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If Warmth Is a Distortion, Why Do So Many Audiophiles Still Defend It?

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. If it stirs some emotions — that’s not a bad thing. It means we’re all still passionate about this hobby.

As AI becomes capable of recreating any sound signature — warm, tube-like, analogue, ultra-wide, hyper-detailed, and everything in between — I’m starting to think the real future of audio lies in neutral, transparent, dynamic, and accurate hardware, while many of the “flavours” we chase may soon become software choices.

Over time, a few things have stood out to me:

• Warmth is pleasant, but it’s still coloration.
Beautiful, yes — but not accuracy, not transparency, and not always the artist’s intention.

• Warm gear enhances some tracks but softens accuracy in others.
Especially vocals, piano, violin, guitar, and other acoustic instruments. Some people hear this, some don’t, and some just prefer it that way.

• Modern Class D deserves more respect than it gets.
Many older audiophiles dismiss it based on outdated assumptions. But the latest designs are already extremely neutral, fast, and precise. I’m not sure how much longer Class A/AB will remain relevant beyond nostalgia and brand loyalty.

• Price reflects real quality only up to a point.
Beyond that, it becomes about branding, house sound, and personal bias. Preference is fine — but preference isn’t the same as absolute fidelity.


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⭐ Why I May Not Respond Immediately

This post is meant as a sharing of thoughts, not a debate I plan to defend point by point.
If I don’t reply right away, it’s because I’m taking time to read, think, and learn from others’ perspectives here.

Posting in good faith — looking forward to all views, supportive or critical.

hkcharlie
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
15,050 posts
 

If i want to tune my system/room and optimize it rightfully using my ears and DSP or mechanical devices i must have an idea about the ways a piano could sound in different settings...

The translation from the recording set of choices by the recording engineer into a set of choices in my system/room playback installation  for my ears imply a minimal memory of acoustic impression from real life experience to guide my tuning and optimization process ...

@mahgister how a piano sounds on a recording depends on how it was recorded and mastered. It’s as simple as that. Just let this sink in…….not all pianos sound the same even when listening to them live in person. Again, aural memory is not a good datum. Your philosophy is based on all pianos sounding the same when no two pianos sound exactly alike. We are after precision after all. You yourself speak of the influence of room acoustics on the sound so you disarm your own argument and theory with your own words.

carlos269's avatar
carlos269
467 posts
 

@mahgister You proved my point, we all have our own individual ideas and fleeting aural memories of how things should sound.

abnerjack
272 posts
 

@carlos269   You are quite the interesting character.  What is your objective in posting on Audiogon?

mahgister's avatar
mahgister
15,050 posts
 

I am very please to have proved your point.

@mahgister You proved my point, we all have our own individual ideas and fleeting aural memories of how things should sound.

There is objective concepts and objective parameters in acoustics but all at the end --------- : serve our own biases exactly as an hearing aids can be perfectly designed to help a specific customer ...

devinplombier
1,668 posts
 

DSP may integrate your system with your room, but it won’t change the former’s sound signature.

The same master recording of the same performance by the same musicians is liable to sound 50 different ways depending on edition, medium, remastering, processing at streaming services’ facilities, etc.

At the end of the day, the best we (in my view) can do without going ape is look for a sound signature that pleases us. That signature is imparted by speakers, so we pick those first. Then, we pick amplifiers that have the ability / talent to make our new speakers sing, and then we enjoy the music.

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