Videos of Acoustically-Coupled Audio Recordings

[Carlos269]

I'll play along...

Recorded with my Google Pixel phone (the high notes on piano have noticeable distortion as a result). I find my speakers need 15-30 minutes to settle in each time I play them - this is the first track I played this morning, but perhaps the difference would not be so noticeable.

Nice, you have a very nice sounding system. I prefer the sound on your video to the sound on Jay’s video. Your system has an airy and clear presentation. Finding the right recording level can be a challenging. I notice that everyone else’s videos always sound louder than mine.

Glad that you posted. Perhaps this will encourage others to post a video of their systems playing this song for comparison. And perhaps Jay will give these videos a listen and understand how his system’s sound presentation compares to others. It is clear that it is definitely not about the amount money that one puts into these systems, although none are inexpensive, you definitely do not need to spend ridiculous amounts for great sound.

 

[Carlos269]

……and no one else wanted to play! Great SNFU album. Not sure why others are scared to post videos of their systems because based on their postings here on this forum they are obviously very proud of the signature line and equipment list that they have been able to purchase.

 

[Argonaut]

Perhaps those members of whom you speak harbour no such fears however that may have chosen simply not to interact with You … Merely a thought

 

[andromedaaudio]

Argonaut The moon , you can explain everything and you dont even have to use words .

Just one simple .....Vid

 

[Carlos269]

Perhaps those members of whom you speak harbour no such fears however that may have chosen simply not to interact with You … Merely a thought

Why don’t you post something constructive for a change. I’m not the only one interested in hearing other’s videos of their system. Grow up or don’t post these useless posts.

 

[Argonaut]

Well … Not a bad example of the point of a simple message … Other than pathetic accusations of the style in which you posted ! can you offer any other explanation to your “ and no one else wanted to play! “ ? … Oh, and I certainly require zero lessons in etiquette or how to post on this forum from you of all people LoL ….

 

[Argonaut]

Argonaut The moon , you can explain everything and you dont even have to use words .

Just one simple .....Vid

Yawn … Don’t you have a speaker order to be getting on with

 

[Al M.]

……and no one else wanted to play! Great SNFU album. Not sure why others are scared to post videos of their systems because based on their postings here on this forum they are obviously very proud of the signature line and equipment list that they have been able to purchase.

These others are not "scared", they have rational reasons not to post videos of their systems. It is technically unreasonable and illogical to assume that a video shot through a cheap phone mic, a $1 or so internal phone ADC, and reproduced through the YouTube digitally compressed AAC format can provide a faithful impression of an actual system sound.

We who do not post videos are all not "scared" but rational actors. Telling us that we are "scared" are juvenile tactics of 15-year old schoolyard bullies. Guess what, we are not adolescents any more, but adults. You should grow into one, too.

 

[Al M.]

Look, if you want to post videos and enjoy it, go ahead. To each their own thing that makes them happy. Others can enjoy the videos, find them interesting or not, or laugh at them, to each their own. But don't think that posting a video makes you "brave", and that those who don't are not as "brave" as you are. This kind of thinking is just unreasonable and immature.

 

[hopkins]

Posting videos is a way of communicating our enthusiasm about our systems. If it is accompanied by some explanations, even better. What is of interest in the system ? What does the owner like about the sound? ...

But it can also be a way of seeking confirmation because there are aspects that we are not necessarily pleased with, or unsure about.

Constructive criticism is useful. We can also learn a lot from watching other's videos.

We also probably agree that there is no perfect system, that we may have different goals and preferences.

Most of our systems are work in progress.

So everyone should be relaxed about the whole thing.

There are quite a few people posting videos in other threads, and many more available online. It is fun to watch other's systems in action, and I wish everyone would do it, but there is plenty to go around already.

 

[Carlos269]

These others are not "scared", they have rational reasons not to post videos of their systems. It is technically unreasonable and illogical to assume that a video shot through a cheap phone mic, a $1 or so internal phone ADC, and reproduced through the YouTube digitally compressed AAC format can provide a faithful impression of an actual system sound.

