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.”
Regarding A Love Supreme: the 2002 deluxe 2-CD edition (a gift from my wife) improved greatly on the sound quality of previous editions. I think this is generally acknowledged, and due to the use of a superior source tape. It's not a subtle audiophile thing! But if you're using A Love Supreme to investigate audio quality in a system, I recommend going for this (or perhaps there are more recent releases using the same source) over earlier versions.
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.
Thanks!! In ~1971 (I was 16) and following some snail mail / magazine research about a company named Klipsch went to a high-end audio shop in Jamaica, Queens, where I had been told I could audition Klipschorns. And I did!!
The sales guy in the store took one look at me and pulled a record from his collection. Guessing my inclination, he proceeded to set up Emerson Lake and Palmer’s “Tank” for my thoughtful and erudite review.
Less than a minute in, he turned it up to what I now recognize was “reference volume” or what actual live instruments would sound like. IN THE ROOM. Of course it was a major drum solo. I just about fainted with disbelief. An absolutely unforgettable moment. Obviously.
Somehow, since then I’ve never had the combination of cash and space to realize the dream. Today in my circa 2024 home studio I make do with a pair of Focal near-field monitors which - while crazy satisfying - will never compare to the thrill ride of that day in 1970.
I don’t, as a rule find, for example, Acoustic Sounds’ “audiophile” pressings to be interesting or all that good. Some of the Kevin Gray pressings for Bluenote et al do sound reasonably good but their quality control is lamentable. ECM vinyl is so bad as to be pointless. You might as well stream it.
What I like are mono pressings of Monk or Mingus played with a mono cartridge. Mono. That’s the way - for me - to listen to jazz at home. Way preferable to stereo. I’ve got a streamer for when people come round (and ECM!). I have a separate turntable, a Brinkmann Oasis, that I use for stereo. I don’t go too crazy on cables and that kind of thing. I use a relatively inexpensive Denon cartridge for stereo.
I’ll look forward to more of your writing. Excellent stuff!
I am a moderate audiophile. I just bought a Rotel RMB-1585 amp last fall, for example. For jazz, Keith Jarrett's Vienna Concert is a go-to, and anything by Joe Pass (e.g. Virtuoso). Obviously anything on Chesky Records. Probably my favorite piece to test gear with is Philip Glass's Mishima, opening movement. Huge dynamic range and everything from high chimes to thundering tympani.
All very interesting. I started out as a high fidelity fan even more so than a music fan. Later I became a music agent, manager, worked for a major label, as a talent buyer for a major club and also ran my own small jazz label. I don’t think all of that would have happened had I not purchased a Quad 44/405-2 with a Thorens TD321 w. SME3009R arm and a moving coil cartridge, all presented by a set of Rauna Ymer speakers. This was in 1985. The system cost me about $5000 back then and it sounded very musical, and really allowed me to hear the quality of each instrument. Recently I had a chance to listen to a system that cost about €600000 (included Wilson Alexandria XLF speakers and the D'Agostino Momentum mono blocks). I listened to “Hotel California” as well as a bit of Joe Henderson’s “Page One” (Joe was a former client and close friend) and whereas the first track sounded absolutely incredible on that system, I felt that the system revealed the deficiencies of the 1963 Blue Note recording (beautiful as the music is). It’s been a while since I’ve had a superb high fidelity system, but it definitely made me want to dive into that world again for sure.
Izvini malo ‘off topic’ ali gde se tvoj bivši šef odselio u Australiji? Kontam da je otvorio prodavnicu ovde? Voleo bih da ga posetim ako je još uvek otvorena:)
Thanks for the article. I have many favorite albums. I can name a few artists I listen to very often: Dave Douglas, Hiromi, Chris Potter, Bill Bruford, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Vijay Iyer, Terje Rypdal, Michael Wollny, E.S.T., Aaron Parks, Arild Andersen, Kurt Rosenwinkel ecc.
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.”
