How competitive are you with your system?

@gano ...always, everywhere, and anything can be improved in some fashion....or with the major application of ca$h which can vary wildly in audio.
This variance is due imho to speaker selection v. the space the drivers are in v. the end listeners' ears that are wired to preferences that vary more than the means of presenting such...

Short of DNA transfers to specifics....no middle ground, just muddled mud. *L*

Your best will always be looked down upon by some, yet may be a level some still strive for.

It's been a long while since I've heard someone else's system....which does absolve me from having to be diplomatic in my comments....

toddalin   ~~ If I had this track, I would do a demo (dogs allowing of course).  But I don't and I don't stream.

I love to hear other systems. I downloaded Fink - Trouble's What You're In with free YT download app. You can do same. Fink is 21mb. Can I send this file to you in Agon?  Alex/Wavetouch audio

My computer is not connected to my stereo.  It has it's own monitor system.

I suppose that I could download a track to a drive and plug that into the dongle of my Oppo, but I've not set it up to do this.

Pick something else that is out there, preferably in SACD and if I have it, we'll give it a go.

On another note, I know that you are somewhat local and are welcome to come over and hear first hand.  I'm in the North Tustin area.  Only that way will you experience the soundstage, imaging, and microdetail that are possible at realistic levels that envelop one.

My recordings always come out bright because I sit back into the sofa and the camera stands proud so we don't quite hear the same thing.  And I use a Nikon D750 DSLR, because that's what I have and it does a decent job.

toddalin said:

When I listen to music, I don’t transport to the venue, but rather transport the venue to the room. A deader room would put me more at the venue.

When I do videos they tend to be brighter than what I hear on the couch because my head is typically back to the cushion and the mic stands "proud" away from the cushions. Even moving your head forward a few inches relative to the back of the couch causes major change to the frequency balance.

Mr Boochie said:

This recording business is a part of audio that I never put effort into before. It is a much different world from playback.

The mic’s position is critical. A few inches, up or down in relationship to the midrange/tweeter and woofers, can make a notable difference in the recording. You don’t hear it in real time, but it appears in the recording.
 

https://youtu.be/PVVwzcXtBNk

Recorded with mics on camera. They are too high = muddy mix, shifted to the high frequencies. Bass dynamics are hurt the most by poor mic placement and room acoustics. Mics were at 8-foot distance from the speakers. 54 inches off the ground.
___________________
 

https://youtu.be/PVVwzcXtBNk

Close mic’ing (mics at 18 inches from the front of the speakers and 22 inches in height).

In my experience, ensuring the mics are well supported and isolated from speaker vibrations helps clarity. They pick up extraneous vibrations that muddy or add artificial brightness.
 

BTW, Mr Boochie uses, and these are recordings of JBL L300 speakers.

toddalin     My computer is not connected to my stereo.

My system is not connected to comp nor internet. I make a copy to a memory stick in computer and play it to Oppo USB input. Alex/WTA