Does the hardware that you use have an influence on the genres you listen to?

[watchnerd]

biggest problem is the room i think , so i meant a system as whole and near perfection (for accuracy) , full range frequency response system and a well designed and treated room would cost a considerable fortune , that system would play all genres and would make you not need different setups i believe

I genuinely do not believe that.

The best recording studios I've been in (JBL M2s and Genelecs in DSP-corrected and treated rooms) do not do *certain things* as well as, say, electrostatic speakers.

Electrostatic speakers are terrible studio monitors, have bad dynamic range, etc.

But in the narrow range of what they're best in class at, e.g. small scale acoustic instruments, they're better than a good all-rounder.

I have never, ever heard a system that is best-in-class at everything.

 

[pseudoid]

EDM produces sub-bass that is often inaudible, <20 Hz, at high volumes, when heard (errr...felt) at a club or in concert.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers did that to me once @ some basement bar in Dallas. I was deafened for a day and promised to never treat my ears that way again. Same reason I would not drive a Chrysler rental car; because of the similar buffeting when the windows were open.

 

[watchnerd]

I hadn't considered the factors of how loud a system will play without breaking up/excessively distorting, and I hadn't considered the different levels of importance that sub-bass/bottom octave might have for certain genres.

High dynamic range and ultra deep bass without distortion is really the area that most domestic speakers, even very expensive ones, just don't do well.

And that's pretty relevant to a few major genres.

 

[restorer-john]

I still would push back hard, though, against the common, sloppier audiophile claims that such-and-such brand or speaker topology is only good for such-and-such type of music.

Absolutely agree with this. It used to be like that at Audio Shows where the speaker design seemed to dictate the demo music in the room so as to not highlight any deficiencies. Back then of course, the musical selections were limited and likely from CD, whereas now, you'd think an exhibitor would be hard pressed not to offer any track a prospective buyer may want to hear.

I can imagine the sneer you may get when you asked for some EDM in the Magneplanar room.

 

[watchnerd]

Absolutely agree with this. It used to be like that at Audio Shows where the speaker design seemed to dictate the demo music in the room so as to not highlight any deficiencies. Back then of course, the musical selections were limited and likely from CD, whereas now, you'd think an exhibitor would be hard pressed not to offer any track a prospective buyer may want to hear.

I can imagine the sneer you may get when you asked for some EDM in the Magneplanar room.

I mean...it's sales.

Of course they're going to rig the game.

 

[2ndHarm]

I've been encouraged by recent upgrades in my system to listen to different kinds of music. I'm listening for more nuances than before and looking for re-mastered recordings of my favorite artists.
Also, I recently purchased an A & K player that came with 19,000 songs on it from a wide variety of artists from heavy metal to Mozart to Abby Monks. It's been great fun to work through these recordings - many downloaded in higher-res formats. That's been a great incentive to try new things.

 

[pseudoid]

...I am proportionately listening to less dense/heavy stuff and more sparse/"clean" stuff..

I wish there was a hw/sw feature for when the music is great but the vocals [ahem...] suck and you want to just mute that portion out.
Like Emo or Rap or Woke.

 

[MattHooper]

Actually I can think of a case where my equipment sort of drives my choices. I mentioned that I enjoy all types of music on my little Spendor S3/5s, but as I find them particularly wonderful with vocals, I do tend to want to listen to more tracks with vocals than usual when I have them playing. (But, again, I still like them for other genres).

 

[Inner Space]

Actually I can think of a case where my equipment sort of drives my choices. I mentioned that I enjoy all types of music on my little Spendor S3/5s, but as I find them particularly wonderful with vocals, I do tend to want to listen to more tracks with vocals than usual when I have them playing. (But, again, I still like them for other genres).

Nice to hear. I agree. What a success that speaker was - designed for the human voice, and the result is still outstanding. And designed within strict constraints, including the usual BBC cost and bureaucratic stuff, plus at the time there was a weird idea about per-use semi-modular control configurations, so every LS3/5a had to be identical to every other. If you were doing mono, you would grab a random speaker from the store and load it in the van. Stereo, you would grab two random speakers. Never really turned out that way, but maybe the discipline helped.

 

[Robin L]

Renn Faire music?

Truth is, the San Francisco Early Music Society [I was their recording engineer for about a decade] was initially a workshop at the Northern California Renaissance Faire in Novato. Lutes 'n' crumhorns & falsettos and A = 415 and all that stuff.
That music qualifies as real audiophile stuff, usually simply miked and with limited compression, if any at all. A lot on the various Harmonia Mundi lablels---French & German and USA.

