@@adotopp1865 I could be a Brooklyn bum that goes through the trash outside Steve's building of a night time who's content with two tin cans and a string. What's there to be smug about?
As I sit here listening to a pair of re-capped Cerwin Vega's on an old, low watt, un-restored solid state amp from the 70's on a cheap turntable - Soundgarden is seriously rocking and I'm loving it. No room correction, no acoustic panels, 35 watts of old 70's power. It's all fantastic....enjoying the music. Thanks for the reminder Steve.
We like equipment. And we like any reason to buy more of it. As silly as this might sound, I feel that for many audiophiles, the equipment is more important than the sound. By the way, this particular Audiophiliac episode deserves a You Tube award.
Excellent advice Steve!!! Probably the best I've heard ever. I usually find myself lisgening to the system for defects instead of enjoying the music. It's hard not to do this, and it's hard to accept you can't hear something that was never meant to be there from the start! I have to change that ;)
I have been hearing other TH-camrs keep telling there are differences between this audio product and that product, or this setup compared to that setup.....yadda, yadda.... Then I thought whether the recording is meant to be heard in such clarity where most people are not audiophiles. Sometimes even the simplest setup may be enough just to enjoy the tunes. Choosing between enjoying the tunes and perfect sound, I would choose the fun-comes-first rather than perfection. Thanks for sharing this.
Steve - you are so right. I spent a ton of money chasing perfect sound for 40 years and now I have found a group of components that punch way above their weight and I am happy with the sound. In fact, I am so happy, I am afraid to change it. I have confirmed this by realizing that after leaving a half dozen Axpona shows, I come away liking MY system. I now focus on buying MUSIC, not more gear.
I was very happy with the ADS L810's, but I got an offer for some L910's that I couldn't pass up. I believe they are my end-game loudspeakers. They present every genre of music I enjoy, perfectly. Cymbals sound real, bass guitars are prominent, and everything is just as I've always wanted. Plus, they're fairly efficient and work with just about every amp/pre-amp/DAC combo I hooked them up to. They sound great while passively listening and even better with intense, sitting down just to listen-sessions. I am eternally grateful to the man who sold those 910's to me. He even drove 2+ hours each way just to deliver them into my grubby mitts! ( Came with the original stands, too.)
The acceptance that what you have , gives you what you need is your personal challenge. I now have a range of what most would call “Space Junk” and I am truely satisfied. I know what it’s capable of and I hear things I know that are there, that are now apparent.
Thank you Steve. You really hit the spot. Does perfect sound really better? By definition, real sound is how everything sound at their sources. A violin, a guitar, but once you go beyond the standard acoustic instruments and vocals, everything is modified somewhat. Electric guitar? Drum samples? They are all processed to someone's preference. They are NOT natural. And the unspoken truth is, many processed sound actually are much better than the raw sound. Reverb, echo, filters. etc. etc. So what makes a good recording (which itself is a highly processed, 40+ tracks down mix to 2 in most cases) is something according to someone's preference. And that someone's goal is to produce something most "other" people like. So for me, if a system produces a sound that I like the most, at a budget I can afford or I'd like to spend, then that's good for me. It may not be perfect. But I'm OK with that.
Good enough is good enough. I try things, if i think there is a problem in one area, i try to tweak the system with something that addresses that particular issue. When i no longer think there are any apparent flaws, and it "just sounds good", i'm done. I could keep throwing money at it after this point and still get iterative upgrades, but when i'm at the point where every time i return to it and it keeps sounding good to me, ignorance truly is bliss. Upgrading from this point only starts the cycle from the beginning.
Spot on Steve....................you nailed this one. Now, I have subscribed to both Absolute Sound and Stereophile for ages. My pet peeve with TAS has always been there is no such thing as an absolute sound.....the target is moving with too many moving parts....variables if you will. Searching for a system that has a sound that I like is a far more worthwhile endeavor. I know what live music sounds like and if a system can give me the illusion I am happy with that idea.
Thank you for your perspective! After almost 30 years in this hobby, I have drifted away from trying to attain perfection in a system, and more towards a system which simply makes a larger percentage of my collection more enjoyable, rather than make the hand full of my best recordings sound better. Recently I was in an audiophile salon, listening to an incredible system that probably was the most convincing system I've heard to date.Total cost in a well tuned room was probably in the $200,000 US. range. However almost all the music played were high resolution files, rather typical audiophile demo music. I couldn't help but wonder how the system would present a less-than-stellar recording, i.e. roughly 90%+ of recorded music. I've learned to change my listening habits. For my "reference" material I listen in the sweet spot ,enjoying both the music and the great recording. But for a lot of other music I "chill" comfortably off axis.
I love how you just laid it on the line, and revealed the "big secret". Most people don't know how or even seen a PA system up close. Great vid Steve. "Liked / Shared"
They never will. And that is why buying brand name products is so important. Because you WILL sell what you have and move on to something else, especially when you are new and don't know any better.
A very good one, thank you kindly Sir! Okay, I was just now meditating on what Steve was saying here above. My system is NOT super expensive but is rather uniquely designed and has custom elements. For my personal taste, there is **ONE** absolutely true thing I can say about my system with complete assurance and conviction, it is this: I don't know how 'accurate' my system is, BUT... I honestly without any doubt whatsoever CAN indeed tell HUGE differences in the quality of the vinyl recordings. In other words, I can hear one album where it immediately grabs me and I say, 'WOW! That is a bloody excellent recording. It sounds awesome, it is very dynamic, and I'm just blown away' OR... which sadly probably happens more often, is I put on a record and immediately say, 'OOH... that sure sounds poorly recorded/mastered, it is so compressed, etc...' So, the ONE thing that I think I can say with absolute certainty is that at least the system is of a high enough resolution where I can honestly really, **REALLY** tell the total differences in the recording/mastering quality of one record to another. And, I mean in some cases, HUGE differences. So, I'm kinda guessing that if my system was not as resolving, wouldn't the various recordings/albums sound more the same...? So, from the excellent advice above, for my system personally, I feel that is what I've come away with... If anyone is completely bored and has absolutely NOTHING else to do: photos.app.goo.gl/9ja3UKob7tppW4Y38
Does the "neurotic audiophile" spend more time chasing that perfect sound or listening to music? Sometimes I just wonder. This was one of the best episodes for me, I'm fairly new here.
Francesco Tenti, I’m only as neurotic as I can afford to be. I do love the gear. The music has always come first. Even when it meant a $5 tabletop radio from the pawnshop. I don’t know about neutral or live sound, I strive for engaging.
@@billdunn8542 I know it can be very contagious and get people to the never happy stage and keep striving for more. It is that way with guitars and amps with me, I stopped buying when I had no ore room in my music room. Very expensive ways to be "neurotic", btw. I recycle all my "old stuff" so I have music all over my place, it's hard to let go.
You think audiophiles are bad. Try being a speaker builder. From scratch. I’ve re-worked my speakers ( JBL AUDAX. SELENIUM KLIPSCH ). Wires. Capacitors. Ports. So many times. 40 or 50 iterations.
Steve, yet another well thought out rant on getting to one's own audiophile nirvana. Your closing suggestion to just be satisfied couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. Thanks for the needed diversion.
