Sound of Hi end Audio system vs ordinary system

At some point in your audiophile journey, you will come across these divergent paths. You will need to take the one that suites you. A lot depends upon your musical objectives. This of course needs some careful and honest analysis of your needs.

1. You can assemble a system that is extremely revealing and true to the recording. This will satisfy the scientist inside an audiophile. The flipside is that bad recordings will sound more unpleasant. The scientist in the audiophile will revel at the systems capability to show you the anomaly but you will not enjoy the song. This will be unfortunate if it is music that you actually like. But there is a massive industry out there that pretty much thrives on travails of this demographic.

2. You can strike a balance. This is an Art more than a Measurable science. It is choice of components and setup that takes into account your choice in music and how you like to enjoy your music.

The big fun 17s are quite revealing. But this means that you can choose the source and amplifier that works with your type of music and it will give you that sound that will like. A lesser speaker will add that much of its own character and will become a bottleneck.

The title of your thread itself is a problem. How do you define sound of an high end audio system ? High end audio system is something that is complete. Complete means, that all components are well thought out for the needs of the listener and setup and signed off. When this is done, the sound that comes from that system can be defined as sound of a high end system within the constraints of the needs of that listener. For example, if you go to a high end audio show, all rooms give you a slightly different perspective of the music.

What amp and source are you using with these speakers ?
What is your choice of music ?
 
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Nice points square wave. For many, high end means more expensive and expensive systems can sound dreadful. Artificially bright and confused with detailed. So bright recordings will fatigue you.

There are high end components that are described as forgiving or musical and in my hifi journey, that is not a derogatory description My Harbeth Compact 7 for one, as well as the Graham speakers. They shine with great recordings and let you get into poor ones. With the right ancillary equipment for sure.

Don't be like that lady who's sure that all that glitters is gold! (That popped to mind when I read square wave's divergent paths post!"
 
At some point in your audiophile journey, you will come across these divergent paths. You will need to take the one that suites you. A lot depends upon your musical objectives. This of course needs some careful and honest analysis of your needs.

1. You can assemble a system that is extremely revealing and true to the recording. This will satisfy the scientist inside an audiophile. The flipside is that bad recordings will sound more unpleasant. The scientist in the audiophile will revel at the systems capability to show you the anomaly but you will not enjoy the song. This will be unfortunate if it is music that you actually like. But there is a massive industry out there that pretty much thrives on travails of this demographic.

2. You can strike a balance. This is an Art more than a Measurable science. It is choice of components and setup that takes into account your choice in music and how you like to enjoy your music.

The big fun 17s are quite revealing. But this means that you can choose the source and amplifier that works with your type of music and it will give you that sound that will like. A lesser speaker will add that much of its own character and will become a bottleneck.

The title of your thread itself is a problem. How do you define sound of an high end audio system ? High end audio system is something that is complete. Complete means, that all components are well thought out for the needs of the listener and setup and signed off. When this is done, the sound that comes from that system can be defined as sound of a high end system within the constraints of the needs of that listener. For example, if you go to a high end audio show, all rooms give you a slightly different perspective of the music.

What amp and source are you using with these speakers ?
What is your choice of music ?

Thank you square_wave for sharing your experiences in the audiophile journey.
I also felt the same, "big fun 17s are quite revealing".It allows me to enjoy me many unnoticed details with My present amps with other unpleasant recording(?) faults. It compelled me to post the above . With all the above FM replies , it seems i am moving in right path only.At this time i really need to strike a perfect balanced on Accurate truthful presentation-tonality-musicality -Sweetness taking into account the recording quality also. "Putting master recording always " will never be possible for me.


square_wave, presently i am using a Pure Class A amplifier 55W feed through DAC &PC.
Source is normal Internet download MP3/FLAC/CD ripped files.
 
Thanks for the info.

What amp is this? The chord is nice !!

MP3s are a big NO if you play music through the big fun 17. A chord will let you hear the problems in the file :) Make no mistake about it !!

