occurs when the fundamentals of voices and instruments fall off the map and upper midrange is exaggerated when energy/volume levels increase.  This has a cascading effect when poor AC power delivery is the starting point, handed off to inadequate source components, further damaged by poor cabling, made more anemic by not-ready-for-primetime amplification delivered to speakers that don’t have “the boys under the hood” to stay linear at/near concert hall levels.  Improving any aspect of this system would provide a plethora of benefits and would be very similar in many regards.

 

Am I underthinking this a bit?  Or, are any of you experiencing similar outcomes?

 

Thoughts?

 

waytoomuchstuff 

128x128waytoomuchstuff
waytoomuchstuff's avatar
waytoomuchstuff OP
975 posts
 

@mahler123 

 

Yes, I can understand the ambiguity of the question.  I'll try to do better next time.

The broader point is that when we legitimately upgrade something, regardless of piece of hardware/software we insert, we experience something better.  Our perception of those upgrades may take on similar characteristics although the new equipment may be quit different.  Cable upgrade?  More detail.  Less grunge.  More relaxed, etc.  DAC upgrade?  More detail.  Less grunge.  More relaxed, etc.

I used the "pinched midrange" as an example.  Improving power delivery would help add "body" to the music and tone down an aggressive upper mid.  And, so would a better amplifier, cabling, etc.  

I was just curious if anyone else, after inserting a new of hardware in place of a current one had thought:  "Hey, the improvements are similar to a past upgrade."

 

Thanks for the thoughtful response.  Hope this helps?

mahler123
3,024 posts
 

When we change something, we can hear a different sound.  We hear stuff on recordings that we may not have noticed before.  Sometimes we may lose something in the process, sometimes not

waytoomuchstuff's avatar
waytoomuchstuff OP
975 posts
 

That pretty much sums it up.

Thanks for your contribution.

djones51
4,947 posts
 

When we change something, we can hear a different sound.  We hear stuff on recordings that we may not have noticed before.  Sometimes we may lose something in the process, sometimes not

Sums it up pretty well.

I think that's what most of these "tweaks" or even changing amps, Dacs, etc.. (leave out speakers and room treatments for now) do. For instance cable upgrade,  changes LCR, emphasizes certain frequencies , we wax poetically about new cable, hear things never heard when actually they were always there. Once our brain gets use to new cable switch back to old, hear things never heard before.. etc.. 95% of what we hear is speaker and room interaction.

As long as everything else operates within its given parameters,  dacs, amp, wires, concentrate on good speakers with a nice even FR , fix problems with room best you can and DSP to taste.

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