Regarding A Love Supreme: the 2002 deluxe 2-CD edition (a gift from my wife) improved greatly on the sound quality of previous editions. I think this is generally acknowledged, and due to the use of a superior source tape. It's not a subtle audiophile thing! But if you're using A Love Supreme to investigate audio quality in a system, I recommend going for this (or perhaps there are more recent releases using the same source) over earlier versions.
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 😊
Thanks!! In ~1971 (I was 16) and following some snail mail / magazine research about a company named Klipsch went to a high-end audio shop in Jamaica, Queens, where I had been told I could audition Klipschorns. And I did!!
The sales guy in the store took one look at me and pulled a record from his collection. Guessing my inclination, he proceeded to set up Emerson Lake and Palmer’s “Tank” for my thoughtful and erudite review.
Less than a minute in, he turned it up to what I now recognize was “reference volume” or what actual live instruments would sound like. IN THE ROOM. Of course it was a major drum solo. I just about fainted with disbelief. An absolutely unforgettable moment. Obviously.
Somehow, since then I’ve never had the combination of cash and space to realize the dream. Today in my circa 2024 home studio I make do with a pair of Focal near-field monitors which - while crazy satisfying - will never compare to the thrill ride of that day in 1970.
Really excellent article.
I would be considered to be an audiophile.
I don’t, as a rule find, for example, Acoustic Sounds’ “audiophile” pressings to be interesting or all that good. Some of the Kevin Gray pressings for Bluenote et al do sound reasonably good but their quality control is lamentable. ECM vinyl is so bad as to be pointless. You might as well stream it.
What I like are mono pressings of Monk or Mingus played with a mono cartridge. Mono. That’s the way - for me - to listen to jazz at home. Way preferable to stereo. I’ve got a streamer for when people come round (and ECM!). I have a separate turntable, a Brinkmann Oasis, that I use for stereo. I don’t go too crazy on cables and that kind of thing. I use a relatively inexpensive Denon cartridge for stereo.
I’ll look forward to more of your writing. Excellent stuff!
I am a moderate audiophile. I just bought a Rotel RMB-1585 amp last fall, for example. For jazz, Keith Jarrett's Vienna Concert is a go-to, and anything by Joe Pass (e.g. Virtuoso). Obviously anything on Chesky Records. Probably my favorite piece to test gear with is Philip Glass's Mishima, opening movement. Huge dynamic range and everything from high chimes to thundering tympani.
All very interesting. I started out as a high fidelity fan even more so than a music fan. Later I became a music agent, manager, worked for a major label, as a talent buyer for a major club and also ran my own small jazz label. I don’t think all of that would have happened had I not purchased a Quad 44/405-2 with a Thorens TD321 w. SME3009R arm and a moving coil cartridge, all presented by a set of Rauna Ymer speakers. This was in 1985. The system cost me about $5000 back then and it sounded very musical, and really allowed me to hear the quality of each instrument. Recently I had a chance to listen to a system that cost about €600000 (included Wilson Alexandria XLF speakers and the D'Agostino Momentum mono blocks). I listened to “Hotel California” as well as a bit of Joe Henderson’s “Page One” (Joe was a former client and close friend) and whereas the first track sounded absolutely incredible on that system, I felt that the system revealed the deficiencies of the 1963 Blue Note recording (beautiful as the music is). It’s been a while since I’ve had a superb high fidelity system, but it definitely made me want to dive into that world again for sure.
My go-to response to this issue is Neil Young's "sound matters".
Izvini malo ‘off topic’ ali gde se tvoj bivši šef odselio u Australiji? Kontam da je otvorio prodavnicu ovde? Voleo bih da ga posetim ako je još uvek otvorena:)
https://www.audiomagic.com.au/
Ima ofis u Melburnu, ali primarno se bavi uvozom/distribucijom ka drugim radnjama u Australiji...
Hvala puno
Thanks for the article. I have many favorite albums. I can name a few artists I listen to very often: Dave Douglas, Hiromi, Chris Potter, Bill Bruford, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Vijay Iyer, Terje Rypdal, Michael Wollny, E.S.T., Aaron Parks, Arild Andersen, Kurt Rosenwinkel ecc.