Let's nail this audiophile mantra that 'recordings used to be produced better back in the bug days because nowadays they're mostly listened to in the background while people do other things'. Newsflash: they always have been! People drove with their car radios on, they did housework with the transistor radio playing, they shopped with muzak, they jogged with their Walkmans... the list goes on. Sitting down to just listen has always been a minority pursuit. If anything, they quality of playback for background music has never been better than it is now. For all we might scoff at MP3s and earbuds, the quality of reproduction of background music is streets ahead of the cassettes, car radios, transistor radio speakers and in-store PAs of yesteryear.
I stopped searching for systems years ago when I converted to digital streaming. After that I found myself spent more time discovering and try listening to new styles of music. I spent more time with music than on system tweaking which is nice.
My goal, at least in my current audiophile incarnation, has always been to get to the point where my system met a level of satisfaction where any further improvement would require a much larger investment. I listen mainly to my DAC via headphones that were my last major upgrade in terms of cost and it basically got me to close of that goal. The last mile consisting of cleaner power and better power cables has been far more modest in terms of cost but incredibly satisfying in terms of the benefit. So yes there is other gear out there that is “better” but also much more expensive. And the last thing I want is buyer’s remorse when you discover you’ve actually moved more laterally than forward after spending a large chunk of money.
I got a different affliction. I want to experience everything. Every experience should be different from the other. Some hifi shows in the Netherlands have some fantastic listeningrooms. Example of 3 illusions - KEF blade with Hegel didn't had great depth, but it gave the illusion that the sound of the orchestra was painted on a big curved invisible canvas. - A different show, I witnessed true big horn speakers in the hot seat. The sound was truly holographic with width and depth. I could imagine a grid around/between the horn speakers and hear an instrument on each grid. - I was at a demonstration of a French electrostatic speakers. I sat in front of the right speaker, so no stereo. But the sound was so clear. It felt like the speaker was an open door to an invisible room. And in that room was a female singer. The speaker was a magical wooden frame and a woman was trapped in the frame.
I have a system I’ve been content with for 20 years. Denon electronics and B&W 600 series speakers. However I recently ordered a tube amp and a pair of efficient speakers. Luckily today it’s much easier to do that on a budget and still have a great sounding system. Guess I’ll find out in a few weeks....🎶🎶🎶
Great Rant Steve, wish I saw this podcast 20 years, but now I remember on old audiophile said most of this to me, and I didn’t pay attention I would say, not spending money on your system is the best way to improve it I had very good components but was dissatisfied with the sound As I was saving for a house, I put no money into my system Instead I spent a year improving the sound of the room, the bass response and optimising every components set up I bought no new equipment The difference was staggering and nearly all the big issues resolved and thought yeah be fun to try something shinny and new, without dialling in everything I may have been equally dissatisfied Now if at least I did have the money, I could tell the difference now....
Hey Steve! Just bought a Denon AVR 3805 yesterday for $40! Still had the funky remote control! I read about this receiver from none other than a Steve Guttenbergs review! Sorry for all the yelling, Ive been cranking the tunes.
to me as long as your system sounds good to you - that is what counts. soon to have a nice system. i would rather spend money on music. sit and relax at the comfort of my own home with a nice glass of wine or coffee
Good stuff... I think I look at recordings as an interpretation and I strive to be able to appreciate the layers and detail that went about making it. I know I don't know exactly how something would sound like, but more of my expectation of how I think it should sound. I like listening to something that I am used to hearing and discovering something new in the recording that I didn't realize was there. (I don't have an epic system yet, so I'm still discovering)
Siegfried Linkwitz knew this. Only reason he kept designing is he finally good enough was good enough. My problem is my many esoteric or mainstream preferences in music each require different system.
My true audiophile dream is to have three listening rooms 1) Party - Klipsch will do 2) Serious / intimate - exotics. 3) Theater/Video/Surround - Dolby Atmos
Rabbi Guttenberg has spoken wisdom of the ages: What we like is what we like, and we rationalize it as best, or better than (insert your favorite amp, speaker, etc.) That also applies to musical taste. Fantastic Steve. Your one of my favorites (can't say best), just cause I like you man. So do 112k other disciples (yes, we are that devoted. After all we're nutty audiophiles).
I don't know how you can chase perfection when they all sound different. Recordings, amps, speakers, rooms all the way down the air pressure that is outside today all make a source sound different. Who is to say which one is perfect and when? I found this out 40 years ago when I was 13 and why I bought a EQ that I still have today. Not saying all EQ's are equal but the little 1983, 7 band Technics just makes everything sound great. Different rooms, different speakers, different everything over the years but he same EQ. That's my perfect music maker. I am also rebuilding my first system for when I was a kid and doing a video about it. I want to compare what I have today to the sound I could make back then and see if my listening taste and hearing have changed over the years. So far I have the receiver, tape deck and EQ (1980-83) but the big fun don't happen until I get a CD player in 1986. So far I am pretty impressed with my younger self. Only 16 watts per channel it lacks power but the sound is all there and when I add the EQ all the sound that is covering up the good sound can be removed. I really think there is 3 types of audiophile, people that are taught what good sound is, people that are told what it is and then some are just born with it. Those who were born with it (imho) just don't care what audiophiles think. We don't need the latest and greatest to impress our friends because we like what we have. Doesn't mean we are not as passionate about it as the others. For that matter I think we are more passionate about it because it's not about the equipment it's about the sound/music. If "reveling" equals crap I will take the color.
Another question we should consider is what will happen if we do? Anyway, perfect sound is perhaps the one you like to hear best - when you hear it and cannot imagine it could possibly sound any better.
It's like trying to date the most beautiful woman in the world... There are so many beautiful ones, and still so different from each other, it makes no sense trying to pick one.
It's way beyond what the engineer and band desires, we simply do not have the technique / method / medium to truly capture music in a manner for which we then have the technology Electronics Speakers etc. to then reproduce (not even taking the room into consideration) So it's a lost cause from the beginning, and until we come up with a more advance method of recording..., or should I say BOTH Recording & Reproduction as one synergistic process, we will never be there. That said, I think the advancements made recently by companies like Legacy Audio have enabled us to come closer than ever and more importantly quite enjoyable even if still not 100% the REAL deal.
I’m all digital. Mac book pro holds all of my ripped vinyl and cds. @ 16/48.. Spotify to discover new artist as well as Bandcamp. Schitt yggy A2. Herron 360 pre amp, Mcintosh ma6500 that’s integrated. Though I just use it as a amp. The Herron has tubes!! Speakers are ACI Sapphire Xl. I have decent cables and IC. Sure it can always be better. Though I found a nice medium
Steve, really enjoyed your talk today and cleared some "audio issues" that cleared themselves as you went along. Can you show us your system set up ???
Yes, Sean and I have had discussions on this before. I have been talking about this for years. It is simply impossible. It is like when audiophiles tell me they are chasing "that live sound". I keep trying to tell them the only way to achieve that is to not only play the recording in the live venue of their choice, but to have the artist playing live there. Alternatively, they can have the artists play live in their rooms on demand. Neither of those are going to happen. Paul McGowan of PS Audio is always claiming that he has the perfect system in the world with the huge speakers and such in a treated room. Even he does not know that there is no standard definition of "perfect" and that there is no such thing as a "perfect system" no matter the cost of the cables, speakers or other gear. I would challenge that he could take that system and put it in any other room and it will sound different and not "perfect". The question is "what is perfect"? Perfect is relative. It is up to the individual. It is how close does the sound meet the desires and expectations of the listener. Even for educational purposes, I would not recommend listening at loud levels! I never do. There have been times I have had to leave demos because they were playing too loud for me. The late Neil Peart: "The point of a journey is to never arrive".
