I have been using a combination of high end and pro audio gear for many years.
It works very well in my opinion.
Hindsight after 45 years
Forty-five years as an audiophile chasing a state of audio reproduction, commonly referred to as audio nirvana, where music sounds indistinguishable from a live performance.
Forty-five years of being a student and practitioner of all things audiophillia.
Forty-five years of careful research and implementation.
Forty-years trying to achieve maximum fidelity, detail, and emotional impact.
Forty-five years of purchasing and rotating some really nice well regarded high fidelity equipment.
In hindsight, I wish I had taken a different path. I wish I had gone the pro audio route.
I live in Nashville; Music City. Where on any given day there are several different live performances within one city block and more all over the city. This is my reference.
Being a gear junky, I pay attention. Never have I seen a single piece of hifi used on stage. I see guitar amps, pa speakers, and eq’s.
Even bars and clubs play recorded music on pro audio equipment into large house speakers and the energy is fantastic even at lower volumes.
I’m not saying pro audio is better than hifi, there are many factors. It’s all subjective, relative, and dependent upon individual’s preferences and expectations.
Pro audio has come a long way in the last forty-five years, which may be why I didn’t find it practical for me years ago.
I’m just saying, if I were to start over now, I would go pro audio.
@audiodelusion I get your statement, as I have had at hand for long periods, Speakers that when in use, left me with the notion, I was listening to similar sound produced by PA Systems in Clubs and Venues when I was highly active in experiencing live music. Such Speakers selected, were not the Go To Speaker for the system, which have been ESL's until recently. ESL's don't create the Colouration of a Poor Design Cabinet. The Blues either a Live Recording or Studio Recording, has a realism when coming through a Speaker producing a certain type of Colouration. Is it a pursuit of the Audiophile to do such a thing? In modern terminology on the Interest - NO. For me it is fact, that after all my Audio Experiences had and System Building to create the will not make any changes system. My system is totally a changing one, and when the live music experience is sought, it is the poorest quality Speakers to be inserted into the system to achieve that. Everything Else on offer from the system is where it is hard to believe there is any other discoveries to be made about what the Artists and Studio/Sound Engineers wanted to be presented from the recording. My System, in relation to both Vinyl and CD Sources, is capable of creating the impression the recording being listened to is revealing everything the recording has embedded within it. I took Audio Equipment with a seriousness from near 1980, approx' 40 Years of endless pursuit in learning what was the next area to step into. I sell very little and have equipment that is able to experienced regularly if wanted, that extends back that far. I would not change a thing over that timeline, I have been fortunate to cultivate myself, with the changes made, resulting in my becoming socially active with this Hobby. This led to my meeting likeminded individuals, some who are extremely adept at all things Audio, who are today referred to as friends. These Friendships extend back to near 30 years and are still maintained today, along with new individuals encountered who remain on the Bus to experience new encounters in Audio, some who will become friends. Why would one want to undo the past and potentially miss what was created. There is zero to prevent one from putting their most recent ideas for producing a replay of recorded music in place. If finances are the restriction, a decent chat can always end up with a short-term loan as an offer. Both Loaned Out and Loaned In are totally in my Vocabulary. At present I have a Loaned In - SS Pre and Power Amp to use as an A/B with the Valve Equipment and newest purchase Speakers. Loaned Out is a Phonostage and my most recent Turntable, which is the TT to supersede the other in use TT. A set of High Efficient Coaxial Speakers and a SE300B Power Amp' are on standby to go off on a Loan Out. A Chat was all it took, to put the action in place to realise what is a new musical encounter. |
So, if pro audio is your reference, you should be pleased with it at home. For others, especially lovers of classical music, there will be different priorities. While a system that reproduces classical well, will also reproduce Nashville as recorded, the converse does not necessarily apply, in my opinion. |
thanks for sharing. I began repair audio equipment a long time ago which allowed me to hear all of the gear that I always wanted and to understand why they sounded the way they did. I realized the the prices did not dictate the sound and that most manufacturers used average parts no matter what the cost. That is when I began to make my own components using better parts. That is when I realized what made something sound the way it did. Manufacturing our gear was the result of all this. Also becoming an industry insider helped to know what was what. I always tell people, if you like the way your system sounds to your ears, then listen to more music. Happy Listening. |