Ron's Favorite Private Rooms + Systems of All Time

[Ron Resnick]

Hi Ron,

Some curious questions that could provide insight into your selection (I understand this is a relative subject) :

1. What were the specific qualities or characteristics you appreciate about each of these rooms and systems?

I try to suppress my personal focus on and subjective preference about transparency and believability of an in-the-room solo vocalist. I also try not to think about typical hi-fi glossary sonic attributes. (This is not difficult because I'm not a big fan of these attributes to begin with.)

I focus on general believability and suspension of disbelief on classical music and jazz music.


When I close my eyes how close does Pictures at an Exhibition or Symphonie Fantastique sound like what I hear at Walt Disney Concert Hall? How close does this sound like my memory of the sound of a real piano?

2. Did you prioritize any particular aspects, such as sound quality, aesthetics, or overall design, when selecting your favorite private rooms and systems?

No. Some of my favorite rooms are sonically lively, and some of my favorite rooms are heavily damped. I don't care about the aesthetics, because I consider that cosmetic and not sonically substantive

3. How does each system contribute to your overall listening experience? Are there any specific elements that enhance the enjoyment of music for you?

Would you please elaborate here? I'm not really understanding what you mean hear different from other questions on this list.

4. Do you have a preferred type of music or genre that you primarily listen to in these rooms, and did this influence your choices?

I try to judge based on classical music and jazz music rather than on pop and rock, because pop and rock, being multitrack, have no original musical event to attempt to re-create the sound of.

I also don't go by solo vocalists, because they are the easiest kind of music to get to sound believable by any system.

5. Is there a common theme or philosophy that ties together your choices of private rooms and systems?

Thank you

The common theme would be audiophiles who spare one or more of: no financial expense, no space utilization expense, or no expense in terms of time, patience and dedication in component selection, system matching, acoustic treatment, and fine-tuning. An attitude of perfectionism and "do whatever it takes."

 

[Ron Resnick]

That said, I remembered this from Ron's report and looked up what he has written:

“The closest to live music I have ever heard” is my considered conclusion about jazz, solo instruments and ensembles and, in some ways, classical symphony orchestra, reproduced on the unique vinyl/horn/single-ended triode system of zerostargeneral."

Visit to Zerostargeneral’s Pnoe/Thomas Mayer/VYGER System

“The closest to live music I have ever heard” is my considered conclusion about jazz, solo instruments and ensembles and, in some ways, classical symphony orchestra, reproduced on the unique vinyl/horn/single-ended triode system of zerostargeneral. En route to rendezvous in London with Tinka to...

www.whatsbestforum.com

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By Ron from another post on the thread -

"I have believed strongly for a couple of years now that musical preference drives loudspeaker selection. If my primary musical genre interests were jazz or jazz plus + classical I would replicate zerostargeneral’s system.

This system is now my top choice for jazz, solo instruments and ensembles, for sure.

I have come to love and to become emotionally connected with the jazz pieces and the classical pieces I like. But my personal musical genre preferences remain primarily vocals and rock/pop. “Girl with guitar” music does not require the incredible speed and instantaneous rise time of this system. I still love what electrostatic speakers and ribbon speakers achieve on vocals."

===

Back to the first post on that thread:

"This system allows instruments to sound detailed and fast in the ways real musical instruments sound when you hear them played live. The apparent speed is astounding, and the dynamics reflect the seemingly instantaneous rise time of extremely sensitive horn loudspeakers. This is the best “jump factor” I have ever experienced.

This natural speed I heard was not the speed that I described previously of certain dynamic driver systems as being “hyper-fast,” which I found to be an unnatural artifact of some kind. Here the speed simply replicates the actual, natural speed of live instruments.

The speed and dynamics and jump-factor of this system sadly cause me to view all conventional lower sensitivity/higher power loudspeaker/amplifier combinations in a dimmer light. No such conventional system I have ever heard — whether dynamic driver, electrostatic or ribbon — can match the lightness on its feet and utterly explosive sound-recreating effect of this system. This speed got me a full level closer to “live” from the reproduction of the sound of recorded musical instruments.

Zerostargeneral’s system manifests natural-sounding high frequencies, and detail which is delicate in an electrostatic-like way, but which was not once harsh or fatiguing or bright or artificial-sounding.

The texture of instruments came through more vividly than I recall ever having heard before on any system. I could close my eyes and suspend disbelief to find a jazz club transported to me.

I did not hear an absence of low frequencies, nor did I hear any shaving off of high frequencies — two failings for which I was on the look-out. I found this system to sound completely full-range. Whether it is or not I do not know, but to my ears the system is not wanting for frequency extension at either extreme.

Without any cones pushing air this system produced weightier drum wacks on “I’ve Got the Music in Me” than I have heard from large, multi-way dynamic driver systems. I don’t really understand how this is possible, but this is what I heard.

I believe the purity of the signal path allow details and textural information to be heard, while more complicated systems — multi-way speakers with energy-absorbing cross-overs, high-power amplifiers, lots of discrete components in the signal path — literally obscure this delicate and elusive atomic sonic information. The uncorrupted signal, the lack of adulteration inflicted by the electronic components, allowed me to experience reproduced jazz music, solo instruments and ensembles more realistically and believably than I have ever before heard in a stereo system."

There is the softening caveat that I have learned since that visit that I tend to be over-excited about what I heard in the near-time processing immediately after the experience. I honestly have trouble remembering specifically what I heard in Ebiye's system.

I remember the room is huge and naturally wonderful sonically without any acoustic treatment.

I would need to visit Ebiye again to figure out and assess his room + system in the context of the rooms + systems I have heard since my visit there.