I'd commend BIS SACD classical CDs for jaw dropping sound. Real, nope. But listen to Richard Brautigan doing Beethoven piano sonatas on a pianoforte, and the sound is very subtle. Bach cantatas with Suzuki are also extremely clear. I'm listening via multi-channel SACD.
Hello, please help me in finding a good set of speakers. I want to go with a turntable setup, I like the Rega Planar3 and perhaps I'll go with a Rega integrated amp. My problem is that I want to go with a bookshelf set of speakers placing them on a bookshef. All of thease speakers are goog when placed one or two feet from the wall but I don't have space to place them like that. Please tell me what speakers do you recommend me. Thank you, Bogdan.
This would be a great moment for the big retail chains to offer ridiculous prices so those who can afford something with contribute to the business. Somenone like me would gladly replace a couple of nice meals for a super deal on a cartridge, etc.
I chased a long time, spended well over 10.000 euros on different headphones and AMPs and DACs. Then i had revelation and found the golden combo. It wasn't the best headphones or best AMP, it was used Sennheiser HD800 (650€) and THX AAA amp/dac 300€), yes its costly but no where near the best ones cos. like 30.000-50.000€. these are almost as good as the best and most expensive one, about 80% as good but at 1/15th cost. There is no use to get better cos normal people won't probably even notice it.
Well wile this is true, finding the right set of audio equipment to work together in harmony is achievable. buy my experience a tube amplifier goes perfectly with klipsch speakers and turntable all these items have the same nature in sound.
My wife’s friend demands accuracy. I asked him if his system used Neumann, or AKG mics in its chain, if his room was the same size and treated like the recording studio that was used. He said he wants accuracy
If you follow Paul McGowan from PS Audio, he will get you to chase your tail. With a good recording, I make sure that i have a good center image as wide as i can possibly get it without break up. I make sure the bass is good and tight. After that, its a crap shoot with different recordings. If i can achieve a high average of recordings that sound pretty good? I'm happy. Home Theater sounds amazing however, no matter what i throw at it...that part of my system is complete.
You would think artist would want they're music they created to sound the best it could but guess they too busy partying and counting that money !Steve you look like a crazy Einstein! Hahahahaha Love the shirts man.
I found a genie in a lamp once and he granted me one wish. So I asked him to build a bridge across the ocean from the US to the UK. The genie went mad and ranted about how it's impossible and the complex logistics and physics involved, and he told me to pick a different wish. So I asked for the perfect sound system. The genie paused and replied ........ so this bridge, how many lanes do you want?
Nah it's just that audiophilia attracts delusional people with compulsive disorders. No sane, reasonable mind is capable of the mental gymnastics needed to justify audiophile purchases. A normal person will enjoy the music while an audiophile will look for equipment "upgrades".
The "high" we get when the music and the sound are right, is like a drug, and once we're hooked we want more, more, more. "Perfect" may not exist, but "more" does!
If it sounds right and good the pleasure is better than any drug. I even did a comparison once between listening to good music on my stereo and having sex and my stereo was just a bit better.
For me it's not perfect sound, it's about an uncritical listening experience. So, if you can eliminate glaring weaknesses, you can then just sit back and enjoy the music as an emotional experience.
Hi Steve. I am also a recording engineer.., and I belong to an audiophile club, but I'm not an audiophile. When asked if I'm an audiophile, I always reply NO, I'm an "audio realist." I've tried to explain to my audiophile buddies, that what you hear on the records we make is nowhere near reality.., we make it up, especially in pop recording. The studios are rather dead compared to a concert hall, and even if we record live in a hall the final result is nothing like the experience you get in a hall. It's, at best, a simulation. So, who's to say that a home playback system sounds real. It can't because the room you're in doesn't have the same acoustics as that hall, and you're reproducing the music through speakers, all of which are different. We don't spend $100/ft on wire since we couldn't aford the recording gear if we did. The records that you like are done mostly through wire that costs approximately $0.30 - $0.50/ft and we run hundreds of feet of it. As soon as you put up a microphone, reality disappears. From that point on back through the chain of pre-amps, line amps, processors and final media, so many changes have taken place that it's amazing a violin still sounds like a violin in the end. What I do commend audiophiles for is attempting to affect the recorded sound as little as possible through their playback chain. Again since each system is different it will never be the same from system to system. So, the best any audiophile can hope for is a really good sounding system that reproduces music in a way that person likes. We have a term in professional recording known as the "Translation Factor." If a final mix sounds good on the greater number of systems in different venues, that mix is said to translate well. That's what you get guys.., and all you get.
Classical Review magazine claims that classical recordings are done to a higher standard than most "pop." As I understand it, when the big symphonies (Berlin, Vienna, Chicago etc) were in their hey day from the 70s-90s that recordings were done by a small army of engineers playing with the best toys available. I have over 1000 classical CDs and I wouldn't point at any of them being "bad" recordings - although some live performances I suppose might qualify.
Just to pull you up again - we sound engineers DO want to make the best possible, most realistic, pure and natural sound. Sound engineers have a profound and unique relationship with audio...Its the Producers and people who do not have any understanding of sound that force their opinions to the degree that the end result of most music is very poor these days. It is heartbreaking :/
@@amazoidal Because they're necessary. It would take a long time to explain why. Books have been written on sound engineering and, without sarcasm, I really recommend that audiophiles go and read one.
@Larry Niles If that were true, there wouldn't be so many ill-informed comments about compression, EQ etc. Groupthink is prevalent in the audiophile community.
Aaaand my audio journey ends. What I've learned is: The rabbit hole never ends. Stop, relax and listen. Enjoy with what's in front of you, or forever be unsatisfied.
If music sounding real is the most important thing to you don’t bother chasing after recorded music. Spend your money going to live performances and concerts.
John Brentford my little town has a 450 seat performing arts center we attend on a fairly regular basis. We have sat in many areas and I I have yet to find a spot that sounds as good as my $1,000 home system. The sound reinforcement system is well matched with the sound guy running it. Not all live sound is good sound.
Most of my greatest musical experiences have been me alone in a room with whatever Hi-Fi I had at that time As far as production is concerned production is always a bit of a magic trick - a wonderful illusion when it works Piano recordings are getting back to the richness and depth of the best analogue recordings of the late 70s Philips for example - tracking was always a problem though Digital is catching up at last - listen to the beautiful recordings by Víkingur Ólafsson . Permanent evolution
Exactly, there's a time and place for everythig. So the premise of the video is: just relax. And the guy actually said it while I was typing this. I guess I am perfect LOL
So John, I am in Day 14 of Camp Corona , at home , not working until May at the earliest . I am truly glad to have a solid upper middle class sound system. Your live music venues are closed. Recorded music lives on, John ......
