Is High End Audio Gear Worth the Money?

[hopkins]

Certainly in the UK, if you have an interest in hi-fi, you don’t really have to go very far to to listen to systems at whatever budget interests you. it certainly helped me because I was able to listen to systems at all sort of price points, several well over $500,000, and I have the satisfaction in knowing that with my much more modestly price system I’m really not missing out.

That's pretty much how I see things, having heard quite a few high end systems. It's not a critique of "expensive gear", it's just that it's not "for me", for some reason. When I started out 20 years ago I was lusting after expensive gear - not any more (though I am still sometimes curious to hear specific gear). There are imperfections at every price point. I enjoy trying to get the best sound I can within a reasonable budget rather than doing the same thing but spending much more money. A well setup modest system can bring a lot of satisfaction. The music itself does not change...

I always find it amusing that having the system "disappear" seems to be a universal goal for audiophiles - it is ironic. I believe that this disappearing act can occur at any price point (so you may as well spend as little as possible!). It's a combination of gear and mindset. The result, when that happens, is exactly the same in terms of "emotional connection".

 

[ssfas]

That's pretty much how I see things, having heard quite a few high end systems. It's not a critique of "expensive gear", it's just that it's not "for me", for some reason. When I started out 20 years ago I was lusting after expensive gear - not any more (though I am still sometimes curious to hear specific gear). There are imperfections at every price point. I enjoy trying to get the best sound I can within a reasonable budget rather than doing the same thing but spending much more money. A well setup modest system can bring a lot of satisfaction. The music itself does not change...

I always find it amusing that having the system "disappear" seems to be a universal goal for audiophiles - it is ironic. I believe that this disappearing act can occur at any price point (so you may as well spend as little as possible!). It's a combination of gear and mindset. The result, when that happens, is exactly the same in terms of "emotional connection".

For totally disappearing sound I have a secondary ceiling system of 6 speakers with excellent dispersion. Cost me just over £2,000.

I remember at the Whittlebury show in 2013 Audio Note had a massive megabucks system in one room and another much more modest system in a smallish room. The latter was much more engaging and far more popular. Lesson learned.

My speakers were set up by Jason, the sales manager at KJ WestOne, in 2021 and haven’t moved since.

 

[PYP]

I don’t need unsanitary conditions to enjoy music. I don’t really like jazz outdoors, unless it’s too hot to stay indoors. Memorable gigs include La Villette in Paris in 1991, my wife’s booked something there in July, not sure what. Personally I’ve never done drugs or smoked anything, and like clean restrooms (as Americans call them). Going to a program of Balanchine tonight at Covent Garden (Prodigal Son, Serenade, Symphony in C), ultra-clean toilets, more Russian music, and ballet doesn’t work at home.

well, if a little suffering is needed to see Sonny Rollins live, that is well worth it. Of course, if we still lived in Manhattan, NY, it would have been great to see him at Carnegie Hall. Then again, there is something about being outdoors, with all the senses firing, that I enjoy.

At the same venue, the piano duo we saw/heard was Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. That was worth it too.

 

[the sound of Tao]

If we’re asking about values and the question of the cost of the high end being worth it (complex set of values to be considered) then would it also be good to ask what engaging in the high end has done for us in comparison to having a normal person version of home music access.

So summation of what has the experience of pursuing the high-end given you and how and what has it changed experience in your life? If it’s more than enough then the cost of the gear and the pursuit has more likely been worth it. The fact many of us are still deeply at it many decades in or throughout our lives does suggest there’s a great many values expressed in the pursuit of the high end

It might also be good to reflect on the price of perfectionism, maybe that’s also a point here.

Perhaps we can work out if the costs in the high end are worth it by getting a reflection on the real impacts of going for it… perfectionism… is perfectionism worthwhile as a pursuit?

For me I love the gear and the hobby but ultimately it’s the increased dimension in the appreciation of music from the investment and the richness of the attached rituals that adds the next level to the whole thing… if it was just the appreciation of the sound itself (as fantastic as that can be in its own) it might be more marginal as an outcome. But the increased connectivity to the experience of music from having invested so much of ourselves into building the platform and the expectation of the music and performance created by the continuous act of refining it is a fundamental that assists lifting the experience of music to (at times) more transcendent levels and that additional peak from refining and perfecting experiences.

