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Using Bad Recording to Evaluate a System

Once I went to a dealer to audition a speaker, brought a few CD's. One of them was a CD of a group I like but has rather low quality recording.
Well, I put that CD in and cued up a track, and when the music ended the dealer asked why I was using such a horrible sounding recording to audition. (I think he looked kinda slightly pissed. Maybe because the music sounded shrill and irritating the whole time???)
Yeah, why?
Here's what I think: an audio system should make listening the music a pleasant experience. The better your system can reproduce, the more enjoyment you get regardless of recording quality. Saying that 'my system is so good I can only play my audiophile discs' is basically saying something is wrong with my system. Yes, nowadays I tend to play my 'audiophile' CDs much more than regular ones, but that's because of the music AND the excellent recording quality, but when I play my regular or lower recording quality CD's, I find that, although the shortcomings are more obvious, my system can reproduce the music as an enjoyable presentation, and I enjoy it more than when I used to in prev. lower-res/quality/musicality systems.
yr44
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Hey, if most of your recordings are mediocre to bad (i.e., the music you like is generally recorded that way), why not get a system that makes them sound all right? You save some money and you enjoy the music -- isn't that what it's all about? The downside is that your good recordings may not sound as good as they could; as long as you don't buy too many good recordings, you're in great shape.

That sounds like great advice to me. A highly resolving, big-bucks audio system is going to reveal all the flaws in your recordings. If you think they sound bad now, just wait until you hear how they sound after you've spent the equivalent of a Toyota Camry on a highly resolving audiophile system.

Nevertheless, the salesman was being elitist, and more than a little rude. Shop elsewhere. But, be honest with yourself and with your salesman about the music you listen to and about your goals for your system. You may be able to get a really satisfying system by spending less. The folks who frequent AudioCircle.com are experts at this.

yr44 OP
57 posts
 
Onemug,

Yep, I brought all kinds of CD's, all I was very familiar with and listened in multiple environments.

Racarlson, you articulated it better than I did! :)
I *do* hear the flaws as resolution increases, but the enjoyment, IMHO, with a really excellent system, is still there, not thrown out the window (together with your money). But maybe that's just me.
robm321
932 posts
 
I agree with Chadnlz. You can't have it both ways. I go for the warts and all approach.

But it is a choice some would rather have a less revealing system that glosses over the harsh recordings.

It's a matter of choice. Choose your poison.
siliab
356 posts
 
I can not see the utility of building a system that only sounds good with a minimal number of recordings. Sure, its fantastic when great music is recorded supremely well but that doesn't happen all that frequently. I need a system that can make me shake it with less than exalted material. Yr44, I'm with you. I would take whatever music I like for auditioning, and ask the dealer to keep his opinions on the suitability of the recordings to himself.
squirrel
18 posts
 
Question on this subject from a newbie who is thinking of getting into vinyl. Is vinyl less prone to bad recordings than digital? Or is a bad recording a function of what happens in the studio?

Thanks.
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