my dilema.....Focal Sopra N272/250DR/NAC A5

Dear Mike,

As I did say, I don’t expect a stampede to follow me to mono!

You will probably not, and we all listen differently. So we favour different music, and different replay. That is the glory of it. There is no Universal right answer!

Very best wishes from George

PS: I suppose that the only physical dimension I value in music is the time dimension. That may help you understand my oddity on this! From a one dimensional perspective then it becomes about nuanced timbres, and dynamic balances. The time dimension covers tempo and rhythmic deviations from the strictly metrical.

Mike-B posted:

I understand the pleasure in both mono & stereo.   Much as mono brings to the music as an academic experience,  to me stereo brings the 3rd dimension, the individual instruments/voices in their own space, the soundstage of the ensemble & how it reacts with the hall ambiance .......... that to me makes a complete musical experience.

I don't understand your band analogy Adam,  I expect to hear each of the guys around me in their different positions,  yes each is sort of mono,  but a drum set or full piano is no way mono from where I sit.     

What I meant Mike is that each instrument I hear is a mono one. The music I hear is just that - music made up of sounds generated by instruments. I assume it's some sort of a spacial mono.

When I hear drums they are on my right, coming from a certain place in a studio or on a stage. If I turn my head, my brain adjusts for that movement maintaining the drum kit in the same 3-dimensional space. 

The same goes for guitars etc.

The first time I wore in-ear monitors on stage I was confused. I moved my head and the music moved with me. I had to get used to a different orientation in the sound space.

Come to think of it, the closest  playback would be a full surround sound. Assuming of course that a listener is inside the band / orchestra / ensamble.

So actually I don't know if music is mono, stereo or a 3D sound space.

I think it depends on a point of view.

For a spectator the listening position is generally fixed in front of a stage. He / she is looking at the aound stage, seeing and hearing the canvas on which music is being painted. In that respect our systems emulate a spectator's perspective quite well.

For a musician it is different - we are somewhere on stage, inside the music. Being part of it.

Adam

I still am not sold on these cables, they seem not to be as dynamic as the NACA5 and willing to sell my 250DR for a 300DR and build from that instead of throwing money at this setup.The money I would spend on a full loom I'd rather buy the NAP 300DR and throw a XPS-DR at my N272 after that hurdle

I think you are getting yourself into a cycle of throwing money at your system and hoping something sticks.

Every piece of gear you have now is top end (and expensive). Your setup should sound awesome right from the start, and after some settling, tweaks to positioning.. etc will get even better. Then you figure out what's next. Until you decide what is lacking or needs to be improved, you buy more gear or replace cables/powercords.

What I mean is that you shouldn't have to consider buying a 300DR. The 250DR is very good and should not be the weakest link in your system.

While I envy you having the resources to buy the gear you have now, it pains me to see you unhappy with what you have already. I'm sipping coffee and listen to my SN2 nDAC combo, and I enjoy it alot. Just focusing on music instead of upgrades.

Try the XPS-DR. That what's been proposed by the wise residents here.

placed my order for my NAP 300DR so to arrive