Fast music is like fast food I guess… but all the preparation before playing the music builds up the fundamentals of expectation before the experience of music itself. Much like the journey to hear music live from chasing for tickets to the preamble of getting ready and getting there and the anticipation building as we move into the nightclub or through the concert hall and to our seats… It is the added dimension of the building a greater connection and in anticipation of experience in prepping the foundation for the experience. I feel that it’s the commitment that elevates the return.

 

[Elliot G.]

Elliot I really agree with you and not just at the very high end. Proper installation and setup is vitally important to get the best out of whatever your system is, no matter what it costs.

I could not agree more. A small pair of speakers can sound marvelous with some effort and patience and a bit of skill.
Understanding what to do and then doing it is priceless .
There are many that can help and most of the time some good advice and a few suggestions are free.

 

[PYP]

I finally watched the video.

Overall, he makes some good points and the most important one is to start somewhere to get your feet wet (assuming you love music). Regarding prices, he missed an opportunity to explain economies of scale.

As he talked about the mega-priced gear, for me it did raise the issue of length of warranty on that stuff. Bryston, for example, has a 20-year warranty on their amps and other analog gear (5-year for digital). What are warranties like for the uber stuff?

His mention of prototyping got me thinking about the advances in computer modeling. To what extent has this changed the labor of prototyping crossovers, electronics, speaker materials, etc.? Do the simulations reduce the cost of developing a component?

 

[ssfas]

If we’re asking about values and the question of the cost of the high end being worth it (complex set of values to be considered) then would it also be good to ask what engaging in the high end has done for us in comparison to having a normal person version of home music access.

So summation of what has the experience of pursuing the high-end given you and how and what has it changed experience in your life? If it’s more than enough then the cost of the gear and the pursuit has more likely been worth it. The fact many of us are still deeply at it many decades in or throughout our lives does suggest there’s a great many values expressed in the pursuit of the high end

It might also be good to reflect on the price of perfectionism, maybe that’s also a point here.

Perhaps we can work out if the costs in the high end are worth it by getting a reflection on the real impacts of going for it… perfectionism… is perfectionism worthwhile as a pursuit?

For me I love the gear and the hobby but ultimately it’s the increased dimension in the appreciation of music from the investment and the richness of the attached rituals that adds the next level to the whole thing… if it was just the appreciation of the sound itself (as fantastic as that can be in its own) it might be more marginal as an outcome. But the increased connectivity to the experience of music from having invested so much of ourselves into building the platform and the expectation of the music and performance created by the continuous act of refining it is a fundamental that assists lifting the experience of music to (at times) more transcendent levels and that additional peak from refining and perfecting experiences.

Fast music is like fast food I guess… but all the preparation before playing the music builds up the fundamentals of expectation before the experience of music itself. Much like the journey to hear music live from chasing for tickets to the preamble of getting ready and getting there and the anticipation building as we move into the nightclub or through the concert hall and to our seats… It is the added dimension of the building a greater connection and in anticipation of experience in prepping the foundation for the experience. I feel that it’s the commitment that elevates the return.

The biggest psychological difference between recorded music and live music/performance is that with recorded music you know what you’re going to get, whereas with a live performance every time is a surprise. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I may know the performer, dancer, singer, choreographer or whatever, and have some idea what to expect, but most of the anticipation is because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.

Yesterday was the unveiling to London audiences of a new star on the pianistic firmament by his teacher, one of the world’s leading pianists, playing a piece of music few people in the audience had probably ever heard. It was magnificent. Tonight, Marienela Nunez, one of the world’s greatest dancers, made a wrong step, and she was spooked, something I can never remember her doing before.

Another difference is that after playing a record, you probably rarely get to go out to a nice cocktail bar and reflect on the experience.

 

[PeterA]

The biggest psychological difference between recorded music and live music/performance is that with recorded music you know what you’re going to get, whereas with a live performance every time is a surprise. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I may know the performer, dancer, singer, choreographer or whatever, and have some idea what to expect, but most of the anticipation is because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.

Yesterday was the unveiling to London audiences of a new star on the pianistic firmament by his teacher, one of the world’s leading pianists, playing a piece of music few people in the audience had probably ever heard. It was magnificent. Tonight, Marienela Nunez, one of the world’s greatest dancers, made a wrong step, and she was spooked, something I can never remember her doing before.