@@steelydanfan100 Your current ensnared condition has not been life long has it now?You will be back out there some day. But you have made the wrong assumption I never said I prefer live music personally I prefer recorded music to live music. Music sounding real is not the most important thing to me but I know people who prefer it. I suggest the Asshole song by Denis Leary for you since your a giant one anyway! By the way my work is essential so you can set at home on your fat ass!
As a pro audio engineer, I feel I must weigh in here and give credence to what Steve is saying. Please forgive me for stating the obvious, but all recordings are a compromise. Unless it's recorded using only two mics in front of an acoustic ensemble using only natural reverb in the room, there will always be a compromise in a produced recording.
...and even then, It's still a compromise. But then again, what a wonderful art form.., and ultimate promise of auditory joy. Now if we could just get the wives on board...?
I love this video and the theme, thank you Steve. Thankfully I realized this years ago, but this advice is not just for audiophiles, it applies to life overall. The road to perfection is a foo'ls journey. Don't pass up quality sound, people, or experiences thinking you'll find better.
I have a great system to those that are not “audiophiles”. I believe it’s a really good system myself. A set of Polk S60’s, Pro-ject DC turntable, an old, but minty, Yamaha DVD-S2300mkii for SACD/CD’s and the jewel (in my opinion), a Yamaha AS-1100 integrated amp. The Polks aren’t given a second look by audiophiles, but I’ll put them against some of the best and I’ll bet they’ll hold their own. The Pro-ject is a really good sounding turntable and will be even better when I upgrade its cart and platter. The AS-1100 I think is a steal at its price point. It sounds like butter, I love it. A really serious audiophile would probably scoff at my system, but I think it sounds fantastic.
And then there are bands/artists who don't even try to sound 'natural' and use the recording studio as another instrument in their arsenal to sound as un-natural and alien as possible. I cannot imagine someone listening to something like Pink Floyd's 'Interstellar Overdrive', Bowie's 'Aladdin Sane', most of Brian Eno's work (I could list many, many more) and have 'natural sound' as a major concern. I think you were really on to something with mentioning "suspension of disbelief" - a recording doesn't necessarily need to sound 'real' - it just needs to present a coherent ambience that sounds 'believable' within its particular context.
Agreed. There seems to be some confusion over the recording process. As soon as you put a mic on something, process it through a mic/pre and record it to tape or hard drive you are performing an unnatural process. For example recording a drum kit, no one has 24 ears, each pointed at a different part of the kit. No one puts their ear 2” from a loud snare drum. Recordings departed from reality in the time of Les Paul, certainly The Beatles. Recording engineers are shooting for the best sound they can capture, in an artistic sense. Records are recorded and mixed in small control rooms, and that’s the environment most record producers are experiencing when trying to make the best sounding record they can. Not mixing on earbuds, not mixing on car stereos.
This reminds me of hunting and fishing. Yes you can become crazy about dropping that trophy buck or landing that huge bass but if your obsessed with that and can't enjoy a day on the water just fishing or a quite morning in the deer stand then you've gone too far. Just enjoy the moment for gosh sakes.
I always knew I would not get "perfect sound" being a classically trained musician. But the "quest" was to get something decent enough. So, as new equipment came out, I compared and listened. Now, I've reached a point where any huge improvement would cost more than I am willing to spend. But you are right about the recordings being all over the place. And our rooms...
I've spent about $3,000 bucks and have an incredible sounding system. Your advice was very helpful. The NAD 316BEE is at the heart of it and I can't see it getting much better for me at least for the money.
Steve, I LOVE this video. Spot on. I've found a system I can live with. Is it perfect/accurate/realistic system? Hell no. But it is good enough for me to enjoy my music on now, and into my golden years. Thanks for the reminder that we should find what we like, and just enjoy the music.
You could measure with various microphones - but we each hear through our ears, and they’re all shaped ... differently. Yeah, gonna be hard to nail down the absolute truth on this one. I used to debate rationalizing why I liked something - band for example - with my overly competitive and highly rational friends, I would eventually throw up my hands and say “I don’t care why I like it, I just like it.”
I've had the same system for over 10 years..Denon/Polk....I thought I would play digital music through iTunes through my system...I bought a refurbished little Dell notebook for $75.00 and A Schiit DAC for $100 and a $150 Yamaha 8 inch subwoofer...I was satisfied with the outcome...4000 songs on shuffle...surprises me every day what I sit down to listen for an hour.
Zero Fidelity channel never has any useful information nor entertainment for me. He's a guy the doesn't seem to know much that is kind of learning as he goes on his TH-cam channel instead of sharing knowledge with us. I would take anything he says very lightly. That being said, a hobby is about being happy. If you have a system and enjoy it a lot, then, that is the ideal in my book.
Steve: I'm satisfied with this Final Episode. It seems that Sean and you can now retire :-D If I want live sound I play music with friends or go to a live show ( with Audiophile earplugs;-) My stereo systems and imagination take me to places in time and space that I could never have experienced live. I'm grateful and satisfied with recording & reproduction technology for that! Hallelu-Jah for the gift of music! I'm glad I prepared well for self isolation ;-)
I almost knocked down a wall in my house to try and get the perfect sound, then realised I would then just go and get bigger pair of speakers and then a bigger amplifier, so I didn't bother.
I've got the perfect system.... because I've learnt to be content with what I have
Cooo look at you Mr smug
True
Well said.
Bingo!
@@adotopp1865 I could be a Brooklyn bum that goes through the trash outside Steve's building of a night time who's content with two tin cans and a string. What's there to be smug about?
I was so busy chasing the perfect sound I didn't realize my wife left me.
joke? truth? condolences or congratulations, probably both
Congratulations most likely.
What costs more - alimony or those electrostatics? 😀
@@olaniyi570 Bitter much?
Probably she found someone with better sound…
As I sit here listening to a pair of re-capped Cerwin Vega's on an old, low watt, un-restored solid state amp from the 70's on a cheap turntable - Soundgarden is seriously rocking and I'm loving it. No room correction, no acoustic panels, 35 watts of old 70's power. It's all fantastic....enjoying the music. Thanks for the reminder Steve.
Shout out for those old, low watt, unrestored solid state amps from the 70s! They just keep on rocking.
@Fat Rat ... but also has a soft spot for Trio, Philips, Technics, JVC... ;D
We like equipment. And we like any reason to buy more of it. As silly as this might sound, I feel that for many audiophiles, the equipment is more important than the sound. By the way, this particular Audiophiliac episode deserves a You Tube award.
I love learning about electronics also.
it's never about the destination, it's about the journey (life is a journey, not a destination) enjoy the ride
Excellent advice Steve!!! Probably the best I've heard ever. I usually find myself lisgening to the system for defects instead of enjoying the music. It's hard not to do this, and it's hard to accept you can't hear something that was never meant to be there from the start! I have to change that ;)
And Steve, as we age , we loose the hearing for highs we could hear as we was young. Yes as we get old, we loose it.
I have been hearing other TH-camrs keep telling there are differences between this audio product and that product, or this setup compared to that setup.....yadda, yadda.... Then I thought whether the recording is meant to be heard in such clarity where most people are not audiophiles. Sometimes even the simplest setup may be enough just to enjoy the tunes. Choosing between enjoying the tunes and perfect sound, I would choose the fun-comes-first rather than perfection.
Thanks for sharing this.
