Take It Easy

 

HiFi Basics XII: At Ease, At Home, Simple is Better
Letter from Shenzhen (21-8): doctorjohn muses on The Inner Audio Landscape

This article had an earlier incarnation, which I erased by accident due to an error in the save procedure. It is really unfortunate, as it was even more extensively delineated, and I have not been able to fully recapture some of its rants and pathos. Nonetheless, for having taken up so much time, this belabored reconstruction is close to my heart. As the article is very long, I have collated some of my remarks into Footnotes at the end of the article.

Less is Less
Within a decade, the landscape of blogging has changed enormously. Depending on how one defines it, blogging has largely migrated to various Apps. Just as Laptops have yielded ground to increasingly powerful Cell Phones and Tablets, Words have been subjugated first by Pics and Videos, then Memes and even Emoticons, in no small measure attributable to miniaturization and the fact that form has become more important than function and that the "bulky" keyboard can be circumvented. We can now even "write" orally, but anyone who spends a considerable time writing knows it is the revision and editing that take by far the most time, and AI does not help much here.

As the Word becomes less important, indeed often even irrelevant, other "Value-Added" Parameters take over. Years ago, we'd listen to something for a while and then ask: "What's the Catch?" or "Where's the Beef?"; now we don't get much of the processes and deductions, just Catchy Phrases or Big Statements, even just a moment or two, which appear more than enough to "Influence" others and garner "Thumbs Up", not to mention Monetize (this sadly increasingly applies to elections). This blog shall steadfastly remain old-fashioned.

Much of this has also permeated the world of audio, in my opinion frivolously (this in contrast to music). The Apps have become too powerful (and profitable) for even traditional trade magazines to ignore. Say, youtube, not a few magazines and writers have their channels. I am not surprised that someone like Steve Guttenberg of cnet, whose job is basically to cover the lower end in a rather perfunctory manner, has a lot of videos. They are of no use to me whatsoever but maybe newbies will find them useful. At the other end, we have someone like Michael Fremer recording videos of very expensive stuff. They are equally meaningless. Whether cheap or ultra-expensive, all are small time capsules designed to strut the stuff in the best possible light, playing rather generic music. At most one can say the sound is normal for the selections, but as a basis for informed judgement is stretching it. These are just stone throws from advertisements. This is what I call Pandering, to the Lowest Common Denominator. Of course, there are sometimes pleasant surprises, like Ken Micallef's wonderful series on musician audiophiles (kudos to him!).

The Good Read
In many ways I think the modern audiophile spends too much time reading about what others thought. As I have mentioned, much of it is perfunctory or simply declamatory. They may be harmless but they cut into your time for better things, time for developing listening (or cooking or, whatever) skills. There are few writers like AD (I also enjoy the more florid HR and more straightforward KM; also because these writers reference to equipment that I can identify with), who can make me read about something that I am normally not interested in. In a way, the best writer can write about anything and have you hooked - after all, words can (and should) be a sensual pleasure, not just reportage. The beauty of Language is its nearly infinite permutations (1)

Set Up Skills and Musical Foundation
Literature is a good thing, as it makes us work our minds, to appreciate what we may not love. As I have mentioned years ago, acquired taste is frequently the most precious. That is a must for a good reader, and I'd say also for someone deep into music. On the other hand, audio is innately different as it is referenced to real music. There may be many ways to assemble a musical system, but the goal is clear - to reproduce music well. I am not sure how much skill is needed to set up a good system. Not that much really - just a pair of music-loving ears. Smaller scaled efforts like a classic UK ss integrated amp driving the right speakers (e.g. LS3/5A) can work just fine if one can forego full-range. But with large and inefficient loudspeakers (and those with complicated crossovers to mask deficiencies), monster amps, and computer as source, more often than not the result is disastrous. While I can allow some leeway in taste, I cannot forgive gross misrepresentation of tonality, timber, harmonics and PRaT. Unfortunately, most home visits erstwhile left me at least nonplussed, if not resigned, even downright irritated or angry.

