Posted by hurdy_gurdyman [ 4.229.162.60 ] on December 21, 2005 at 10:43:20:

In Reply to: Re: Critical Listening posted by elektratig on December 19, 2005 at 12:09:02:

I'm also one of those who listen with my emotions rather than with test equipment. It either sounds right or it doesn't. My own background is that of being a musician since age 12 (I'm 50 now, you do the math) and being an audiophile a year or two longer than that. For years I religiously followed mainstream audio magazines in how to evaluate and choose equipment. I went from listening to old tubed consoles in my teens to new ss components. Old open backed speakers with 8-12 inch fullrange/widerange drivers (sometimes with tweeters added, sometimes not) to air suspension and bass reflex boxes. I've been to places with big horn systems on down and have heard almost every kind of speaker technology. Back in the early 80's I got a philosophical (sp) shock. A friend gave me a little 12 watt tube amp (Bogen, I think). This ancient thing amazed me with it's good, musical sound. Since then, I've worked my way back from complex three way speakers to simpler two way with simple crossover and a separate sub to fullrange driver. I've tried alternative enclosures (like TQWP's) and am presently with open baffle. The conclusion I have to draw is that good sound comes in all shapes and sizes, but doesn't come just because a computer designed it. I've heard speakers that done nothing to me emotionally that were rather expensive scientifically designed wonders, and I've heard simple designs that had little science applied that I drooled to the music. It just looks like, to me, that it's still not just a matter of plugging the specs into a computer and saying, "here's a good sounding speaker". I think good sound that is true to the music is something that the designers need to use their own ears to fine tune after the design has been built, and the willingness to change it if it just doesn't do it emotionally. Nothing against science, I think it's needed, but the "human factor" still needs to make the final call. The speaker needs to hit the emotional bone, which is more important than the spec graph. If the two can come together, great! if not, I'll go with emotional satisfaction every time.
BTW, I'm still listening to a late 50's 12" fullrange driver with a high crossed tweeter on an open baffle with a sub below 60 Hz. Simply haven't heard anything remotely affordable that is inspiring me to buy (or build) anything different (even though I've thought about it a few times). My musical emotion bone just tingles to good when I listen to what I already have, so why risk disappointment? I'm equally sure that this system wouldn't measure as well as some of the steril sounding ones I've heard. I just don't care anymore.
And I'm in agreement with the poster who mentioned many modern speakers have to much treble. That's something that has bothered both me and my non-audiophile wife many times in the past. She's also happy with the sound I get from my rolled off speakers.

Whew! Biggest post I've made in ages!

Dave

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