My argument was based on the music, which includes technique, of course. The title is ‘The quality of music’. For example, I really like Chopin’s préludes, but when I try to play them they’re lumpy and include too many bum notes (I’m not a piano player, I should hasten to add). The music is supremely beautiful and to me it has quality, but that’s something my rendition lacks!
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Yes I was grouping technique with music … as really the two go hand in hand surely. A piece of music is only an abstraction until played or rendered is it not.
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To me there are two things, how close the sound meets the music as held in the recording, and the other hand as you suggest. The first to me is sound quality of the system, the second depends on the sound quality of the recording. Of course you can pick aspects of the system to modify the replay quality to change the latter, but in essence that really is no different from adding tone controls to change some aspects on demand - or actually within their limits tone controls may be better as they can be adjusted maximise the listener’s enjoyment of various different types/qualities of recording.
Yes, that’s another angle. The way I interpreted this was in the context of the music: whether it meets my expectations. I don’t think that’s particularly related to the replay system, the recording process or medium. Tone controls couldn’t make JayZee sound like Bach!
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The music we listen to varies in recording quality and I am sure at times that others like me, enjoy favourite music that is not well recorded. A great system should make great recordings sound great while still making poor recordings acceptable.
Thankfully my system allows me to enjoy whatever I play providing the music actually appeals to my music taste. I find myself concentrating on the actual music.
My components are in a cupboard in another room so I can’t even see them whilst I am playing music. There are just my two speakers with a TV between them and with the lights turned off all I can see is the glow from my iPad as I select some music!
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Neither could any combination of system components, of highest or lowest sound quality… My point was that although the very existence of tone controls is frowned upon with “serious” music replay systems, such controls could improve the sound of poor some recordings (as long as the improvement is greater than any detrimental effect of having the controls in the circuit), e.g. by boosting the bass or treble where the recording has those unnaturally cut, or reducing them when unnaturally prominent, which are issues sometimes encountered that detract from enjoyment of the music. I’m not sure that is very different from people picking coloured speakers because they make music (or rather the type of music they listen to) sound more exciting, ditto amps, or indeed any other component. Of course with either approach other people may disagree, and different music might be so distorted from its original sound as to sound unpleasant - though if one was making an argument for electronic controls, they at least could be adjusted at the time of play to suit!
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