Into the Dark Side
Leeway, yes, but tailoring to taste only goes so far. Among audiophiles the violin is easily a favorite instrument, so it is doubly shocking that most systems parched out the sound of this delicate instrument, and it is a rare day when one hears good semblance of massed strings. In going for more air and harmonics in the upper registers, audiophiles knowingly, or not, sacrifice body and sound of the barrel, which is basically throwing the baby out with the water. Similarly, transients and timing are of supreme importance in jazz (in classical too, but it is not so obvious to the untrained ear), and here a larger number of system can pass muster (which is why I say never use only jazz for evaluation), though failures are still common (either too aggressive or too slow moving).

Negative emotions? Well, not at all if the host of the aberrant system conveys that it is a work in progress and knows where he is at. But the funny thing is, I have come across quite a few personalities who pride the waywardness of their systems, and a few more who even make a living out of it by advising others for a fee. More than a few hosts "guide" their guests with statements like "hear the air in the violin?" "feel the luxurious texture?" and it is ironic that most of these systems are wayward in nature. To cringe (even cower) is something that should never happen during a visit, but it happens much more often than I'd like. It all boils down to lack of knowledge of what real music sounds like. While the audiophile should follow the sound, the tragedy is more often than not the sound follows the audiophile (2)

The Personal Library
Streaming is a wonderful thing but in general it is not for the critical facility, rather the opposite. For me, and many of my friends, especially the analogue mavens, it is best for sampling and discovery of music, whether historic and oop, or the newest stuff. It can be useful in other arguably more important ways (like teaching and news delivery) but it is undeniable that noise can be overwhelming.

Although I think the audiophile should not read too much and spend more time listening to music, neither do I think they should OD on music, which is, I am afraid, rather easy, given all the devices we operate. There is a limit to how much one can explore or listen to podcasts before becoming aimless and listless. Take a Rest!

If streaming also largely supplants your other music cravings, that's not a healthy state. As much as I stream sometimes (e.g. I can do a whole Beethoven symphony cycle in a day) I do frequently have the desire to play something specific, in the best sound possible (for me, physical media), be it a Bruckner Symphony, a Brahms Piano Concerto, or some Tchaikovsky. Maybe some Ellington and Monk, or Nick Cave and Until the End of the World. You should too (with any genre), so as to have a healthy personal direction (3)

Our Petrified Selves
One should also not enshrine one's library in stone. Heifetz may "own" the Scottish Fantasy or the Glazounov Violin Concerto (the words of an audiophile friend) but should that stop you from listening to other accounts? For me, exploration, so easy with streaming, is of vital importance in keeping the music fresh in mind. Although I swear by Milstein's Solo Bach, I find much to admire in many present-day accounts. Just yesterday I listened to Yutaka Sado (new to me) conducting the Tonkunstler Orchestra in Bruckner 8th, and I was enthralled. The recording is recommended by Ralph Moore of the Bruckner Society, a very reliable guide in my experience. It is very different than the Apollinian Karajan studio version I have been listening to for decades, but it is just as grand and sonically superior. I shall be listening to more of this conductor's work, breaking my usual reservations about Japanese conductors. It is also great feeling to be fulfilled by something new instead of an old chestnut, which happens not infrequently when streaming and exploring. Yes, one must obtain a balance between re-visiting favorites and hunting for new treasures.

