Is the high end gear driven or source driven?

[Gregadd]

Certainly my own quest was source driven. I recall when my brother brought home the first copy of Pink Floyds' DSOM. At the time I thought it was a nice album.I purchased the Magnepan MG 1 because a percussive instrument on a Bob Marley album was inaudible on the other speakers I auditioned.
The most important quality of high end was dynamic range and the ability to track a driving beat. For the first time music could start slow and finish fast and loud, I later moved on o subtlety and detail. Sheffields' I Got the music in Me was a revelation. Tuck and Pattis' Love Warriors forced me to purchase a CD player. I bought a sub woofer to hear bass on DSOM and Stanley Clarke.

There is a certain ebb and flow between source material and gear. If we can step back from the format wars maybe we can have some source material that drives gear sales.

 

[amirm]

The source/content is firmly in control.

 

[Robh3606]

Hello Amir

We have had truely good source material for over 50 years now. You still think we are playing catch-up??

I purchased the Magnepan MG 1 because a percussive instrument on a Bob Marley album was inaudible on the other speakers I auditioned.

Hello Gredadd

What were the speakkers before the Mags??

Rob

 

[amirm]

No I didn't say anything about catching up. Simply the case that great content sounds great on even average systems. And lousy content sounds lousy on the best systems.

In a playback content at best we can replicate what is on disc/LP. When creating content, sky is the limit.

 

[Robh3606]

When creating content, sky is the limit.

Hello Amir

How can you say that?? It's limited by the same technologies used to reproduce it. It's always been the weakest link on both recording and playback. I would say that it is a combination of both driving things things forward not one or the other. Circular anyway you look at it. You get an improvement here you need another one there to take advantage of it.

Rob

 

[Gregadd]

Hello Gredadd

What were the speakkers before the Mags??

Rob

Ar2ax and Dynaco A50

 

[Robh3606]

Oh so old school acoustic suspension/aperiodic. You have much power pushing them at the time?? I was on the other side of the fence I had JBL L100's at that time with a Dynaco ST-400 with a Phase Linear 4000 Preamp. I wasn't a West Coast sound guy though I used a Dynaco SE-10 EQ to smooth the response. They responded quite well to a little EQ. Took the bass and upper midrange peaks out kept the dynamics and sensitivity. Built both the Dynacco's from kits. Those were fun days!

Rob

 

[TJE]

...maybe we can have some source material that drives gear sales.

Greg, I think you're onto something here. In some ways the opposite seems true for much of the last few decades of popular music recordings.

There is a chicken/egg conundrum though, because the poor quality of so many recordings suggests that the studios check their work on poor quality speakers (pure speculation here). The studios need to listen to their work on revealing speakers and at reasonable volume. If they made more recordings that show off the virtues of a great sound system, more people would recognize the value of a great sound system.

 

[NorthStar]

-- ...Quality source (music recordings) of course, and also gear (or DAC), for those bad apples. :b

But no matter how you milkshake everything, at the end there is only music; and with all its emotions. :b

 

[Gregadd]

Well, when recordings go for a couple hundred thousand dollars I will say high end is source driven...until then I am saying its gear driven.

Let me know when Magico pre-ships Q7 platinum. What is more important a road or a car? I'm going to go with road.

 

[Gregadd]

Sorry I'm a little crabby because both my teams were one and done. In part because they played worthy adversaries and two because our star player was mismanaged.
I do find audiophiles are very interested in music. i get asked all the time.

 

[NorthStar]

-- The 'true' ultra high-end is gear driven first, then the source (platter player or music server?).

Prestige first, above all else. ...Visual prestige, then auditory prestige. ...No?
I just don't know myself; I'm at the low end (not looking at all), just enjoying the music playing that 'swings' the flow of my blood running through my veins, like an internal dance.

 

[Nightlord]

Biggest issue with source is that too much music produced today by choice is compressed to death, rather than being allowed to use the possibilities of the media.
This fight must be taken to the producers of music at every available possibility so they will (eventually) get it.

The new radio standard in Europe might help, hopefully.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Well, when recordings go for a couple hundred thousand dollars I will say high end is source driven...until then I am saying its gear driven.

High fidelity is source-driven. Hifi and high end are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but they're not the same thing either. And they often have different motivators.

Tim

 

[NorthStar]

High fidelity is source-driven. Hifi and high end are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but they're not the same thing either. And they often have different motivators.

Tim

Yes, I said the same in my first original post; because that is what makes sense, what I believe, and what it should be.

But then, thinking a little bit more about it (the main question of this thread) I realized that the true reality is different than what I believe and what it should be. And the ultimate reality is that high-end is driven first by the GEAR.

...Not what I like, but what it truly is.

That is why I posted a second post stipulating the exact opposite of my first post ("croyance" versus factual reality in the actual marketplace).

The original question of the first post of this thread should have been more clear; what do you think is good, or what it truly is 'business reality' wise.

Do you guys understand what I mean?

 

[TBone]

Simply the case that great content sounds great on even average systems. And lousy content sounds lousy on the best systems.

So very true ... however from an Audiophile point of view, one might consider owning a "great" system the main requirement in order to truly appreciate how "great" the source ...

tb1

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I'm not sure what the answer is, but I hope that gear is manufactured with music in mind first, and not an effort to beat a competitors performance stats with the expectation that it therefore should sound better.

 

[Gregadd]

There is a subtlety to live music that is often lost in recorded music. Musicians are well aware of these differences. They will move heaven and earth to acquire a certain trumpet or violin,etc. While these differences are apparent in live performances there are often lost in recordings or at least in a stereos ability to reproduce it. Many a recording only came to life when I obtained a stereo capable of extracting it. Pink Floyd is prime example. For a long time I wondered what all the fuss over DSOM. OTOG dome very elaborate systems were limited to audiophile albums.

 

[Robh3606]

Hello Gregadd

Many a recording only came to life when I obtained a stereo capable of extracting it. Pink Floyd is prime example. For a long time I wondered what all the fuss over DSOM.

I never understand statements like this. Either it moves you or it doesn't, if it does the playback system is simply not all that important. You don't need a good stereo to bring good music to life. It has a life of it's own independent of the playback system.

Rob

 

[audioguy]

Hello Gregadd



I never understand statements like this. Either it moves you or it doesn't, if it does the playback system is simply not all that important. You don't need a good stereo to bring good music to life. It has a life of it's own independent of the playback system.

Rob

Totally concur.

Furthermore, it is, on occasion, easier to enjoy music in my car more so than in my listening room where it it sometimes difficult to not be the critical (e.g. equipment/room ) listener!!