Great article on "Analogue Warmth"

[Gregadd]

No one really has to justify their choices , your personal taste in sound reproduction whether analog or digital and your music choice is inviolate..
My maxim is that its my money and my ears I have to satisfy .. damn the rest ...

I agree wholeheartedly. As an end user so many choices has been made for me.This is article is a prime example. It is not enough to design a product as you see fit. You have to slay the competetion, If you don't prefer analogue warmth ignore it. That's not going to happen. If you don't like the audiophile community ignore it. Audiophiles are not "hitmen" coming into your home forcing you to do anything. Although it appears that some want to come into ours. Despite being a niche market fueled by a cottage industry we appear to be under attack from almost all quarters. Often by those who admit they have no interest in audio.

 

[TBone]

I get certain instrumental based requirements when assessing a system, the female voice, guitars & percussion myself ...

 

[TBone]

Great example certain methods used to project a female vocalist can be hard to take. When people get home they don't want that...but again they don't really recognise this.

especially with certain singers who often slur trailing S's ... much like the beautifully talented Margo Timmins.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

If a SOTA analog front-end is truly SOTA should it not be able to completely satisfy both the listener who prefers a slightly warmer or rounded sound and those who prefer detail and accuracy? I sometimes get the feeling that SOTA is reserved more for the latter. Thoughts?

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I agree. However, I seem not to have nearly the problem with it.

Lucky you. My Focal tweeter takes no prisoners with it. Lol.

 

[Al M.]

People want a sanitised version of music in their homes they may not admit it but that's another story.

Yes, and I don't want sanitized sound either. As I said, I am suspicious of systems that always sound polite and 'inoffensive'. If there's hardness of sound, bring it on.

A problem with early digital has of course been artificial electronic harshness overlaid on top of the portrayal of natural hardness of instrumental sound (also confusing the digital/analog debate), but good current digital, including mine, does not have that problem anymore.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Lucky you. My Focal tweeter takes no prisoners with it. Lol.

It should be said I don't have much exposure to the piccolo as Classical is not a significant part of my listening.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Yes, and the interesting thing is that when you hear piercing sound from woodwinds (I've heard it live from clarinet too, for example) and you think your room acoustics resonate with it, giving you that feeling of pressure in your ear, that 'ringing' may actually be on the recording! At least I have heard that 'ringing' of acoustics also live, in a medium sized concert hall, with obviously much more spacious acoustics than a living room.

So when I hear that, I don't necessarily right away blame my system/room for it, even though in some cases that may indeed be the culprit.

Related to this, I will reiterate my opinion that I am suspicious of systems that always sound polite and 'inoffensive', no matter what.

I actually partially share your suspicion but perhaps on the spectrum less so. For example, I find the Living Voice / Kondo pairing just too coloured whilst enjoyable enough.

 

[bonzo75]

Anyone that been in front of a determined trumpet player killing it at full bore will know it can be hard on the ears... When they get home To listen too their hifi they will often seek out kit that saves them from this.
I don't but fully understand those who do.

What's really hard is agreeing on what electronic music should sound like as there is no physical reference for speaker manufactures.

The first point is what a lot of this thread boils down to imo. People want a sanitised version of music in their homes they may not admit it but that's another story.

I think the discussion is can analog produce more realistic brass than digital, somehow it's got sidetracked to do people prefer smoother sound or not with an implicit meaning that those who prefer vinyl prefer the smoother sound, which is incorrect

 

[Gregadd]

If a SOTA analog front-end is truly SOTA should it not be able to completely satisfy both the listener who prefers a slightly warmer or rounded sound and those who prefer detail and accuracy? I sometimes get the feeling that SOTA is reserved more for the latter. Thoughts?

That question sort of reminds me of an episode of Faulty Towers. The wife asks the husband,' "Are we happy,dear?" He replies, "Yes. Just not at the same time."

 

[Audiophile Bill]

If a SOTA analog front-end is truly SOTA should it not be able to completely satisfy both the listener who prefers a slightly warmer or rounded sound and those who prefer detail and accuracy? I sometimes get the feeling that SOTA is reserved more for the latter. Thoughts?

Johnny - you make a good point and I think that people can easily think of detail and accuracy being the defining feature of highend. Apologies to use the Golden Gate example (as all roads appear to lead there at present) but in this case, the SOTA features here are timbre, rich harmonics, liquid massive soundstage and total musical engagement. Yes it does dig out crazy levels of detail especially with 101d but that is missing the point of this machine.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Johnny - you make a good point and I think that people can easily think of detail and accuracy being the defining feature of highend. Apologies to use the Golden Gate example (as all roads appear to lead there at present) but in this case, the SOTA features here are timbre, rich harmonics, liquid massive soundstage and total musical engagement. Yes it does dig out crazy levels of detail especially with 101d but that is missing the point of this machine.

I have unfortunately never had the luxury of listening to SOTA gear such as techDAS, Kronos, Clearaudio Statement and can therefore only read up on what's said here and elsewhere. I can only hope that one day I can. Must surely be amazing!

 

[Al M.]

SOTA for listener enjoyment and SOTA for high fidelity are very different things

Again this miss match has caused much interpersonal disagreement when in fact we all want the same thing... Even blizzard.

For me the two SOTAs overlap. However, when it comes to avoiding ear damage, I can do without the sometimes quite taxing volume levels of live music...

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I have unfortunately never had the luxury of listening to SOTA gear such as techDAS, Kronos, Clearaudio Statement and can therefore only read up on what's said here and elsewhere. I can only hope that one day I can. Must surely be amazing!

Sure, Johnny. But you are one of the few audiophiles here who, quite rightly, put the music first. So if you are happy with that Oracle (and you should be), then all is good. Being on the door of the Rockies is also cool - jealous.

 

[Ron Resnick]

which 'many people' might that be?

I've not yet met anyone who 'like's the sound of digital better than analog (vinyl or tape)' who has heard SOTA of both. which proves nothing.

one would need to be interested enough in ultimate music reproduction performance to actually make the effort to hear SOTA of both in a place where both exist. and how many of the 'many people' have done that?

I thought about whether I would regret dipping my toe back into this quagmire.....we will see. I just could not resist Tim's tease.

+1

 

[Al M.]

I think the discussion is can analog produce more realistic brass than digital, somehow it's got sidetracked to do people prefer smoother sound or not with an implicit meaning that those who prefer vinyl prefer the smoother sound, which is incorrect

SOTA analog can reproduce brass more realistically than most digital. About less-than-SOTA analog I am not so sure, but perhaps I need to listen to more of it, as you suggested.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

A light hearted tuba vinyl interlude

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cSQ7ypOirf4

 

[Purite Audio]

SOTA analog can reproduce brass more realistically than most digital. About less-than-SOTA analog I am not so sure, but perhaps I need to listen to more of it, as you suggested.

Why is that?
What is a SOTA front end and how would I identify it?
Keith

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Why is that?
What is a SOTA front end and how would I identify it?
Keith

Lol. HMS Purite has cast his rods for the afternoon session

 

[bonzo75]

Hey Keith, when Bill said Tuba he was not calling you - it's an instrument