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What does "good" sound like?

I'm not sure where this topic should go, but here's the deal....My old roommate had an Adcom 5400 on my Kilpsch kg 3.5's with a Yamaha receiver and player(don't know the model #'s). We went our own ways and I decided to buy another 2 channel amp. I loved the way the Adcom sounded, but that was all I had ever heard. I did a little research and found many people loved to mate Aragon with Klipsch. So I ended up getting a 2004 mkII. It sounds way different, apples and oranges. I had no idea an amp could sound different. The problem is I don't listen to what most people listen to on here. I listen to mostly alternative/hard rock. Plus, it's in a different room with different components and wiring, although my wiring is better. I have a Yamaha htr5250 receiver and I had a Sony dvd player, it crapped out. I used to dac's from the Yamaha anyway because I thought they sounded better. With the Adcom I could really hear the guitars, they really stood out. Now with the Aragon the lead guitars are set really far back and the bass guitar and kick drum are really brought forward. I have to say, I like the Adcom better. The bass was pretty weak but the mid's and hi's were so much better. It seemed much more "alive" as you could hear guitar plucks and finger slides and much more detail. The Aragon is much better through the entire spectrum though, that thing will slam. I had no idea those little Klipsch's would go so low. So what am I missing here? Is it just that the Adcom was strong in the right frequencies and was more suited to the music I listen to? Or could it be the dac's are different? The room is different, but I doubt that's it. I don't think I have the right words to describe what it is I'm trying to say. Like, do I need better mid range or top end? I kind of want to swap out the Aragon for an Adcom 5500, but I love the aragon with movies because it has such great bass. Any suggestions? Thanks.
todd76
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Joekras, you're post is either sarcasm, or you didn't get my point, which
simply is that hard rock or alternative rock will not give you a sense of
whether your system is "good" based on the definition of
"good" being the faithful reproduction of live music. Rock
music is heavily processed, and as such, it can't be used as an accurate
guide when setting up a reference system. Once the system is in place,
one should be able to listen to whatever one wants, and it should sound
"good".

At least one other Audiogon member has mentioned that he cannot play
his entire music collection because his system is so accurate that it
reveals the flaws in many poorly recorded CD's and renders them
unlistenable. That's one approach to system set-up and accuracy. It's
not mine.

Listen to what you like. That's the point.
todd76 OP
13 posts
 
Tvad, the music you suggest, is it sold in stores(best buy, goody, etc.)? I actually love acoustic music, but not the elevator type. I have an acoustic recording by Fuel I'll have to go find. Any acoustic guitar cd's out there similar to Dave Matthews? I don't like him too much though. I know he had a cd with a guy named Tim something that could really play. Thanks.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and The Bad Plus should be available in stores in the jazz section, but you can save yourself some time and order them from Amazon. For acoustic guitar, check out Pat Metheney's "One Quiet Night", but this may be a little tame for you. Really excellent, but tame. The benefits of the big band and The Bad Plus, which is a piano, bass and drums trio is that you get a more complete coverage of the frequency range of your system. Both CDs go really, really deep in the bass and have crisp drums. Gordon Goodwin's disk has great horns and woodwinds, and guitar (you can hear the pick on the strings). Check them out.
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
With your wife expecting and short on cash at this time...pick up a cheap passive pre-amp. The Creek passive can be found here used.

For even less money (only one input though) you can pick up one of these brand new.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatran&1100925770

Your amp an speakers should work well with passive I would think.

Dave
joekras
60 posts
 
TVAD- My sarcasm was not really directed at you, but the hobby. Agreeably a high quality acoustic recording is the way to go to evaluate a system. But A LOT (!) of music is poorly recorded and/or heavily processed. When I listen to THOSE recordings I would prefer not to notice the tone is shrill, the soundstaging is flat etc. It makes the experience irritating rather than enjoyable. So to my ears... "good sound" is enjoyable sound, and a quality system may not always be the best way to reproduce that music.
I know what TSTAN is talking about with the guitars being set back. Higher resolution components, including cables, layer and deepen the soundstage. Typically on rock recordings the guitars are set back and this tends to take the bite out of them. Some times the whole recording is pushed back and you get a presentation that sounds like AM radio.
TVAD-If he buys the music you recomend and it sounds good (as expected)- then what? You proved a good recording sounds better on a better system. What's the next step?

"I don't listen to what most people listen to on here".
It is "apples and oranges".

Ozzie sounds better with the Adcoms, but I can really hear the pick on the strings on "One quiet Night" better with the more expensive amps.

'one should be able to listen to whatever one wants, and it should sound "good"'.
If anyone has a system that provides detail, tonal, and spacial quailities of recordings AND makes the poorer recordings enjoyable, I need to know more.

Just don't make this guy give up his hard rock!

As far as passive preamps- they are highly detailed and dynamically challenged. Great for acousic music. Exactly what this guy doesn't need.

Here's my advice: If you like the Adcom get an Adcom.
Don't put a component in your system again unless you hear it first -with the music you like. Don't buy recordings just to see if your system sounds good. It's the music that should sound good. As far as the bass for movies you can add a powered sub.

If you don't take my advice you will become an AUDIO-GONER.
I think you may already have the bug.
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