Audiophile Music – Music that always sounds good
Audiophile Music – Music that always sounds good, is different from audiophile pressings, or audiophile recordings, which is music that is recorded and/or manufactured much better than average.
Here is an example…
This is an *awesome* version of Neil Young’s Only Love can Break your Heart. Covers are hardly ever as good as the original, but as a Neil Young fan, this one is up there].
But it sounds good on Neli’s little computer speakers, my $500 Yamaha active computer speakers, on everything.
And this is the thing.
People play this kind of music at shows, and many audiophiles play this at home, but it does not tell you hardly anything at all about the quality of the stereo system. It does not put the $$$ in the system to good use. It does not exercise the qualities of the system.
Many audiophiles play only music like this, thinking that it sounds good so they must have a good sounding system.
And many rooms play this kind of music at shows.
But, who cares, right?
You should just be aware that when people or businesses want to show off their system and they put on music like this, and they are trying to convince you that their system sounds good, that they are being somewhat misleading, if not just a teensy weensy bit dishonest.
Then again … this is often the kind of music that visitors to a room at a hifi show expect to hear, and explicitly requests. My general tack of playing an opera aria when female vocal is requested sometimes delights, and sometimes irritates, the requestor.
Hi Neli, Some show vendors do not even have CD player or TT; just a music streamer. So you are stuck with whatever is on it. How many times have you had to play Norah Jones? As you can see from my email address I love Schubert. Love his string quartets. I request vendors to play the Emerson string quartet recording of Schubert’s 14th string quartet, usually they ask me ” how about something different.” To me, the hardest instrument for a speaker to reproduce is the cello. And no better way to find out whether a speaker is up in contention is a Schubert quartet! I do wish you would or could come east with Acapella. Love to hear you against another home based vendor Doug and his Tidals. Capitol Audio show is in the summer and has a good following. And usually a good write-up from some e-journals.
Hi George,
I’ll have to look for that Schubert, I think we have it somewhere. Streamers and servers in general have become very popular — we did have one in our room at CES — and in my view, it’s a fun toy. But there is still a playback hierarchy, tape/vinyl/CD/computer, IMO.
Thanks for your encouragement regarding a show in the East, specifically the Capital Audiofest. The next show on our schedule is T.H.E. Show Newport, in SoCal, beginning of June. If you are up for a west coast vacation, Newport is a super venue, really great energy from the public.
And, we really like Doug White at The Voice That Is, very much. He’s in metro Philly, so a trip to DC is not so far. We like the Tidal speakers, too — the sonics, and the company.