alk3997
500 Club - QQ All-Star
When you think about it... it's pretty remarkable that more people don't have major differences in various recordings...there are quite a few variables that govern sound quality...one major aspect that seldom is discussed is room acoustics..the shape and materials in your listening area can have dramatic influences on sound quality...and of course our amps and speakers all vary...and there is the human element..our hearing....and when you consider those technical people who work on the production of the music...their environment is also much different in a studio...so getting all these differences to end up in one cohesive sound is impressive...and then factor in sources from 40 years ago...pretty amazing..
There are 2 philosophies in dealing with systems...one school of thought is that you properly setup(or calibrate)your system and leave it that way...this method advances the theory that your system should remain "neutral" and not "color" the music.....the other method involves constant tweaking...sometimes for an album...some do it as frequently as each song...some argue that this constant tweaking destroys your baseline with constant tweaking..
When it comes to exceptional sets like the Chicago Quad...if someone is having MAJOR problems...it's probably their system..right now it's 39 out of 40 10's...considering the caliber of members we have on these polls...I'd bet on a system problem...
I feel myself going off topic...Must stop myself...Spock...
OK, we don't often talk about how subjective sound quality really is. Remember when there were big "stereo" stores and the salesman would try to sell one set of speakers over another because they had turned up the bass on the amp feeding the one set of speakers? Loudness buttons? The modern equivalent - Audyssey Dynamic EQ?
One thing I have noticed is that your ears adjust to bass levels very quickly. So, if you play something with "heavy" bass, whatever is played next, unless it's equally "heavy", will sound like it is missing bass. This will be true, even if the second disc is the one properly mixed. Air pressure changes can change your perception of a disc from day to day. And, of course, room treatments can alter sound tremendously.
I should also point out that Audyssey Dynamic EQ, besides enhancing certain frequencies, will usually also make the rear channels sound higher and, on some discs, make the vocals sound weaker.
Here's something I've been trying to prove and can't (yet). Bass in a moving vehicle (say > 45 MPH) will become less than in the same vehicle standing still. My ears tell me that but I can't prove it.
BTW, I am firmly in the camp of set your system for one setting and then, if it's right, almost all discs will sound good. The very few that don't are the ones to look at what other people are hearing on their systems.
Sorry about the slight detour...
Andy