While I agree with Mr. Guttenberg's final statement that it's the music that's really important, I believe a well executed audio system is a huge benefit - not a liability.
It's unfortunately true many recordings are recorded and mixed very badly, especially Rock and Pop. And the popularity of mp3 probably hasn't helped convince many artists sound quality counts. But there are enough good recordings available in LP, SACD, and RBCD to make a substantial difference in the enjoyment of music playback.
Is the cost and trouble of acquiring and setting up a really good high fidelity system worth the effort? You bet it is! Almost everyday I thank my lucky stars for the audio system I've been so fortunate to assemble. Unlike Mr. Guttenberg, my audio system consistently provides me with a very real sense of hearing great music in my personal acoustic space.
Most of the time I find the sound at concert venues less than satisfying. Unless you are fortunate to attend acoustic performances in a really good acoustic space, I would suggest a really good audio system sounds superior much of the time to a live event. Often live events are over amplified, smoke filled, uncomfortable. While they do provide a sense of excitement, they simply don't sound very good.
I hope Mr. Guttenberg is not suggesting building the best audio system we can assemble is futile! Really good music reproduced really well provides me with one of life's treasures.
While I agree with Mr. Guttenberg's final statement that it's the music that's really important, I believe a well executed audio system is a huge benefit - not a liability.
It's unfortunately true many recordings are recorded and mixed very badly, especially Rock and Pop. And the popularity of mp3 probably hasn't helped convince many artists sound quality counts. But there are enough good recordings available in LP, SACD, and RBCD to make a substantial difference in the enjoyment of music playback.
Is the cost and trouble of acquiring and setting up a really good high fidelity system worth the effort? You bet it is! Almost everyday I thank my lucky stars for the audio system I've been so fortunate to assemble. Unlike Mr. Guttenberg, my audio system consistently provides me with a very real sense of hearing great music in my personal acoustic space.
Most of the time I find the sound at concert venues less than satisfying. Unless you are fortunate to attend acoustic performances in a really good acoustic space, I would suggest a really good audio system sounds superior much of the time to a live event. Often live events are over amplified, smoke filled, uncomfortable. While they do provide a sense of excitement, they simply don't sound very good.
I hope Mr. Guttenberg is not suggesting building the best audio system we can assemble is futile! Really good music reproduced really well provides me with one of life's treasures.