Another difference is that after playing a record, you probably rarely get to go out to a nice cocktail bar and reflect on the experience.
View attachment 148518

That is all true, but if you want to hear Ella or Louis perform, you pull out an original LP and it is just fine. You are lucky to have access to a lot of good live performances.

I used to love going out to the movies. Now I watch at home and have not been to the theater in a few years. There is nothing like the big screen, but it is a 30 min drive and can be noisy.

 

[tima]

The biggest psychological difference between recorded music and live music/performance is that with recorded music you know what you’re going to get, whereas with a live performance every time is a surprise.

Maybe I don't quite understand what you're saying. I grant that the live music experience and the listening room experience are quite different. I agree the spontaneity of a live performance may be surprising as you don't know exactly what might happen.

If I play a record on my stereo, I realize I am playing a record on my stereo. If I play a record I have heard before, I probably do know how it will sound -- which may be the reason I am playing it.

Seems to me that one of the virtues of having a stereo is the ability to repeat the enjoyment of listening to music that I like.

However, If I play a record I've never heard before how do I know how it will sound? I may be quite surprised. While I very much enjoy going to live concerts, I'm not sure I can parse the enjoyment of sheer discovery more with one or the other.

 

[Al M.]

The biggest psychological difference between recorded music and live music/performance is that with recorded music you know what you’re going to get, whereas with a live performance every time is a surprise. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I may know the performer, dancer, singer, choreographer or whatever, and have some idea what to expect, but most of the anticipation is because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.

Yesterday was the unveiling to London audiences of a new star on the pianistic firmament by his teacher, one of the world’s leading pianists, playing a piece of music few people in the audience had probably ever heard. It was magnificent. Tonight, Marienela Nunez, one of the world’s greatest dancers, made a wrong step, and she was spooked, something I can never remember her doing before.

Another difference is that after playing a record, you probably rarely get to go out to a nice cocktail bar and reflect on the experience.
View attachment 148518

I am glad you have such great live experiences. Even though not as often as you do, I regularly attend live performances as well, mostly in Boston or the Boston area, where like in London they are often of high quality.

Yet a system affords the opportunity to hear favorite music or music new to the listener many times, without having to wait for live performances of that particular piece.

And it is not just pieces that would have been played around the world many times, but also rarely performed pieces. Yesterday I was listening to The Rake's Progress, a splendid, delightful and acclaimed opera by Igor Stravinsky, composed in 1951 in his neoclassical style. While there are 8 recordings of the opera available *), it has been staged only 20 or 30 times in the past (four times at the Met).

The system allowed for a wonderful close-up perspective of the music, with to my ears convincing tonality and transparency of voices and great dynamics, including a lot of subtle dynamic shadings of vocals that are so essential to the expression of the music. All this made the music come alive in a way that you simply don't experience on a laptop or phone with headphones, on a boombox or a car radio. So yes, you need a high-end system for that.

And you just don't get to hear this live, unless you travel to the location somewhere around the world where it just happens to be performed, which is a production once every few years.

Indeed, there is a place for both live performances and high-end systems. One cannot substitute the other.

__________________

*) the one I listened to was Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky on Columbia (now Sony), from a 22-CD set featuring Stravinsky conducting his works.

 

[the sound of Tao]

Maybe I don't quite understand what you're saying. I grant that the live music experience and the listening room experience are quite different. I agree the spontaneity of a live performance may be surprising as you don't know exactly what might happen.

If I play a record on my stereo, I realize I am playing a record on my stereo. If I play a record I have heard before, I probably do know how it will sound -- which may be the reason I am playing it.

Seems to me that one of the virtues of having a stereo is the ability to repeat the enjoyment of listening to music that I like.

However, If I play a record I've never heard before how do I know how it will sound? I may be quite surprised. While I very much enjoy going to live concerts, I'm not sure I can parse the enjoyment of sheer discovery more with one or the other.

Agree completely with this Tim… even if you stick to just the romantic and modern 19th and 20th century classical repertoire and were relatively format agnostic you could listen for a lifetime and never repeat a single recorded performance… there’s a lifetime of discovery to be had in most areas of recorded music history.

But there are clearly going to be specific recordings that will keep giving and reward from multiple listening as benchmark pieces that you will want to return to time and time again over a lifetime.

