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Today I listened via The Loudspeakers to the Music and
Arts CD version of Beethoven’s 9th by Furtwangler/BPO, 1942. I have
already gone off at some length (years ago, in Musical Discussions) about this
seminal performance, and I could add plenty to that report from today’s session.
But right now, I want to get down to some of the Loudspeaker-specific thoughts
about sound vs. musical content that arose today.>>
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I think today is the first time I’ve listened to this CD
since I fixed my skipping CD transport (also documented, in Digital Things).
There were no tracking problems at all today, but this CD does have “some
issues”, and I think it’s worthwhile to learn something about the history of
this performance, and the recording of it, also Music and Arts’ efforts to make
it easier to listen to, this to shed some light on what we are talking about.
That behind us, the idea I want to play with is the actual sonic cues we listen
to, depending on what we are listening for and what’s actually available to us.>>
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In terms of Musical Cues, it is worth repeating here that
The Loudspeakers have a “flat frequency response”. In other words, any
particular sound in any mix played via The Loudspeakers is heard relative to
the other sounds, more or less as they were recorded, from soft to very loud
playback levels. This means that plenty of sounds one might want “highlighted” at
a “comfortable volume” are simply not highlighted. Soft sounds stay soft, and
one might miss them unless the volume is turned up enough. To the good, appropriate details are
distinguishable at appropriate volumes, according to the recording. Details are
natural at natural volumes, and, more important to me, I get great Musical
Insight from performances I listen to via The Loudspeakers. Back to the CD in
question, I am not sure what it would sound like via an “enhanced system”, but
in any case, any “treatment” or “enhancement” of the sound of the playback
might or might not work for any particular recording. Generally speaking, the
Loudspeakers are “uncolored”, in and of themselves. As I have mentioned before,
as a purely practical matter of fact, recordings via The Loudspeakers are “all
over the place” and, for better or for worse, this is audible to me when I
listen. Since I don’t really want this, in and of itself, I am glad to share
that this sort of information is not prominent, and it is (somehow…) “set
aside” from the Music, itself, which allows me to focus naturally on the Music
and the Sound of the Music. I find the relaxation this affords me to be
invaluable for “deep listening”.>>
Paul S
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