 

[Carlos269]

The common theme would be audiophiles who spare one or more of: no financial expense, no space utilization expense, or no expense in terms of time, patience and dedication in component selection, system matching, acoustic treatment, and fine-tuning. An attitude of perfectionism and "do whatever it takes."

These are the audiophiles that I’m taking aim of with my systems and system videos. I’m here to provide evidence that knowledge and understanding of sound reproduction, acoustics and technology will yield more than any of those qualities that you listed above. Incidentally just about all but one of the systems you listed do not post videos of their systems. Would be nice for the rest of us to have video evidence to support your listening impressions. One has to wonder why these systems are not showcased and featured in audio considering the basis for this hobby. What I have discovered is that beautiful pictures are easy to paint with words but a video with sound is much more effective at depicting the truth.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Would be nice for the rest of us to have video evidence to support your listening impressions.

Videos cannot provide this evidence for all the reasons I have discussed previously on other threads. Please kindly beat video drum on the video thread.

One has to wonder why these systems are not showcased and featured in audio considering the basis for this hobby.

I don't wonder this at all. This hobby is about audio and sound. This hobby is not about video and sight. Video hobbies are about video.

a video with sound is much more effective at depicting the truth.

I completely disagree. in the room, in real life, listening is much more effective at telling me the truth.

 

[Rensselaer]

Criticizing videos on rational grounds is not bullying, the behavior that I describe in #240 is.

Not taking sides here, just saying.

I agree that a YouTube video taken on a phone where the music is converted to digital (mono) and played back usually on a computer terminal (or phone) is not going to sound anywhere near as good as the actual system sounds in person, however one can often get an idea of certain traits from these.

It is sort of like judging the speed of a car from a video taken through the windshield. Sure, no way near as accurate as clocking or radar but one can tell if speeding. Same video's of hi-fi playing music. If looking at a YouTube video you detect harshness, or room boundary effects, you can pretty much guarantee that they will be present if listening to the system in person.

 

[Carlos269]

Videos cannot provide this evidence for all the reasons I have discussed previously on other threads. Please kindly beat video drum on the video thread.

Are you limiting or restricting the discussion here?

I don't wonder this at all. This hobby is about audio and sound. This hobby is not about video and sight. Video hobbies are about video.

This hobby is about sound, something that typed words do not provide but videos do.

I completely disagree. in the room, in real life, listening is much more effective at telling me the truth.

To be a credible witness, you must first demonstrate yourself to be a subject matter expert. I don’t think that the sound that you have presented with your own system makes your a credible arbiter; therefore I would trust my own assessment of the sound on video over your “in person, in the room reporting”. Sorry, but the level of lack of understanding that you have displayed & results that you have achieved with your own system does not allow me to trust your judgement of others’ systems. Sorry I have to be honest.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

sometimes your socalled honesty would be better kept to yourself tbh

 

[Carlos269]

sometimes your socalled honesty would be better kept to yourself tbh

That’s what makes us different. I abhor hypocrisy.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

diplomacy is not to be confused with hypocrazy
why do insist on being such a schmock?
you don´t necessarily need to write all your thoughts

 

[Carlos269]

diplomacy is not to be confused with hypocrazy
why do insist on being such a schmock?

Let’s review the facts: Ron can’t even setup his own turntable or positition & dial in his speakers. Ron has brought in hired help for all those basic tasks.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

but this goes for very many well off audio enthusiasts
I´m mostly self helped, but very many aren´t
you/we have to accept this....we cannot dictate the terms to qualifi as opinionated audiophiles....

 

[Carlos269]

but this goes for very many well off audio enthusiasts
I´m mostly self helped, but very many aren´t
you/we have to accept this....we cannot dictate the terms to qualifi as opinionated audiophiles....

Explain to me how not knowing the tegumentary basics makes you qualified to render an expert’s opinion on anything?

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

even with ten thumbs in each palm it´s possible to have an opinion about sound reproduction
and who are you to judge?
you just use this forum to promote your own excellence and products/system
we´re fed up with your offencive and rude behaviour
can you not feel yourself you´re not very welcome unless you behave?
your social antennaes must be shaved down pretty short
IMNSHO

 

[Carlos269]

even with ten thumbs in each palm it´s possible to have an opinion about sound reproduction

You are missing the point. This has nothing thing that do with physical abilities.

 

[Bobvin]

One thing is clear… not many I believe would have interest in visiting Carlos to hear his system(s). If you didn’t like what you heard there would be no end of disparaging reasons why you’re not qualified to judge. The rest of us mere mortals will have to continue to suffer with systems that truly suck (but bring us joy).

 

[Carlos269]

One thing is clear… not many I believe would have interest in visiting Carlos to hear his system(s). If you didn’t like what you heard there would be no end of disparaging reasons why you’re not qualified to judge. The rest of us mere mortals will have to continue to suffer with systems that truly suck (but bring us joy).

I’m not sure how you deduce that logic?

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

from your screaming vids?

 

[Carlos269]

from your screaming vids?

You seem intend on picking a fight today. Shall we do some compare and contrast with your system videos?

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

like I said earlier......I´m happy with my system and don´t give a rats ass about what you think...I´m the one paying for it.....
I´m not picking a fight, but think you´re downright rude and don´t like your behavior
read #273...you seemed to miss all but the first sentence

 

[Carlos269]

like I said earlier......I´m happy with my system and don´t give a rats ass about what you think...I´m the one paying for it.....
I´m not picking a fight, but think you´re downright rude and don´t like your behavior
read #273...you seemed to miss all but the first sentence

I share my knowledge and share videos of my systems. That is all I do. Should I muzzle myself to make you and others feel better? It won’t change the facts! You should embrace my knowledge and not feel threatened.