Striving for "The Best"
An Obstinate Belief in "Only The Best" mars some of today's audiophiles. Unfortunately, what is regarded as "the best" is frequently not an innate feeling but just "critical opinion", which dies hard. The best, and unfortunate, example is HP's LP List. I need to count on more than one hand the number of audiophiles who avidly collect his list, or even only possess what is on the list. And, yes, all of these people want First Pressings. London pressings are shunned for preference of Decca too (both are UK pressings). That is perhaps all fine, but it is a shame to pass over innumerable other equally fine London pressings. I used to grab just about every Ansermet LPs I encounter (not now as I have almost all of them), the vast majority of them on fine sounding budget STS (mostly still UK pressing), which I have yet to see an audiophile play. I still remember astonished by the sonic excellence of Ansermet's Cinderella, on a lowly late STS yellow label US pressing. I later acquired an earlier London UK pressing but didn't feel any more adrenaline rush. Indeed, same for my benchmark Rossini Overtures, the LSO/Gamba. I first heard it on a fine sounding UK CD (!) and played it to death. Later, I acquired a late Dutch LP pressing and it was not better. I then got a UK London pressing but I still could not recapture the initial joy. And yes, I had a modern 18 gm re-issue too and it was not even worth mentioning. Well, the exigencies of pressings, and many spend their precious moments wallowing in comparisons. Sigh. I cannot help but have at least some contempt for people who want what are reputedly "the best" in everything but are lacking in the self and ability to reprocess, synthesize and re-invent. That goes for fashionistas, winos, foodies and...

It seems in this age of wide open internet, people become narrower in their views, more dependent on what other people have said, less reliant on the self and less in touch with themselves. At every stage of audio evolution, for every purchase the audiophile wants "the best in its class". This proves elusive. The more discriminating the person (even if he doesn't know it at first)  the more likely he will find the majority opinion lacking. We must find our own path. Look, I spent at least a good decade with mediocre mass market stuff but that didn't stop me from enjoying music and expanding my horizon. It took another decade to hone my setup skills, to shape my taste - simply put, to train my ears. And, yes, as we say in HK, I have paid enough for "tuition". Do I have the "Best" now? Maybe a little of it, but, partly due to circumstances, I am not even spending time listening to it! I am listening mostly to low-res NML. Do I feel depraved? No, quite the contrary, I enjoy my explorations. Here in Shenzhen I only listen on the simplest of equipment. Do I miss my better stuff? A little. But I continue to enjoy music. It seems so easy to say, if the equipment makes you enjoy music, it is good, but audiophiles LOVE to sabotage themselves, and bring on troubles for themselves. That is our collective curse, from which I have largely escaped today.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
No matter how large a physical collection one has, or how much is available on streaming, there are times that we feel wanting. A few times (but no more) in our lives, we'll hear something and be instantly smitten (for me, Tallis Scholars' Allegri Miserere heard at Lincoln Center's Tower Records). Such heightened sensation is not easy to reproduce, and may have to do with extraneous and extra-musical reasons. Remember the pop song that suddenly burst out of the radio while you were driving down the Palisades on a beautiful day with a girl that after all these years you still have not forgotten? Somehow it has never worked for me to play at home the classic songs of the likes of Otis Redding, Al Green, Bill Withers etc - it just lacks some atmosphere. For someone like me, these songs are inextricably linked to radio broadcasts (for me, on an oldies station - for even older folks I can imagine the excitement when these songs first hit the charts). One can create one's own podcast but it's not quite the same. Perhaps the element of surprise is one thing good about the radio (beside the great sound on a good tuner). When I bought my first modest audio setup, I only had a receiver with radio as sole source; I only added the turntable later.

No matter how schooled you think you are in music, it'd be good to be surprised once in a while. Today, when everything is available instantly on-demand, it is actually less fun. In the old days, one eagerly awaits a favorite program, be it radio or TV. I'd make sure I was home by the time Masterpiece Theater aired, and I still remember being mesmerized by Brideshead Revisited and Jewel in The Crown. Don't you sometimes love the previews in the theater more than the movie itself? The element of surprise is also part of what makes live concerts more engrossing than canned music - the expectation generates its own hormones. Of course, live music can be less than satisfactory too, but even then one doesn't feel the total lost that one does when one plays a new re-issue LP and find it underwhelming.

Do You Feel At Home?
It is amazing how many audiophiles are actually not comfortably esconded at home - far from it. I mean, feeling like a sometime fugitive or a small-time crook in one's own home! And it's not just Wife Acceptance Factor.

