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In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: The Absolute Sound of Audio Idiocy.
Post Subject: Audio Journey to IxtlanPosted by Paul S on: 8/7/2008
Many years gone now, I have tried to keep in mind the sound of live acoustic instruments and voices as I tuned my hi-fi system, as it and I have evolved.  So far it seems that there are an infinite number of ways to "move closer" to a constantly-changing sense of an "Absolute Sound" without actually "getting there", until this movement itself becomes the ego-centric, relativistic motion/change-in-and-of-itself that Antonio describes.  While I might say I am closer to "live sound" now than I have ever been, I could not from this infer that it is in fact a greater relative proportion of or closer proximity to to the "Absolute Sound" that most involves me musically.

For some time now I have been thinking  about how noise undermines/sabotages "fidelity" in hi-fi.  Ironically, it appears that "FR" means noise, as well.  Also, "true" LF is so elusive in practical terms that I imagine I am not alone in virtually "writing it off" when I listen to hi-fi, as though somehow the "Absolute Sound" can exist without true LF.

You wouldn't know it from the above, but I remain open to the idea of Sonic Fidelity.  However, I have to admit that my ideas about what constitutes "Fidelity" have changed since I put the ML2s in play.

Another Perpetual Irony for me has been that the "closer" I get in terms of rote "fidelity", the clearer it becomes just how wide the gap is.  Adumbration, I suppose...

I can feel new ideas about music (re)production taking shape in my mind, but they are forming "differently" now than they were even 1 year ago.  Even though I am still listening/looking for pure Fidelity, Music itself, more than ever, has become the driving force, and by this I'm pretty sure I mean the Language of Music more than its "absolute sound" as rendered via hi-fi, which, as I have written before, appears to be a moving target, although certainly still no less than this is so in terms of one's evolving appreciation of Music.

While I choke on the the "if you like it, then it's good" theory, it's OK that there's more than one road to Ixtlan.

Best regards,
Paul S

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