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Post by MartinT on Mar 18, 2019 15:39:18 GMT
To try and give a sensible (for me) answer... I'd like my system to be able to reproduce the music I imagine the musicians were hearing in their heads when they recorded it - from Argerich to Zappa, from the Sex Pistols to Sol Gabetta. I don't "do" review-speak. I think, to be fair, we all have that as an objective. 'Review-speak' is nothing more than trying to find words for the impossible task of describing what we hear and how it triggers our emotions using language. |
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Post by Slinger on Mar 18, 2019 16:04:21 GMT
'Review-speak' is nothing more than trying to find words for the impossible task of describing what we hear and how it triggers our emotions using language. As you say, It's impossible, so I don't try. "Inky blackness" just means "as dark as ink." It doesn't mean " as dark as dark can be, and even blacker than black" or some such nonsnse, especially when applied to sound. I'll stick to attempting to describe music, as best I can. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 18, 2019 16:44:40 GMT
I think therefore your 'smoothness' translates to my 'liquid' or 'flow'. We need a Hifi dictionary and thesaurus ! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2019 16:51:01 GMT
I think therefore your 'smoothness' translates to my 'liquid' or 'flow'. We need a Hifi dictionary and thesaurus ! I would probably go with smoothness myself rather than liquid or flow, only because it means more to me personally. |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 18, 2019 17:27:25 GMT
To the last three posts, I think we should keep trying to describe what we hear as best we can. Otherwise the benefit of a forum for hi-fi is somewhat negated. Yes, the magazine writers can get wildly flowery in their language on occasion, and generate a giggle or two, but it's being obtuse to just claim you don't know what they mean.
I don't care if I get a laugh sometimes, I'll still do my best to objectively describe what I hear. It's fun trying, too.
By the way, inky blackness to me means the music rises and falls from dead silence.
Oh, and smoothness in my lexicon means slightly dull but without harshness.
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Post by Pinch on Mar 18, 2019 17:58:53 GMT
If you imagine a scale from very detailed but somewhat edgy on one end and musically flowing, fluid and easy on the ear but possibly lacking in dynamics and dull at the other extreme, that may help. I think easy on the ear is the best description for liquid, flowing, fluid reproduction. Thanks, Martin, that's helpful. I'm interested in why "detailed" is being put together with "somewhat edgy". I take it that an increase in detail needn't go hand in hand with an increase in brightness or edginess? Since, if I'm not mistaken, a sound's being "bright" or "edgy" is matter of its having a tonal balance that's skewed more towards the higher frequencies, which seems to be a different thing to its being more or less detailed. For myself, some of the most enjoyable changes I've made have been the ones which seemed to yield a leap in detail - I've not generally found these to co-incide with an increase in edginess (though I can think of one exception). So if a smooth, or easy on the ear, sound, is one that isn't edgy, then my preference would be for something that's ultra smooth and with bags of detail - that's what I'm shooting for, at least  |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 18, 2019 19:11:30 GMT
Someone on the Head-Fi forum observed that an increase in detail or resolution could often trick the brain into thinking it's become brighter. I found myself nodding as it can seem so at first but the brain soon readjusts.
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Post by John on Mar 18, 2019 20:25:32 GMT
I find describing sound hard in written words but as Martin knows I have strong views in what I want from a system
A good system check for me is having a sense of flow is the sound if full church bells ringing on Waking the Witch by Kate Bush few systems can do this. Mine will do it at the weekend when I do not have the factory mains nearby to worry about.
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Post by MartinT on Mar 18, 2019 20:38:38 GMT
I must check that out again, John, when I get the QP-1 back tomorrow.
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Post by MartinT on Mar 20, 2019 18:07:47 GMT
I'm glad I answered my own question honestly. Today I have all the detail I want and a change to grounding box arrangements has given me flow and ambience. It's the kind of presentation I revel in.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2019 7:31:42 GMT
I'm glad I answered my own question honestly. Today I have all the detail I want and a change to grounding box arrangements has given me flow and ambience. It's the kind of presentation I revel in. I was thinking about the question in the vote. I want lots, but of both, and in balance. As soon as one starts to fall behind / get way ahead of the other, things will start to sound skewed. Genuine upgrades do give more of both - how much is too much? Well IME, I don’t know because so far, every time I get more, I love it. Maybe one day I’ll overstep that boundary, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve learnt on my journey so far. |
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Post by petea on Apr 15, 2019 8:16:04 GMT
I wonder if there is a point at which one sot of becomes immune and so start to go too far without realising.
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Post by MartinT on Apr 15, 2019 8:19:23 GMT
Sometimes an upgrade will give you more of one while sacrificing a bit of the other.
For example: my modified SEG DAC gave me huge soundstage, depth, air and space in the presentation. I revelled in it. When I first got the LKS it was an almighty step up in detail, resolution and dynamics, but definitely sounded more two-dimensional at first. The grounding box started things off and now, with a clock upgrade and some attention to the PSU, I still have the resolution but the soundstage has caught up with the best that the SEG achieved.
It's ok to go for one aspect in an upgrade as long as you know ways to release better performance elsewhere.
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Post by MartinT on Apr 15, 2019 8:20:36 GMT
I wonder if there is a point at which one sot of becomes immune and so start to go too far without realising. Been there, done that, had to reverse out back to known good and start again. |
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Post by MartinT on May 7, 2019 6:13:32 GMT
I am writing up my findings since pursuing "hi-res nirvana" and will post them soon in the hope of helping others going down the same path.
I am still alone in voting for the top category but there is definitely a balance that needs finding otherwise things become relentless and less enjoyable.
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