What is your audio Philosophy?

[RayDunzl]

I shoot for accuracy (ha!) to the source recording (whatever it amounts to) in the air in the room (with all the problems that incurs) as measurable (well, somewhat measurable) at the designated listening position (even though it isn't necessarily the best listening location), using a little room treatment (8 chunks of raw 7x24x48 Roxul, undecorated) and digital room correction (which throws any semblance of electrical accuracy to the source out the window).

Example:
Room vs an unadulterated source signal (music). Capture the source with no EQ (artist's intent), capture the room sound at one position all tweaked up, and perform the old stare and compare of the peak levels:

And that is my Audio Philosophy at the moment.

Semi-scientifical, or at least defensible, here at Neverland East.

 

[RayDunzl]

What Automated Digital Room Correction does to my precious flat electrical frequency response.

Measured at the outputs (L/R) of the preamp:
Blue/green - no EQ
Red/Violet - with DRC applied

 

[NorthSky]

Amir, and other great audio lovers/explorers; what is your audio philosophy? +

That's an excellent question, and the almighty great ones did not yet reply to it.

@ a very young age I wanted to be "filled" with music; so for me it was to liberate myself from mono, go stereo, and multichannel...with a back surround channel speaker (built my own in 1969). I put it right behind my main listening chair. I didn't read anything about it, I just did it from my own brain.
And look where we're @ now. ...Not only behind, but to the sides and above.

Yep, multichannel audio is part of my growing up; sound expansion/dimension. ...Like in real life, sounds are coming from everywhere.
And I like good stereo recordings too with that extra edge, wider space, like from Q-Sound. ...Roger Waters - Amused to Death

♥ Floyd's music was a big inspiration when I was a kid. It had a big influence.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Within the limits of my budget and ability to judge, I go for neutral electronics. Transducers are where all the fun is. I've really enjoyed the detail retrieval of headphones, the precise imaging of near field monitors and the room-filling immersion of things like Linwitz Orions. It's all good when it's good, but the first 80% and the last 15% is, as far as I can tell, is in the recording and in the speakers/room. Variations in the middle, as long as you stay away from foolishness like tube DACs, has never yielded anything all that significant for me. YMMV.

Tim

 

[nakshazia]

Just refreshes one's mind and give way to solve all problems without any tensions and also heals one's body and mind too along with also helps rejuvenating one's body and also gives relaxation to body and mind too.

 

[Sal1950]

Thought it time to put something up here myself, but understanding my audio philosophy requires a bit of history too, so bare with me.
Music has always played a central place in my life. My interests revolve mainly around Classic Rock, Country, Blues, R&B and such. As an only child I'd spend hours on hours at home reading, tinkering, and listening to the hits of the day.

Coming from a low income background I feed my desire for sources by using a self taught crude knowledge of electronics and repairing my neighbors TVs and radios for some spending money. Everyone found it so funny, the 13 yo kid doing TV repairs, but hey 75% of the time it was just a tube or two. If I couldn't figure it out, sorry, call the big buck guy, nothing was ever lost by me trying and I'd make a few good bucks when successful. LOL
I put together a couple systems using a few 1940s large vertical console radios and working out various means of RIAA eq, 45 and 33 TTs, and hacking the line level input if needed. BIG speakers and BIG bass, soo kool.

After the Army and Vietnam I put together my first real HiFi. AR-XB TT, Marantz 2270 receiver and 2440 Quad expander, and some acoustic suspension speakers from who I don't remember now. Started living inside Audio, Stereo Review, High Fidelity magazines and then later JGH's Stereophile, TAS, and all the rest. Slowly over the next 30+ years the system evolved in a very good kit that had a retail value of around 30K for the stereo gear only. I had a separate 5.1 rig for movies and TV. Not bad for a blue collar working stiff.
In 2010-11 I retired, sold my complete audio system and moved to much smaller digs in FL. I threw together a quick AVR based system when I got down here and am now piecing together a new quality kit that will fit into my new digs and budget.

