Are there any speakers that output sound essentially indistinguishable from a live performance?

[Robert394]

Out of curiosity, has anyone heard or know of speakers that can output sound that is basically indistinguishable from a live performance if you say walked into the room blindfolded and were asked to decide the sound was coming from speakers or from a live performer?

There's an interesting review of the Hedd Tower Mains where they guy says a piano track was playing and he thought someone was actually playing the piano in the room. Sometimes my Type 20s give me a similar impression on vocals.

Does anyone know of such a speaker?

 

[Purité Audio]

A loudspeaker could only hope to accurately reproduce the file they are playing.
The Hedd main towers can reproduce everything on the record.
Keith

 

[HemiRick]

This is impossible as the dynamic range of a live performance exceeds the capability of modern recording equipment to capture. Hence the use of compression and other tricks.

 

[mhardy6647]

well... short answer, no -- given the tweaking, compression, limiting, and sweetening that virtually all recorded music is subjected to (even "serious" music, which is sometimes generically, but - of course - inaccurately, called "classical" music).

That said, there is (was) this...

source: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/...4/original_models_brochures/ar_brochure_1970/

AR famously conducted live vs. reproduced music demos that were (ostensibly) difficult to impossible to distinguish.
Probably an excellent can of worms in the context of this website and the OP's question!

Here's one 'modern' discussion, chosen more or less at random (i.e., high on the google list of results):
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82842.0

 

[LTig]

Out of curiosity, has anyone heard or know of speakers that can output sound that is basically indistinguishable from a live performance if you say walked into the room blindfolded and were asked to decide the sound was coming from speakers or from a live performer?

There's an interesting review of the Hedd Tower Mains where they guy says a piano track was playing and he thought someone was actually playing the piano in the room. Sometimes my Type 20s give me a similar impression on vocals.

Does anyone know of such a speaker?

I was fooled twice so far. On Highend 2019 I listened to the Grimm Audio LS1 Be with subs, playing a recording of a sopran singer, and when she finished I almost clapped my hands as applause when I realized that it was not live.

On the other hand I thought that a sax player played live in the room next door just to find out that it was a small JBL Charge 3 BT speaker.

 

[maverickronin]

This is impossible as the dynamic range of a live performance exceeds the capability of modern recording equipment to capture. Hence the use of compression and other tricks.

Recording equipment is perfectly capable of capturing the dynamic range of any live performance. It's the speakers which have trouble reproducing it.

 

[Astrozombie]

^ I've heard people who go to audio conventions a bunch of times say they thought real musicians were playing in a room, only to find a pair of high-end speakers .

 

[Ron Texas]

Some people think that M2's and other big JBL speakers come close due to their ability to play very loud without distortion.

 

[tecnogadget]

I think the probability of being fooled by speakers increases if the sound is coming from a different room/space. Watching the speakers introduces bias and breaks the illusion, eyes closed and dimmed listening room help to the trick.

 

[Soniclife]

well... short answer, no -- given the tweaking, compression, limiting, and sweetening that virtually all recorded music is subjected to (even "serious" music, which is sometimes generically, but - of course - inaccurately, called "classical" music).

That said, there is (was) this...

View attachment 70848
source: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/...4/original_models_brochures/ar_brochure_1970/

AR famously conducted live vs. reproduced music demos that were (ostensibly) difficult to impossible to distinguish.
Probably an excellent can of worms in the context of this website and the OP's question!

Here's one 'modern' discussion, chosen more or less at random (i.e., high on the google list of results):
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82842.0

Goes way further back than that...
https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2015/05/is-it-live-or-is-it-edison/

Short answer to the OP, no it's not, music isn't mastered with real dynamics left in it.

 

[Soniclife]

I think the probability of being fooled by speakers increases if the sound is coming from a different room/space. Watching the speakers introduces bias and breaks the illusion, eyes closed and dimmed listening room help to the trick.

I agree, speakers in a room down the hall do seem to do this more frequently than when you are in the room with them.

 

[mhardy6647]

Goes way further back than that...
https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2015/05/is-it-live-or-is-it-edison/

In fairness, that Audiocircle link I provided did point this out, too.
And -- of course -- there's ol' Nipper, who has got some age on him, too.

I mentioned the AR demos because, as designed and executed, they were supposedly pretty successful.

