Is sound quality really all that matters?

[Ajani]

Reading a review of the Naim Mu-So and the comments for the review on another site, got me thinking about whether maximum sound quality really is all we should be aiming for.

Truth is that I've always found it really strange that audiophiles generally insist that it's all about the sound quality. That things like convenience and aesthetic appeal don't matter. Why?

Just look at other hobbies and ask if their focus is really that narrow. How many car enthusiasts really only care about performance? The guys who spend all day vacuuming and waxing their cars to a mirrored finish, can't possibly be solely about performance. Likewise the guys who trick out their rides with expensive aftermarket stereos, leather seats, etc etc etc.

So why do audiophiles focus so much on just one metric? I would expect sound quality to be the most important factor, but not at the expense of everything else.

 

[Vladimir]

My impression is that audiophiles do exactly the opposite of what you say. *scratch_one-s_head*

 

[Ajani]

My impression is that audiophiles do exactly the opposite of what you say. *scratch_one-s_head*

Oh I do find a lot of audiophiles will buy with their eyes but claim that they heard some night and day improvement. Which is part of why our hobby gets such relentless mocking in the mainstream. We insist that we bought $$$$ priced component because we could hear the difference. You'd pretty much have your audiophile membership card revoked were you to admit you bought it because you liked the looks and build quality.

 

[jmjones]

Yup, that Tag McLaren kit still looks good after all these years, AND I could control all of it with one remote. You would not believe how cool I thought that was when I first bought it. *dirol*

 

[davedotco]

If we are talking hi-fi, yes absolutely.

If we are talking music, no not really.

It's simple enough but so many people find it difficult to understand that hi-fi and music are, in effect, two different hobbies.

Once you really get that, does everything becomes clear.

 

[plastic penguin]

Yes and no. Any amp I have needs to have the appropriate functions. Keeps the wife happy by not having additional boxes. But I am a music-first person. So yes SQ is very important but not if it compromises the amount of inputs.

 

[Al ears]

For once I find it difficult to agree with the notion supplied by davedotco.

I appreciate music in all its forms particularly when it's live.

My hi-fi is simply what I use to recreate that sound in my own home.

To this end my system is not put together for its looks or convenience, I have other systems in place if I simply want ease of use.

And yes I consider myself to be an audiophile.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

I buy for sound quality the best I can afford but equally build quality is also important to me as well as what functions the unit will do all 3 are important to me to get the best out of my music when been played . I never buy something just because it looks good .

 

[Covenanter]

I think I agree with Dave! I want the kit to produce a sound that is close to the original, or as close as I'm willing to pay for! I like to go to concerts and I want to hear something similar at home.

However, aesthetics are important too. I want the kit to look good in my apartment which is art deco in style and my piano white speakers fit in beautifully. I wouldn't have soemthing ugly however good it sounded!

Chris

 

[davedotco]

For once I find it difficult to agree with the notion supplied by davedotco.

I appreciate music in all its forms particularly when it's live.

My hi-fi is simply what I use to recreate that sound in my own home.

To this end my system is not put together for its looks or convenience, I have other systems in place if I simply want ease of use.

And yes I consider myself to be an audiophile.

What do you disagree with Al?

Surely you can enjoy music on a less than brilliant system? Then you are in music 'mode'.

If you want to show your system at its best, you put on a well produced record? That is hi-fi 'mode'.

I have, in all practical respects given up on hi-fi 'mode' at home, I know what is possible and am really not prepared to pay the price, simple as that. (If i was, my first purchase would be flights to Colorado to visit a certain Roger Sanders)

These days I have settled into music 'mode' with Spotify. Sure I make the effort to make it sound decent and will probably get something to replace what is really my desktop system in the new year.

Budget will be around £1-1.5k perhaps a little more, I do not see the point in spending more given the less than optimum quality of the source material.

 

[Ajani]

If we are talking hi-fi, yes absolutely.

If we are talking music, no not really.

