The Use of the Word "Neutral" in Audio

Myles B. Astor said:
But I think we can identify what a sax, guitar or say a violin doesn't sound like.
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No argument there. But what kind of guitar? How did it REALLY sound? Since know is near impossible - make it sound beautiful and lush, not sterile and lifeless.


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Mike said:
No argument there. But what kind of guitar? How did it REALLY sound? Since know is near impossible - make it sound beautiful and lush, not sterile and lifeless.


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Actually the late Brian Cheney used to do an interesting experiment at CES. He'd bring in musicians, record them in the room and then switch back between the live and recorded event. The scary thing was how bad even high Rez DSD or PCM digital sounded next to the live event-even for a dynamically limited instrument like a guitar. Digital was so far away from what a real solo guitar sounded like in the room as to be ridiculous. No finesse, no nuances, truncated decay and so on.
 
I guess I'm jaded. I had an amp that sounded oh so beautiful. The same manufacturer today considers that "colored" and the new version of this amp just doesn't measure up IMO. It sounds bland and lifeless - so yeah, no color!


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That's an interesting subject!
One of my best friends embarked in the audio carousel about the same time as I did (this is how we met). His first system was crystal-clear but sacrificed soundstage for imaging and harmonics for frequency extension. OTOH, my system was much warmer but not nearly as resolute, but I enjoyed the sound because it made my hear stand on the back of my neck.
Now many years have passed and our systems underwent several changes, and the result is that they started to sound more and more similar. A few weeks ago we both talked about an upgrade to our digital sources and, well, we were both thinking about the same product(s).
Of course, the amplifiers and loudspeakers will remain different: my room is 27 sq.m and 2.7 m high while his is 50 sq.m and 6 m high (sloped ceiling). But yes, both of us go for the same sound which offers a balance between neutrality and pleasure.
 
iosiP said:
Mike, I do agree with BlueFoxThere is no "what went in" with a musical instrument, so artists have the chioce of sound. However, a stereo is a reproducing device, so it should not mess with the sound the artist decided to offer.

When I listen to Vivaldi interpreted by Carmignola (on a period instrument of his choice) and, at least presumably, mastered by someone who knows his business... well, I don't need the result to be "re-interpreted" by my Audio Note amplifier, nor do I need Mr. Johnson to decide that a Stradivarius should have some extra second order harmonics.
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My issue is this- How do you really know what the musician was really going for? In a recording studio they use different electronics and speakers for play back as well as a different listening environment.

I tend to like a system that leans a little on the warmer and dark side. I listen to a lot of older music that was recorded too bright or poorly recorded/mastered. I find this coloration more forgiving and more pleasing to my ears. I am one of those guys who would love to have tone controls on a preamp just so I could turn down the treble on bright recordings to make them more listenable.

I am not necessarily after accurate sound, but I do want sound that fits my taste and pleasure. That's why I own the specific gear that I have, especially my Magnepans. And I assume that's why the rest of you guys and gals have the gear that you have.
 
Myles B. Astor said:
Actually the late Brian Cheney used to do an interesting experiment at CES. He'd bring in musicians, record them in the room and then switch back between the live and recorded event. The scary thing was how bad even high Rez DSD or PCM digital sounded next to the live event-even for a dynamically limited instrument like a guitar. Digital was so far away from what a real solo guitar sounded like in the room as to be ridiculous. No finesse, no nuances, truncated decay and so on.
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No recording and playback gear regardless of price can capture the intensity and dynamics of the sound(s) that we hear from instruments played live. If you don't believe this is true, hire a local drummer to come to your house and play for 30 minutes. After the drummer has blown your house down, go put on your best drum record and tell me how close you were to the live sound. You can do the same with a trumpet player in your room. Your system can't replicate the scale, dynamics, and intensity of a single person blowing into a horn live in your room. If you say it can, your either deaf or lying and I don't care if you have a seven-figure system as it really doesn't matter.

Now having given you a dose of reality, the best we can hope to achieve given the current state of the art is faux facsimile of live sound in our rooms. Obviously the better the system, the better the facsimile is. As good as it is and can be, it's just not the same as live musicians playing in your room.
 
Good point Mark. We hired Colt Clark (http://www.coltclark.com) and his band for my wife's 40th Birthday Party. Yeah, they played right in the family room, right where my second system is now. Holy sh!t. They played for four hours and nothing sounded like that!


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neutral is what the mix and master engineer put down on the storage medium we purchase, once we pull those digits or swipe the sidewall of the groove or amplify the magnetic field from the tape we are no longer neutral, and here depending on your view you might want accurate as possible replication or add some sugar and spice. Either approach is fine IMO.
 
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