Tonight I went to a pleasant symphony at a local hall. While I was sitting in the audience, I once again realized how far away we are from being able to reproduce the sound of a 'live' orchestra in our homes.
One of the most obvious aspects is the massive dynamics and overall 'bloom' that the live orchestra brings to the table. I have never heard any audio system that can even come close to bringing this aspect to life.
What also struck me tonight, was the value of tremendous bottom-end extension that is not really that supportable in our homes. I'm beginning to think that perhaps the ability to move massive amounts of air is a requirement for any possible realistic reproduction of a symphony orchestra...although while in my seat the volume wasn't really that loud, however, the scope of sound was what impressed me.. and what. IMHO, we simply cannot seem to come close to reproducing in our homes..
Do we perhaps need to re-think how we put our systems together so that we focus primarily on the aspect of 'bloom/scale' reproduction and not on other areas such as imaging, etc?
Dear DaveyF: Live vs reproduced?. IMHO these are two very different " proccess ". Where the former is an " untouched " music/sound recreation the reproduced one is a continuous degradation proccess of that " untouched recreation ": a continuos different kind and different degradation levels.
Can any one mimic in the home audio system a live music event?, certainly not. What you heard at that local hall in the seat/place you choosed was a heavy blended " voice of the hall " more than music direct instrument " voices ". You was seated perhaps 15m-20m from the Concertino when in a recoprded session the microphones are around 3m from the orchestra players.
IMHO that " bloom " you heard has no existence at all when you hear the same scrore at the Orchestra Director place/position ( or microphone position. ) or at least that bloom ( as you name it. ) is way different.
So, we can't reproduce at home something that's not in the recording even if that recording has cero distortions. What we can reproduce at home is " almost " what's in the recording and nothing more than that.
But what is what are in the recording? what the microphones " heard it "?, unfortunately NOT.
What is in the recording is a heavy touched and degraded signal that passed through several steps where in each one of these that original signal is degraded.
Think a little where and which are some of those steps where the original signal pick-uped by the microphones must pass: microphone cable that carry the signal to the micro-preamp these cables could has one meter or dozens of meters ( depend on the site. ) and has too connectors at both cable ends and in between solder joints along the microphone connector and the micro-preamp connector: only in this very first stage the signal must pass for at least SEVEN different steps with degradation on each one and this is before the signal be processed by the micro-preamp!!!
Then the signal goes inside the micro-preamp for additional degradation and then goes to the mixing-console to following the degradation process with cable/connectors/solder joints in between and then to the edition degradation process ( if need it. ) and then to store it in the analog tape deck with cables/connecttors/solder joints in between with additional signal degradation by the tape deck it self that's is more severe than many of us could think: wow/flutter, phase variation, level modulation, modulation distortion, noise levels, generation of odd harmonics, limited frequency range, etc, etc. In all in between maybe in the recording ( usually ) appear the use of recording items like: limiters, noise reduction, equalizers and the like where the signal is degraded many additional times.
Now, it comes one- two or three additional process where maybe the audio/music signal " suffers " the heaviest degradation we could think: this is to transfer the signal to a LP. Several " mechanic " and electronic degradation steps happened including heavy equalization to conform according RIAA curve that equalize the signal with a very high equalization of + 20dbs to -20dbs over 20hz to 20khz. Imagine the equalization window is 40dbs from an already degraded audio signal!!!!!!
Al these is only the first degradation stages showed during audio signal recording process.
The second degradation stages happen during the home audio system LP playback and is more or less like this:
we put the LP in the TT platter hopping that the TT spins exactly at 33.1/3 rpm or 45rpm that were the cutting LP velocities and hopping too that in the very short time on TT spins there is no single speed variation but a constant one but unfortunately the only constants that we have at this TT stage are: speed inaccuracies and speed unstability, both degrade the signal.
But the LP ( it self ) has its own degradation " tools ": center hole off-center ( wow distortion focus. ), non-flat surface, vinyl own resonances, etc. all these " tools " help to additional signal degradation.