We who do not post videos are all not "scared" but rational actors. Telling us that we are "scared" are juvenile tactics of 15-year old schoolyard bullies. Guess what, we are not adolescents any more, but adults. You should grow into one, too.

Al, I don’t think that it’s the $1 microphone on the iPhones holding members back from posting videos of their systems. I will be blunt with you, many have made some large investments in their system and many of these so-called elite systems that I have heard have not impressed me. My interest is to hear a system in one of these videos that lives up to the promise and hear why people spend at the level they do. Is it more than for vanity or pride-of-ownership? If it is for exceptional sound then I want to hear it. If you tell me that it can’t be done over a YouTube video then I will have to tell you BullShit listen to my videos, Hopkin’s videos, PeterA’s videos, Tima’s videos, Tang’s videos, to name a few, and others that stand apart. If we say that our videos are representative of the sound of our systems, then why do you and others say that yours are not? If you don’t participate oh well so sad, so bad, but there are hundreds of members on this forum with very high cost and touted components, do all of those systems not sound good on video? I refuse to believe that.

 

[Al M.]

Al, I don’t think that it’s the $1 microphone on the iPhones holding members back from posting videos of their systems. I will be blunt with you, many have made some large investments in their system and many of these so-called elite systems that I have heard have not impressed me. My interest is to hear a system in one of these videos that lives up to the promise and hear why people spend at the level they do. Is it more than for vanity or pride-of-ownership? If it is for exceptional sound then I want to hear it. If you tell me that it can’t be done over a YouTube video then I will have to tell you BullShit listen to my videos, Hopkin’s videos, PeterA’s videos, Tima’s videos, Tang’s videos, to name a few, and others that stand apart. If we say that our videos are representative of the sound of our systems, then why do you and others say that yours are not? If you don’t participate oh well so sad, so bad, but there are hundreds of members on this forum with very high cost and touted components, do all of those systems not sound good on video? I refuse to believe that.

Carlos, the problem is that none of the system videos sound convincing in terms of true high end sound.

Also, I have heard Peter A.'s and Ron"s systems both in person and over videos. The latter don’t sound like the actual system, not even close.

Look, if you think that videos represent a system, then in my view you have too low standards for reproduction. Sorry.

Yes, some of your videos sound quite nice, I'll admit (while I don't care for the sound of some others that you posted), but I can impossibly tell if it's a high end sound or not. The resolution and subtlety just isn't there, nor are the dynamics. Sure, the tonal balance can sound nice, but if I just want a nice tonal balance I can buy a nice little $ 2,000 system and be done with it. That's not the point of the High End.

Sure, a reasonably correct tonal balance is a prerequisite -- and yes, I agree that many systems sorely lack in that, unfortunately -- but there is so much more to high end sound than that.

BTW, even the tonal balance is screwed up in Ron's system videos compared to the actual system (and he even records with a better mic than that from his phone). Hopkins once posted a comparison of different recording techniques and equipment when making recordings of his system, with all the files to listen to. The tonal balance is different in each of them.

 

[Carlos269]

Carlos, the problem is that none of the system videos sound convincing in terms of true high end sound.

Also, I have heard Peter A.'s and Ron"s systems both in person and over videos. The latter don’t sound like the actual system, not even close.

Look, if you think that videos represent a system, then in my view you have too low standards for reproduction. Sorry.

Yes, some of your videos sound quite nice, I'll admit (while I don't care for the sound of some others that you posted), but I can impossibly tell if it's a high end sound or not. The resolution and subtlety just isn't there, nor are the dynamics. Sure, the tonal balance can sound nice, but if I just want a nice tonal balance I can buy a nice little $ 2,000 system and be done with it. That's not the point of the High End.

Sure, a reasonably correct tonal balance is a prerequisite -- and yes, I agree that many systems sorely lack in that, unfortunately -- but there is so much more to high end sound than that.

BTW, even the tonal balance is screwed up in Ron's system videos compared to the actual system (and he even records with a better mic than that from his phone). Hopkins once posted a comparison of different recording techniques and equipment when making recordings of his system, with all the files to listen to. The tonal balance is different in each of them.

