I know the interest has shifted to the Black being the new Red, but I’ll conclude my listening impressions of the Red.
This has been one of the most curious experiences of my listening life. On one side, there’s a sense of reporting on Unicorns, but on the other is the sense that this is one of the most dramatic and puzzling improvements I’ve heard in swapping “components.” If I had heard this change with a $10K preamp, I would understand why others were paying those prices. In my own limited experience, it is somewhat like comparing the “fatter” sound of the Conrad Johnson preamp I auditioned to a less lush, but truer sound, of the Audio Research LS3, except there are more dimensions of change with the Red, including more percussive impact.
I have literally not recognized some tracks until the lyrics kicked in. That should imply some type of distortion, but in fact, the change is always towards the clearer, less congested, and “sounds real.” I still think the Reds render more mid-to-high content, which could sound bright or screechy on some systems, and I’m still not sure about deep electric bass, but my own conclusion is that the Reds open a clearer window to the original recording.
After listening to a broad range of recordings, I see the trend that tracks recorded to preserve the actual live sound are rendered with remarkable clarity where voices, instruments, and percussion sound more real. But on tracks where the presented sound is a product formulated in a recording studio, the Reds can dissect this manipulation to reveal the adjustments made at the soundboard. It’s just a fact that a lot of popular recordings were engineered for a sweet spot of basic speakers and a sound demographic, and it seems that manipulation is sometimes not as pleasant when revealed by the Reds. For a single example, on Leo Kottke’s Peculiaroso album, the strings shimmer and Leo’s voice sounds “in the room,” but on some of the more heavily engineered Beatles albums, you hear the adjustments done at the soundboard. There is less of a “wall of sound” homogeneous presentation, and this can occasionally be less pleasant than what we are used to. If the record collection is heavily on the created soundscape side, then a decision is needed on whether you want to hear down to that level.
Still amazed and puzzled. Unicorns appear to exist. Looking forward to reliable ears reporting the differences with the Black.