Not all live performances are likely to be all discovery either. I’m a big fan of Igor Levit who was mentioned in the Shostakovich piano recital… in his specialist areas within the repertoire he has performed some of the most extraordinary recorded performances available anywhere, anytime.

You could reliably go to a Igor Levit live recital of Bach keyboard or late Beethoven piano music and not be surprised if you experience something utterly transcendent… he stands out as one of the great benchmark interpreters in this particular piano music.

But as a piano virtuoso at the highest level you could go to a live peformance of virtually any piano music with Levit and if it’s piano music that you are familiar with his recorded performances could likely seem very reliably familiar and accomplished.

As a truly great pianist and like many/most pianists though he has an individual approach that will work better for some of the repertoire and then may not be equally ideal in other composers works.

That said he is very much my kind of pianist… his readings are so studied, he brings quite extraordinary expressiveness as well as technique. He exhibits a slight coolness though and captured within an extraordinary sense of repose… and while it can be highly personal performance he can also render often music as quite strikingly spiritual performance… he chooses musical arcs that almost always seem perfect to me, not just fabulous but more quite perfect.

So while I would still go to experience him live with any program I wouldn’t be surprised if in a performance of Shostakovich he might prove very very accomplished rather than be a revelatory Shostakovich benchmark. His Shostakovich 24 preludes is exactly the sort of performance I’d listen to once and be quite transfixed by but then not return to again and I am a complete Shosty junkie. His playing approach just has a slight roundness in its restraint that holds back from the kind of angular intensity that I look to as a burning strength in Shostakovich.

So I expect Igor Levit might not to be an ideal fit for Shosty for exactly the same qualities that mark him as such a truly extraordinary Bach and mid to late Beethoven or Mendelssohn interpreter… I’d very much look to him to be a natural fit for Prokofiev or Scarlatti as well.

He isn’t to me at this stage a perfect fit for Brahms either but we Brahms tragics live in hope… also not sure how he’d reliably fare with Schubert either, but I’ll always give him a shot at anything he chooses to go for, because he is shaping up as one of the pianistic goats.

So just saying not every live performance is going to be a surprise. When performers do cycles of composers the performance can become like unfolding sequenced chapters in a book rather than just standalone stories. If you know the music and the performer there is room for the expected as well as opportunity to be surprised in both live music and in recorded performances.

 

[hopkins]

Agree completely with this Tim… even if you stick to just the romantic and modern 19th and 20th century classical repertoire and were relatively format agnostic you could listen for a lifetime and never repeat a single recorded performance… there’s a lifetime of discovery to be had in most areas of recorded music history.

But there are clearly going to be specific recordings that will keep giving and reward from multiple listening as benchmark pieces that you will want to return to time and time again over a lifetime.

Not all live performances are likely to be all discovery either. I’m a big fan of Igor Levit who was mentioned in the Shostakovich piano recital… in his specialist areas within the repertoire he has performed some of the most extraordinary recorded performances available anywhere, anytime.

You could reliably go to a Igor Levit live recital of Bach keyboard or late Beethoven piano music and not be surprised if you experience something utterly transcendent… he stands out as one of the great benchmark interpreters in this particular piano music.

But as a piano virtuoso at the highest level you could go to a live peformance of virtually any piano music with Levit and if it’s piano music that you are familiar with his recorded performances could likely seem very reliably familiar and accomplished.

As a truly great pianist and like many/most pianists though he has an individual approach that will work better for some of the repertoire and then may not be equally ideal in other composers works.

That said he is very much my kind of pianist… his readings are so studied, he brings quite extraordinary expressiveness as well as technique. He exhibits a slight coolness though and captured within an extraordinary sense of repose… and while it can be highly personal performance he can also render often music as quite strikingly spiritual performance… he chooses musical arcs that almost always seem perfect to me, not just fabulous but more quite perfect.

So while I would still go to experience him live with any program I wouldn’t be surprised if in a performance of Shostakovich he might prove very very accomplished rather than be a revelatory Shostakovich benchmark. His Shostakovich 24 preludes is exactly the sort of performance I’d listen to once and be quite transfixed by but then not return to again and I am a complete Shosty junkie. His playing approach just has a slight roundness in its restraint that holds back from the kind of angular intensity that I look to as a burning strength in Shostakovich.

