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In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: Accuracy vs. Musicality (and YMMV)
Post Subject: Transparancy vs. DensityPosted by Paul S on: 8/25/2024
The first casualty of “transparency” is density, an effect that can emerge quite clearly [sic] when running ribbons over horns. Not to mention that the audio version of “transparency” really has no natural correspondent. A long while back I extolled here at GSC the then-new-to-me effect I got from then-new-to-me Lamm ML2 amplifiers, the way they rendered the part of the soundfield that is “not music”, and the effect this effect had on the density and solidity of musical sounds, including the instruments that made them, also outstanding tonality. I have not bettered these effects with my current system, but I have managed to extend the range of the effects considerably, according to my wish to listen to and hear Big Music better. It is certainly not a given that wider range and more power are independent of other “sound effects”, just as it is not a given that simply turning up the volume will yield “more of the same” sound. There are plenty of possibilities when looking for reasons for this, and not all of them pertain directly to speakers or amps. Pretty much the same idea when considering “issues that arise” with “increasing transparency”. “Transducers” (such as phono cartridges or speakers) might be fraught with sound effects that manifest as “character” that is continuous, or perhaps “characteristics” manifest at certain frequencies or volume settings, or when the music is “demanding”. As for the cause or causes of problems, I harken back (again) to Romy’s recent video, where he basically wishes us all good luck in finding, isolating and fixing/changing causal parts and/or conditions in audio in order to improve (or just change) the sound. The most basic rules of making headway in audio are (not listed in order): 1) Know where you want to go. 2) Know where you are.
 
Paul S

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