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The Best Midrange in the World Right Now


There seem to be a growing number of posts which lament the fact that hi fi has gotten too hi fi, too neurotic, and just doesn't sound good.

As I thought about this, I realized that many of the most enduring, classic audio products (Quads? LS35a's? ARC tube amps & preamps? Apogees?) were noted not for their "transparency", thunderous bass, "resolution" or high frequency "extension".

No, what seems to have stood the test of time was old fashioned, middle of the road MIDrange. Is midrange the best benchmark for our hobby?

In many threads, a mention of midrange seems almost quaint and/or apologetic:

" the classic ________ doesn't have the "resolution" of many of today's products in the $150 to $200,000 category, but it still boasts MIDrange which will put all of them to shame!.."

I find this very curious, as to me, there is no high end without glorious, gorgeous, natural, startlingly lifelike MIDrange.

Please, support midrange.

And tell us: what components or combination of components can still deliver good old fashioned midrange today?
cwlondon
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pelv
38 posts
 
A speaker company that has been around for a while called "Fried", pronounced "Freed", has great "lifelike" midrange. At least in the ones I have.
cwlondon OP
1,210 posts
 

One analogy which comes to mind is that the audiophile neurosis of chasing what may seem to be "transparency" is equivalent to turning up the sharpness on a television set.

Video experts will tell you that what at first seems to be additional clarity and detail is actually distortion which detracts from a smoother and more lifelike picture.

I'm with Newbee.
macrojack
1,303 posts
 
All of this seems to be a matter of taste and perception compromised by a confusion of terminology. Always we are seeking some sort of absolute where there can be none. Color is another word for character and without some color how can there be any appeal. The notion of a laboratory standard can sustain endless hours of adolescent debate but so long as the objective remains subjective no traction can be gained.
My speakers may be colored in the midrange. Some have said so in these threads but I don't hear anything distasteful so I just trundle along my merry way blissfully unaware of their shortcomings and quick to recommend them to others who may ask. So, to answer your question, my midrange is the best in the world right now.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
Actually, Shadorne, there is no bass viol on the recording. But, after listening to the track again, it might be a bass trombone, and it does, indeed, read lower than 36 Hz in my room.

Bass Trombone won't go below about 60 Hz, as I recall David Finck plays Bass Viol on this track while Dave Taylor is bass trombone. I can distinctly hear both the bass trombone and the bass viol clearly on my system. The decay on the stringed instrument is characteristically much longer than the bass trombone (wind). They do play only two notes together at the start of Bella Cubana exactly at the same time...but the Bass Viol is an octave lower... (for those who may be confused Bass Viol is the orchestral name for the more commonly named double bass)

Sorry to be a stickler, I may have digital tin ears or don't know how to listen as the Vinyl Analog folks would say, but I hear this all to clearly....
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