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What is your Preferred Sound Signature?  

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What is your preferred sound signature?

 

Now, I'm going out on a limb, because sound is so difficult to describe.

 

I hope everybody keeps in mind, that we are talking about preferences and not right and wrong.

 

 

I am personally almost allergic to:

 

- Perfume

- Distortion

- Boomy sound

 

That doesn't necessarily make it bad, just bad and overloading for my senses.

 

 

Multiple Choice - Tick as many as you like!

 

 

This is an open poll.

Your votes will be visible!

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Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser PXC 550 II
Blog: “Confessions of a DigiPhile”

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I chose "very linear" because I would like to hear top to bottom in balance, etc. The current sound of my system is nice and warm, with substantial bass, clear midrange and sparkly treble, and that's what I like :)

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

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I responded that I don't know how to put it in words......to be accurate....not in the words chosen for the poll.

 

I prefer +/- 3b response from 20hz-20khz with the lowest distortion products possible. After that, detail and articulation is part of the media, and almost all of today's digital playback gear can capture that. All else......that's the listening space.

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Pretty limited range of choices reflecting DigiPete's view of the world, sorry to say. Example: "Detailed, clinical and precise" -- clinical has always seemed a pejorative term in audio, don't you think? But detailed and precise is something many of us like.

Mac Mini 5,1 [i5, 2.3 GHz, 8GB, Mavericks] w/ Roon -> Ethernet -> TP Link fiber conversion segment -> microRendu w/ LPS-1 -> Schiit Yggdrasil

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Pretty limited range of choices reflecting DigiPete's view of the world, sorry to say. Example: "Detailed, clinical and precise" -- clinical has always seemed a pejorative term in audio, don't you think? But detailed and precise is something many of us like.

 

I agree that most of the options are pejorative. Even "detailed and precise" implies a lack of body or sweetness. I feel this exemplifies a lack of real world view. Most are "allergic to distortion", and this hobby is all about trade offs. The better the system, the more subtle the trades.

Forrest:

Win10 i9 9900KS/GTX1060 HQPlayer4>Win10 NAA

DSD>Pavel's DSC2.6>Bent Audio TAP>

Parasound JC1>"Naked" Quad ESL63/Tannoy PS350B subs<100Hz

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The website interface only permits 10 or fewer options.

 

All the more reason to get the options right. How many around here want "heavy anything". The options are worded in so that there is only a couple that are not "poor" choices. What about: articulate mids, effortless lows or extended highs? For me, dynamic shading (PRaT) is the single thing I cannot give up as it conveys the emotions IMO.

Forrest:

Win10 i9 9900KS/GTX1060 HQPlayer4>Win10 NAA

DSD>Pavel's DSC2.6>Bent Audio TAP>

Parasound JC1>"Naked" Quad ESL63/Tannoy PS350B subs<100Hz

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All the more reason to get the options right. How many around here want "heavy anything". The options are worded in so that there is only a couple that are not "poor" choices. What about: articulate mids, effortless lows or extended highs? For me, dynamic shading (PRaT) is the single thing I cannot give up as it conveys the emotions IMO.

 

 

 

That is why I polled that I don't care. If it sounds good to me I like it.

In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake ~ Sayre's Law

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What I have tried to have is a system that makes music emotionally involving for me, that touches my heart and soul. I find that SET amps do this for me. YMMV.

 

Larry

Analog-VPIClas3,3DArm,LyraSkala+MiyajimaZeromono,Herron VTPH2APhono,2AmpexATR-102+MerrillTridentMaster TapePreamp

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Ymmv?

Your mileage may vary.

Analog-VPIClas3,3DArm,LyraSkala+MiyajimaZeromono,Herron VTPH2APhono,2AmpexATR-102+MerrillTridentMaster TapePreamp

Dig Rip-Pyramix,IzotopeRX3Adv,MykerinosCard,PacificMicrosonicsModel2; Dig Play-Lampi Horizon, mch NADAC, Roon-HQPlayer,Oppo105

Electronics-DoshiPre,CJ MET1mchPre,Cary2A3monoamps; Speakers-AvantgardeDuosLR,3SolosC,LR,RR

Other-2x512EngineerMarutaniSymmetrical Power+Cables Music-1.8KR2Rtapes,1.5KCD's,500SACDs,50+TBripped files

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I agree that most of the options are pejorative. Even "detailed and precise" implies a lack of body or sweetness. I feel this exemplifies a lack of real world view. Most are "allergic to distortion", and this hobby is all about trade offs. The better the system, the more subtle the trades.

