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Can HI FI components really make music?

Hello everyone. I am posting this question possibly a bit early but I am getting frustrated and am about to throw in the towel, sell everything and buy a Bose wave radio and call it good. My question is does a good HI FI system ever really sound like live music? At this point I think not. I have been in this hobby for about 7 years and just can't seem to get there. Even the system at the local "hi end" dealer does not come close to live music. My system has evolved over the years to the following:

Wadia 861 CD
VTL MB 125 mono blocks
Supratek Chennin Pre
(2) Vandy 2WQ subs
Vandy 3A Sig
Cardas Golden Cross inter con
Kimber Bifocal XL spk cable
Vandy model 5 Xover

All this gear is in a 13x35x8 room. Although the sound is quite good. Better than most any other system Ive heard it still has a long way to go. In all fairness the 3As are not completely broken in but I dont think they will improve to the extent I want them to over the course of the next 30 hrs. My dealers solution is that I should get rid of the Supratek and replace with a VTL 5.5. I dont think so. Been there done that. Although the VTL is decent it cant compete with the Supra.

At this point I think maybe the VTL 125s are just not sophisticated or powerful enough to give me the sound Im looking for. I think they are the weak link along with cabling. I stated earlyer that the dealers system doesnt do it for me either and I think that may be due to the fact that their biggest amp is 185 wpc. Im thinking maybe a sophisticated amp with say 400 wpc might get me there with the 3As. I dont know... but I am not willing to spend 100K to what I want nor could I afford to.

For those of you that are still with me any and all input welcome. I am not one of those thin skinned audiophiles that cries like a baby when someone has the audacity to insult their precious gear. So fire away.

Thanks
braro
topoxforddoc's avatar
topoxforddoc
313 posts
 
I like my hi-fi, but I like my live music too. Saw Oscar Peterson last week, got Brain Wilson next week and a whole host of others to come (Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, James Blunt, Ibrahim Ferrer). Live music is usually amplified, unless you're listening to classical music. Recorded music is usually multi-miked (occasionally a crossed pair in live concerts) and engineered to sound as if you're in front of the performers in the studio. That is very different to being in a large hall LIVE.
Personally, my system does sound like the performers are in my front room. But it doesn't sound like a live concert. The best upgrade I ever made was my Avantgarde Duos, followed by my Tron Meteor tube preamp (www.tron-electric.com - now succeeded by the Tron Syren with its rave reviews). If you try the Duos, get them set up properly; this can make or break your experience with them.
jay_douglas_2879b79
239 posts
 
i've been in this hobby for 25 years and NOTHING makes better music than the vintage stuff. a pair of large advents, a marantz receiver, and a thorens turnable, held together by the cheapeat wire known to man, pretty much sound as much like live music as my current system, which cost as much as my automoble. ironically one of the most popular speaker systems used my jazz, bluegrass, and folk musicians (on stage) is the bose 802 system. the 901 for pros. yhe only thing for sure in the hi end hobby, is that one day (maybe not today or in a week) your system will suck.
jond's avatar
jond
3,400 posts
 
Sorry but hifi is not live music and vice versa. That doesn't mean that listening to recorded music can't have it's own set of unique pleasures. It looks like you've got a very nice system, so go put on a great recording and think about what you like about it. I mean there must be something about it that you appreciate, right? I think that once you adjust your expectations, and realize that there is a place in one's life for high quality recorded music you'll find that you're much happier and more satisfied with your system. Also, perhaps give some thought to simplifying things a bit, there must have been a time when listening was about the music and not the equipment, right? Well perhaps slimming down to something simpler, perhaps run the Wadia directly into a low wattage SET type amp and using that to power a more lively and efficient speaker it might bring back some of the pleasure you once had. Good luck and happy listening!
pbb
1,135 posts
 
The answer is obvious when asked the way you do: no. I believe Peter Walker explained why many years ago. Recorded music is an ersatz, but as far as ersatz go name me one that is closer to reality? To help you people here will suggest all sorts of things: new cables, new components, new or improved room, line conditioners and a myriad of tweaks that cannot in any sane way amount to anything. The problem is not with your system, but with you. You have simply set the bar too high. I like what my wife said when we left the Mark Knopfler concert at Place des Arts last Saturday. She simply told me how much she enjoyed the show, but how it all sounded so much better on my system since live the lyrics were inaudible but recorded you can hear them all. Those are the small things you should be grateful for with recorded music. If you want it to sound live, simple: go to a concert. Good luck.
c5150
115 posts
 
Before everybody sticks it to me....and before the moderator
shuts me down again...LOL

You cannot fix bad hi-fi with more bad hi-fi....components or theories .Ok shoot me down now.
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