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In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: Accuracy vs. Musicality (and YMMV)
Post Subject: Accuracy vs. Musicality (and YMMV)Posted by Paul S on: 8/16/2024
There’s been lots of talk for decades on the subject of “accuracy vs. musicality”, including recently here in the “Best Commercial Speakers” thread. My own system reflects my own efforts to realize Sound and Music I want to live with in my own home, and there are so many “considerations” that have gone into my system that there would be no way to briefly summarize my “rationale” on this board. It seems like many GSC posters are aware that improving a targeted aspect of ones playback might well bring other “issues” to light, and anyone who has been at this for long knows that there is more to making a compromise than settling on smoothness, although smoothness is, indeed, a popular antidote for “too much” of any number of things. Another way to “deal with” “too much” is to limit output. This includes systems that have good tone and texture and good response with simpler Music at lower volumes. I have said and I repeat here that I think this is a good strategy for those who are not in a position to “crank it up” in any case. Those who want power, range, dynamics and “accuracy” along with “musicality” have their work cut out for them. My current strategy is 2 (pro) horns above 1.2k Hz. They deliver considerable power and “accuracy” over a wide frequency and dynamic range, up to very loud playback volume. I use a 10” paper dynamic driver to handle from 200 Hz to 1.2k Hz. It is a “pro” unit, “efficient” and responsive enough to keep up with the horns while working in their limited range, and they can also take and make a lot of power in their range. While I can’t say this driver has “better tone” than some of my vintage drivers used within their limits, I can say these pro drivers have a much “wider range of expression” than the vintage drivers I have heard. My 18” (pro) woofers are made of some sort of “carbon” fabric, with tremendous output to 25 Hz. I have tried but I have not been able to hear transitions between drivers playing music in my system. While my horns do seem to have “good tone” (for horns…), I do not think the “clarity” of the horns makes for better tone. They do make good “texture”, and notably better texture when the going gets tough than hi-fi dynamic drivers do in their frequency range.
Something worth wondering about is how one knows speakers are “accurate” with respect to reproduction. For me, accuracy means fidelity to the recording. Taken alone, “accurate reproduction” might or might not make Music in one’s home, and I’ve found it’s much harder to get Music as the stakes are raised in terms of range and dynamics. I have shared that I began tempering my system sound years ago in order to get more Music from more recordings. I have consciously avoided system “own sound”, but (of course) I could be deaf to this, as I have spent so long working my way to where I am now. To my ears, I have both accuracy and musicality with this system. Naturally, YMMV.
Paul S
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