 

 

I do apologize that my audiophile lingo is not very polished.

My personal interest is to listen to music and not to the rig.

 

"Detailed, clinical and precise" + "Very Linear" are my personal preferences.

Sorry if they sound negatively biased.

I suppose "Invisible" would be my own best description.

 

My main interest is to spur a discussion about Sound Signature preferences.

I think many discussions would be more fruitful if we talked about how the equipment influences the sound,

rather than if it is good or bad or better.

Please feel free to create a poll to take over with more correct audiophile lingo.

 

 

PS. I want my rig to have no sound signature at all, and so I do not personally understand this longing for body or sweetness.

Now while that is my preference, I would respectfully really like to learn about every else's preferences as well.

 

 

Thanks

Promise Pegasus2 R6 12TB -> Thunderbolt2 ->
MacBook Pro M1 Pro -> Motu 8D -> AES/EBU ->
Main: Genelec 5 x 8260A + 2 x 8250 + 2 x 8330 + 7271A sub
Boat: Genelec 8010 + 5040 sub

Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser PXC 550 II
Blog: “Confessions of a DigiPhile”

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The two elements most important to me are not listed:

1) natural (as would be heard at a live acoustic event in a good location i.e. with not little or too much reverberation)

2) drive (OK this could natural transients)

I've found that a combination of these 2 really draws me into the music.

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The two elements most important to me are not listed:

1) natural (as would be heard at a live acoustic event in a good location i.e. with not little or too much reverberation)

2) drive (OK this could natural transients)

I've found that a combination of these 2 really draws me into the music.

 

In my mind, drive is akin to dynamic shading or PRaT. Another good descriptor I've heard was "impulsion".

 

DigiPete:

In rereading that, I am sorry if that sounded condescending. I primarily meant to say that I think you are seeing it from your particular preferences, and there are not choices I can really relate to. Most likely this is simply taste in speakers as much as anything.

Forrest:

Win10 i9 9900KS/GTX1060 HQPlayer4>Win10 NAA

DSD>Pavel's DSC2.6>Bent Audio TAP>

Parasound JC1>"Naked" Quad ESL63/Tannoy PS350B subs<100Hz

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If it makes my feet bounce and the hair on my arms and neck stand on end, the it is alright in my book. However it has to sound to make this happen is inconsequential.

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Detailed, clinical and precise" + "Very Linear" are my personal preferences.

Sorry if they sound negatively biased.

 

Actually, right now the vast majority of respondents shares your preferences (7 for each) while 3 are in the "some tube" camp. 5 can't describe, have no distinct favourite, or don't care.

 

Cheers,

Peter

Home: Apple Macbook Pro 17" --Mini-Toslink--> Cambridge Audio DacMagic --XLR--> 2x Genelec 8020B

Work: Apple Macbook Pro 15" --USB--> Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 --1/4\"--> Superlux HD668B / 2x Genelec 6010A

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Sorry for the disparity Pete.....sometimes things get 'lost' in translation as you have cleared up your intentions later in the thread.

 

IMO, all of these 'flavorful' and such descriptors have no reference and are pretty open to interpretation as it applies to music rendering them useless.

 

Your coincident driver in the Genelecs gets as close to a true point source as possible through the critical 800-3khz range. It is also a highly directive driver with excellent power response characteristics. When applied with a low distortion signal and not overdriven, it will produce The most accurate representation of the source music possible in the nearfield.

The propertIes mentioned above are enough To describe a listening experience, but unfortunately the audiophile community substitutes things that work with artistic or flavored terminology which detracts from what actually exists to create an 'out of body' experience or in other words,.....murky waters and superstition.

 

I've beaten my head against a wall here trying to explain things like directivity, power response, phase integration and such. If more hobbyist fully understood these principles, I doubt we'd have problems understanding each other.

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DigiPete:

In rereading that, I am sorry if that sounded condescending. I primarily meant to say that I think you are seeing it from your particular preferences, and there are not choices I can really relate to. Most likely this is simply taste in speakers as much as anything.

 

Thanks, not to worry.

It's probably partly my taste/preference, partly my lack of established audiophile lingo and partly my non-native english.