My suggestion is to work with the dealer who knows this speaker inside out to understand what amp / source work well with it.

I know for a fact that tube amps work well. A good class A amp also should be good. Low power but high quality solid state amps like LFD, first watt should work too.
 
Hi Skdas, JLS001,

On a larger point, we are in this hobby and we are nuts, and that self awareness is important.

So we buy a music system (a two in one, haha) to enjoy the music, and gradually a higher end one to enjoy the texture and the very aspect of sound itself. However, if along the way that results in destruction of music, we think about whether it is due to the system being "high end" or the recording being compressed - to me, it is more likely a "music system" fault!

To overcome this, we run around using terms that we have heard: warm, neutral, analytical, revealing, class AB, push pull, delta sigma, what not...use it so easily like wearing a comfortable pair of pyjamas! Then instead of that giving us a good night's sleep, drive ourselves around the bend getting the next component.

Worse still, we get that component after reading great and fabulous reviews, sacrifice what we have and hear, worry whether the new component is revealing the systems flaws. The cycle continues.

So what gives? Here is what helped me along the way - and it is certainly not a magic component that "helped clear the muddiness in the lower midrange":

1. Find the sound that makes you happy, gets your toe tapping and body relaxed. For me, the BBC type speakers, are the come home sound. I have auditioned (yikes!) so many thanks to my years in LA, but finally it has been Spendor, Harbeth or now Graham.

2. Find a friend (BPD in my case) who heard more or less like I did. So that really helped in clearing the cobwebs (are the BBCs too warm? Should I get XYZ which has great dynamics) and not getting confused by someone with different sonic sensibilities.

3. Beg the missus for help - like most women, she is a great bullshit meter for audio and even if not into the hobby, knows whether what she is hearing gives her a headache or not even as she walks past! That veto vote is an important one!

4. A realisation that many of us are trapped in the hobby, and we do it for fun, passion and as long as we don't damage ourselves financially (or even mentally), roll on! Change a tube!

Vivek

PS. It is possible to declutter your life! During the early days of manic adulthood, I was running around with a tripod, a monopod, various kinds of lenses, cameras (Nikon or Canon, now decide, decide), blah blah.

Now after 3 kids, it is my iPhone 5c and forget that sunset shot - who are you taking it for anyway? To show Henri Cartier Bresson? A great man, but well, he died!
 
On a larger point, we are in this hobby and we are nuts, and that self awareness is important.
...

4. A realisation that many of us are trapped in the hobby, and we do it for fun, passion and as long as we don't damage ourselves financially (or even mentally), roll on! Change a tube!
Awesome Post :clapping: and cannot agree more with point 4

One point I do want to make , and that realisation after many years and many $$$$, if you do not like something it is not necessarily about one equipment. the main thing in Audio is about the overall system and Synergies.
eg synergy between
- Speaker and Room
- Amp and Speaker
and if you are into Analog then TT+ Toneram, Tonearm and Cart, Cart and Phono ,and Phono and Pre/Int amp !!!! and thats what makes analogue complex, frustrating and rewarding ;)

....And very often the biggest issue is with Speaker and Room where most of the problems can be take care of..at least upto the limitation of the speaker

and finally, auditions ins showrooms are mostly useless...the sound at home is very different. Not to say it is not important but in a wells etup showroom it shows the potential of the component and no more
 
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and finally, auditions ins showrooms are mostly useless...the sound at home is very different. Not to say it is not important but in a wells etup showroom it shows the potential of the component and no more

And let me add one more thing - all reviews professional or otherwise should be treated as subjective opinion of the reviewer. The listener has to listen to the equipment in his own room, with his own equipment. Only then will the actual sound emerge. Don't get carried away by - "so and so said this, so and so is an expert so he must be right" etc. They are only guidelines not absolute truth.
Cheers,
Sid
 
That was inspired writing, Vivek [emoji122]

Though with the sunset thing, it's first for yourself and then for anybody else. Later priorities may change and something else becomes more important.
 
