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It's All in Your Head

I commented in an earlier thread that the emphasis on components, cables and room treatments obscures the fact that the music all happens in your head.

This is from John Atkinson at RMAF 2012 reported on Stereophile:

"Stereophile editor John Atkinson used everything from a drumstick to a cowbell, both sounded “live” and played back on the seminar room’s stereo system, to convey the message: “Nothing is real. How the recording art affects what you think you hear!” As John proceeded to point out that the brain combines information from separate left and right loudspeakers into a single stereo image..."

"I showed that it is a fallacy to assume that “the absolute sound of live music in a real acoustic space” resides in the bits, pits, or grooves, even when such a live event existed. Making recordings is an art, not a science and there may only be a coincidental resemblance between what is presented to the listener and the sound of musicians playing live, even when all concerned with making the recording were trying to be as honest as possible. Even the fundamental decision of what microphone to use moves the recorded sound a long way from reality..."

What we aim for when we put an audio system together is a pleasing facsimile of the original musical performance that happened in a studio or at a live venue. But, ultimately, the music's all in your head. It sounds like it's in the room because that's the way our brain makes it seem. Music is essentially a spiritual experience mediated by the brain.
Systems that are not in the "best" category may reproduce music in a way that moves us but the "best" systems have the ability to involve us on even deeper emotional and spiritual levels.

Getting really close to the essence of the performance means we need "special" gear. That's what "gear chasing" is all about -- trying to get closer to the essence of the performance on deeper and more satisfying levels. "Gear chasing" that involves trying to reproduce the actual performance is an illusory pursuit. Many audiophiles have observed that the "best" systems are not necessarily the most expensive ones. This has also been my experience. But it will still take quite a bit of cash to put together a system that enters the realm of the "best".

All of the above is IMO, of course.
sabai
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
Nonoise,
You stated, "This continuing refinement is part and parcel of the spiritual nature of all of this and cannot be separated." And I agree completely.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
4,163 posts
 
The continuing refinement on the road to spirituality is little more than a justification for consumerism. What else can you buy that will make you happy? The upgrades and the tweaking never ends and you're always at least slightly unsatisfied. Once again, symptoms of junkie behavior. "Every junkie's like a setting sun..."
mapman's avatar
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mapman
15,679 posts
 
" "This continuing refinement is part and parcel of the spiritual nature of all of this and cannot be separated."

Not for me.

The equipment is a means to the end...the music. I am much happier when I feel no need to change or upgrade a thing and can spend all my audio time just listening and enjoying the music.

Not to say even then I am not still at least investigating new options that might be worthwhile as time permits. But that is a separate and secondary enjoyment. Not sure I get any spiritual satisfaction out of that alone. IF I am getting that from the music currently, I am good.

Getting good sound is not as hard or complicated as some might make it out to be. THere is however an almost infinite number of possible sounds one might seek or achieve since no two setups sound exactly the same. I do enjoy experiencing different sounds, but seek to achieve the one that works best for me at any particular time. My solution is to run my systems into multiple rooms in order to be able to experience alternate sounds when desired. I have 7 different rooms "wired" for sound running off two core systems and a single music server to accomplish that.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
4,382 posts
 
I sense a bit of the cynic and the pragmatic here.

Yes, getting lost in the weeds and constantly trying to upgrade can be an end to itself, one of the defining characteristics of addiction. That is not the case here, as I see it.

Not of deep pockets, my refining is of a more subtle nature: a tweak here, a minor purchase there, and never at a constant pace. I can go well over a year before tinkering. If I had large enough disposable income, I'd have several systems and be content that I've covered most of the bases.

Just now, it occurred to me that even with a few different set ups, it's still the same path, as you now have several options to attainment, depending on your mood. I envy that.

All the best,
Nonoise
csontos
1,275 posts
 
Bottom line is, it's all "good". It was from the start. There's no spirituality in refining the system. That's science. If you're able to maintain the spiritual nature of the music at the same time, it's always success. If you're attempting to find the spiritual nature of it in tweaking, you're going to lose. It already has to be there. No one's a more serious tweaker than I am. But I deal with internals. When I used to frequent hi end audio shops, there was never any contention, only consensus when we'd gather round and have a listen to something new that just arrived. There seemed to be no problem finding absolutes.
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