Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site
In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: Accuracy vs. Musicality (and YMMV)
Post Subject: It depends...Posted by rowuk on: 5/17/2026
Yes, a castle can be bricks, stones, ice, straws - or even melted down old trumpets. Whether that is MY castle depends if I am expecting shelter from the elements, from audio reviewers, from my neighbor lady with her bagpipes or just a playback system that stays out of the way.
It is possible to abstract anything down, but without a statement of intent, it is really difficult to communicate with any quality.
In the mean time, I am getting more critical of the thought that live music and the playback of (live) music necessarily have to be that different. Of course, the geometry is not reproducable. Of course the visuals are not present. I do admit however that when listening to a recording for the very first time, many of the sensations that get me in the concert hall are also present at home. That which is really important about music can be transmitted through a playback system - and not even an advanced system is necessary. The available pleasures can very often correspond between the two to a great degree. I would say that the more "audiophile" one is, the more difficult that journey becomes.
In my case, reading a score creates the entire composition in my head (as I would like to imagine it at that point in time), a transparent playback removes the imagination and replaces it with whatever is being offered - just like in a live venue. The huge difference to me is the ability to repeat with a recording. This introduces the element of surprise! The second or third listen does change my perspective in a much different way than listening to the same piece with the same orchestra at 2 live concerts.Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site