When an article catches my eye, I often cursor down to the summation paragraph and then go back to read the whole piece. In this article you wrote,"How important is it for you to listen to music on high-quality equipment? How much attention do you pay to production? Do you prefer listening to jazz loudly or quietly? At home or live? And what are your favorite “audiophile” jazz albums and tracks?"
Speaking as a lifelong (60yrs.) musician (writing, performing, recording), I "listen" on decent equipment, but definitely not the most expensive available. I don't have an unlimited music budget. And I "listen" to a recording (or live performance) as many artists would; as a "whole" composition and then to individual aspects. I do obviously notice really good (or poor) production when I hear it, but in general I'm not that focused on the production, as much as I might be with my own personal productions. Loud or quiet? Both, depending on the song, but these days I tend to shy away from really brash music. That said, it's not like I'm just listening to classical guitar tracks, but in general more moderate volume recordings than either very quiet or very loud. And obviously, I'm listening to both recorded and live production. Favorite jazz albums? I have to think about that, since my taste in genres is very broad and not just limited to jazz. Definitely work by Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith. David Sunburn. Earl Klug.
Audiophile, an interesting article. I would say most people listen to music on generally basic equipment. Especially the 16 - 40? demographic. I don't think a lot of listeners grasp the concept of audiophiles, listening for subtle nuances in the music.
I myself use a pretty nondescript setup, and listen to a lot using my Bose noise-canceling headphones. It's all I need to get a decent sound.
Obviously, live music is preferable to recorded music. It's the way music was performed in the first place.
As an aside, was there some hiss on that Jakob Bro track, or was that just me?
And as always, I enjoy your posts a lot. Keep it up.
Fascinating article. I love music and listen to it a lot but have never been an audiophile. I lack the vocabulary to even discuss it in any depth. But I have always noticed that my audiophile friends seem more interested in *how it sounds* than in *what it is they are listening to.* Branford Marsalis put it this way: some people (audiophiles) are more interested in the sensory experience, while others (non-audiophiles) are more interested in ”the information.” Of course everyone prefers great music over mediocre music (according to their taste), and great sound over mediocre sound (less subjective). But the first group finds poor sound a serious obstacle to listening to even brilliant music, while the second does not, and finds great sound merely a nice enhancement.
I react to audio quality, of course, but only instinctively. I wouldn’t know how to analyze the experience, as I do to a much greater extent concerning musical content. When I buy audio equipment (a rare occurrence) I just go with my gut reaction: this one sounds better to me than that one. I’d be hard put to say just why. Same with production. I know ECM generally sounds cold to me, but "cold" is a metaphor I can’t really map to audio facts.
I don't consider myself an audiophile but I like having a decent quality stereo system. I still buy everything on CD then rip it to lossless audio formats.
My albums of choice for testing out the [few] systems I've bought are anything by the Keith Jarret trio, Bill Evans "Live at the Village Vanguard" for exactly the reasons you mention- I want to hear the wood of the bass, definition of the drum set, and the full dynamic range of the piano. Throw in "A Love Supreme" for the same reasons plus the check on Coltrane's Sound.
Most of my life I've paid limited attention to the stereo field, due at least in part because I didn't really have a good setup that accentuated it. But a couple of years ago a bought a nice pair of Klipsch speakers and they happened to be set up the perfect distance from the couch where I listen. I've really been enjoying listening to how the engineers placed the different instruments in the mix.
My stereo journey began with an 8-track tape player my parents bought me for Christmas. Coming from a middle-class home, I had to get a job to support my burgeoning audio habit.
Akai cassette deck, JVC turntable, Kenwood integrated, and Advent speakers eventually became Nakamichi cassette, B&O turntable, Yamaha receiver, and B&W speakers, are now Clearaudio turntable, PS Audio DAC, PS Audio SACD, PS Audio preamp and monoblocks, and Devore Fidelity speakers.
Yes, there is a difference between people who love stereo equipment and people who love music. Cables and interconnects make a huge difference, but the obsession needs to be getting closer to the music — a recorded snare drum that has the pop, weight, and dynamics of a live band snare drum.
When a hobby turns into an audio arms race to massively outspend everyone else for a subjective 0.1% improvement in sound, that’s when it’s time to tap the brakes and get a life.
Best albums to test an audio system: Van Morrison “Astral Weeks” (is actually a jazz album), John Coltrane “A Love Supreme,” Sonny Rollins “The Bridge,” Cannonball Adderly “Somethin’ Else,” and Miles Davis “‘Round About Midnight.”
Love Jazz + Substack! I think a good turntable is worth its weight in gold. I have a Rega P6. You can’t beat the tonality of vinyl for jazz. You really pick it up on the expressive trumpeters like Chet Baker and early Miles Davis.