Grant you, WAF is a big concern for many. It hardly matters whether you are straight or LGBTQ (no doubt more alphabets will be added as we soldier on in the Brave New World - and no doubt, after he and she, they will no longer suffice too...), somebody has to give! Well, many audiophiles really don't have enough understanding of how much they are impinging on the family. Even a bread winner has to be mindful of whether the family can enjoy and digest the bread in congenial environment.

Audiophiles often blame their significant others for curbing their legitimate activities, but I suspect the truth is not so simple. Just as we may not approve of buying all sorts of clothes and shoes and, worse, cosmetics, that really don't enhance presentation, not to mention beauty, our significant others don't see any value in (and may even harbor contempt for) our swapping things and compulsive A/B tests - justifiably I say. Face it! Much of what we do do NOT result in long term satisfaction - in fact, usually the opposite. Also, it pays to listen to your partner. Time and again we have found the long-suffering audiophile wife to be the better listener compared to her husband. Good for them to frown upon large heat sinks and garden hose sized cables!

Going to Heaven?
Ultimately, it's not even others that nag at the audiophile the most - it is that innermost doubt. Time Wasted, Financial Loss, Chasing an Elusive, often Moveable Goal. It is our own battle; the net, gurus and icons don't really help that much and often become obstacles when one refuses to let go (think of the many brand-loyal people who "upgrade" to increasing dissatisfaction). Come to think of it, the more one takes in opinions the more one has to fight - not only one's own demons but the demons of others. It is important for one to be in touch with one's own feelings, not those of others. Audiophiles are often in denial, and the more expensive the system the more so. "Heaven" is often used in audio analogy, as in "going to heaven" or "...and I'm in heaven." Dream on, but I am afraid, to paraphrase the Bible, it's easier for the camel to go through the eye of the needle than for the compulsive audiophile to go to heaven. You are your worst enemy.

Rites
After the system is set up, there are still many operational procedures in our hobby. Some, like following the sequence for turning on and off, and giving the tube preamp sufficient time before turning on the solid state amp (for minimizing DC offset), are rules. Others, like allowing a bit of warm up time, are advisable.

Still other habits become rituals. Analog fans acknowledge the pleasure of handling the vinyl. It is indeed true, and the jacket can be something to marvel at. Pre-Covid, when our gang gathered in NYC, by the time we dispersed after all the wine and food (yes, in that order), LP's would be strewn all over the place, most not played, just handled and admired. Simple pleasures that cannot be duplicated by digital media (4). There is good reason why there is a vinyl renaissance with hipsters, and it is not because of sound quality - vinyl is simply chic.

We remember the cover art sometimes even if we dislike the music inside (for me, flavorless Steely Dan). Indeed, in humans the visual memory is far stronger than the aural one - God makes us remember everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly, just as He would not let us forget there are skins not the color of our own. Fortunately, I don't remember bad songs, vulgar lyrics and music with no soul. Can you imagine if one does? It'd hurt!

The Electric Chair
Now we come to one thing many audiophiles love, but I dread - THE CHAIR. I'd say the majority of audiophiles prefer to sit in a fixed spot, arrived at after much hard work (like listening to the same snippet umpteenth time). Many mark the spot with tape. The audiophile's sense for hospitality makes him implore the visitor to take the "best" seat in the house. My considerable experience is: this is more often than not a TORTURE - most systems are just too artificial or bright. and audiophiles who insist on this kind of seating usually err on that side because they prioritize imaging and air. That is fair, but one's "Sweet Spot" may not work for another. In fact, more often than not I just get further away. Unfortunately, in HK's small flats, often there is not much room for retreat. The funny thing is, often we are introduced to the host through a mutual acquaintance, and if you see him decline the seat you know what to do...

And the chairs themselves! The well-off audiophiles in HK often would have a high-end office chair (which can cost as much as a humble system) but I have never felt right sitting in them, which feels not that different from being in the dentist's chair (torture for sure) and even electric chair - sentenced to death by an injection of non-music, the heart of music and my precious life draining away simultaneously.