So I expect Igor Levit might not to be an ideal fit for Shosty for exactly the same qualities that mark him as such a truly extraordinary Bach and mid to late Beethoven or Mendelssohn interpreter… I’d very much look to him to be a natural fit for Prokofiev or Scarlatti as well.

He isn’t to me at this stage a perfect fit for Brahms either but we Brahms tragics live in hope… also not sure how he’d reliably fare with Schubert either, but I’ll always give him a shot at anything he chooses to go for, because he is shaping up as one of the pianistic goats.

So just saying not every live performance is going to be a surprise. When performers do cycles of composers the performance can become like unfolding sequenced chapters in a book rather than just standalone stories. If you know the music and the performer there is room for the expected as well as opportunity to be surprised in both live music and in recorded performances.

Your opinion of a player's interpretation would hold true for recorded or live music. It's a completly different topic.

 

[hopkins]

The biggest psychological difference between recorded music and live music/performance is that with recorded music you know what you’re going to get, whereas with a live performance every time is a surprise. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I may know the performer, dancer, singer, choreographer or whatever, and have some idea what to expect, but most of the anticipation is because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.

Many musicians/bands perform very differently in studio or a live context, that is (one of the reasons) why it is so interesting to hear live recordings.

Have you (or anyone) heard Nat King Cole play like this (recording by Jerry Newman at Monroe's Uptown House, June 10, 1941)?

https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/I Surrender Dear (unissued) (cleaned, pitch adjusted).wav

Tragically, the portion of live music that is recorded is very small. Some artists have been never recorded live (or never recorded - period).

 

[hopkins]

That is all true, but if you want to hear Ella or Louis perform, you pull out an original LP and it is just fine. You are lucky to have access to a lot of good live performances.

I have posted this video before - listen to Cecil McLoren Salvant's reaction when listening for the first time to a prevuously unreleased live recording of Ella Fitzgerald in 1938 (starting around 17:45).

LIstening to this fantastic interpretation gives Salvant a new appreciation of Ella Fitzgerald. It is not uncommon for people to gain understanding of a performer after seeing them live.

These types of moments, when hearing something for the first time and being "deeply moved" (to quote Salvant) can be so powerful - "audio" considerations in contrast are secondary, perhaps even futile.

 

[ssfas]

I have posted this video before - listen to Cecil McLoren Salvant's reaction when listening for the first time to a prevuously unreleased live recording of Ella Fitzgerald in 1938 (starting around 17:45).

LIstening to this fantastic interpretation gives Salvant a new appreciation of Ella Fitzgerald.

These types of moments, when hearing something for the first time and being "deeply moved" (to quote Salvant) can be so powerful - "audio" considerations in contrast are secondary, perhaps even futile.

I’m a big fan of Salvant’s recordings, they are superb and she has a fantastic interpretative style. We went to see her perform live once and I was rather disappointed. I’ll stick to listening to her records.

 

[hopkins]

I’m a big fan of Salvant’s recordings, they are superb and she has a fantastic interpretative style. We went to see her perform live once and I was rather disappointed. I’ll stick to listening to her records.

Maybe you will like this:

I used to find that she was trying too hard, but I have grown to like her more.

 

[tima]

You could reliably go to a Igor Levit live recital of Bach keyboard or late Beethoven piano music and not be surprised if you experience something utterly transcendent… he stands out as one of the great benchmark interpreters in this particular piano music.

Thanks for that, Graham. I do not know Levit. Does he have anything on LP that you could reccomend?

 

[ssfas]

Agree completely with this Tim… even if you stick to just the romantic and modern 19th and 20th century classical repertoire and were relatively format agnostic you could listen for a lifetime and never repeat a single recorded performance… there’s a lifetime of discovery to be had in most areas of recorded music history.

But there are clearly going to be specific recordings that will keep giving and reward from multiple listening as benchmark pieces that you will want to return to time and time again over a lifetime.

Not all live performances are likely to be all discovery either. I’m a big fan of Igor Levit who was mentioned in the Shostakovich piano recital… in his specialist areas within the repertoire he has performed some of the most extraordinary recorded performances available anywhere, anytime.

You could reliably go to a Igor Levit live recital of Bach keyboard or late Beethoven piano music and not be surprised if you experience something utterly transcendent… he stands out as one of the great benchmark interpreters in this particular piano music.