I learned much about HiFi gear from the mags but as the years went by I started to question a lot of what was being pandered. I had invested considerable money in a series of "upgrades" to my speaker and interconnect cables with questionable results. Don't know if my very limited understanding of technology, or just my general financial cheapness insulated me some from expectation bias but I never heard any of the "lifting of a thousand veils" the reviewers were reporting. Any differences I thought I might be hearing were so extremely subtle I couldn't even accept them as "better" or worth the $ investment. Maybe I've just always been deaf? Also Peter Aczel -Audio Critic really began to open my eyes to the corruption going on at the other mags.

Then end results of this 50+ year path in audio is I've become extremely skeptical of all things cable, widget, magical noise, grounding toys, etc. IMHO the general majority of these products are pedaled by snake-oil salesmen and con-men. I'm not totally closed minded, if any of these folks will submit their products to bias controlled blind listening tests by a large group of trained listeners, I would accept the results even if I personally couldn't hear the effects. But these people run from any talk of DBTs like a roach from the light. I've heard more excuses why blinded tests don't work I could puke. If you say it can be heard, it can be heard, lights on or off, cut the BS. On this subject I can get a bit angry. LOL

As for all the rest, speakers and the room interface make up vast majority of what we hear. The rest of the gear contributes in very modest amounts, mostly in the realm of digital gear advances over the last 30 years.
And our personal preferences still rides herd on everything we chose.
I try to go for as accurate components as I can at this point in my life. In the near future
I'd like to work with some digital room eq, then if I want to dial in a "sound" to complement a poor recording, I can do it that way.

"Just a rant before I go,
To whom it may concern.
Traveling twice the speed of sound
It's easy to get burned."
The record labels and they're ever more inventive ways to get us boomers to
buy our favorite Classic Rock album one more time before we all croak.
Some new releases have been great, others just a burn.
So many of the "HDA" releases have been just quick and dirty masters with nothing
new to offer except being in a large bit bucket. Worse some were caught just upsampling redbook files. Best cases were the true remasters done by the Wilson and Hoffman of the sound engineering world, Thank You for that.

What a Buyer Beware situation so much of our beloved industry has turned into.

My best to all,
Sal

 

[RayDunzl]

I'd like to work with some digital room eq, then if I want to dial in a "sound" to complement a poor recording, I can do it that way.

I can't think of any (commercial) recordings I have - that haven't benefited adequately from just cleaning up the room sound.

I have plenty of knobs to twist, but I twist once (via software tweaking the room sound) and let the playback fall where it may.

YMMV

PS: Where is Central, FL?

 

[fas42]

Then end results of this 50+ year path in audio is I've become extremely skeptical of all things cable, widget, magical noise, grounding toys, etc. IMHO the general majority of these products are pedaled by snake-oil salesmen and con-men. I'm not totally closed minded, if any of these folks will submit their products to bias controlled blind listening tests by a large group of trained listeners, I would accept the results even if I personally couldn't hear the effects. But these people run from any talk of DBTs like a roach from the light. I've heard more excuses why blinded tests don't work I could puke. If you say it can be heard, it can be heard, lights on or off, cut the BS. On this subject I can get a bit angry. LOLl

A nice read, Sal ... what all the weirdo stuff is about is that an audio system, any audio system, can go into a "listening zone" where all the usual concerns about room sound, speaker behaviour evaporate - the sound of the recording completely dominates everything else, effortlessly, to our ears. People catch glimpses of this happening over and over again, and they want to bottle it, have it on tap all the time - the usual crowd don't sell the means for making this happen; so, what happens when there is a need and conventional ways aren't available? Yes, it's prohibition all over again ... and moonshine overruns the place ...

The DBTs don't work because it doesn't suit how we listen to music - might be great for test tones, but not the interesting stuff - a DBT set up rigorously enough to really tell would be a major, major effort for many of the issues that may or may not be "fixed", depending upon the system; the complexity of such an exercise done properly will kill its viability, every time.

 

[Sal1950]

I can't think of any (commercial) recordings I have - that haven't benefited adequately from just cleaning up the room sound.

I have plenty of knobs to twist, but I twist once (via software tweaking the room sound) and let the playback fall where it may.

YMMV

PS: Where is Central, FL?

