My system is too accurate

[taters]

Steve Hoffman the well known recording engineer is saying that his system is too accurate and he doesn't enjoy it. What's next Alonso telling Ferrari that the car he is racing is to fast. I guess he should downgrade to a 70's reciever and Advent speakers. I really don't have the answer. I just think it's Ironic that a well known recording engineer is saying this.

 

[jfrech]

Steve Hoffman the well known recording engineer is saying that his system is to accurate and he doesn't enjoy it. What's next Alonso telling Ferrari that the car he is racing is to fast. I guess he should downgrade to a 70's reciever and Advent speakers. I really don't have the answer. I just think it's Ironic that a well known recording engineer is saying this.

that doesn't sound like accurate...that just sounds like bright or just not right...do you have the actual quote? curious at the context he said this in...

 

[edorr]

Steve Hoffman the well known recording engineer is saying that his system is to accurate and he doesn't enjoy it. What's next Alonso telling Ferrari that the car he is racing is to fast. I guess he should downgrade to a 70's reciever and Advent speakers. I really don't have the answer. I just think it's Ironic that a well known recording engineer is saying this.

Your spelling is not to(o) accurate thought

 

[Mike]

Your spelling is not to(o) accurate thought

People in glass houses

 

[MylesBAstor]

that doesn't sound like accurate...that just sounds like bright or just not right...do you have the actual quote? curious at the context he said this in...

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...oo-accurate-i-cant-stand-it-sometimes.335418/

 

[JackD201]

When setting up my system I shoot for super accurate and linear with measurement tools and the best recordings I own........Then I dumb it down so I can listen to anything Nice being able to control all the tweeters individually and have speakers designed to roll around on casters for easy as pie repositioning. Adjustable active bass too Then I can tube roll as my mood suits me.

I'm not saying it's an easy thing, finding that balance but it is possible if you really throw your back into it. What is easy is getting it back to fully revealing. You just have to zero out the settings and you're done.

 

[rockitman]

What is in his system anyway ?

 

[dallasjustice]

Accuracy isn't a flat line. Having said that, he should probably get a mic in the room and post some measurements.

 

[MylesBAstor]

What is in his system anyway ?

http://www.stevehoffman.info/gear.html

 

[Saturntube]

The best system I heard just vibrated harmonically with music and all the instruments just jumped out at you: Accurate : of course, but soo much more!

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Hoffman is a subjectivist; always has been. He's making a philosophical point. As a mastering engineer, he knows exactly where the "degrade switch" is.

Tim

 

[DaveyF]

I wonder IF Steve's impression has anything to do with the fact that he uses the Venture speakers....hmmm

 

[andromedaaudio]

How can his system be accurate anyway PP as he uses tubes ??

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

How can his system be accurate anyway PP as he uses tubes ??

Oh I think tubes can be accurate; I think they can be indistinguishable from solid state and not have that "tube sound" at all. Of course at that point you've overspent many times, but it can be done. But Stieve also loves vinyl. And that can't be accurate.

Tim

 

[DaveyF]

But Stieve also loves vinyl. And that can't be accurate.

Tim

That's a VERY BIG statement, Tim. I guess it depends on what your definition of "accurate" is in reference to music reproduction. Wouldn't be my thought at all.

 

[andromedaaudio]

In high end audio the " accurates "" are claimed all over the industry , it becomes kinda meaningless .

 

[microstrip]

In high end audio the " accurates "" are claimed all over the industry , it becomes kinda meaningless .

Yes, "accurate reproduction" has very different meanings according to the context and even the poster.

It seems to me that in this thread we will be debating mostly the listening preferences of consumers and professionals, although the intention of the original poster was more than that - to raise the old and over debated question of a system with "soul", capable of reproducing the emotion carried by reproduced sound. IMHO it is not a question of a "degrade" switch, it is a question of system quality and balance, including the famous "synergy" match between system parts, room and listener.

 

[dallasjustice]

Accuracy is not 100% subjective. If one can reproduce what the artist intended for them to hear in their home system, then it is by definition an accurate system. It helps to know more detail about the acoustical problems in his room, which is the weak link in almost all home systems (analog or digital). It is a funny thread because it a cry for help of sorts. However, I don't think he wants to hear anything I have to say on the matter, so I'll stay out of it. I just think it's interesting.

Yes, "accurate reproduction" has very different meanings according to the context and even the poster.

It seems to me that in this thread we will be debating mostly the listening preferences of consumers and professionals, although the intention of the original poster was more than that - to raise the old and over debated question of a system with "soul", capable of reproducing the emotion carried by reproduced sound. IMHO it is not a question of a "degrade" switch, it is a question of system quality and balance, including the famous "synergy" match between system parts, room and listener.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

That's a VERY BIG statement, Tim. I guess it depends on what your definition of "accurate" is in reference to music reproduction. Wouldn't be my thought at all.

I don't have my own definition of accurate. Accurate, in the context of an audio reproduction system is playback that alters the input signal as little as possible. In the context of media (vinyl) that would be how closely the media reproduces the master it was created from. And under that definition, vinyl's inaccuracy is a tiny little statement. You can like vinyl all day. You can prefer it. You can swear up and down, in your subjective opinion, that it sounds more like real music and I won't argue with your opinion. You cannot escape the fact that the very process of making vinyl (and tape, for that matter) degrades the fidelity relative to the original recording. Even compared to Redbook. You don't even need to hear the original recording, or the vinyl to know this; by every objective measure available, it's just a fact. And it doesn't matter how good your playback system is, because the loss happens before a turntable is even turned on.

This shouldn't even be controversial.

Tim

PS:

ac·cu·ra·cy (kyr--s)
n.
1. Conformity to fact.

2. Precision; exactness.

3. The ability of a measurement to match the actual value of the quantity being measured.

 

[microstrip]

The best system I heard just vibrated harmonically with music and all the instruments just jumped out at you: Accurate : of course, but soo much more!

Can you summarize the system? Some of the nicest things in audio forums is the description of systems that really touch the listener.