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Driven to Tears

I'm not referring to the Police classic cut "Driven to Tears." (which I really love) Recently and over time I've been reading posts here about audio systems that can produce music that evokes such emotion it can drive the listener to tears. I want that kind of system some day! I'm wondering, what is the common element to these various posts and audio setups? In my memory it seems that these systems sometimes were tubed based systems. I'm not sure if that's accurate or not. Maybe analog based? But it is has me wondering.

I've not heard that many audio systems and haven't experienced that kind of emotional connection. How many of you have experienced that kind of emotional connection with the music from a high end system? (the beauty of the music drives one to tears) What gear copmprised the system? Was it your system or some other audiophile's? Are tube based audio systems the common element to produce this kind of beauty and emotion or have you heard a solid state system that can connect with the listener on this emotional level? (or analog-based systems?) Have you seen someone's eyes well up with tears because the music eminating from a pair of speakers is so beautiful?
foster_9
tvad
9,467 posts
 
I have. But the emotion was due to the music "scoring" an event or circumstance in my life that I was thinking about, and the combination elicited tears...much as music adds emotional impact to a film. With natural sound only, a dramatic film scene may not elicit tears, but once scored with music, the scene will often convey deeper emotional dimension.

Music by itself has never done this to me, regardless of the playback system.
jig
160 posts
 
This happened to me once in my audiophile lifetime (I'm 50). It was last year at RMAF and I was listening to Josh Groban singing "You Raise Me Up" on the Sonicweld Pulserod system. Not a tube in sight and I am a tubehead. Caught me totally by suprise as I was not really expecting anything.
viridian's avatar
viridian
4,184 posts
 
I think that ascribing the emotional impact of the sound to the audio system is completely wrong and indicative of the audiophile mind set. The music itself elicits the emotion, and that is true no matter if it comes from the finest stereo or from a table radio or is experienced in the concert hall.

No doubt, Tvad has it right that we create associations between some music and events that are scored by that music, but IMHO, the music itself can elicit a strong emotion independent of previous associations.
foster_9 OP
1,610 posts
 
I never felt that the emotional impact of music was the audio system alone. I guess I did not communicate that in my post. The music must convey beauty and emotion. If the system has nothing to do with the emotional impact, then I'm glad of that. It's much easier on the bank account to continue building and adding music to your collection then it is to continue building a system and adding audio gear.
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