It's going to take a while, I'm putting together a whole new assembly of used quality 5.2 separates via ebay mostly. Not being overly in a hurry so I can grab the pieces I want at the price I want to pay. When that's together I'll probably be leaning on you and others here for some guidance. TIA

Central FL is DisneyWorld, I'm 6 miles from the front gate. Clermont/Kissimmee

 

[Blumlein 88]

A nice read, Sal ... what all the weirdo stuff is about is that an audio system, any audio system, can go into a "listening zone" where all the usual concerns about room sound, speaker behaviour evaporate - the sound of the recording completely dominates everything else, effortlessly, to our ears. People catch glimpses of this happening over and over again, and they want to bottle it, have it on tap all the time - the usual crowd don't sell the means for making this happen; so, what happens when there is a need and conventional ways aren't available? Yes, it's prohibition all over again ... and moonshine overruns the place ...

The DBTs don't work because it doesn't suit how we listen to music - might be great for test tones, but not the interesting stuff - a DBT set up rigorously enough to really tell would be a major, major effort for many of the issues that may or may not be "fixed", depending upon the system; the complexity of such an exercise done properly will kill its viability, every time.

Since when do DBTs not work? Oh since it doesn't corroborate your fantasies? OK.

 

[fas42]

Since when do DBTs not work? Oh since it doesn't corroborate your fantasies? OK.

Dennis, you're not reading closely enough ... DBTs don't work in this area because they are normally not rigorous enough, it's a failure of quality in the implementation of the test. I said "a DBT set up rigorously enough to really tell" - sloppiness in the methodology is completely useless.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Dennis, you're not reading closely enough ... DBTs don't work in this area because they are normally not rigorous enough, it's a failure of quality in the implementation of the test. I said "a DBT set up rigorously enough to really tell" - sloppiness in the methodology is completely useless.

Your supposition a rigorous dbt would then fail betrayed your motivations. Were it done we don't have any reason to think the result would suddenly repudiate previous results. More fantasies on your part. If you are so sure make it happen and report the results for us to see.

 

[Sal1950]

Dennis, you're not reading closely enough ... DBTs don't work in this area because they are normally not rigorous enough, it's a failure of quality in the implementation of the test. I said "a DBT set up rigorously enough to really tell" - sloppiness in the methodology is completely useless.

Let's please not go off topic in this sub forum. I made my opinions on the constant discounting of DBTs quite clear, a opinion that Dennis and I share but it's only my opinion. The debating of these issues is not what this forum was created for so please let's move on.
TIA, Sal

 

[fas42]

Yes, heed Sal's gentle reminder ...

 

[Thomas savage]

Yes thank you lance corp. sal...

This is not a area for argument, we just express our philosophy. Its not ment as a baces for protracted debate.

 

[Thomas savage]

Sal here is your new badge

Congratulations .

 

[Sal1950]

Sal here is your new badge
Congratulations .

Oh no, not that again.
I did my 6 year hitch in the Army way back when.
I can't do those 5 mile runs at 5 AM NO MORE.

 

[Thomas savage]

Oh no, not that again.
I did my 6 year hitch in the Army way back when.
I can't do those 5 mile runs at 5 AM NO MORE.

i completely understand lance corp. Fear not, sargent tomelex starts you off with 10k runs at 3am! By the time your onto the 5k runs at 5am it will seem like a pleasent lunch time stroll...

 

[tomelex]

Don't worry Sal, this is the new virtural military, your avatar has to do the running, com on man, where you been!

 

[Cosmik]

OK, I think my philosophy is going to be:

1. Stereo is good. I am not particularly interested in more channels or anti-crosstalk algorithms
2. I am not very interested in headphones, vinyl, valves, reel-to-reel.
3. What emerges from the speaker should be the same as the recorded signal - as far as is practical or desirable...
4. I like 'realistic volume'.
5. Speakers shall be not too directional; not too omni-directional; smooth off-axis and all that good stuff.
6. The room shall be free to do what it wants. If I don't like it, I'll move the speakers or change the room, not change what's coming out of the speakers.
7. Sensible amplifiers, cables and DACs all sound the same.
8. I believe the correlation between price and sound quality is not very strong.