It's simple enough but so many people find it difficult to understand that hi-fi and music are, in effect, two different hobbies.

Once you really get that, does everything becomes clear.

We had a debate many years ago on another HiFi forum about whether you actually had to be a music lover to be an audiophile. I am firmly of the belief that loving music really isn't a prerequisite for audiophilia. That audiophilia is really about the love of HiFi equipment. Some persons search for new music to listen to while others search for new HiFi to listen to the same music on.

 

[davedotco]

If we are talking hi-fi, yes absolutely.

If we are talking music, no not really.

It's simple enough but so many people find it difficult to understand that hi-fi and music are, in effect, two different hobbies.

Once you really get that, does everything becomes clear.

We had a debate many years ago on another HiFi forum about whether you actually had to be a music lover to be an audiophile. I am firmly of the belief that loving music really isn't a prerequisite for audiophilia. That audiophilia is really about the love of HiFi equipment. Some persons search for new music to listen to while others search for new HiFi to listen to the same music on.

Nicely put.

But it is my contention that a rational person can be both, depending on circumstances.

Trying to combine the two into one hobbie is where I have difficulty. The oft cited description of a hi-fi enthusiast constantly up and down in the middle of listening to a of piece of music, 'tweaking' his system is my idea of purgatory.

 

[Ajani]

I have, in all practical respects given up on hi-fi 'mode' at home, I know what is possible and am really not prepared to pay the price, simple as that............

These days I have settled into music 'mode' with Spotify. Sure I make the effort to make it sound decent and will probably get something to replace what is really my desktop system in the new year.

Budget will be around £1-1.5k perhaps a little more, I do not see the point in spending more given the less than optimum quality of the source material.

I generally use headphones to appease my desire for Hi-Fi. You don't need to spend ridiculous amounts to get truly excellent sound quality with headphones. But for everything else, I'd rather just go with a decent affordable setup as you really don't need anything over the top just to enjoy good music.

I also tend to use Deezer and Youtube. I can't remember the last time I played one of my original lossless FLAC recordings (ripped from my CD collection). You might be surprised at how good those lossy files can sound.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

I started when I was 7 years old my dad got me one them old record players in a box I think you start to love music when your young well it did with me and then when you leave school and start work I got my self a all in 1 hi fi from the club book and buy then it was just tape and vinyl but as you start earning more money and if you still have the passion for music you then buy something better the first hi fi separate I got was a technics amp and Jamo speakers and my first CD player which I had to save for as they were a lot of money back then . The point is the passions of music go hand in hand with hi fi separates because both to me are addictive or why both buying expensive hi fi if you did not like music

 

[davedotco]

I have, in all practical respects given up on hi-fi 'mode' at home, I know what is possible and am really not prepared to pay the price, simple as that............

These days I have settled into music 'mode' with Spotify. Sure I make the effort to make it sound decent and will probably get something to replace what is really my desktop system in the new year.

Budget will be around £1-1.5k perhaps a little more, I do not see the point in spending more given the less than optimum quality of the source material.

I generally use headphones to appease my desire for Hi-Fi. You don't need to spend ridiculous amounts to get truly excellent sound quality with headphones. But for everything else, I'd rather just go with a decent affordable setup as you really don't need anything over the top just to enjoy good music.

I also tend to use Deezer and Youtube. I can't remember the last time I played one of my original lossless FLAC recordings (ripped from my CD collection). You might be surprised at how good those lossy files can sound.

I use Spotify exclusively, why would I be surprised?

I use headphones when I have to, but I am not into head-fi.

 

[Ajani]

These days I have settled into music 'mode' with Spotify........

Budget will be around £1-1.5k perhaps a little more, I do not see the point in spending more given the less than optimum quality of the source material.

You might be surprised at how good those lossy files can sound.[/b]

I use Spotify exclusively, why would I be surprised?

It sounded like you wouldn't spend more because of the the less than optimum quality of the spotify music. I wouldn't let that be a reason not to spend money. Even lossy files can sound excellent with better equipment.