Steve - you are so right. I spent a ton of money chasing perfect sound for 40 years and now I have found a group of components that punch way above their weight and I am happy with the sound. In fact, I am so happy, I am afraid to change it. I have confirmed this by realizing that after leaving a half dozen Axpona shows, I come away liking MY system. I now focus on buying MUSIC, not more gear.
Chasing perfect sound is like chasing your tail.
Except with the latter, you have a chance.
Most important video to date. Thank you Steve!
I have a great balanced system that I love listening to and I know it's not perfect, so fkn what. Love your wisdom Steve
Thank you Steve, for a very interesting and thoughtful video! God bless you!
I was very happy with the ADS L810's, but I got an offer for some L910's that I couldn't pass up. I believe they are my end-game loudspeakers. They present every genre of music I enjoy, perfectly. Cymbals sound real, bass guitars are prominent, and everything is just as I've always wanted. Plus, they're fairly efficient and work with just about every amp/pre-amp/DAC combo I hooked them up to. They sound great while passively listening and even better with intense, sitting down just to listen-sessions.
I am eternally grateful to the man who sold those 910's to me. He even drove 2+ hours each way just to deliver them into my grubby mitts! ( Came with the original stands, too.)
The acceptance that what you have , gives you what you need is your personal challenge. I now have a range of what most would call “Space Junk” and I am truely satisfied. I know what it’s capable of and I hear things I know that are there, that are now apparent.
Thank you Steve. You really hit the spot. Does perfect sound really better? By definition, real sound is how everything sound at their sources. A violin, a guitar, but once you go beyond the standard acoustic instruments and vocals, everything is modified somewhat. Electric guitar? Drum samples? They are all processed to someone's preference. They are NOT natural. And the unspoken truth is, many processed sound actually are much better than the raw sound. Reverb, echo, filters. etc. etc.
So what makes a good recording (which itself is a highly processed, 40+ tracks down mix to 2 in most cases) is something according to someone's preference. And that someone's goal is to produce something most "other" people like.
So for me, if a system produces a sound that I like the most, at a budget I can afford or I'd like to spend, then that's good for me. It may not be perfect. But I'm OK with that.
Be an audiophile and be satisfied ? That's an oxymoron.
This should be the first video anybody looking for a stereo system should watch before making purchasing decisions.
Good enough is good enough. I try things, if i think there is a problem in one area, i try to tweak the system with something that addresses that particular issue. When i no longer think there are any apparent flaws, and it "just sounds good", i'm done. I could keep throwing money at it after this point and still get iterative upgrades, but when i'm at the point where every time i return to it and it keeps sounding good to me, ignorance truly is bliss. Upgrading from this point only starts the cycle from the beginning.
Spot on Steve....................you nailed this one. Now, I have subscribed to both Absolute Sound and Stereophile for ages. My pet peeve with TAS has always been there is no such thing as an absolute sound.....the target is moving with too many moving parts....variables if you will. Searching for a system that has a sound that I like is a far more worthwhile endeavor. I know what live music sounds like and if a system can give me the illusion I am happy with that idea.
Thank you for your perspective! After almost 30 years in this hobby, I have drifted away from trying to attain perfection in a system, and more towards a system which simply makes a larger percentage of my collection more enjoyable, rather than make the hand full of my best recordings sound better.
Recently I was in an audiophile salon, listening to an incredible system that probably was the most convincing system I've heard to date.Total cost in a well tuned room was probably in the $200,000 US. range. However almost all the music played were high resolution files, rather typical audiophile demo music. I couldn't help but wonder how the system would present a less-than-stellar recording, i.e. roughly 90%+ of recorded music.
I've learned to change my listening habits. For my "reference" material I listen in the sweet spot ,enjoying both the music and the great recording. But for a lot of other music I "chill" comfortably off axis.
I love how you just laid it on the line, and revealed the "big secret". Most people don't know how or even seen a PA system up close.
Great vid Steve. "Liked / Shared"
They never will. And that is why buying brand name products is so important. Because you WILL sell what you have and move on to something else, especially when you are new and don't know any better.
Nice to hear so much sense. Thanks.
This kind of video that makes me love your videos! By the way, this video is really hurtful for audiofools!!!
A very good one, thank you kindly Sir! Okay, I was just now meditating on what Steve was saying here above. My system is NOT super expensive but is rather uniquely designed and has custom elements. For my personal taste, there is **ONE** absolutely true thing I can say about my system with complete assurance and conviction, it is this: I don't know how 'accurate' my system is, BUT... I honestly without any doubt whatsoever CAN indeed tell HUGE differences in the quality of the vinyl recordings. In other words, I can hear one album where it immediately grabs me and I say, 'WOW! That is a bloody excellent recording. It sounds awesome, it is very dynamic, and I'm just blown away' OR... which sadly probably happens more often, is I put on a record and immediately say, 'OOH... that sure sounds poorly recorded/mastered, it is so compressed, etc...' So, the ONE thing that I think I can say with absolute certainty is that at least the system is of a high enough resolution where I can honestly really, **REALLY** tell the total differences in the recording/mastering quality of one record to another. And, I mean in some cases, HUGE differences. So, I'm kinda guessing that if my system was not as resolving, wouldn't the various recordings/albums sound more the same...?
So, from the excellent advice above, for my system personally, I feel that is what I've come away with...
If anyone is completely bored and has absolutely NOTHING else to do:
photos.app.goo.gl/9ja3UKob7tppW4Y38
Does the "neurotic audiophile" spend more time chasing that perfect sound or listening to music? Sometimes I just wonder. This was one of the best episodes for me, I'm fairly new here.
Francesco Tenti, I’m only as neurotic as I can afford to be. I do love the gear. The music has always come first. Even when it meant a $5 tabletop radio from the pawnshop. I don’t know about neutral or live sound, I strive for engaging.
@@billdunn8542 I know it can be very contagious and get people to the never happy stage and keep striving for more. It is that way with guitars and amps with me, I stopped buying when I had no ore room in my music room. Very expensive ways to be "neurotic", btw. I recycle all my "old stuff" so I have music all over my place, it's hard to let go.
You think audiophiles are bad.
Try being a speaker builder.
From scratch. I’ve re-worked my speakers ( JBL AUDAX. SELENIUM KLIPSCH ). Wires. Capacitors. Ports. So many times. 40 or 50 iterations.
The answer is... Yes!
I don't have enough experience to say what i like more. I just have LCD-X's for now and have a blast with it🤗
Steve, yet another well thought out rant on getting to one's own audiophile nirvana. Your closing suggestion to just be satisfied couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. Thanks for the needed diversion.
Thanks for the continued videos, Steve! Why don’t we ever get to see your listening spot?
I found the best value in my audeze lcd2 classic and sonus Faber sonetto 1
Both make me smile when I listen to music :)
Let's nail this audiophile mantra that 'recordings used to be produced better back in the bug days because nowadays they're mostly listened to in the background while people do other things'. Newsflash: they always have been! People drove with their car radios on, they did housework with the transistor radio playing, they shopped with muzak, they jogged with their Walkmans... the list goes on. Sitting down to just listen has always been a minority pursuit.
If anything, they quality of playback for background music has never been better than it is now. For all we might scoff at MP3s and earbuds, the quality of reproduction of background music is streets ahead of the cassettes, car radios, transistor radio speakers and in-store PAs of yesteryear.