Short answer to the OP, no it's not, music isn't mastered with real dynamics left in it.

I don't disagree but... there are some pretty well-mastered, honest/real sounding audio recordings to be found.
Here's one of them -- not this YT version, of course, but the original Redbook CD is... rather remarkable, actually.

(pretty standard issue audiophile-grade blooze -- sorry about that! )

 

[Eurasian]

well... short answer, no -- given the tweaking, compression, limiting, and sweetening that virtually all recorded music is subjected to (even "serious" music, which is sometimes generically, but - of course - inaccurately, called "classical" music).

That said, there is (was) this...

View attachment 70848
source: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/...4/original_models_brochures/ar_brochure_1970/

AR famously conducted live vs. reproduced music demos that were (ostensibly) difficult to impossible to distinguish.
Probably an excellent can of worms in the context of this website and the OP's question!

Here's one 'modern' discussion, chosen more or less at random (i.e., high on the google list of results):
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82842.0

They were anechoic recordings played in a reverberant room. So, the loudspeakers were able to fool the audience.

 

[maverickronin]

On the other hand I thought that a sax player played live in the room next door just to find out that it was a small JBL Charge 3 BT speaker.

^ I've heard people who go to audio conventions a bunch of times say they thought real musicians were playing in a room, only to find a pair of high-end speakers .

I agree, speakers in a room down the hall do seem to do this more frequently than when you are in the room with them.

The "sounds real from down the hall" effect is pretty common, since hearing it from down the hall is usually a bigger change to the performance than recording it and playing back normally in the first place.

Some people think that M2's and other big JBL speakers come close due to their ability to play very loud without distortion.

There certainly are some which do. Off the top of my head and besides the M2's there are also the Genelec 12xx series and the JTR home theater speakers. Still not all that many of them compared to the overall market for full size/full range hifi speakers though.

 

[tuga]

well... short answer, no -- given the tweaking, compression, limiting, and sweetening that virtually all recorded music is subjected to (even "serious" music, which is sometimes generically, but - of course - inaccurately, called "classical" music).

That said, there is (was) this...

View attachment 70848
source: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/...4/original_models_brochures/ar_brochure_1970/

AR famously conducted live vs. reproduced music demos that were (ostensibly) difficult to impossible to distinguish.
Probably an excellent can of worms in the context of this website and the OP's question!

Here's one 'modern' discussion, chosen more or less at random (i.e., high on the google list of results):
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82842.0

In that particular case each AR speaker on stage was in effect a PA playing a free-field/anechoic recording of a single instrument.

The relation between the AR demos and domestic hi-fi reproducing recorded music is purely accidental...

 

[tuga]

Goes way further back than that...
https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2015/05/is-it-live-or-is-it-edison/

Short answer to the OP, no it's not, music isn't mastered with real dynamics left in it.

It depends on the genre. Classical music recordings have wide dynamics, sometimes even true dynamics.

 

[dasdoing]

where are you sitting/standing in the live performance? because if you are not (near) where the engenier stood when calibrating, the stereo mics he placed well will make a better sound then live performance.
the question is: can the spekaers reproduce the sound the (flat) mics captured at the place they where put? the answer depends less on the speakers then flat response and elimination of room reflections; plus the stereo mics have to be placed in a way it records a regular stereo triangle

 

[Alexanderc]

I was once on stage with an international opera star rehearsing in a small (c. 200 seat) auditorium and it was…uncomfortable is the best way I can describe it. I could feel the pressure in my ears. In my listening room I can’t imagine what it would be like. Intolerable probably. I would not want to have speakers that would re-create the sound like he was really there in my room.

Edit: the quality was glorious, just so loud! I am happy to listen to his recordings.

 

[Alexanderc]

FYI it was Simon Estes. A gracious and kind man if ever there was one.

 

[dasdoing]

I was once on stage with an international opera star rehearsing in a small (c. 200 seat) auditorium and it was…uncomfortable is the best way I can describe it. I could feel the pressure in my ears. In my listening room I can’t imagine what it would be like. Intolerable probably. I would not want to have speakers that would re-create the sound like he was really there in my room.

that's what I was talking about. As I said in another topic, to get perfect response in a classical performance you need near perfect seats acording to the acoustics of the space.
there are clearly other atractives to a live performance,; and if you are in the perfact place, no recording can reproduce the the sound