Music and audio

[Bret L]

Audio and music have little to do with each other. That's a hard fact
for some but true.

Musicians and music lovers will put up with all sorts of horse****.
Audiophiles and audio pros are often tune-deaf and poor evaluators of
music per se.

[Engineer[_2_]]

On Apr 22, 7:01*pm, Bret L > wrote:
> Audio and music have little to do with each other. That's a hard fact
> for some but true.
>
> *Musicians and music lovers will put up with all sorts of horse****.
> Audiophiles and audio pros are often tune-deaf and poor evaluators of
> music per se.

Not just the electronics! I've just returned from a reception at
which a brilliantly talented piano student (18 years old) played on a
restored 1700's square piano (designed before the grand piano.) The
musical experience was exceptional but the historic piano sounded like
crap compared to a concert grand (I played it myself afterward!) I
had trouble squaring this circle!
"A hundred years ago" in London, UK, I met an alleged girlfriend of
the great Georg Solti.,.. She said he used to listen to classical
works on a cheap table gramophone.
Cheers.
Roger

[Engineer[_2_]]

On Apr 23, 10:59*pm, Engineer > wrote:
> On Apr 22, 7:01*pm, Bret L > wrote:
>
> > Audio and music have little to do with each other. That's a hard fact
> > for some but true.
>
> > *Musicians and music lovers will put up with all sorts of horse****.
> > Audiophiles and audio pros are often tune-deaf and poor evaluators of
> > music per se.
>
> Not just the electronics! *I've just returned from a reception at
> which a brilliantly talented piano student (18 years old) played on a
> restored 1700's [No, see below!] square piano (designed before the grand piano.) The
> musical experience was exceptional but the historic piano sounded like
> crap compared to a concert grand (I played it myself afterward!) *I
> had trouble squaring this circle!
> "A hundred years ago" in London, UK,*I met an alleged girlfriend of
> the great Georg Solti.,.. She said he used to listen to classical
> works on a cheap table gramophone.
> Cheers.
> Roger

Correction: not 1700's, rather late 1800's, probably circa 1870...I
should have known better!
But here's a quote from Larry Fine's piano book - the "bible" of
pianos:
"The square piano, or square grand, as it is sometimes called, looks
like a rectangular box on legs... and was very popular as a home piano
during the 19th century. Its ornate Victorian case makes very pretty
furniture—but it also makes a terrible musical instrument for 21st-
century playing and practicing. Tuning, servicing, and repair are
difficult and expensive, very few piano technicians know how to do it,
and parts are hard to come by. Even at their best, these instruments
are unsuitable to practice on, even for beginners."
So, my basic point stands - great musicians can transcend crappy
instruments and sound systems... but we still strive for good
instruments and better sound systems!
Cheers,
Roger

[RickH]

On Apr 22, 6:01*pm, Bret L > wrote:
> Audio and music have little to do with each other. That's a hard fact
> for some but true.
>
> *Musicians and music lovers will put up with all sorts of horse****.
> Audiophiles and audio pros are often tune-deaf and poor evaluators of
> music per se.


I still listen to and purchase CD remasterings of old 78 RPM and war-
era V-disks. I like a good sounding system, but listening to Basie,
Lunceford etc. from a 1930's recording is just as satisfying.
Although I wouldn't bring that CD out to go audition speakers with.
There are different kinds of listening.