But as a piano virtuoso at the highest level you could go to a live peformance of virtually any piano music with Levit and if it’s piano music that you are familiar with his recorded performances could likely seem very reliably familiar and accomplished.

As a truly great pianist and like many/most pianists though he has an individual approach that will work better for some of the repertoire and then may not be equally ideal in other composers works.

That said he is very much my kind of pianist… his readings are so studied, he brings quite extraordinary expressiveness as well as technique. He exhibits a slight coolness though and captured within an extraordinary sense of repose… and while it can be highly personal performance he can also render often music as quite strikingly spiritual performance… he chooses musical arcs that almost always seem perfect to me, not just fabulous but more quite perfect.

So while I would still go to experience him live with any program I wouldn’t be surprised if in a performance of Shostakovich he might prove very very accomplished rather than be a revelatory Shostakovich benchmark. His Shostakovich 24 preludes is exactly the sort of performance I’d listen to once and be quite transfixed by but then not return to again and I am a complete Shosty junkie. His playing approach just has a slight roundness in its restraint that holds back from the kind of angular intensity that I look to as a burning strength in Shostakovich.

So I expect Igor Levit might not to be an ideal fit for Shosty for exactly the same qualities that mark him as such a truly extraordinary Bach and mid to late Beethoven or Mendelssohn interpreter… I’d very much look to him to be a natural fit for Prokofiev or Scarlatti as well.

He isn’t to me at this stage a perfect fit for Brahms either but we Brahms tragics live in hope… also not sure how he’d reliably fare with Schubert either, but I’ll always give him a shot at anything he chooses to go for, because he is shaping up as one of the pianistic goats.

So just saying not every live performance is going to be a surprise. When performers do cycles of composers the performance can become like unfolding sequenced chapters in a book rather than just standalone stories. If you know the music and the performer there is room for the expected as well as opportunity to be surprised in both live music and in recorded performances.

As it happens, Levit’s next gig (booking opens Wednesday) opens with the Schubert sonata in B flat D960, followed by Schumann and Chopin. Most recently we heard a performance of D960 by Steven Osborne at Snape Maltings. His powers of communication are quite exceptional and the acoustic at Snape is world class. In reverse order, I can recall performances by Leonskaya at the Ragged School, Schiff and Paul Lewis at Wigmore Hall, all different in their own ways

The thing about Levit is he’s always fresh, comes up with interesting programming and is a bit of as showman in a nice way. I’ve heard him play quite a few times. I’ve heard him play the entire Beethoven sonata cycle, the Diabelli variations and a very memorable Bach/Busoni programme.

As our main interest is ballet and contemporary dance, I reckon over half what we see is new. Often new music. Vast amounts of music has been composed for ballet, last night we saw Prodigal Son, music composed by Prokofiev for Ballets Russes. I don’t listen to ballet music or opera at home, for me it doesn’t work on stereo. There are a few exceptions, like Max Richter.

I listen at home to lots of dead jazz performers at home and live ones as well. Even with lots of performance on our doorstep, we still travel, have tickets in Paris and Copenhagen in the next few months. Whilst listening at home has its advantages, not least the fact that you can’t bring Coltrane back from the dead to perform, it just doesn’t get close to live performance on an emotional level, usually also on a sonic level.

If I lived in the centre of London. Paris or New York, and had the time and money, I’d just go to live shows. I suppose access to live music must play a part in how much people spend to reproduce it, but it’s never very close to the real thing.

 

[PeterA]

I have posted this video before - listen to Cecil McLoren Salvant's reaction when listening for the first time to a prevuously unreleased live recording of Ella Fitzgerald in 1938 (starting around 17:45).

LIstening to this fantastic interpretation gives Salvant a new appreciation of Ella Fitzgerald. It is not uncommon for people to gain understanding of a performer after seeing them live.

These types of moments, when hearing something for the first time and being "deeply moved" (to quote Salvant) can be so powerful - "audio" considerations in contrast are secondary, perhaps even futile.

My point was this: For an artist no longer with us, all we have are the recordings or memories of hearing them live. I have only the former of Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong. And for that reason alone, the records are precious.

 

[twitch]

man , Jeff has really gotten pudgy and old looking

while I couldn't bear to watch 23 mins of what I suspect was his subjective drivel and reading through some of the various posts, I'm glad I didn't.............