Al, I think that the disconnect is in our expectations of these videos. I’m expecting to hear a “glimpse” of the system’s sound and you are expecting “sound convincing in terms of true high end sound.” This goes a long way to explaining our misalignment when it comes to these system videos.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Al, I think that the disconnect is in our expectations of these videos. I’m expecting to hear a “glimpse” of the system’s sound and you are expecting “sound convincing in terms of true high end sound.” This goes a long way to explaining our misalignment when it comes to these system videos.

Very thoughtful!

 

[Al M.]

Al, I think that the disconnect is in our expectations of these videos. I’m expecting to hear a “glimpse” of the system’s sound and you are expecting “sound convincing in terms of true high end sound.” This goes a long way to explaining our misalignment when it comes to these system videos.

But as I argued, even the "glimpse" is often incorrect and misleading. So what's the point?

And again, even if there is nice sounding video you could probably make a comparably nice one from a $2,000 system because the video doesn't reflect the resolution etc. of a high end system anyway. So what's the point?

 

[Carlos269]

But as I argued, even the "glimpse" is often incorrect and misleading. So what's the point?

We will have to agree to disagree then. If recorded audio is not convincing then what are we doing here? A video is simply images synchronized to an audio recording. If these audio recordings on videos are not convincing then how are the ones we hear on TV, on movie screens, and on any broadcast’s convincing? This is a case of alternative facts. Are the studio microphones and tape machines and/or analog-to-digital converters convincing? If they are not then this whole audiophile thing falls apart. There are no restrictions, Hopkins and others have used high quality microphones for their videos. No one is dictating how you go about recording the audio on the videos. We can’t continue to debate facts away or then nothing is real and everything is suspect.

 

[Wavetouch]

But as I argued, even the "glimpse" is often incorrect and misleading. So what's the point?

And again, even if there is nice sounding video you could probably make a comparably nice one from a $2,000 system because the video doesn't reflect the resolution etc. of a high end system anyway. So what's the point?

I've been live recording many audio systems at audio shows and others for many years. And I listened thousand other people's live recordings in YT. From my experience, microphones/videos are always correct and deliver true sound characters of recorded audio system in smaller form.
Ex.) If my favorite sound audio system was room #11111 at EXPONA I visited this year, I can hear exactly same impression from YT videos of rm#11111.

I've never heard a million $ audio system sounds like $2k in YT video. I can clearly ID which sounds better between 2 audio system videos. I've recorded my audio system regularly for many years and I can clearly hear the change I made on my system from live recording every times. So, I can fine tune my system. YMMV.

 

[Al M.]

I've been live recording many audio systems at audio shows and others for many years. And I listened thousand other people's live recordings in YT. From my experience, microphones/videos are always correct and deliver true sound characters of recorded audio system in smaller form.
Ex.) If my favorite sound audio system was room #11111 at EXPONA I visited this year, I can hear exactly same impression from YT videos of rm#11111.

I've never heard a million $ audio system sounds like $2k in YT video. I can clearly ID which sounds better between 2 audio system videos.

Let's agree to vehemently disagree, then.

I have heard videos from system at shows that sounded completely different and falsified in tone from what I heard from these systems in person at the same show, with sometimes insufferably flattened dynamics on top of it, making the systems unrecognizable in that manner as well.

I've recorded my audio system regularly for many years and I can clearly hear the change I made on my system from live recording every times. So, I can fine tune my system. YMMV.

Documenting via video relative changes within the very same system, recorded at the same volume from the same spot, can be useful to some extent, even though it is just a very crude tool. Yet this is a completely different thing than absolute judgment of sound from video.

 

[Wavetouch]

Jay at Jay’s Audio Lab has been using this song to showcase how good his new system and room sound:

I thought that it would be fun for us to post some videos of our systems playing the same song so that we can compare and contrast. Here are videos of two of my systems:

Post videos of your systems playing this song so that we can hear a glimpse of each others’s system’s sound quality. This is meant to be fun as after all, it is what it is.

hopkins​

My take on Beautiful Life.

Compare to the original music. Beautiful Life Chantal Chamberland

 

[Rexp]

Given that Ron's Vimeo vid of Roberta Flack sounded much better than his youtube vid, the mic is not the weakest link.