When do you know that you are hearing what you are suppose to?

[John Holmes]

How many post/threads have you read were an individual is head over heels because they are "Hearing things that they never heard before!" because of an upgrade to their system?

I can honestly say that I am one of those people. However, the question is, how much information is on a given source to be brought out? How do you know that what you are hearing is what Director intended? When do you know if the Mixing Engineer and the Director are on the same sheet? Or better still, If it was late on a friday afternoon and the Mixing Engineer hurried his product?

I'm just curious if anyone really knows! Most of us go through great lengths (even with a modest system)to get as close to the OAR of sound as possible. Could most of it be useless?

I have drooled over many great systems/equipment over the years, and have been fortunate enough now and then to own some. When I put on a cd that makes me just sit with my jaw open, from how well it was processed, I have to ask myself...How much better can it get? What could I possibly be missing?

What is the "Holy Grail"?




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[P-Dub]

Good question. I've been meaning to start a similar thread along the lines of what is good sound? How do I know what I am hearing is what I am hearing?

Basically, we each have our own expereinces, through theaters, demo sessions, and live performances. However, my memory sucks, and I find it difficult to compare two different sets of components from two different stores. And then to integrate them into my home system, with vastly different accoustics. Well I guess what I'm getting at, is I don't think I'll ever be able to reproduce what the sound engineer heard.

And to try and compare a live performance to home, even tougher. And if I could find the equipment, wouldn't that cost $$$? Is that even possible?

The 'Holy Grail' is the implants that we will all have that will just feed the signal into our senses.




Paul

There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

[ThomasW]

Well Paul hit the nail on the head. The comparison should be made against live performances.

Another criteria is whether your brain is "fooled" into a state of disbelief where the speakers seem to "disappear". That's generally about as good as it gets




theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio

[SiliGoose]

It's as subjective as the smile on your face.




-Sili

[KennyG]

I used to worry about this same thing...then we moved and my system is stuck in a room that is to small, and can't be setup correctly.
So for me it's a moot point...and I'm rather enjoying it for once!

[John Holmes]

Some good points above for sure. And the point about comparing a cd to live makes sense. But most music on cd never got to a live performance. And movies don't have that either.

I do understand that at a point you just have to say, to hell with it and just enjoy. This still does not answer, how do you know when there is nothing left to hear.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[Markj]

For me every time I am listening to music or watching a movie I usually hear something that I have not noticed before. Maybe it depends on my mood or maybe I just have short term memory lost.

[ThomasW]

This still does not answer, how do you know when there is nothing left to hear.

This is generally the point where your wallet is bleeding red ink.

There is almost no limit to how much "better" a system can sound. But to achieve the last 5-10% requires cubic $$$$$$.

Are the results proportional to the investment? Absolutely not. Taking a $15,000 system and adding another $15,000 won't equate to a 100% increase in sonic quality. The same is true if you already have a system that cost $50,000. You can add another $50,000 and still get better performance

Custom "tuned" rooms, the finest high-end equipment, etc, etc, all make noticable improvements in sonic quality. So it's up to the individual and their "threshold of economic pain".

I've been fortunate enough to here a couple of systems that were in the $100,000+ price range. The sound quality was pretty amazing, but there were still things that could have created improvements.

So as the Monte Python characters discovered there is no true "Holy Grail" :B




theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio

[GregoriusM]

Sorry, but I have to disagree about the listening to live performances part.

For the average audio enthusiast, while it will help to get to know a live performance somewhat, it has the same arguments as above!

1) The same band/orchestra/singer can sound great in one hall or theater and sound worse in another. So, were you there on a great night or a bad night?

2) And, the same band/singer can upgrade their equipment and sound better. Or in fact, have lousy road equipment/surroundings compared to the studio environment.

3) Where are you in relation to the band/orchestra/singer? Where is the sweet spot in each and every place you go?

4) If you took that much time to find out exactly what every piece of music sounds like in real life, you'd have no time to compare to your own home stuff! And, like others have said above, you forget the exact sound by the time you've left the parking lot.

5) And, here's the big one!!! What kind of CABLES are the band/orchestra/singer using???? ;-)

I went through 5 or 6 receivers, starting at $300 CDN and went up to $1600 CDN, and that's when the sound just seemed right. RIGHT for me being that I can now sit and enjoy both HT and music without any anxiety. Just sit, listen and enjoy.

Sure, I've heard it sound better. Better speakers. Better amps. But, my Holy Grail is when it is good enough to sit there and enjoy!

My wallet seconds my opinion!!!

... Greg