I get to talk to a lot of audiophiles about their music equipment and their experience of the music, and I've found that there definitely exists a correlation between presentation of recorded music and the feelings in your body. I also think that the thing that dominates our quest in listening is our desire for musical information. For instance, many times a person will describe a condition analogous to a veil over the music obscuring detail and definition. It leads to the listener turning up the music to uncomfortable levels in order to dig out the information buried in the music, i.e. inner voices, a quiet sound effect or room reverberation. I refer to this as low level information or detail.
Another condition is described as tightness or a pinched quality to the sound. This is usually associated with listener fatigue. There is a glare or an excessive brightness or emphasis of an instrument that leads to one to want to pull back or want to put on audio sunglasses (if only there were such a thing). Generally glare exists on loud passages. Tubby uncontrolled bass, no focus to the musical image, soundstage too recessed or too forward are other common complaints.
All these symptoms sound real scientific! --Yeah, right! Fortunately we have learned how to correlate a description of a feeling with a condition in the equipment. Usually glare can be adjusted by replacing certain parts with better quality ones. A pinched sound or lack of low level detail may be related to the amount of negative feedback in the circuit. Tubby bass and poor focus can be related to power supply quality or sophistication. Also, there can be inherent design faults that can only be cured with a circuit redesign.
We have seen hundreds of pieces of equipment come through our shop and have learned that a particular sound problem can consistently be cured by applying a certain strategy. We have applied our knowledge to the design and implementation of the Chesky recording chain and we are constantly learning with each new upgrade how to make everything sound better. How do we calibrate our ears? There is only one way--live music. Since our technicians are also professional musicians we are constantly re-tuning our ears. This leads me to claim that what we do in audio is as much an art as a science. Just as a jazz musician has to learn scales, arpeggios, and all the other distinctions in music to be able to create with meaning and feeling, a technician has to learn all his electronic basics and then learn to correlate them with his ear to be able to create a piece of equipment that can provide musical enjoyment that the body can feel. Attention to all of these elements is what separates the high end of audio from the mass market. We are part of a small group who do actually advance the art of audio. Sometimes the advances trickle down to the mass market by reverse engineering but most often not.
I want to put a bug in your ear (so to speak) about getting out to your hi end, Hi-Fi dealer and experience what is possible in sound reproduction. Compare the differences between the tube and solid state equipment and keep an open mind--you have to train your ear. Of course bring your favorite Chesky Records and CDs with you. |