 

 

Actually, right now the vast majority of respondents shares your preferences (7 for each) while 3 are in the "some tube" camp. 5 can't describe, have no distinct favourite, or don't care.

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

Strange, I expected more people to those the "Well rounded like a good tube amp".

 

Well, Peter, I remember you remarking how you heard new details in the music when you auditioned my rig, yet the sound was not to your preference.

I hope we can agree that my rig does not present anything that should not be there, yet you were missing something or somehow not completely at ease.

It just made me think and consider the differences in preference.

 

 

Sorry for the disparity Pete.....sometimes things get 'lost' in translation as you have cleared up your intentions later in the thread . . . . .

 

As always we face the: What - How - Why question.

 

I am trying to poke at the What, while I think you are poking more at the How.

 

I am intrigued about what seems to be differences in What we like/prefer to hear.

Ears are physically different (inside and outside) and our brains are trained and programmed different.

How many of us would prefer a live venue to a good recording if everything else was equal and we didn't know if it was the one or the other.

 

You raise good points on the How, but I would like to get to know the target, the What.

Promise Pegasus2 R6 12TB -> Thunderbolt2 ->
MacBook Pro M1 Pro -> Motu 8D -> AES/EBU ->
Main: Genelec 5 x 8260A + 2 x 8250 + 2 x 8330 + 7271A sub
Boat: Genelec 8010 + 5040 sub

Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser PXC 550 II
Blog: “Confessions of a DigiPhile”

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If it makes my feet bounce and the hair on my arms and neck stand on end, the it is alright in my book. However it has to sound to make this happen is inconsequential.

 

Couldn't agree more! I've selected the "medium detail" option, as I really care for the detail only when doing "audiophile" listening on outstanding recordings, but 95% of the time I'm looking for exactly that, what you could call "involvement".

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...Strange, I expected more people to those the "Well rounded like a good tube amp"...
Okay, i'll tick that box, just to balance things out. I also like precision.

 

The words "tube sound" carry a lot of baggage because the sound of many of the original tube amps rolled off the highs. This was often desirable back in the day when components were selected based on how well they offset other system flaws, such as an overly shrill RIAA phono pre-amplifier. Modern tube power amps and good solid-state now sound virtually the same.

 

I sometime follow internet banter regarding my 50 year old Dynaco amplifier. There is a sect of audiophiles who actually like the antique "honey" sound of a vintage Dynaco and will go to great lengths to source vintage-style wax paper capacitors etc to conserve the sound. Mine is modernized and the maker of the redesigned circuits I used (Joe Curcio) is sometimes criticized for "ruining" the Dynaco sound.

Peachtree Audio DAC-iT, Dynaco Stereo 70 Amp w/ Curcio triode cascode conversion, MCM Systems .7 Monitors

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Great thread,, Since 1998 i've been relying on sound engineers/sales-guys to advise on what combination of gear in an upgradable home theater can produce audiophile sound. Investing in a Theta Pre-pro, B&W and Linn speakers, BEL amp gave and still gives a warm, lush, detailed 2 channel sound, that has just recently become much more detailed and with a larger soundstage with the addition of the PS Audio Dac II and a W4S Music server. Involvement, i like that word,, being drawn into the presentation has always been a signature of Theta Digital, and now I feel that magnified by PS Audio Dac II which i still run the analogue outputs into the Theta Pre-pro to take advantage of Theta's Analogue Matrix and Circle Surround proprietary playback giving the PS Audio feed a monster soundstage particularly detailed at low volume. So, my vote went to "Brand signature" that said, I rely so much on the input of all you guys, your ears, and all the brand engineers, to rely on their "ears" to get us to the best sound possible.

1.AsusROG750SSD/JRiver22>LightHarmonics-LightspeedUSB> PSAudioDSD+Huron/AnalysisPlus PowerOval10+ AnalysisPlus Solo Crystal In's >PASS Labs HPA-1 headphone amp-AnalysisPlus UltimatePowerCord/BlackDragonV2-AudezeLCD-X

 

 

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I selected LINEAR and DETAILED, CLINICAL and PRECISE, like DigiPete. I also don't care for perfume and would love to listen to a Genelec 100% digital system. Agree with Mayhem 13 as well - that it's really mostly speakers and the room that provide a particular sound signature beyond what is on the recorded material, unless you're using tube equipment. Accurate is another way to say it.

JohnMH

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