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Has a system upgrade changed your music preferences?

bus2stcloud

bus2stcloud

New Member
My large music library has a mix of genres of music ranging from rock to americana to jazz to soundtracks and classical. I've owned two pairs of KEF 104.2 speakers for some time and have enjoyed gradually upgrading each system that drives them. Recently I made two changes that took the speakers to a different level - upgraded an amp from Parasound A21 (400 wats @ 4 ohms) to Parasound JC1 mono blocks (800 wats @ 4 ohms). Also I upgrade my CD player to the esoteric k-03x. All are connected with high end audioquest cords.

End result ? I find myself listening to much more classical music. The instrumental voices of the orchestra are so much more distinctive and that makes for a more appealing listening experience. No matter how good a rock band or even the simplified sound of say James Taylor sounds - it is the cornucopia or the orchestra which I thirst for. Fortunately I have been collecting those large box sets of classical music for years and that's now coming in very useful.

Anyone else experience a change in music tastes after system upgrade?
 
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Yes, with speakers mostly. I now use several sets of speakers connected to a switch box. I select speakers depending on the type of music I'm playing.
Both sets I have connected right now do play everything pretty well, but some music does sound a little better one on set or the other.
 
Yes, sort of, but just temporarily I'd say. Speakers particularly have that effect as y'all have said. (I'm an unbeliever in "high end" cabling.) For instance lately I had a pair of Wharfedale Evos in the house for a couple months and was tending toward classical and acoustic; they had incredible instrument separation and imaging. Switched back to an older set of Wharfies which have incredible unity and upper bass shove, and so was tending toward a lot more rock. Now I'm auditioning a pair Zus and I've been playing mostly soul and blues.

You just gravitate to what the system does best, but I wouldn't say any piece of a equipment has changed my tastes.
 
Second on the speakers.

I've a dozen pairs or so, and honestly, I can pick a style of music for all of them. And some of my "best" don't shine on all genre.

I've yeti to find one set that fits all my needs. Dq-10s are the closest, but I really like horn mids for jazz, ska, eyc
 
It took me a little while to get used to listening to some of the metal and grunge I listen to sometimes...as my system improved the distortion and smearing I thought was part of the recording was removed. Also, the prog-rock stuff I love from my youth; Yes, Rush, etc. can sound a little rough now. I find myself seeking out better recordings of the things I already liked (Dire Straits and Super Tramp come to mind).
 
Simple answer is yes.
Never heard of Paul Hard Castle until I got into jbl.
L65 Jubals and L220 now I'm a chill electro freak.
Love many genre's
 
Definitely. I suddenly found that some music I thought was rich in sound to appear now to me to quite simple in actuality while the subtleties in somethings I though were simple are now apparent. The cliché of hearing things one never noticed before really happened to me. Difference: speakers.
 
Neck Beard said:
I find myself seeking out better recordings of the things I already liked (Dire Straits and Super Tramp come to mind).
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I find this to be true as well. I also find myself shying away from recordings that have less than stellar engineering/production. With a better system the flaws that are buried within the recording come to the surface and are much more noticeable and less tolerable. Seeking better sources and better recorded albums help to make a good system shine.
 
Or has a change in music preferences necessitated an upgrade to your equipment (speakers)? I have a friend who has branched out in his musical tastes after 50 years or so. His speaker choices have similarily evolved. Cuts both ways?
 
A good question.:thumbsup:

I think that better equipment hasn't changed my genre preferences, just more so my appreciation of music in general.

Age and life experience has been the greater influences in causing my interest in a music to be wider in scope. FWIW

Q
 
Yes it has but I listened to metal on a boom box mounted in my Chevel when i was a kid. I still like metal but it doesn't sound so good on some of my equipment. That's when I break out the Cerwin Vegas.
 
GabeD said:
I find this to be true as well. I also find myself shying away from recordings that have less than stellar engineering/production. With a better system the flaws that are buried within the recording come to the surface and are much more noticeable and less tolerable. Seeking better sources and better recorded albums help to make a good system shine.
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Having a second set of speakers that aren't overly detailed but pleasant to listen to can go a long way when listening to poorer engineered recordings without having to use a dumbed down system, so to speak.
 
I'm the outlier here I guess. I've turned my system over completely 3 times in appx 7 years.
I listen to the same types of music as always. Obviously there is much new (to me) material but the style is the same.
Agreed that some speakers do better with some genres than others but none my speakers or other components make me shy away from anything.
I have several carts (I listen to alot of LPs) & some carts a certainly geared more for pop/ rock than others.

Agree w Lavane that "soft" speakers can help mask recording quality issues.
 
Since the Node 2i arrived along with my subscription to Amazon Music HD I've stopped playing CD's and vinyl. I'm now discovering music I did not know existed.

P1010011 5.jpeg
 
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The Node2i and Qubuz have opened up a huge new world of high res music to me . Along with some other significant system upgrades over the last 3 years I am listening to things I never did before.

Jblnut
 
To paraphrase a recent Gutenberg comment, the more genres you like, the harder it is to get an acceptable speaker. Not many sound great with every genre. I think that makes sense.
 
That occurred when I was a teenager and first met two audio reviewers (and eventually became mentors) who listened almost exclusively to classical and Broadway tunes for evaluation purposes.

I still enjoy many genres but that experience steered my preferences long ago.
 
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