My entire audiophile life has been spent in the pursuit of accuracy. Euphonic colorations were simply wrong, they were something to be avoided like the plague. Truth, not beauty, was the only worthy goal. If there was beauty to be heard in a recording, then the accurate system would reveal it. If there was not, the recording itself was not worthy. I believe many of us feel this way.
Recently I read a review in which the writer said a certain loudspeaker made everything sound beautiful. In my experience all recordings did not sound beautiful. This ran contrary to my belief of what a high fidelity system should accomplish, but it made me reconsider my ultimate goal. What am I searching for? Truth? Beauty? No, the end to which these means lead is the enjoyment of music. Distilled to its essence, my holy grail is pleasure.
Armed with this new realization, I must now make a decision. Shall I continue down the path I have chosen, even though it occasionally moves me to stop the music? Or shall I change my direction, and let the band play on?
From now on, when I go shopping for new equipment, I will listen and pick the component whose sound I enjoy the most, accuracy be damned. When I tweak my system, I will adjust for the most pleasing sound, not the flattest response. I don't have to prove anything to anyone, I only have to enjoy the music.
I realize this is audiophile heresy to some, and that I may be considered a hi-fi traitor by many. Still, I welcome the thoughts and opinions of my fellow audiophiles, in my audiophile community.
My entire audiophile life has been spent in the pursuit of accuracy. Euphonic colorations were simply wrong, they were something to be avoided like the plague. Truth, not beauty, was the only worthy goal. If there was beauty to be heard in a recording, then the accurate system would reveal it. If there was not, the recording itself was not worthy. I believe many of us feel this way.
Recently I read a review in which the writer said a certain loudspeaker made everything sound beautiful. In my experience all recordings did not sound beautiful. This ran contrary to my belief of what a high fidelity system should accomplish, but it made me reconsider my ultimate goal. What am I searching for? Truth? Beauty? No, the end to which these means lead is the enjoyment of music. Distilled to its essence, my holy grail is pleasure.
Armed with this new realization, I must now make a decision. Shall I continue down the path I have chosen, even though it occasionally moves me to stop the music? Or shall I change my direction, and let the band play on?
From now on, when I go shopping for new equipment, I will listen and pick the component whose sound I enjoy the most, accuracy be damned. When I tweak my system, I will adjust for the most pleasing sound, not the flattest response. I don't have to prove anything to anyone, I only have to enjoy the music.
I realize this is audiophile heresy to some, and that I may be considered a hi-fi traitor by many. Still, I welcome the thoughts and opinions of my fellow audiophiles, in my audiophile community.