When is 'Good' Good Enough?
Posted by: Mr Underhill on 05 June 2018
MDS was kind enough to invite me round last Friday and I had the pleasure of listening to his setup, again!
Naim CDX2 / PS555DR / nDac > 552 > 300 > Focal 1028s.
This is a wonderful and well balanced system. It is visceral and moves lots of air, on the whole I would prefer to listen to lots of music through his system. At the end of the session we each chose a track that we use of judging systems, in my case it was Jethro Tull, Dark Ages from Stormwatch. I can honestly say I have never heard it sound better. This is a track with great dynamic swings, and boy did they swing.
Does that mean I think it is a better system than mine?
Prestige 2 / ultrarendu (lots of LPSUs and widgets) > Border Patrol SE DAC > EAR868PL > EAR534 > Focal 1008be
This begs the question, better at what?
There is no doubt in my mind that MDS's Naim system is more highly resolving, but that can go both ways; MDS introduced me to ‘We are the Fallen’, their one album is on Qobuz I am glad to say, I thought was superb on the Naim system, but I remember listening to the first track and some strings enter on the right of the soundfield; it was starkly obvious that these were added on, not part of the same acoustic but tacked on in post production. This didn’t stop my enjoyment but did move me from music mode into analytical. This is all handled subtly differently through my system, the recording process isn’t so starkly laid bare, and so when the strings arrived I could just continue in music mode. Which is better?
I have been fortunate to listen to a fair few systems over the years, and as I am now semi-retired more particularly over the last eighteen months. These systems have been well sorted using some excellent hardware, could I order them from best to worst – not at all; they give different insights into the music; one of the joys of this hobby.
Does listening to MDS's system drive me to want to change? I don't think so, but I do enjoy going over there. The visits always allow me to expand my musical knowledge, enjoy some good company and appreciate 'la difference'!
MDS - Thanks again!
M
Mr Underhill posted:Massimo Bertola posted:Mr Underhill posted:(...)
Mr U.,
........ Studying at the Music Conservatory and getting a Diploma in Composition didn't help: strangely, isn't it? When you are trained to control structures and only marginally encouraged to cultivate instinct, that's what happens. From then on, I have lived in analytical mode for the 90% of time. To be able to enjoy music emotionally, to be 'in the flow', I need to stop my strong relation between physical health and attentive mind: being ill, wounded, psychologically frail. Which does not happen frequently.I have friends who are fine musicians. When they come and listen to my system it is always interesting to wait for their comments, they are usually something along the lines of:
'The is an American orchestra, listen to the way the brass ........';
'That tympani was not properly in time ....'.
For me I now know I would prefer to hear all the musical information without being distracted by the production, something that is not entirely possible, but at least I know which side of the track i prefer to be on.
Another friend's system is:
Garrad 401/Audionote arm > YBA integrated > JBL speakers (1980s big woofer jobs) .
This system fails to resolve lots of detail, but boy can it boogie, really great fun in another way. Works superbly with the type of music he loves.
My only answer to your, and my, question, is to quote Socrates about wives: I can't live with it, I can't live without it.
M
I agree to all things mentioned by the pseudo-hobbit and Max. It is indeed annoying to have a few braincells sending strong signals when they detect a parallel fifth between tenor and bass, or timing issues et cetera. I suffer also from kind of music roll in front of my eyes when I listen to music - the structure, harmonic progression are automatically followed. I mostly know where we are in the music.
But, there is also another side.
Normally the analytical part is 'dominant' indeed. But a few weeks ago I had a nice experience. While doing some reading and having my recently purchased full set of Bruckner Symphonies on, I was taken and completely overwhelmed by the music. It was the final part of Symphony 5, which has apparently extremely good counterpoint. And all these lines, musical themes which came together where overwhelming in such a way that they could not be processed by my brain anymore and senses took over.
How could Bruckner have written such a piece of music?
Then I started to read about Symphony 5 and it was really special. The guy never heard his own Symphony performed by an orchestra. Nobody appreciated it in that time.
Still, it is not the most favorite Symphony on this planet, but I feel it a bit that Anton Bruckner has written this piece for me.
But come on Simon it’s only stopped for now 
Perhaps 
To borrow two apt quotes from the Matrix ...
After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I (naim 
) show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.
What is real? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.
Ignorance is bliss and knowledge is misery. Good is good enough when the realisation kicks in that to improve beyond the current level requires more money than you are willing to spend.
EoinKav posted:To borrow two apt quotes from the Matrix ...
After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I (naim
What is real? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.
Ignorance is bliss and knowledge is misery. Good is good enough when the realisation kicks in that to improve beyond the current level requires more money than you are willing to spend.
That my friend, is spot on.
Mind you, that brain of yours, the organ that has the insatiable appetite for better and better SQ, also has the capacity to devise ever more ingenious ways of:
a) raising the capital required for the next aural fix - remember we are talking about a legal drug here, dressed up in a black box, well several black boxes actually
b) persuading your better half that the funds required for this fix are a necessary 'investment'
Don't tell me you chaps have never gone through both a) and b).