 

[davedotco]

It sounded like you wouldn't spend more because of the the less than optimum quality of the spotify music. I wouldn't let that be a reason not to spend money. Even lossy files can sound excellent with better equipment.

I wouldn't. If I started buying better equipment the limitations of the lossy files starts to become noticeable, particularly with regard to recorded ambience and soundstage.

I know just how good top equipment can sound with the best recordings, using inferior source material compromises performance at this level so I am not going there.

I am talking amplifier/speaker combinations at about £1.5k here, should I go down the passive route. I have recently been given a pair of speakers, Red Rose Rosebuds ribbon hybrids, a little like some of the speakers boggit/IPI makes.

Add a Croft integrated and a Spotify Connect source, one suggestion I have been contemplating. Up until the Rosebuds arriving I was pretty much sold on a pair of Adam Artist6, driven by a StreamMagic 6 used as a streamer/dac/preamp. About £1k including cables.

 

[matt49]

I wouldn't. If I started buying better equipment the limitations of the lossy files starts to become noticeable, particularly with regard to recorded ambience and soundstage.

I know just how good top equipment can sound with the best recordings, using inferior source material compromises performance at this level so I am not going there.

Are we talking Spotify Premium here? If so, I thought your view of 320kbps was that it was only distinguishable from lossless files by people who knew what artefacts to listen for, in which case your argument seems a bit self-defeating.

 

[tino]

HiFi has to sound good, look good, and be generally easy to use and fit well in your living space without too much faff. Value for money is a bonus as is a bit of "respek" from fellow "audiophiles"

 

[Thompsonuxb]

The two are not seperate - most amps, cdplayers, modern turn tables are designed to look good and sound good.

With the exception of pro kit no one designs ugly kit.

From midi systems to amps they're all designed as 'luxury items' for the serious listener.

No one focuses on one aspect in this hobby - some will even turn their kit on a good half hour before playing a track.

In fact your car analogy can easily be transferred to how some 'audiophiles' will treat their kit - tweaking it with fancy cables, cleaning lasers,vinyl, tape heads, contact points and CD's with enthusiasm.

With the sole purpose of improving how it all sounds to enjoy music by what ever source.

Your generalisation is off imo.

 

[Vladimir]

 

[davedotco]

I wouldn't. If I started buying better equipment the limitations of the lossy files starts to become noticeable, particularly with regard to recorded ambience and soundstage.

I know just how good top equipment can sound with the best recordings, using inferior source material compromises performance at this level so I am not going there.

Are we talking Spotify Premium here? If so, I thought your view of 320kbps was that it was only distinguishable from lossless files by people who knew what artefacts to listen for, in which case your argument seems a bit self-defeating.

That is quite true but applicable to decent rather than outstanding systems, If you recall I was talking in context of an 'up to £2k' system. As is often the case, on an informal forum precise language is not always the case.

If I was attempting to build and fine tune an outstanding system, I would want the source to be beyond criticism, spatial and ambient information, is critical here and are the sort of things affected by lossy compression. I consider this to be of less importance in the kind of mid-fi system I am likely to buy.

 

[Daz B]

The music is the most important thing for me and because of that I would not consider myself as a audiophile . if you asked me 20 years ago If I considered myself a audiophile I would of said yes. I am more of a record collector who loves reading about HiFi systems. I would love to have a better system but prefer to spend my money on records. HiFi has definitely changed over the last few years with the aesthetics being a important consideration when purchasing a new system. The introduction of the internet as made this even more relevant with people posting photos of there system on forums.people commenting on how nice the systems look and how there other half's might let them purchase if it fits in with their decor. In my opinion hifi should always be about the sound quality and if it looks nice its a bonus. But as I said I don't consider myself a audiophile just a music lover who likes their music to sound good.

 

[bigfish786]

sq. Very important.

build quality, very important

pride of ownership, important to me.

collecting music. The reason why everything else is important.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Looks dont come into it at all for me. Its not furniture or a shrine