Before the cartridge tip could hit the very first LP groove we need to make a PERFECT tonearm set up along a PERFECT cartridge set up: pivot to spindle distance, overhang, offset-angle, VTA/SRA, VTF, Azymuth, Anti-skate, any tiny/microscopic deviation on each one of these set up parameters means additonal signal degradation and you know what?: always exist those microscopic deviations due the inherent imperfections in the analog LP medium. How can we be sure that the cartridge stylus tip is always in the right position groove after groove all over the LP recorded surface?: we just can't. So, only by this fact the signal is degraded.
Degradation continue due to the distortions/resonances coming from the TT and transmited through the TT platter in the LP that recat with the TT platter creating additional resonances that degrade the audio signal that will be pick-up by the phono cartridge.
The phono cartridge it self impose several and different kind of degradations depending on its design: MM/MI or MC , cantilever build material that resonate different, shape and cantilever length, stylus shape and build material, cartridge suspension design/type, cartridge compliance, cartridge frequency response, cartridge channel separation, kind and type of internal wiring on coils, cartridge pin connectors, cartridge body build material and shape, etc, etc. All these cartridge characteristics has influence in the signal quality. One of those cartridge characteristics that is so critical is the " hability/skills " of the cartridge that under any recorded condition ( recorded velocities, waves, off-center, inner grooves, etc, ) stays in the groove, that the stylus tip does not lose contact with the groove for minimum tracking distortions that always degrade the signal.
From the phono cartridge the signal goes to the tonearm pin conectors, solder joints and internal tonearm wire following by the tonearm RCA/XLR or DIN pin5 connectors and solder joints and from here to the IC cable/connectors/solder joints at both cable ends before the signal goes on the phono stage. All all those tonearm/cable stages the signal continue his degradation trip.
But before the signal arrive to the phono stage it must " endure/hold " the degradation imposed by the tonearm own resonances and the couple tonearm/cartridge own and different kind of resonances.
Oh yes!, all the vibrations coming from the floor in the room and from the air affect that audio signal too like: RFI, EMI, transformer hum, etc, etc. Unfortunately the cartridge signal output is so low that's extremely sensitive to many extrenal factors.
Now, the cartridge signal goes directly to " inferno/hell " name it: phono stage ( any. Tubes the worst, any. ). In this playback audio link the signal must pass for two critical and important stages: one is the signal amplification ( where in some LOMC cartridge we need to amplify the cartridge signal: 10,000 times!!! ) and the other that terrible inverse disastrous RIAA equalization curve AGAIN. IN both phono stage stages the signal degradation ( over a lot of before/added different signal degradations. ) is probably the worst one.
From here and through cables the signal follow its " happy degradation travel " in the line stage and then from here to the amplifier and trhough cables in the speakers and from the speakers to our ears but not directly but with previous room interaction that modulated the in ears signal.
I pass fast on each one of these audio links but only thing the signal degradation on any impeerfect amplifier design but especially in a tube one where the signal additionaly must pass over several wire metters in the transformers and where the tube ( any ) out put impedance just can't match the own speaker electrical impedance curve! generating a frequency response speaker equalization like a curve with valleys/deeps and peaks that does not exist in the signal coming from the amplifier: yes this mistmacht between amplifier output impedance and speaker electrical impedance curve are additional degradations in tube electronics !
DaveyF, as you can see the whole subject is not about: only lower distortions, amount of speaker air move, SPL, etc, etc but a totally faulty and imperfect LP world with literally " hundreds " of signal degradation steps.
After all IMHO we are lucky enough to hear " music " through our home audio system: don't you think? can you ask for more?
Btw, I agree with Phelonious Monk: digital especially 24/176.8 is better than analog including IMHO and due to its own problems R2R. Btw too, Phelonious Monk IMHO the analog desintoxification has no take over a month, less than a week and the right attitude/non-biased is more than enough to find out the TRUE.
IMHO if we still think that LP or R2R are better sources this is only a misunderstood or low knowledge level on the overall subject.
Could this means that now I'm a digital lover?, no it did not I'm still a music lover that I try to continue enjoying the best I can analog and digital technology: each one with his own trade-offs.
Live music?, well I attend at least one time every week to live music events.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
