Frank, how do you judge that there are no audible artifacts originating from the playback system.
Then it comes down to what one means by "bad" recordings. My definition, is that a "bad" recording is one that I don't want to keep listening to, that irritates me, the more I listen to it the more it bugs me - of course, the majority of recordings, played on the majority of systems are bad recordings, using that as the criteria. Since I aim to get a bit more out of audio than that, I work towards making the system do its part competently - and the remarkable result, for me, is that if I do that carefully enough I end up with no "bad" recordings ... a pretty good win, I reckon ...
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The key approach is having a set of recordings which tend to exacerbate, or emphasis various system problems. If every such recording passes through with flying colours then I would see the system as being in good order.
The main problems, which audibly are the most disturbing, usually lie in the area of treble reproduction, so I feed the system complex, heavily layered recordings where there is strong treble content. If it's capable of replaying well at normal listening levels then I steadily increase the volume, and listen for any tonal changes or loss of quality in the treble area. Optimum quality will allow full volume reproduction, while standing next to the speaker, without any sense of anything "wrong".
I have found that if the system passes that test, then I'm almost guaranteed that there will be no other noticeable artifacts ...
Because on least one occasion, and usually far more often than that once, I have heard the particular recording play without audible "difficulties" - a simple example, many people have a problem with noticing sibilance on recordings; if I hear that recording without that 'problem' being apparent, and nothing within the recording is "lost" in the listening, then I appraise the recording is being adequate.
Edit: of course, that means I don't have any recordings with sibilance issues ...
Part of what's going on is that the distortions of the recordings never go away, but they, those distortions, are extremely well reproduced in themselves - and they occur acoustically in the place of the speaker drivers, they don't have any echo, acoustic associated with them. Whereas, the musical performance always is a bit, or perhaps a long way behind the speakers - it's in another "place" compared to the recording distortions.
A visual analogy is, bits of dirt on a camera lens - the light sensitive pickup mechanism doesn't "see" the muck, it's focused on the action beyond ...
A visual analogy is, bits of dirt on a camera lens - the light sensitive pickup mechanism doesn't "see" the muck, it's focused on the action beyond ...
Hi Dejan, "believed" is the word
BTW, are you still with TNT?
Not for a long time, Pavel. Not for the last 12 years.
A pity, in some ways, since I am now incomparably better equipped with measurement gear than I was at that time.
But I wasted no time in between. For one thing, I learnt about a very nice linear circuit, suitable for preamps, by one Pavel Macura. A friend found it, liked the looks of it, and made it. We listened to it for a long time, I must admit to being fascinated by what I percieved as its neutral character.
Would you like to see the schematic?
One of the few DIY (I think, I don't really know its origins) designs I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone as well worth the time and trouble, and a godsend for what it costs. I mean that.
You really should post it here. I do believe Frank (fas42) would love it, and if you have a later development of it, I'd be delighted as well.
I might just emphasise that my attitude about "good" vs. "bad" recordings developed slowly, over a number of years of experimenting - I had my bunch of "hopeless" recordings, like most people would have, thinking they would always be duds, never worth listening to seriously. Then, I would manage a significant improvement in system performance in some aspect - and think, why not? That is, try giving one of the bottom of the barrel CDs a whirl, see what that showed up ... and, quite regularly, it was a case of "I'll be darned!!".
That steadily evolved to my now having the attitude that every recording can be made to come good - I see it as a challenge to work out where the performance has to be improved, for the playback to be "rescued" ...
That steadily evolved to my now having the attitude that every recording can be made to come good - I see it as a challenge to work out where the performance has to be improved, for the playback to be "rescued" ...
There's one thing you should know, Pavel, and that is that here in Serbia, The Czech republic, ex Czechoslovakia, is very well know. We drove Škodas since 1960, Czech music (Prague Philharmonia) were well know more for the art than the pressing quality, my local pub, 10m from the entrance to my apartnemt building serves ice cold Czech lager, many building and construction companies still use Tatra trucks and most of Serbian international award winning movie dicetors graduated in Prague (like Miloš Forman). In fact, we call them collectively "The Czech School". By far the most numerous tourists in the old Yugoslavia were the Germans, the Italians and the Czechs.
Because of all that, it was very easy for your design to be taken seriously as soon as it appeared.
Because of all that, it was very easy for your design to be taken seriously as soon as it appeared.
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Same here, Frank, I wasn't born with what I know today. It took me since my first contact with serious audio in 1965, when I finally nicked my dad's Uher tape recorder, and from 1970, when I started taking audio seriously.
Actually, that mention of you regarding Pavel's discrete line stage - I really meant that, I think you'd love it.
I tend to agree with you, tattoo. However, no matter how good an electrical engineer someone is, or how many degrees in science or engineering, it takes a 'good ear' and an open mind to make truly successful audio designs. The real proof is in listener acceptance, especially with experienced listeners like audio reviewers.
Skoda automobiles have been sold here since 1936, resumed again in 1947 after ww2.
A few years ago, I bought a retractable 7.5 x 13.5m swimming pool cover direct from a manufacturer in Prague, and I've cooked Czech food myself for decades.
Does that make me an expert on Czech audio matters and otherwise, or merely illustrate that I'm not an ignorant hick ?
Welcome to the rest of the world, they know the Czech republic too.
Some people like the colour green, others like red and that's fine. What we need to do is precisely define what green and red are and design accordingly. As long as that isn't done we keep running in circles.
I hope the metaphor comes across.
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