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Thoughts on the most difficult instruments for speakers to reproduce?

I’ve heard a number of speakers over the years, and the sounds of some instruments never seem as realistic as others. I would love to get some opinions on this, as I’ve been wondering about this for years.

My my vote on the toughest:
- Trumpet with mute (good example is Miles Davis)
- Alto sax
- violin (higher registers)

Thx!




glow_worm
schubert
4,867 posts
 
Easily , massed symphonic strings .
jsm71
141 posts
 

A speaker system with less than ideal crossovers will ruin piano every time.  I have hybrid ESLs with the bass woofers crossing over at about 500Hz, pretty much right in the middle of the keyboard.  Yikes!  Thankfully, I simply can't tell when the notes cross over and the timbre never changes.  Well done.  

I heard a respected 3-way system once playing piano and it was super obvious when the notes switched drivers.  That experience has since made piano my "tester" for speaker integrity/reproduction. 

elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Cello.
Hearing a cello in a quartet live vs recorded...
The recording never gives the real thing.
Massed violins are another tough one.
Agree about cymbals too.
(one of the able to hear reasons I just bought a $7000 disc player is hearing on a recording the clear sound of the brush hitting the cymbal, then the shimmer sound in response. Instead of the usual smear of noise)

ejr1953
542 posts
 
I would chose voices and acoustic instruments, especially piano, violin and trumpets.

Back eons ago I was a rock and roll drummer and with some (but not all) well-recorded ride cymbals, you can "hear" the ping of the stick against the brass and "feel" the timbre of the cymbal vibrating.
cid1945
9 posts
 
Violins. High notes. 
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