This is a critical point (actually the whole point)…or…
“The Purpose of Home Audio”
What does it matter if the bass, midrange, treble, dynamics, “soundstaging”, etc., are all subjectively or even objectively perfect, but the music fails to captivate your interest and attention?
Try this simple experiment: Listen to your system while reading a magazine, Stereophile or Cosmo or whatever you like. Can you concentrate on your reading or is the music too distracting? If you can really focus on the article in the magazine without being drawn in to the music, your system needs something. Or, if each time you try to read, your head snaps up because you hear something good from your system, chances are you have created that special synergy of components that is the goal of home audio.
The purpose of the whole “audiophile” thing is to make a real connection between you and the music: to be involved. It is most certainly not about the chest-beating bragging rights of a ‘mine is bigger than yours’ mentality of more watts and larger speakers. BUT – if you are tapping your foot, rocking your head, hoping the recording never ends, your stereo components forgotten, the music and your brain temporarily fused
you…
are…
there!
How well each component under review meets this goal determines the rating on the “LP” scale. A rating of 10 LPs is awarded to an exceptional component that easily and consistently takes you there.
Components that earn the 10 LP rating receive the 10 Audio ‘Perfect 10 Award’.
- Note: I’ve marginalized the term “Zen” to mean “complete experience”. My apologies to Zen followers everywhere.