3. Beg the missus for help - like most women, she is a great bullshit meter for audio and even if not into the hobby, knows whether what she is hearing gives her a headache or not even as she walks past! That veto vote is an important one!

:clapping: A single look is enough to convey how strong the Veto is.
 
Haha Arunkvivek - it is what Donald Fagen sang as the "Goodbye look".

Naturelover, I agree with you. Photography is a really nice way of expressing yourself creatively (and I do love Bresson's work). What I meant is in the context of equipment craziness (Canon, Nikon, go cheaper or get an old Leica) and as you have rightly pointed out, priorities.
 
The listener has to listen to the equipment in his own room, with his own equipment. Only then will the actual sound emerge.

I had read it. much before I started spending money.

The realization came later.

Though it figures in many posts on hfv, it bears repeating again. a) That room is a part of your listening. b) That room is out to ruin your listening experience.

Without careful, (ideally measured) positioning, treatment and/ or correction, it really just does not matter what recording or which equipment. you are simply listening to your room. I'm still figuring it out, but I like where I am.

Thumb rule with audiophile systems - Garbage in, Garbage out.

There is a room in between that is willing and able to convert your gold into garbage.

ciao
gr
 
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One funny observation..so called "ordinary" systems may have wrong tonality, low resolution and below par imaging but they get the Timing of music spot on
and bad timing ruins so many "High End" systems !
 
Quite the opposite.
A high end system would show up all the deficiencies in the recording which a lower one would not.

Very right. This is the reason, which made me feel sad, when I upgraded my Audio setup from entry level Intex multimedia speakers to Zensors. As I was using 128kbps MP3 files, I was liking them with Intex, but suddenly felt tasteless in my new setup. But later I realised the fact.
 
Which is the best audio system? For me its the one which reproduces the recorded sound closest to original recorded sound. So in a high end system, bad recordings will definitely sound bad, where as in an ordinary system, the sound is more colored and hence the recording discrepancies are more concealed making it more listenable compared to the higher end systems.
This is what I call 'chaat' bhi meri aur 'pat' bhi meri.

If it sounds good then my setup is excellent. If it sounds bad then your recording is at fault
 
This is an old thread but always an interesting topic.
Especially for those who are relatively new to audio ...

Using an image graphic as an example, a high end audio system should sound more real.

hireslores.jpg


Too often high end is confused with high cost but that is not a truth.
High quality sound is possible with reasonably priced gear.


.
 
I think it’s less a function of higher resolving system vs lower resolving system as much as it is of whether a system is analytical or musical. And one can find both analytical and musical systems at all price points. An overly analytical system will make an ordinary recording sound pathetic, while a musical system will still keep it listenable/enjoyable.

Also, one needs to differentiate between poor music and poor recording. As my system has gradually improved with continual upgrades/optimisations, I have been able to enjoy the old Hindi songs (I am talking 50s and 60s; great music, but poor recordings) increasingly more (yes, not less). Why, even 128 Kbps Internet radio streams sound better. I consider my system more musical (warm, forgiving) than analytical. However, poor music (even if it has better recording... like many current Hindi singers, who have no sur gyan) have become increasingly unbearable, perhaps because their flaws (sur/taal) are immediately caught... a sur off by even a shruti juts out like sore thumb.

i conjecture that there might be a relative effect playing here. As one’s system gets more resolving, one starts listening to rich recordings with lots of bells and whistles which the improved system does justice to, and is also able how to listen/enjoy those bells and whistles much more. In contrast, a poor recording doesn’t have all those, and when one plays it on the improved system, one misses those hair raising effects that one has got used to. One feels bad that one isn’t using the full capability of the improved system.

With those who give the TV analogy, I’d contest saying what if you reduced your picture size on the 70 inches TV to the size of a 36 inch TV? Will the SD video still look as awful? I don’t think so. Of course you won’t be using the full capability of the 70 inch higher resolution system. But if you really love that older content (video or audio), you’d be mentally ready to let go of that capacity once in a while.
 
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