As audiophiles tend to be more affluent (or plain bourgeois), aside from chairs on wheels, I have sat in (re-issues of) many of the most iconic chairs ever (Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Eames, Jacobsen etc). Most of them are actually not comfortable, more stylish than practical, and one is less likely to play air guitar when seated in one. An analogy would be the house I'd choose to live in: as much as I like the looks of Bauhaus or Frank Lloyd Wright, I probably would not find it congenial to live in one! I have been to too many homes that feel like galleries, with chairs that force you to sit straight.

The Shrine
Believe me, the older you get the more you'll see it my way. The setup is not an altar, nor a shrine, and one should not act like one is in worship. When I listen, I like to relax, wiggle in my seat, sometimes propped up by my elbow and perhaps even curled up (if permitted). For me, given a room of reasonable size, it is a must to have a sofa, preferably with a chaise lounge (in case one wants to nap, and it's great to fall asleep to good music - at home, but not in the concert hall!).

There are those who believe in the textbook setup - A clean room with only the hifi and a chair, with damping material applied where needed. Bass Traps, Absorbing Panels and the like. I am sorry to say my experience with this kind of room is also almost uniformly negative - there is always something artificial about it. Great supporting evidence: 1) such rooms at dealers and shows almost always sound terrible; 2) my experience with loaded rooms, messy or just lived in (including several of my own), are almost always positive. My take is: if music fills the room, and envelops and engages you when you are walking around, it's good music. I am sure mrgoodsound's radio is doing this (and more).

It is my belief that home audio should largely work around the home, not the opposite - which is why I really appreciate what AD wrote about his home setup in a trade magazine. If you have ever wondered why your family members don't share your interest, it is partly because you don't let them. The dad of a classmate of mine had the greatest (and valuable) toy train collection but the kids had no interest in them because he never let them touch the stuff when young.

And then There is Light
It is often said that when we listen to good music, we are transported. True figuratively but not entirely true in terms of our sensory faculties. We are still aware of our surroundings and that can be a problem. In home visits, I have no problems with messy rooms, stuffed basement and the likes - they are lived-in. But I have some pet peeves:

Dim Wit Many "serious" audiophiles deem the light an enemy for alleged electrical and sensory interference. As soon as one is seated, the light is dimmed. I don't mind some dimming, but not to the extent that I cannot read the CD booklet or track list. I mind being forced to partake in someone else's ritual, particularly when the sound is not worth it. If the room is not so dark, I can at least scan the room, maybe even move around a little. Why force me to sit in darkness? It is even worse when it is day time but all lights are kept out, which makes me yearn to get outside. Concert Halls don't dim their lights as much as the audiophile does; only the opera house gets comparably dim.

Window to the World For everyone, windows are important; for those of us who dwell in expensive cities like HK and NYC, even more so as they only come at a premium. What to put in front of the window is an important consideration. For myself, I always have the sofa close to the window as it makes me feel more at one with, if not nature, at least the world and the air we breathe. Especially in larger rooms, I don't like listening at the darker far end of the window, which makes the window seem too bright due to dilatation of our pupils. The audio should be in the darker part and I in close proximity to sunlight. Also, in HK home visits, quite often I find the equipment rack in front of the window, made worse sometimes by curtain closing. The window should be for everyone in the house, including guests (5),

If there is a message, it is, take it easy.

Footnotes

1. In literature, we appreciate writers whose styles are widely divergent. As I usually prefer a more straightforward styIe, I had a hard time initially with Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway (not to mention Joyce) but after I got into it I'd say it's a masterpiece (part of the difficulty is that it is so old English, toffee et al.., even if I, having grown up in HK, am probably as close to that culture as most Americans). Many of the greatest writers are obsessive about their work. Composers are the same: the great Brahms destroyed more than he published. They weighed every word, every note, every harmony; all we have to do is give them time and their due.

