Métronome Technologie AQWO
Stereophile|March 2020
SACD/CD TRANSPORT AND D/A PROCESSOR
Métronome Technologie AQWO

In an era when polar opposites compete as absolutes, it can be a challenge to acknowledge the different and equally valid ways in which audiophiles approach musical truth. But the reality is that our perceptions of how reproduced music should sound are determined, to a large extent, by how we approach the live experience. For live acoustic performances, some of us prefer a direct, up-close sound, where highs are most vibrant, the spatial nature of sounds is most distinct, swells in volume can sometimes seem assaultive, and detail is most easily perceived. Others would rather sit farther back or in the top balcony, where highs mellow out while lower octaves remain strong, and the resonance of the performing acoustic adds warmth and glow to the musical experience. The collective skill of the architects and acousticians who designed our favorite halls, as well as the background noise created by air circulation equipment, also play a large part in the formulation of our sonic expectations.

Amplified music, regardless of genre, can be an entirely different ballpark—hey, concerts often take place in stadiums and arenas where distance from speakers and stage, as well as the quality of amplification, are crucial to our expectations. Do the speakers distort or the woofers predominate when everyone starts playing at once? Is the sound system maximally colorful, or does it have a high noise floor that lends a gray patina to everything? What microphones are they using? Are the sound engineer’s ears intact, or have they been irreparably damaged from years of working with loud bands? Anyone who regularly attends live concerts has experienced what happens when the sound engineer sits under the balcony or at the very back of the performance space and calculates tonal balance (and volume!) on something very different than what those up front hear.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2020-Ausgabe von Stereophile.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2020-Ausgabe von Stereophile.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS STEREOPHILEAlle anzeigen
German kitchens, Japanese amps, and Afropop gems
Stereophile

German kitchens, Japanese amps, and Afropop gems

BRILLIANT CORNERS - I have a day job at a museum. One of my favorite things about working there is taking the elevator from my office down to one of the floors open to the public; I walk into the galleries through a discreet panel in the wall. This makes me feel like I'm in one of those horror-movie manors with a tunnel concealed behind a bookshelf. Sometimes I startle people, which I kind of enjoy.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
December 2024
EDITOR'S PICK - RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Stereophile

EDITOR'S PICK - RECORDING OF THE MONTH

The record business was awash in money and power. Vinyl LPs were still five bucks, and while the pressings could be suspect, the music-buying public still snapped them up en masse.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2024
The Butthole Surfers wipe out
Stereophile

The Butthole Surfers wipe out

REVINYLIZATION - Music's lunatic fringe drifts further out every hour. As it should. In this century, with computers playing an ever-larger role, music continues to fragment and become infinitely more varied. This splintering is either the essence of what keeps it relevant as an art form or something profoundly disturbing, to be hated and feared.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 2024
You're only lonely
Stereophile

You're only lonely

AURAL ROBERT - The least surprising story in music today is the inevitable passing of irreplaceable talent. Tenor saxophonist Benny Golson died at age 95 the day I finished this salute to another fallen star, Southern California singer/songwriter John David \"JD\" Souther.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2024
PS Audio Aspen FR5 - LOUDSPEAKER
Stereophile

PS Audio Aspen FR5 - LOUDSPEAKER

I remember the first PS Audio product: a simple phono stage. It was so simple - a passive RIAA eq filter flanked by a pair of primitive op-amps - that when the schematic was made public, I built one myself; I was in the midst of my DIY years. I thought it was, to use a word from that time, nifty.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
December 2024
TEAC UD-701N - STREAMING PREAMP, D/A CONVERTER
Stereophile

TEAC UD-701N - STREAMING PREAMP, D/A CONVERTER

In Gramophone Dreams #88, I described the sound of TEAC's VRDS-701T CD transport as \"dense and precise in a way I had never previously heard from digital.\" I went on to explain, \"by dense, I mean there was a tangible corporeality effected by seemingly infinite quantities of small, tightly packed molecules of musical information.\"

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
December 2024
Sonus faber Sonetto V G2 - LOUDSPEAKER
Stereophile

Sonus faber Sonetto V G2 - LOUDSPEAKER

Here's a hard truth: A written review of a full-sized speaker any speaker, really-is, at best, semi-useful. We all listen differently, we have different musical tastes, our system electronics are different, and our listening rooms vary a lot. You will gain a general picture of a speaker's capabilities and foibles from John Atkinson's measurements, and I can tell you how the speakers sound to me, in my room. But that's it. You need to hear them for yourself before making a buying decision. The best I can do is tell you how my music brain felt when the speakers were in my house and making music.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
December 2024
STEREOPHILE'S 33RD ANNUAL - PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024
Stereophile

STEREOPHILE'S 33RD ANNUAL - PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024

When Stereophile's Product of the Year Awards were first published, in 1992, we decided that unlike some other publications and their awards schemes, we would keep the number of categories to a minimum. That way, we would avoid what the late Art Dudley once described as the \"every child in the class gets a prize\" syndrome.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 2024
Moon 861 - POWER AMPLIFIER
Stereophile

Moon 861 - POWER AMPLIFIER

It is unusual to begin a review with a detailed discussion of setup. But setup protocol for the Moon 861 power amplifier ($22,000 each), the top-level amplifier in the North Collection from Moon, which I reviewed bridged in mono, proved crucial to its sound.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
December 2024
Mobile Fidelity, PrimaLuna, and First Watt redux
Stereophile

Mobile Fidelity, PrimaLuna, and First Watt redux

GRAMOPHONE DREAMS - It's important for readers to remember that I've spent my adult life as an artist and mechanic. Making things. Working as a tradesperson during the day then at an easel or workbench at night.

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
December 2024