If it's "Twang" you seek, I suggest classic Country & Western:

 

[Robin L]

I genuinely do not believe that.

The best recording studios I've been in (JBL M2s and Genelecs in DSP-corrected and treated rooms) do not do *certain things* as well as, say, electrostatic speakers.

Electrostatic speakers are terrible studio monitors, have bad dynamic range, etc.

But in the narrow range of what they're best in class at, e.g. small scale acoustic instruments, they're better than a good all-rounder.

I have never, ever heard a system that is best-in-class at everything.

Tony Faulkner used specially reinforced Quad electrostatic speakers for monitoring his recordings of classical music.

 

[watchnerd]

Tony Faulkner used specially reinforced Quad electrostatic speakers for monitoring his recordings of classical music.

Sorry, but I've never heard of him.

And using electrostats for monitoring of orchestral music (if that's what you mean by classical) is certainly not common.

I think electrostats are fine for small group classical or period pieces, but I've never been satisfied with how they reproduce 19th century romantic warhorses.

Fritz Reiner / CSO on electrostats just lacks gusto.

 

[Robin L]

Sorry, but I've never heard of him.

And using electrostats for monitoring of orchestral music (if that's what you mean by classical) is certainly not common.

I think electrostats are fine for small group classical or period pieces, but I've never been satisfied with how they reproduce 19th century romantic warhorses.

Fritz Reiner / CSO on electrostats just lacks gusto.

No, he recorded more of that previously mentioned "Early Musique", Bach 'n' Handel and many more you never heard of, smaller ensembles, the sort that really shine on Quad Electrostatics. Did a lot of work for Harmonia Mundi USA, RCA* and other major-league labels for music of that sort. Very highly regarded, justifiably so.

* I now recall that he was engineer for Colin Davis' second Sibelius symphony cycle, on RCA. Big music from a big [LSO] orchestra.

 

[Doodski]

I think electrostats are fine for small group classical or period pieces, but I've never been satisfied with how they reproduce 19th century romantic warhorses.

The electrostats that I've listened to played baroque guitar and pink floyd. It was nice, very clear/sharp sounding but lacked oomph. They where small panels though and I've read that the big panels can thump pretty good.

 

[watchnerd]

The electrostats that I've listened to played baroque guitar and pink floyd. It was nice, very clear/sharp sounding but lacked oomph. They where small panels though and I've read that the big panels can thump pretty good.

They're great at acoustic guitar, for sure.

And harpsichords.

 

[Inner Space]

No, he recorded more of that previously mentioned "Early Musique", Bach 'n' Handel and many more you never heard of, smaller ensembles, the sort that really shine on Quad Electrostatics. Did a lot of work for Harmonia Mundi USA, RCA* and other major-league labels for music of that sort. Very highly regarded, justifiably so.

* I now recall that he was engineer for Colin Davis' second Sibelius symphony cycle, on RCA. Big music from a big [LSO] orchestra.

Faulkner did a lot of Beethoven too, for Decca - great mike-placement guy. Definitely he was talked about a lot when I was in that side of the biz.

 

[Harmonie]

if you can afford to have the perfect system it can play all genres perfectly , but for example if someone is on a budget and he really likes to listen to EDM and Hip Hop he would probably be better off investing in a 2.1 system with his budget than a pair of similarly priced speakers

Or ... on a boom-box

 

[Harmonie]

I have my ML since over 25 years and they naturally guided the music I'm listening to.
It's correct that they wouldn't be good for big orchestral ensembles, but are particularly good for strings, wind instruments aso.

I can't or don't even wish to have several systems.
The perfect one for all system can't exist as it can't perform in every aspect.
It reminds me the comparison to cars and before this thread closes to women ... .

 

[DanielT]

Well it makes a difference. A pair of small mini monitors (without sub) vs a pair of speakers with dual 18 "drivers in each box. That makes it possible to experience some (all?) music in a better way. Those big fat speakers just scream: Give us a challenge! He he.

There is a difference in the type of music, genre that suits the two different speakers in the pictures.

Although it is not in itself so strange that there is a difference between what you play, or want to play on the two different speakers. There is a big difference in bass reproduction between them.

If dipoles, electrostats create a sound image that is suitable for a certain type of music, as mentioned in the thread, I find it interesting. That I would like to read more about that.

(not my speakers in the pictures)

Edit:
By the way Electrostats, speakers usually have low distortion.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Didn't somebody horn load a smaller electrostatic panel?