I stopped searching for systems years ago when I converted to digital streaming. After that I found myself spent more time discovering and try listening to new styles of music. I spent more time with music than on system tweaking which is nice.
My goal, at least in my current audiophile incarnation, has always been to get to the point where my system met a level of satisfaction where any further improvement would require a much larger investment. I listen mainly to my DAC via headphones that were my last major upgrade in terms of cost and it basically got me to close of that goal. The last mile consisting of cleaner power and better power cables has been far more modest in terms of cost but incredibly satisfying in terms of the benefit. So yes there is other gear out there that is “better” but also much more expensive. And the last thing I want is buyer’s remorse when you discover you’ve actually moved more laterally than forward after spending a large chunk of money.
I got a different affliction.
I want to experience everything. Every experience should be different from the other.
Some hifi shows in the Netherlands have some fantastic listeningrooms.
Example of 3 illusions
- KEF blade with Hegel didn't had great depth, but it gave the illusion that the sound of the orchestra was painted on a big curved invisible canvas.
- A different show, I witnessed true big horn speakers in the hot seat. The sound was truly holographic with width and depth. I could imagine a grid around/between the horn speakers and hear an instrument on each grid.
- I was at a demonstration of a French electrostatic speakers. I sat in front of the right speaker, so no stereo. But the sound was so clear. It felt like the speaker was an open door to an invisible room. And in that room was a female singer.
The speaker was a magical wooden frame and a woman was trapped in the frame.
Thanks so much for this lesson!!!!
Steve this episode is my favorite so far this year....we have to pick a style or have a system for different styles.......Peace and love!
I have a system I’ve been content with for 20 years. Denon electronics and B&W 600 series speakers. However I recently ordered a tube amp and a pair of efficient speakers. Luckily today it’s much easier to do that on a budget and still have a great sounding system. Guess I’ll find out in a few weeks....🎶🎶🎶
NPR tiny desk concerts are recorded very natural sounding.
Great Rant Steve, wish I saw this podcast 20 years, but now I remember on old audiophile said most of this to me, and I didn’t pay attention
I would say, not spending money on your system is the best way to improve it
I had very good components but was dissatisfied with the sound
As I was saving for a house, I put no money into my system
Instead I spent a year improving the sound of the room, the bass response and optimising every components set up
I bought no new equipment
The difference was staggering and nearly all the big issues resolved and thought yeah be fun to try something shinny and new, without dialling in everything I may have been equally dissatisfied
Now if at least I did have the money, I could tell the difference now....
Absolutely correct Steve!
Hey Steve! Just bought a Denon AVR 3805 yesterday for $40! Still had the funky remote control! I read about this receiver from none other than a Steve Guttenbergs review! Sorry for all the yelling, Ive been cranking the tunes.
to me as long as your system sounds good to you - that is what counts. soon to have a nice system. i would rather spend money on music. sit and relax at the comfort of my own home with a nice glass of wine or coffee
Good stuff... I think I look at recordings as an interpretation and I strive to be able to appreciate the layers and detail that went about making it. I know I don't know exactly how something would sound like, but more of my expectation of how I think it should sound. I like listening to something that I am used to hearing and discovering something new in the recording that I didn't realize was there. (I don't have an epic system yet, so I'm still discovering)
I dig it Steve awesome video!
Siegfried Linkwitz knew this. Only reason he kept designing is he finally good enough was good enough. My problem is my many esoteric or mainstream preferences in music each require different system.
My true audiophile dream is to have three listening rooms 1) Party - Klipsch will do 2) Serious / intimate - exotics. 3) Theater/Video/Surround - Dolby Atmos
Funny this is just posted...i spent 2 hrs on sunday running different room correction settings on my pioneer receiver 😁
Says the guy with 943 headphones behind him.
Rabbi Guttenberg has spoken wisdom of the ages: What we like is what we like, and we rationalize it as best, or better than (insert your favorite amp, speaker, etc.) That also applies to musical taste. Fantastic Steve. Your one of my favorites (can't say best), just cause I like you man. So do 112k other disciples (yes, we are that devoted. After all we're nutty audiophiles).
I don't know how you can chase perfection when they all sound different. Recordings, amps, speakers, rooms all the way down the air pressure that is outside today all make a source sound different. Who is to say which one is perfect and when? I found this out 40 years ago when I was 13 and why I bought a EQ that I still have today. Not saying all EQ's are equal but the little 1983, 7 band Technics just makes everything sound great. Different rooms, different speakers, different everything over the years but he same EQ. That's my perfect music maker.
I am also rebuilding my first system for when I was a kid and doing a video about it. I want to compare what I have today to the sound I could make back then and see if my listening taste and hearing have changed over the years. So far I have the receiver, tape deck and EQ (1980-83) but the big fun don't happen until I get a CD player in 1986. So far I am pretty impressed with my younger self. Only 16 watts per channel it lacks power but the sound is all there and when I add the EQ all the sound that is covering up the good sound can be removed. I really think there is 3 types of audiophile, people that are taught what good sound is, people that are told what it is and then some are just born with it. Those who were born with it (imho) just don't care what audiophiles think. We don't need the latest and greatest to impress our friends because we like what we have. Doesn't mean we are not as passionate about it as the others. For that matter I think we are more passionate about it because it's not about the equipment it's about the sound/music. If "reveling" equals crap I will take the color.
Another question we should consider is what will happen if we do? Anyway, perfect sound is perhaps the one you like to hear best - when you hear it and cannot imagine it could possibly sound any better.
Steve, thank you for making the case for using an equalizer!!!
It's like trying to date the most beautiful woman in the world... There are so many beautiful ones, and still so different from each other, it makes no sense trying to pick one.
You are funny, Steve. "I don't know....Horns?"
It's way beyond what the engineer and band desires, we simply do not have the technique / method / medium to truly capture music in a manner for which we then have the technology Electronics Speakers etc. to then reproduce (not even taking the room into consideration) So it's a lost cause from the beginning, and until we come up with a more advance method of recording..., or should I say BOTH Recording & Reproduction as one synergistic process, we will never be there. That said, I think the advancements made recently by companies like Legacy Audio have enabled us to come closer than ever and more importantly quite enjoyable even if still not 100% the REAL deal.
I’m all digital. Mac book pro holds all of my ripped vinyl and cds. @ 16/48.. Spotify to discover new artist as well as Bandcamp. Schitt yggy A2. Herron 360 pre amp, Mcintosh ma6500 that’s integrated. Though I just use it as a amp. The Herron has tubes!! Speakers are ACI Sapphire Xl. I have decent cables and IC. Sure it can always be better. Though I found a nice medium
Steve, really enjoyed your talk today and cleared some "audio issues" that cleared themselves as you went along. Can you show us your system set up ???
Your journey is your own, enjoy it and support others in their journey. 💜💜💜🎶🎶🎶
Yes, Sean and I have had discussions on this before. I have been talking about this for years.
It is simply impossible. It is like when audiophiles tell me they are chasing "that live sound". I keep trying to tell them the only way to achieve that is to not only play the recording in the live venue of their choice, but to have the artist playing live there. Alternatively, they can have the artists play live in their rooms on demand. Neither of those are going to happen.