2. Talking about wayward, let's talk about ESL. I am always puzzled why so many revere the vintage Quad ESL. Well, I understand, believe me, the clean and natural portrait BUT, tell me, which live venue, classical or not, has a "sweet spot" less than the size of one's fist? In live music, you can move around or have your favorite seat, but the music always surrounds and reaches you. With vintage ESL, no, you move your head 1 inch and you only hear one channel. Isn't that HIGHLY artificial? I'd anytime prefer a system that allows me to walk around and still enjoy the sound, and my home is like that. That said, modern ESL's have improved on the size of the sweetspot.

Artificial or not, this type of fanatical imaging has many protagonists. I experienced the pinnacle of the absurdity in HK. A nice guy, well-off, experienced, one-time devotee of Maggies and ESL's, had a pair of huge Wlison's and set them up in his spacious living room. Seated in the "sweet" spot, the imaging was good and sound was reasonable, but if you moved your head even a centimeter laterally, all you heard was just one channel. I was dumbfounded that he was so proud of his setup skills. I went with my girlfriend at the time; she who was trained musically, and a concert lover, just shook her head in dismay, not impressed. In passing, I am afraid I have not had good experience with large adjustable loudspeakers.

3. For many, streaming has definitely obviated the need for digital physical media, even a personal library and even for old folks like me. I shall continue to hunt for used LPs whenever I can, but I basically buy few CDs now. My holdings (even in jazz and pop) are large enough to serve me indefinitely. But for rare and collectible recordings, newly issued radio archives etc I retain a great interest, and a good number of these can be found in streaming (but not, say, a great label like MELO).

However, for those who like classical physical media, let me remind you that it is a golden time for acquiring big classical boxes at superbudget prices. As for those into LPs, I advise visiting used record stores and charity shops and avoid re-issues as much as possible (they are more hifi but less musical).

4. When ripping CDs into files started to become popular, freeware FLAC was very popular in HK but I did not consider it for even one second because of its lack of support for metadata (what a term for something so essential). Many times I saw the audiophile trying to find something through a sea of words, no cover art in sight. A track named Allegro? Whose Alllegro? All composers wrote Allegro. As I knew then and now computer files will not be a big part of my listening, I chose to use iTunes (without Amarra) because of its friendly interface, and AIFF because it's better WAV, although better sounding in my opinion, is also quite appaling in its support for metadata. But even with better software that one pays for, one MUST spend a lot of time editing the metadata and importing the cover art. I don't have respect for people who don't. Streaming is better now as some of that are done for you (but still not very well in classical, always shortchanged). In streaming, I also choose those with better interface (free Spotify is quite good actually, simple and reasonably effective). It is a respect to the performers and composers to know their names and what we are listening to. It is not just a tune, not just time and money.

5. Hong Kong apartments, so crazily expensive, can be so small that it will defy the imagination. Once I lived for 1 month in a so-called 300 ft apartment. The bedroom could only accomodate a narrow single bed, and I could not fully stretch my legs. It is challenging to the audiophile. Later, after I repatriated, for almost 3 years I lived in a small flat in Shum Shui Po. The living room was 10 ft by 10 ft, with 5 doors (front, no landing area naturally, kitchen, bathroom and 2 miniscule bedrooms. Imagine trying to place your hifi there (especially loudspeakers)! There was a small bay window, at 90 degrees with that of the next door neighbor's. Not much wall left for racks! Yet, it was during this time that I became addicted to audio (the flat was close to the electronics district Ap Liu Street, the Akihabara of HK). Among the stuff I went though there, to name just some, were: Scott 121C, Marantz 8B, ARC D70, D115, Quad 34/405ii; Spendor and Harbeth LS3/5A's, Habeth Compact 7, Spendor SP1/2, Celestion SL6Si, Audio Note AN-K; NAD 402; Micromega Stage 1, Drive 1, DAC, Microdac, T-Drive, Microdrive, Tempo 1...Wow! I didn't have space but I had fun! :-)