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Posted by scooter on
07-19-2008
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Hi Romy:
I am trying to build up a good audio system on a budget and have enjoyed reading about your philosophical approach to music and music reproduction.
I will not waste time with "what to buy" equipment recommendations in magazines or the internet, which are littered direct advertisements, subsidized articles and incompetent rants (how the hell can an amplifier improve the sound of a violin?)
That said, I did note your comments on the wonderful Sansui TU X1 tuner, and after personal listening sessions and the strong recommendation of Ken from Stereo Surgeons, picked up the excellent younger brother TU-717. It is in immaculate condition, has great reception and sounds excellent; I expect it to improve after Ken's alignment work.
However I am having trouble approaching other budget electronics, particularly relating to preamplifiers, amplifiers and CD players. Would you mind putting yourself in my Bostonian shoes for a few minutes and discussing in a brief primer how you would approach this challenge? I am not looking for specific choices, but rather philosophy, thought process, auditioning process, some challenging music to test, etc.
Thank you,
S
From goodsoundclub.com:
"I keep receiving emails from visitors of my site asking me various questions about audio, staring from idiotic questions “what to buy” and ending with DIY questions. I do not consult audiophiles regarding their purchasing decisions. "
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Posted by drdna on
07-19-2008
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I thought of replying to this post with an answer, but the topic is ultimately too vast to really approach with a single short answer. I think it would be best to review certain parts of this website, as Romy has written an encyclopedic amount regarding the definition and categorization of the thought process involved in approaching playback. Such as:
Romy's "AudioRules" and Audio Knowledge Tree > Listening Practice
Regards,
Adrian
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Posted by drdna on
07-19-2008
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This is a question that can perhaps be approached. There are two ways in which I approach the music I use to tune my system.
First, there are recordings of which I know firsthand the original event. For example, as a friend to musicians, I am often at live musical events and occasionally at recording sessions. I know intimately the sound of the music in real life, and I also have the opportunity to play with and listen to a lot of different microphones and recording devices, so I get to know also the effects these different devices have on the sounds of the music being recorded. Given these things, I have a reasonable idea of what the music should sound like when it is played back, so this gives me a watermark by which to assess the musical playback system.
Second, there are recordings to which I listen and enjoy. Since these are the things I am really listening to a lot, and in fact the whole reason really for me to have the stereo playback system in the first place, I want these recordings to sound as enjoyable to me as possible. Thus, I also assess a playback system if it takes my favorite records and brings me closer to the Sound through those records.
Regards,
Adrian
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Posted by Romy the Cat on
07-20-2008
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Scooter,
Are you in Boston with an interest in FM and classical music? Well, welcome to the club – it is a paradise city from FM perspective.
Regarding the rest: two things.
First is your emphasis of budget electronics. I think it is incorrect. Intellectually targeting just budget electronics is to embrace the notion that price is a factor of performance. It might be the case bit it might not be the case. If your objective are the actual performance of electronics then targeting just budget electronics is as mistake as juts targeting only super-expensive electronics, presume that it would some kind of assurance of quality. I usually presume do not take price of audio into consideration at all. After all you are in a search not a purchase but rather a primer and success patterns…
Second: the discussion ways to approach audio elements. This is complicated as it has a lot of to do with a person. My ways to deal with audio derive from the way how I use audio, for many people it would be different nothing wrong with it – and you need to learn about yours to discover what are your expectation from audio. I know very much what I need from audio and what I use it for. So, my “primer” is very much organically derives from my practice. To simplify the thing it would look like this: I develop an interest in a specific composition, period of composer/musician life or the circumstances of performing events. I listen the available music, think about the music, learn information about the music and the surrounding events…. The most important is thinking about the music, sometimes in context of a given program and sometimes abstractedly, correlating the composite consciousness of realized and performed awareness with my own. At a certain point of familiarity and collaboration with a given music (or most precisely to say with the “decoded” of “modulated” composing/performing intentions) I feel a certain personal responsibility for a given music is goring up with me – something that I call the “recomposition awareness”. Observing how my own inner-me and my own thoughts about the music’s program “talk” with the given performed music is where all illusionary, hallucinogenic and in many instances masochistic fan lives. Well, how audio is a picture among all of it? Audio is an expressive tool – it might be juts delivery mechanism but might be a collaborator. Applying audio methods it is possible to shape listening reaction to reproduced music. So, the primer in my view would be how good a playback joins forces with originals composed/performing objectives in order to serve the interest of my intentions.
So, If you just started serious audio and since audio elements have no self-contained values retouched from their applied purpose I would advise at this point do not worry about the audio elements but rather work on breeding and evolving own relationship with perceived musicality. The audio will follow it…
Rgs, Romy the Cat
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Posted by scooter on
07-21-2008
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Dear Romy and Adrian:
Thank you for taking the time to contemplate my inquiry and respond in such detail. I am just outside of Boston, and agree that the local FM menu is quite good and is a great way of discovering new music; reception is always an interesting challenge as I live between a few hills. I am coming close to solving that problem, but more on that another day.
Interestingly, there is a high level of correlation between Adrian's response to "Music used in Auditioning" and Romy's approach to "Audio Elements:" the music. Deep first hand knowledge of a music, and eventual "Recomposition awareness," are logical processes for building a system around the music; they are also likely key success factors for top musicians.
In any case, I will make sure to keep focused on a passion for the music and gradually build the system around, and to serve, that music. Great advice! Will keep you posted on progress.
Best regards,
Scooter
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