When an article catches my eye, I often cursor down to the summation paragraph and then go back to read the whole piece. In this article you wrote,"How important is it for you to listen to music on high-quality equipment? How much attention do you pay to production? Do you prefer listening to jazz loudly or quietly? At home or live? And what are your favorite “audiophile” jazz albums and tracks?"
Speaking as a lifelong (60yrs.) musician (writing, performing, recording), I "listen" on decent equipment, but definitely not the most expensive available. I don't have an unlimited music budget. And I "listen" to a recording (or live performance) as many artists would; as a "whole" composition and then to individual aspects. I do obviously notice really good (or poor) production when I hear it, but in general I'm not that focused on the production, as much as I might be with my own personal productions. Loud or quiet? Both, depending on the song, but these days I tend to shy away from really brash music. That said, it's not like I'm just listening to classical guitar tracks, but in general more moderate volume recordings than either very quiet or very loud. And obviously, I'm listening to both recorded and live production. Favorite jazz albums? I have to think about that, since my taste in genres is very broad and not just limited to jazz. Definitely work by Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith. David Sunburn. Earl Klug.
Thanks, Richard. I really appreciate your detailed response!
Audiophile, an interesting article. I would say most people listen to music on generally basic equipment. Especially the 16 - 40? demographic. I don't think a lot of listeners grasp the concept of audiophiles, listening for subtle nuances in the music.
I myself use a pretty nondescript setup, and listen to a lot using my Bose noise-canceling headphones. It's all I need to get a decent sound.
Obviously, live music is preferable to recorded music. It's the way music was performed in the first place.
As an aside, was there some hiss on that Jakob Bro track, or was that just me?
And as always, I enjoy your posts a lot. Keep it up.
Thanks for the support! Not sure about that hiss 😊
Fascinating article. I love music and listen to it a lot but have never been an audiophile. I lack the vocabulary to even discuss it in any depth. But I have always noticed that my audiophile friends seem more interested in *how it sounds* than in *what it is they are listening to.* Branford Marsalis put it this way: some people (audiophiles) are more interested in the sensory experience, while others (non-audiophiles) are more interested in ”the information.” Of course everyone prefers great music over mediocre music (according to their taste), and great sound over mediocre sound (less subjective). But the first group finds poor sound a serious obstacle to listening to even brilliant music, while the second does not, and finds great sound merely a nice enhancement.
I react to audio quality, of course, but only instinctively. I wouldn’t know how to analyze the experience, as I do to a much greater extent concerning musical content. When I buy audio equipment (a rare occurrence) I just go with my gut reaction: this one sounds better to me than that one. I’d be hard put to say just why. Same with production. I know ECM generally sounds cold to me, but "cold" is a metaphor I can’t really map to audio facts.
I don't consider myself an audiophile but I like having a decent quality stereo system. I still buy everything on CD then rip it to lossless audio formats.
My albums of choice for testing out the [few] systems I've bought are anything by the Keith Jarret trio, Bill Evans "Live at the Village Vanguard" for exactly the reasons you mention- I want to hear the wood of the bass, definition of the drum set, and the full dynamic range of the piano. Throw in "A Love Supreme" for the same reasons plus the check on Coltrane's Sound.
Most of my life I've paid limited attention to the stereo field, due at least in part because I didn't really have a good setup that accentuated it. But a couple of years ago a bought a nice pair of Klipsch speakers and they happened to be set up the perfect distance from the couch where I listen. I've really been enjoying listening to how the engineers placed the different instruments in the mix.
Interesting article. Thanks so much for sharing.
My stereo journey began with an 8-track tape player my parents bought me for Christmas. Coming from a middle-class home, I had to get a job to support my burgeoning audio habit.
Akai cassette deck, JVC turntable, Kenwood integrated, and Advent speakers eventually became Nakamichi cassette, B&O turntable, Yamaha receiver, and B&W speakers, are now Clearaudio turntable, PS Audio DAC, PS Audio SACD, PS Audio preamp and monoblocks, and Devore Fidelity speakers.
Yes, there is a difference between people who love stereo equipment and people who love music. Cables and interconnects make a huge difference, but the obsession needs to be getting closer to the music — a recorded snare drum that has the pop, weight, and dynamics of a live band snare drum.
When a hobby turns into an audio arms race to massively outspend everyone else for a subjective 0.1% improvement in sound, that’s when it’s time to tap the brakes and get a life.
Best albums to test an audio system: Van Morrison “Astral Weeks” (is actually a jazz album), John Coltrane “A Love Supreme,” Sonny Rollins “The Bridge,” Cannonball Adderly “Somethin’ Else,” and Miles Davis “‘Round About Midnight.”
Love Jazz + Substack! I think a good turntable is worth its weight in gold. I have a Rega P6. You can’t beat the tonality of vinyl for jazz. You really pick it up on the expressive trumpeters like Chet Baker and early Miles Davis.
Thank you, Justin. I can agree on Rega turntables 😊