musichal
poet emeritus
I've found myself writing of other various AKers (and thinking the same about many of you) that this specific member is a more demanding listener than I am. Compared to some of you I'm just a piker. I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to speakers. Not that picky at all.
Of course, every friend and family member would laugh at that statement. They know I'm picky about audio.
"No, that won't work. We can't move his speakers, we'll have to put the tree over here."
"Yeah, we can listen to a Christmas record while we decorate, but when you pull the record that's on there now, off, you have to put it in its sleeve, then turn it ninety degrees and put in the jacket, and there's this brush - you better just let me do it."
"He won't know, that's just ridiculous. I can put on a record, for chrisake - but this other one is stuck, I can't get the old record off-"
"I better do it. It can be tricky with his Thorens because some records fit real tight."
The things you hear from another room. Of course, that's not even the bad stuff - I've learned not to even try to hear what the women in another room are saying about me. Or, at least to act like I don't, and didn't. But, the point is that I bet all of us here pretty much share the picky label among our friends and family when it comes to listening to our music.
However, when I've written that so-and-so is a more demanding listener than I, it certainly isn't meant as criticism. Don't let the connotative meaning of picky infect this paragraph from the preceding few sentences. Perhaps some of these friends hear better than I, or at least different. I don't think it's a lack of discrimination on my part, I hear differences. They just don't always mean that much to me.
When I was a big kid working in a candy store, I could marvel at how good a $200 speaker sounded on the NAD while my buddy was all excited about listening to the new $3000 pair on ARC.
Dave said, "You always like cheap speakers."
Of course, I got to the new, expensive ones soon enough. They damn well better sound better. Invariably, they did, but there've been times when I had just as much fun and enjoyment with the cheap ones. So, yeah, let's just say I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to speakers.
Of course, I like to have good SQ, but that isn't the only determinant for my fun. Not always even the main one in play. Where I am, who I'm with, the occasion or lack thereof, whether the music fits my mood, are others, just off the top of my head, and for you, too, I'm sure.
I just think some of you are more demanding about realism. Reproducing the music with as large a soundstage, as accurate an image, as dynamic and revelatory as the recording allows. Whereas I'm satisfied with a decent facsimile with pretty good resolution. It is said good is the enemy of the great. That may about sum me up as an audio enthusiast.
So when I say someone is more demanding than I am as a listener, I feel it's just a simple observation, with a neutral, perhaps even complimentary, aura. Or maybe I'm just lazy, crazy, or hazy. You may say all three and that wouldn't phase me.
Of course, every friend and family member would laugh at that statement. They know I'm picky about audio.
"No, that won't work. We can't move his speakers, we'll have to put the tree over here."
"Yeah, we can listen to a Christmas record while we decorate, but when you pull the record that's on there now, off, you have to put it in its sleeve, then turn it ninety degrees and put in the jacket, and there's this brush - you better just let me do it."
"He won't know, that's just ridiculous. I can put on a record, for chrisake - but this other one is stuck, I can't get the old record off-"
"I better do it. It can be tricky with his Thorens because some records fit real tight."
The things you hear from another room. Of course, that's not even the bad stuff - I've learned not to even try to hear what the women in another room are saying about me. Or, at least to act like I don't, and didn't. But, the point is that I bet all of us here pretty much share the picky label among our friends and family when it comes to listening to our music.
However, when I've written that so-and-so is a more demanding listener than I, it certainly isn't meant as criticism. Don't let the connotative meaning of picky infect this paragraph from the preceding few sentences. Perhaps some of these friends hear better than I, or at least different. I don't think it's a lack of discrimination on my part, I hear differences. They just don't always mean that much to me.
When I was a big kid working in a candy store, I could marvel at how good a $200 speaker sounded on the NAD while my buddy was all excited about listening to the new $3000 pair on ARC.
Dave said, "You always like cheap speakers."
Of course, I got to the new, expensive ones soon enough. They damn well better sound better. Invariably, they did, but there've been times when I had just as much fun and enjoyment with the cheap ones. So, yeah, let's just say I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to speakers.
Of course, I like to have good SQ, but that isn't the only determinant for my fun. Not always even the main one in play. Where I am, who I'm with, the occasion or lack thereof, whether the music fits my mood, are others, just off the top of my head, and for you, too, I'm sure.
I just think some of you are more demanding about realism. Reproducing the music with as large a soundstage, as accurate an image, as dynamic and revelatory as the recording allows. Whereas I'm satisfied with a decent facsimile with pretty good resolution. It is said good is the enemy of the great. That may about sum me up as an audio enthusiast.
So when I say someone is more demanding than I am as a listener, I feel it's just a simple observation, with a neutral, perhaps even complimentary, aura. Or maybe I'm just lazy, crazy, or hazy. You may say all three and that wouldn't phase me.
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I've recently come to find I hate listening to music on anything other than my system. I have to put up with it. But, hopefully for not too long. Girlfriend's stock car stereo playing FM - brother blasting (into distortion) marginally tuned FM station on a 15 year old cheap, no-name shelf system... WTF?!? It just hurts my ears. Breath... rant over. Hi! 