Paul McGowan of PS Audio is always claiming that he has the perfect system in the world with the huge speakers and such in a treated room. Even he does not know that there is no standard definition of "perfect" and that there is no such thing as a "perfect system" no matter the cost of the cables, speakers or other gear. I would challenge that he could take that system and put it in any other room and it will sound different and not "perfect".
The question is "what is perfect"? Perfect is relative. It is up to the individual. It is how close does the sound meet the desires and expectations of the listener.
Even for educational purposes, I would not recommend listening at loud levels! I never do. There have been times I have had to leave demos because they were playing too loud for me.
The late Neil Peart: "The point of a journey is to never arrive".
I have noticed that the better your system the bigger the differencies between recordings and the more dissatified you can become.
I'd commend BIS SACD classical CDs for jaw dropping sound. Real, nope. But listen to Richard Brautigan doing Beethoven piano sonatas on a pianoforte, and the sound is very subtle. Bach cantatas with Suzuki are also extremely clear. I'm listening via multi-channel SACD.
Hello, please help me in finding a good set of speakers.
I want to go with a turntable setup, I like the Rega Planar3 and perhaps I'll go with a Rega integrated amp.
My problem is that I want to go with a bookshelf set of speakers placing them on a bookshef. All of thease speakers are goog when placed one or two feet from the wall but I don't have space to place them like that.
Please tell me what speakers do you recommend me.
Thank you, Bogdan.
This would be a great moment for the big retail chains to offer ridiculous prices so those who can afford something with contribute to the business. Somenone like me would gladly replace a couple of nice meals for a super deal on a cartridge, etc.
Do they make Horn IEM or Headphones? I like analog I grew up with that and that just sounds rite to me.
I chased a long time, spended well over 10.000 euros on different headphones and AMPs and DACs. Then i had revelation and found the golden combo. It wasn't the best headphones or best AMP, it was used Sennheiser HD800 (650€) and THX AAA amp/dac 300€), yes its costly but no where near the best ones cos. like 30.000-50.000€. these are almost as good as the best and most expensive one, about 80% as good but at 1/15th cost. There is no use to get better cos normal people won't probably even notice it.
Dude ... your hair! 🤘
So true
Well wile this is true, finding the right set of audio equipment to work together in harmony is achievable. buy my experience a tube amplifier goes perfectly with klipsch speakers and turntable all these items have the same nature in sound.
My wife’s friend demands accuracy. I asked him if his system used Neumann, or AKG mics in its chain, if his room was the same size and treated like the recording studio that was used.
He said he wants accuracy
If you follow Paul McGowan from PS Audio, he will get you to chase your tail. With a good recording, I make sure that i have a good center image as wide as i can possibly get it without break up. I make sure the bass is good and tight. After that, its a crap shoot with different recordings. If i can achieve a high average of recordings that sound pretty good? I'm happy. Home Theater sounds amazing however, no matter what i throw at it...that part of my system is complete.
You would think artist would want they're music they created to sound the best it could but guess they too busy partying and counting that money !Steve you look like a crazy Einstein! Hahahahaha Love the shirts man.
Most musicians are too poor to be partying and counting their money. Sad but true.
I found a genie in a lamp once and he granted me one wish.
So I asked him to build a bridge across the ocean from the US to the UK.
The genie went mad and ranted about how it's impossible and the complex logistics and physics involved, and he told me to pick a different wish.
So I asked for the perfect sound system. The genie paused and replied ........ so this bridge, how many lanes do you want?
That's an Aesop's Parable isn't it?
@@Mrch33ky Aesop's Parasound...
Nah it's just that audiophilia attracts delusional people with compulsive disorders. No sane, reasonable mind is capable of the mental gymnastics needed to justify audiophile purchases.
A normal person will enjoy the music while an audiophile will look for equipment "upgrades".
The "high" we get when the music and the sound are right, is like a drug, and once we're hooked we want more, more, more. "Perfect" may not exist, but "more" does!
Sad but true.
If it sounds right and good the pleasure is better than any drug. I even did a comparison once between listening to good music on my stereo and having sex and my stereo was just a bit better.
@@andershammer9307 Don't tell her that!
@@jdmccall56 Too late! lol
@@somebunnielse lol. You know it wasn't you.
For me it's not perfect sound, it's about an uncritical listening experience. So, if you can eliminate glaring weaknesses, you can then just sit back and enjoy the music as an emotional experience.
That works!
Hi Steve. I am also a recording engineer.., and I belong to an audiophile club, but I'm not an audiophile. When asked if I'm an audiophile, I always reply NO, I'm an "audio realist." I've tried to explain to my audiophile buddies, that what you hear on the records we make is nowhere near reality.., we make it up, especially in pop recording. The studios are rather dead compared to a concert hall, and even if we record live in a hall the final result is nothing like the experience you get in a hall. It's, at best, a simulation. So, who's to say that a home playback system sounds real. It can't because the room you're in doesn't have the same acoustics as that hall, and you're reproducing the music through speakers, all of which are different. We don't spend $100/ft on wire since we couldn't aford the recording gear if we did. The records that you like are done mostly through wire that costs approximately $0.30 - $0.50/ft and we run hundreds of feet of it. As soon as you put up a microphone, reality disappears. From that point on back through the chain of pre-amps, line amps, processors and final media, so many changes have taken place that it's amazing a violin still sounds like a violin in the end. What I do commend audiophiles for is attempting to affect the recorded sound as little as possible through their playback chain. Again since each system is different it will never be the same from system to system. So, the best any audiophile can hope for is a really good sounding system that reproduces music in a way that person likes. We have a term in professional recording known as the "Translation Factor." If a final mix sounds good on the greater number of systems in different venues, that mix is said to translate well. That's what you get guys.., and all you get.
Great observation
From real experience
Classical Review magazine claims that classical recordings are done to a higher standard than most "pop." As I understand it, when the big symphonies (Berlin, Vienna, Chicago etc) were in their hey day from the 70s-90s that recordings were done by a small army of engineers playing with the best toys available. I have over 1000 classical CDs and I wouldn't point at any of them being "bad" recordings - although some live performances I suppose might qualify.
Just to pull you up again - we sound engineers DO want to make the best possible, most realistic, pure and natural sound. Sound engineers have a profound and unique relationship with audio...Its the Producers and people who do not have any understanding of sound that force their opinions to the degree that the end result of most music is very poor these days. It is heartbreaking :/
Then why add Autotune, compression, EQ?
I certainly understand, and agree with what you have explained, Jo Par.
@@amazoidal Because they're necessary. It would take a long time to explain why. Books have been written on sound engineering and, without sarcasm, I really recommend that audiophiles go and read one.
@Larry Niles If that were true, there wouldn't be so many ill-informed comments about compression, EQ etc. Groupthink is prevalent in the audiophile community.
Aaaand my audio journey ends. What I've learned is:
The rabbit hole never ends. Stop, relax and listen. Enjoy with what's in front of you, or forever be unsatisfied.
As once said on an episode of “Dr. Who” many years ago, “The Quest is the Quest”.
If music sounding real is the most important thing to you don’t bother chasing after recorded music. Spend your money going to live performances and concerts.
