What can you do without?

[miklorsmith]

The corollary to Carl's excellent idea - what values are less important to you in your pursuit?

Mine are imaging, soundstaging, and detail retrieval.  Yes, I appreciate all these things but to me they do not equate to musical engagement.

[Carlman]

That's tough since I want it all.
However, if I had to choose something, it'd be a flat frequency response for my room... because in a live venue, even all-acoustic, this is rarely an option or even consideration.  

Or... maybe I've just learned to accept my huge bass hump. ha.  Other room issues play a part also in a real-world settings... and they make an impact... such as echoes and 'ringing'... which I can control to a degree in my room.  However, I have learned to accept that I can't get my room to be flat.

[bobrex]

I agree with Carl (although I really don't wanna know about his humps ), but I'd also add ridiculously tight bass that doesn't exist in real life.

As far as imaging, soundstage, and detail retrieval, nope to me they are part of the experience and part of what makes the sounds "real"  as long as these are in balance with everything else, of course.  I draw the line at hearing the third chair violinist passing gas, or the two oboists making out during the piano concerto.

[Double Ugly]

I'm more or less with you, Mike, except for the detail retrieval.  Luckily I have the latter, and according to those who've heard the latest upgrades to my speakers, it's only going to get better!  

As for soundstaging and imaging, I have both to varying degrees, probably more than I should expect in my untreated, sonic abortion of a room.  I can't wait till I build a dedicated room, complete with all the treatment necessary to tame the nasties.  Based on what others have said, I think I'm going to be surprised by how much better EVERYTHING is in a properly treated room.

BTW, I'm sure you'll all be pleased to know that you can still be the first to donate to the DURRF[/url] (Double Ugly Revelation Room Fund).  It is completely tax deductible... as far as you know.    

-Jim

[WEEZ]

For both this thread and Carl's thread; it might be useful to define a few terms..otherwise we might say something isn't important when it actually is (or might be).

imaging; "the impression of hearing, in reproduced music, instruments and voices as objects in space"

soundstage; "the impression of soundspace existing in three dimensions in front of or around the listener"

detail; "low level components of the musical presentation, such as the fine inner structure of an instrument's timbre.

timbre; "the physical quality of a sound"

tonal balance; "relative levels of bass, midrange, and treble in an audio component or musical presentation"

resolution; "the quality of an audio component that reveals low-level musical information"

transparent; "sonic description of a component or system that has very low levels of coloration. A soundstage in which the acoustic space sounds clear rather than veiled"

dynamic range; "in audio, the difference in volume between loud and soft.

(from the 3rd edition of The Complete Guide To High End Audio by Robert Harley)

WEEZ

[AcidJazz]

freq. extension above 18Khz...since I can't hear them anyways  

[richidoo]

Things I could live without:

Expensive brand names which don't sound as good as cutting edge lesser known brands.

Audiophile snobbery.

Political commentary from audio magazine editors.

Difficult to fix room problems.

Rich

[shep]

I could surely do without the constant nagging feeling that there is something better or that maybe I'm missing something or am going deaf!
I want it all and that ain't good cause there's no way I'm gonna get it.

[bpape]

If I had to give up one thing in my system to get everything else right, I'd give up that last iota of detail.  In real life, you don't get that detail.  I want a lush, tonally and harmonically correct, dynamic, 3 dimensional presentation.

Bryan

[djbnh]

Things I could live without:

Expensive brand names which don't sound as good as cutting edge lesser known brands.

Audiophile snobbery.
Rich

Ditto.

[Joker]

If I had to give up one thing in my system to get everything else right, I'd give up that last iota of detail.  In real life, you don't get that detail.  I want a lush, tonally and harmonically correct, dynamic, 3 dimensional presentation.

Bryan

Make that two of us!!

[rollo]

If I had to give up one thing in my system to get everything else right, I'd give up that last iota of detail.  In real life, you don't get that detail.  I want a lush, tonally and harmonically correct, dynamic, 3 dimensional presentation.

Bryan

   

 I'll second that. Tight over produced bass as well as close miked voices. Sibilance must go .


  rollo

[Bunky]

Things I could live without:

Expensive brand names which don't sound as good as cutting edge lesser known brands.

Audiophile snobbery.
Rich

Ditto.

Me too

[steve]

I tend to agree with Bobrex and Bpape. I also could do without the sibilance, but that is the recording engineer's problem. To me the rest all adds up to the real life experience of being there, almost like I can converse with them individually. Very musical. I can really get drawn into some recordings.

[wet weasel]

Detail, resolution and timbre are my priorities, along with a correctness of timing, what the French call "vitesse". I will gladly forgo "euphony" in favor of agility, fleetness of foot, so to speak.
The other thing for me is bass energy. High bass levels hurt! I am much more sensitive to this than most. In my experience it is very very difficult to find a speaker that doesn't bloat the bass. (This might not always be the speaker's fault - room acoustics could be the deciding factor. Trouble is, I'm always spending my room treatment budget on a front-end upgrade...)
Of course, this is all subjective! My hearing is not the same as yours, O Gentle Reader. I freely admit that my preferences are idiosyncratic at best.
I have found one "torture test" to be most revealing of a component's quality as pertains to what I like: how it does on densely orchestrated fortissimi. Only the very very best gear will handle those without serious compression and without timbre going straight into the Diaper Genie.

The above is only opinion. But as it is *my* opinion, surely you recognize that it is, definitively, canonically and by default, Correct. (unhinged cackle)

cheers ww