Chasing Perfection is...
- Thread starter SoCal Sam
- Start date
Ray Gianelli
Super Member
And it can be very expensive.
When I read about some piece of gear that sounds tempting, I'll look up reviews on gear I already have. Usually takes care of any yearning I may have for something different.
When I read about some piece of gear that sounds tempting, I'll look up reviews on gear I already have. Usually takes care of any yearning I may have for something different.
I'm often reminded of the many weekends me and a buddy spent drinking beer by a crackling fire, with his battered, tinfoil-for-antenna AM radio literally hanging from a tree branch, dialing in the Grand Ole Opry.
If you love music, the rest is just details.
If you love music, the rest is just details.
the skipper
Professional Curmudgeon
Chasing audio perfection is kinda like that carrot dangling in front of the horse, only more expensive.
Bill Ferris
Lunatic Member
Me too Sir.
And that's the way it should rationally be, whoops !! My Bad, this is AK !!
Mercy Sakes Alive on my statement !!
With the statement in the super subjective nature of sonic fulfillment, for some, will they ever be satisfied ?
At least at 63 yrs. I`m at my personal SQ Nirvana, and feel the need to chase no more !!
Better out there, yes, but not for me, in my current mindset, as that last few percentile is going beyond my drive..
Pursue folk`s as you see fit, it`s your money, and ears..
May all find their sonic Nirvana..
Enjoy any results of your pursuit..
Most kind regards, OKB
SoCal Sam
Lunatic Member
A recent sales experience got me thinking about this. The buyer had owned numerous obscure and esoteric gear. He was just getting back into stereo so he bought something sensible and was matching components which is why we had contact. After deal closed and item was in the mail, he texted me question after question about this and that. He was could not achieve the sound he wanted. Despite my suggestions, he could not be made happy. He even wanted to return the item even before it arrived! I realized he was looking for perfection. His search went unfulfilled despite the enormous amounts of money he spent. I tried to tell him there is no system that can play all recordings well. He could not accept this and he was inconsolable. I am not going to say I feel sorry for the guy because he is pursuing his dream. However, he is doomed to always think something is wrong with his gear.
the skipper
Professional Curmudgeon
Sitting back and simply enjoying the music you are hearing is a priceless gift that not all here can appreciate. Realizing the "different" does not always mean "better" is a difficult concept to grasp for many.
grillebilly
Empty Head
I am often told that I need to reach the "next level". It's always by people who believe they are at the next level. I kindly respond the people at the level above them are saying the same thing to them.
I have been happy with what I have since I got my first receiver after high school. Sure, we get better stuff, and we appreciate the sound quality improvement. That's an important and fun part of the hobby. Being a music lover first and foremost, the pleasure is in listening. The gear is integral and what it does is impressive. But like the OP, there is no mountaintop to conquer.
I have been happy with what I have since I got my first receiver after high school. Sure, we get better stuff, and we appreciate the sound quality improvement. That's an important and fun part of the hobby. Being a music lover first and foremost, the pleasure is in listening. The gear is integral and what it does is impressive. But like the OP, there is no mountaintop to conquer.
Bill Ferris
Lunatic Member
Yep, some are like that, and most of the time, can`t be helped/guided until "they" finally find reality..
Doomed usually, to never ending sonic misery and often give up !!
Sad.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
You can complain about achieving perfection all you want. My biggest issue is source material. I don't care what your favorite type of music you enoy or how many types. Consistency in music performances and the way the performance is captured just really frustrates me some times. DG is my favorite label to pick on. It doesn't matter which artist or group you choose. They can't capture the performance correctly from one release to the next. Most of the time they can't decide how they are going to use solo or sweeting mics with any consistency throughout a movement of a symphonic piece. You POP lovers would go crazy if every time your favorite artist performed a track on an album their instrumental or vocal presentation changed.
When your system can create sound with realism enough for you to detect artistic manipulation within a recording of a performance you have reached a plateau you no longer have to surpass. Whats the point? To be able to hear more and more imperfections?
I was told that Toscanini could detect musicians errors on recordings with out fail and he would screen potential members of his orchestras by listening to recordings they had participated in the performance. He just wasn't looking for soloists either. Ist, second and third chair players were all under the Maestros hearing microscope.
So depending on you as an individual and your tastes and mental curiosity will also determine the degree of perfection your system must achieve. Sometimes I wonder if its maybe better for the system to present an illusion we as listeners can enjoy and not strive for reproduction perfection.
I use to think that way when listening to JBL Paragon, 3 channel Klipsch corner horn systems, and my all time favorite 3 channel AR-3/3a systems. It was the illusion I liked back then in the 60's. I wonder when I crossed over to the other side of the fence.
When your system can create sound with realism enough for you to detect artistic manipulation within a recording of a performance you have reached a plateau you no longer have to surpass. Whats the point? To be able to hear more and more imperfections?
I was told that Toscanini could detect musicians errors on recordings with out fail and he would screen potential members of his orchestras by listening to recordings they had participated in the performance. He just wasn't looking for soloists either. Ist, second and third chair players were all under the Maestros hearing microscope.
So depending on you as an individual and your tastes and mental curiosity will also determine the degree of perfection your system must achieve. Sometimes I wonder if its maybe better for the system to present an illusion we as listeners can enjoy and not strive for reproduction perfection.
I use to think that way when listening to JBL Paragon, 3 channel Klipsch corner horn systems, and my all time favorite 3 channel AR-3/3a systems. It was the illusion I liked back then in the 60's. I wonder when I crossed over to the other side of the fence.
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SPEC2man
Are we there yet?
Last summer I was walking across campus where I work and the Jazz band was outside in an open area practicing. There was no one on campus, warm sunny day - a moved around until I got in just the right spot to listen and I spent 15-20 minutes just getting lost in the music. It was at that moment I realized for me there is a point of diminishing returns. I was really in the moment and the music was LIVE! I couldn't stop it pause it or replay it only enjoy the moment. I kinda wish my system was more that way and after that, I kinda had a laughed at myself and all my obsessing. There's so much good live music ... when I get fed up - I'll just go catch a live show.
Kinda glad I was never trained as a musician in a way, ignorance is bliss.
Kinda glad I was never trained as a musician in a way, ignorance is bliss.
superdog
AK Member
Acceptance is the answer.To me there is no perfect system.I just do the best I can with my available resources.Just like in life there are limitations in everything.Audio is no different.If you don't accept you land up chasing and not listening.Thankfully for my own sake I'm almost done.
SoCal Sam
Lunatic Member
Great observation. Bad recordings will never sound good on a high definition system. Great recordings will never sound good on low cost consumer gear. I tried to tell this to my buyer but he could never be convinced. Reference for reproduced sound should always be live, real time sound. Recordings should sound like this reference and live and indie albums often do. Unfortunately, commercial imperative means that studio recordings are mixed to sound good on the most common gear which are clock radios, crappy car stereos, i-whatevers with earbuds, and so on. These recordings are usually radio favorites and some of the most cherished tracks. I can think of many albums when played on my best system sounding flat and unsatisfying. They really need the artificial boost from say receivers paired with Pioneer HPM-100's or JBL L-100's. For this reason, I do not play my best gear but tend to play my more forgiving gear. I'll give up a little with great recordings to be able to enjoy my radio favorites.
