Not that simple, IMHO.That is the point of hifi, yes. Hifi is not always what people want though. If it was, nobody would be listening to turntables or valves, given what is now possible. @uzzy makes the perfect point.
My wife condemns my Crocs, but they give me life, air and excitement.For me - "Pipe and Slippers" is not a good attribute, but is a criticism. It means that the sound lacks life, air and excitement. It is so smooth that it's dull and soporific.
And I like vinyl, as you know, but it is no longer capable of the highest resolutions. There is something more - the process, the science, the engineering, and the visuals. Hifi, IMO, meets a more complex and nuanced set of needs.Not that simple, IMHO.
My primary source is vinyl, and there are valves in every bit of the system apart from the streamer. There is no 'pipe and slippers' here, unless it's what the artist intended.
Actually, the type of equipment is a red herring, as always. I've heard far more solid state stuff than valve stuff that rolls off frequency extremes and masks detail. There are, of course, good and bad examples of everything.
Are you sure?My wife condemns my Crocs, but they give me life, air and excitement.
If you get to the pipe and slippers stage of life, nature will roll off the extreme highs for you as your hearing deteriorates.@rabski Comfortable wouldn't necessarily mean 'blurring of detail' to me. Maybe rolling off the extreme highs.
So, first we must agree on a definition of the phrase “Pipe and slippers”.For me - "Pipe and Slippers" is not a good attribute, but is a criticism. It means that the sound lacks life, air and excitement. It is so smooth that it's dull and soporific.
Hifi for me is about presenting the music in a way that I like. In the same way different conductors can present the same piece in different ways or the difference between recordings made at live performances and those made in the studio.And I like vinyl, as you know, but it is no longer capable of the highest resolutions. There is something more - the process, the science, the engineering, and the visuals. Hifi, IMO, meets a more complex and nuanced set of needs.
I am an old git in ugly shoes, and she chose this, which suggests listening to her would be stupid!Are you sure?
Surely they just make you look like an Old(ius) Git in ugly shoes?
Listen to your Wife!
I like this post. I was chatting to a friend, @luvpies , about this very issue recently. The joy of great hifi is to reveal this, IMO. It can also reveal just how poorly some albums are produced or mastered, but get it right and the joy is supreme.Hifi for me is about presenting the music in a way that I like. In the same way different conductors can present the same piece in different ways or the difference between recordings made at live performances and those made in the studio.
...As with all subjective terms used to describe the sound we are hearing.So, first we must agree on a definition of the phrase “Pipe and slippers”.
This. 100%. And you can achieve it at any 'resolution' or with vinyl or digital.I want my hifi to do the least possible damage to my music. I want all the detail, but I don't want it artificially thrown at me or accentuated.
So am I - and mine aren't even Crocs, but Asda specials!I am an old git in ugly shoes, and she chose this, which suggests listening to her would be stupid!
sadly, I think that is true. It has been reported that Les has nothing to do with HiFi these days. I don't know what happened to Pete Sahnen.They went bust didn't they?
Nice. Next stop...Wynsors!So am I - and mine aren't even Crocs, but Asda specials!
Oh, I accept much of what you say, and I often cannot tell the difference between high-res and Redbook for exactly the reasons you say. However, new recordings recorded in high-resolution are a different matter, at least in my experience.This. 100%. And you can achieve it at any 'resolution' or with vinyl or digital.
Sorry Geoff, but the 'capable of higher resolutions' makes no difference in the vast majority of cases, because the original recording and mastering is what matters. You can't upsample or oversample 'detail' that isn't in the original.
How the other half live, I have to go to Shoe Zone.Nice. Next stop...Wynsors!
Comfortable with the fact that our hearing is naturally "rolling off" as we age@rabski Comfortable wouldn't necessarily mean 'blurring of detail' to me. Maybe rolling off the extreme highs.