I also experience this. I thought it was maybe the amp warming up? I find that when I increase the volume setting there is a few moments before the sound seems to stabilise, like it sounds slightly bloated then it seems to lean out and become perfectly balanced again.
I’m in complete agreement with most of your setting but still find leaving the display active adds a bit of musical rawness to the presentation that I really like. A little bit like slotting in a length of Lavender cable but not quite so dramatic.
I do agree with your evaluation of 3:11. In many respects you can hear deeper into the musical strands than you could with 3:8 it’s just that 3:8 had that wonderful mellifluous tone that I miss.
Thanks @Darkebear for your reply. One last question. I notice you have internet radio on, while I have it off as I don’t use it and in initial discussions was regarded as negatively influencing the sound quality. Do you now have it on because you just need it functionally like I need Qobuz, or is it because you belief it leads to the best sound quality ?
I had tried IR ‘off’ as I don’t really ue it often, and found it removeed a bit of harshness - but over time it also sounded a bit lacking; detail was also removed so I put it back on and that was better.
I had this effect with another setting MR Client that when set ‘off’ was more fluid and clean but also removed detail grit from bass, so I keep it on.
I found if you just put all unsued settings ‘off’ it is not (for me) the best way to go. I had to assess each over time in terms of the music still being interesting and enjoyable, as some settings are more fickle. I always assess it over a day or two and if I get the strong impression it is not right I roll-back the last change or two to see if things are improved.
These are at first subliminal effects which it takes some time to appreciate consciously, but they are nonetheless there. Once you do consciously hear the effect you can’t un-hear it and it pops-up immediately another time it is present.
Good heavens, no. It’s a Beta group visit. I’ve owned Naim since 1983 and have owned loads of their stuff over the years, hence why I know more about it than is probably healthy. But anything really technical is way over my head. I’m the opposite of those members who say ‘I’m an engineer’.
@Darkebear - as always respecting your tuning work to make our experiences better , while you of course in the first place try to optimize your own experience. I also applied the last suggested changes, and yes now even Geoff Castelucci’s sound of silence again sounds acceptable.
This will become my standard test track from now on as it really challenges low end. What I guess also helped is that I got the song myself which means it already arrives as WAV after my Melco transfers it from Flac to WAV - also delivers the last level of refinement….
In many ways, recordings of live gigs, which is what I mainly listen to, sound better than most live concerts I go to.
Part of this is that one is rarely in the optimal seat at a concert, and there are usually distractions and sonic compromises or acoustic interferences in the concert space.
Of course what you can never really capture is the feeling of being in the same room as the actual artists, and being part of a crowd, and being a minor influence yourself on the situation as well as a passive recipient.
Although when watching videos of live gigs on YouTube and listening through my hi-fi, I come pretty close to even that these days.
I can only agree. Indeed I only go to concerts for the experience itself because the sound quality is usually better and more enjoyable at home with my Hi-Fi system.
Generally speaking the best concerts have been in smaller venues for me also because less PA is used.
Yes, many of the gigs that I listen to on YouTube, or on Qobuz, are based on acoustic instruments recorded live in a concert (or in a studio) - especially piano, double bass, and drums.
There are many good recordings on YouTube of concerts, but of course many of them, especially the ones from decades ago, are often poor copies, e.g. of old VHS recordings.
Stuff recorded by ecm, and Nonesuch Records (e.g. Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana) is often exemplary.
But sometimes it doesn’t matter whether the recording is very good because if the gig itself is brilliant, you get carried away just by the vibe that was going on in the room on that occasion.
I found bad recent ones as well. By the way I was thinking about ECM too, great recordings indeed and didn’t know they made videos too, I’ll have a look. Thanks for sharing these two videos. I’m not a fan of Mehldau but I find it very interesting. Great video with Oscar Peterson, it really carried me away, what a vibe!
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