It is up to the system to convey the excitement in the music, not to make the music exciting. The system should not ‘dumb down’ the elements of PRaT that are so vital to all music.
Take my own JBL 4309’s. They are certainly what I would call an exciting speaker. Very very different to say the BBC type speakers typified by the LS3/5a’s. These are not exciting sounding speakers. You may say that the JBL’s exaggerate certain elements to sound more exciting. I may say that the LS3/5a’s suppress the rhythmic and dynamic elements of music and in so doing sap the life out of it. One could say that without knowing what the sound was like at the recording session it’s not possible to say which is the most realistic sounding speaker. There’s some truth in that of course. But more importantly I would say, is which of these speakers sounds more like someone playing live instruments? To my ears easily my JBL’s. When I hear say a busker playing an acoustic guitar in the street the sound has impact and vitality. It sounds immediate and alive in a way that the LS3/5a’s simply completely fail to reproduce. This is what matters, at least to me. A system should convey the essential elements of live music effectively. It’s not really a question of “is the system making it sound more exciting?”, but rather “does this system sound like real music?”. Real music always sounds exciting to me. Whether it’s a rock band, a church choir, someone playing a flute or a full blown orchestra. It has impact, speed, vitality, immediacy. Any system that fails to capture these vital elements to me is a failure.
That’s missing the point. The most important thing is the source. Having the amp or speakers as a weakest link is fine, but never the source. An excellent source with much a much less capable amp and speakers will always musically better a less capable source with a better amp and speakers.
This is clearly incorrect in the general sense, though perhaps it does apply to you. If it were correct then most people here, including me, wouldn’t be able to properly enjoy listening to music on their systems. My previous Klipsch speakers were far more ‘full range’ than my new JBL’s. However this new system is very easily far more musically coherent and involving than my previous one. Down to primarily the source and then also the amp. Also of couse the ability of the speakers to preserve all the essential musical elements. Bass depth isn’t musically essential. The brain is very good at extrapolating and filling in the missing depth. Not in the sense of imagining it to be there when it isn’t, but purely in musical terms. Give the brain enough of a clue and it will do the rest. Some speakers, including my JBL’s and also Kans, are very good at covering their tracks here. Quality of bass is infinitely more musically important than quantity or depth.
Small speakers like Kans can’t replicate the scale and impact of say an orchestra. But driven by the right system you don’t notice it. You’re too involved in the music to even care.