John Brentford my little town has a 450 seat performing arts center we attend on a fairly regular basis. We have sat in many areas and I I have yet to find a spot that sounds as good as my $1,000 home system. The sound reinforcement system is well matched with the sound guy running it. Not all live sound is good sound.
Most of my greatest musical experiences have been me alone in a room with whatever Hi-Fi I had at that time As far as production is concerned production is always a bit of a magic trick - a wonderful illusion when it works Piano recordings are getting back to the richness and depth of the best analogue recordings of the late 70s Philips for example - tracking was always a problem though Digital is catching up at last - listen to the beautiful recordings by Víkingur Ólafsson . Permanent evolution
Exactly, there's a time and place for everythig. So the premise of the video is: just relax. And the guy actually said it while I was typing this. I guess I am perfect LOL
So John, I am in Day 14 of Camp Corona , at home , not working until May at the earliest . I am truly glad to have a solid upper middle class sound system. Your live music venues are closed. Recorded music lives on, John ......
@@steelydanfan100 Your current ensnared condition has not been life long has it now?You will be back out there some day. But you have made the wrong assumption I never said I prefer live music personally I prefer recorded music to live music. Music sounding real is not the most important thing to me but I know people who prefer it. I suggest the Asshole song by Denis Leary for you since your a giant one anyway! By the way my work is essential so you can set at home on your fat ass!
This reminds me of the time I was auditioning a pair of Mission speakers. They were amazingly accurate and super neutral and I hated them.
Ha ha ha ha super neutral. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
As a pro audio engineer, I feel I must weigh in here and give credence to what Steve is saying. Please forgive me for stating the obvious, but all recordings are a compromise. Unless it's recorded using only two mics in front of an acoustic ensemble using only natural reverb in the room, there will always be a compromise in a produced recording.
...and even then, It's still a compromise. But then again, what a wonderful art form.., and ultimate promise of auditory joy. Now if we could just get the wives on board...?
I love this video and the theme, thank you Steve. Thankfully I realized this years ago, but this advice is not just for audiophiles, it applies to life overall. The road to perfection is a foo'ls journey. Don't pass up quality sound, people, or experiences thinking you'll find better.
I have a great system to those that are not “audiophiles”. I believe it’s a really good system myself. A set of Polk S60’s, Pro-ject DC turntable, an old, but minty, Yamaha DVD-S2300mkii for SACD/CD’s and the jewel (in my opinion), a Yamaha AS-1100 integrated amp. The Polks aren’t given a second look by audiophiles, but I’ll put them against some of the best and I’ll bet they’ll hold their own. The Pro-ject is a really good sounding turntable and will be even better when I upgrade its cart and platter. The AS-1100 I think is a steal at its price point. It sounds like butter, I love it. A really serious audiophile would probably scoff at my system, but I think it sounds fantastic.
Sounds like you are a really serious audiophile, yourself!
i like the way you talk about your system.. because you enjoy what you have & that is the main thing .. to be happy with what you believe..
AudioVU I’ll bet it does. Know what? I’d love one of those yamaha integrated amps. What else? The NAD 326Bee sounds pretty good too.
Said like a true "audiophile." Good for you man!
And then there are bands/artists who don't even try to sound 'natural' and use the recording studio as another instrument in their arsenal to sound as un-natural and alien as possible. I cannot imagine someone listening to something like Pink Floyd's 'Interstellar Overdrive', Bowie's 'Aladdin Sane', most of Brian Eno's work (I could list many, many more) and have 'natural sound' as a major concern. I think you were really on to something with mentioning "suspension of disbelief" - a recording doesn't necessarily need to sound 'real' - it just needs to present a coherent ambience that sounds 'believable' within its particular context.
The album: Bestiary, by Robert Rich, comes to mind...
Agreed. There seems to be some confusion over the recording process. As soon as you put a mic on something, process it through a mic/pre and record it to tape or hard drive you are performing an unnatural process. For example recording a drum kit, no one has 24 ears, each pointed at a different part of the kit. No one puts their ear 2” from a loud snare drum. Recordings departed from reality in the time of Les Paul, certainly The Beatles.
Recording engineers are shooting for the best sound they can capture, in an artistic sense. Records are recorded and mixed in small control rooms, and that’s the environment most record producers are experiencing when trying to make the best sounding record they can. Not mixing on earbuds, not mixing on car stereos.
Recording as an art, has a huge palette of creative possibilities. To each ear, just desserts.
This reminds me of hunting and fishing. Yes you can become crazy about dropping that trophy buck or landing that huge bass but if your obsessed with that and can't enjoy a day on the water just fishing or a quite morning in the deer stand then you've gone too far. Just enjoy the moment for gosh sakes.
I always knew I would not get "perfect sound" being a classically trained musician. But the "quest" was to get something decent enough. So, as new equipment came out, I compared and listened. Now, I've reached a point where any huge improvement would cost more than I am willing to spend.
But you are right about the recordings being all over the place. And our rooms...
....Or afford!
Now we are in Lockdown, the only thing that matters is that your hifi works & you have music to listen to. Thats it.
Don't forget the electricity.
If all we have is contentment we have all the riches in the world :)
The best video you ever made Steve. Keep up the good work !
I've spent about $3,000 bucks and have an incredible sounding system. Your advice was very helpful. The NAD 316BEE is at the heart of it and I can't see it getting much better for me at least for the money.
Steve, I LOVE this video. Spot on. I've found a system I can live with. Is it perfect/accurate/realistic system? Hell no. But it is good enough for me to enjoy my music on now, and into my golden years. Thanks for the reminder that we should find what we like, and just enjoy the music.
You could measure with various microphones - but we each hear through our ears, and they’re all shaped ... differently. Yeah, gonna be hard to nail down the absolute truth on this one. I used to debate rationalizing why I liked something - band for example - with my overly competitive and highly rational friends, I would eventually throw up my hands and say “I don’t care why I like it, I just like it.”
I've had the same system for over 10 years..Denon/Polk....I thought I would play digital music through iTunes through my system...I bought a refurbished little Dell notebook for $75.00 and A Schiit DAC for $100 and a $150 Yamaha 8 inch subwoofer...I was satisfied with the outcome...4000 songs on shuffle...surprises me every day what I sit down to listen for an hour.
Thank-you Steve. That magical moment you realize "everything is a compromise". ✅
Zero Fidelity channel never has any useful information nor entertainment for me. He's a guy the doesn't seem to know much that is kind of learning as he goes on his TH-cam channel instead of sharing knowledge with us. I would take anything he says very lightly. That being said, a hobby is about being happy. If you have a system and enjoy it a lot, then, that is the ideal in my book.
Steve:
I'm satisfied with this Final Episode. It seems that Sean and you can now retire :-D
If I want live sound I play music with friends or go to a live show ( with Audiophile earplugs;-)
My stereo systems and imagination take me to places in time and space that I could never have experienced live.
I'm grateful and satisfied with recording & reproduction technology for that!
Hallelu-Jah for the gift of music!
I'm glad I prepared well for self isolation ;-)
I almost knocked down a wall in my house to try and get the perfect sound, then realised I would then just go and get bigger pair of speakers and then a bigger amplifier, so I didn't bother.
Perfection is the enemy of good.
Learning to enjoy what you have is important. Always analyzing can kill the enjoyment.