This weekend - particularly Saturday night I was listening to my new DAC and experienced something I don't think I've heard before on any system.  You know, I've heard great technical reproduction... instruments that sound like real instruments.... Impressive bass...great sound staging, etc, etc.  

But what I heard this weekend was real emotion in the music.  Not just in the lead singers, but also the supporting players.  I mean like, I heard the rhythm guitar player or even the drummer or keyboardist and could relate to what they were playing and was kind of wowed by their musicianship.  I mean these guys were playing their hearts out...not just technically playing the notes.  There was just a more emotional connection in the listening experience.  And an even greater appreciation that these people are able to actually do this together.

So I think maybe enhancing that emotional connection has now replaced seeking technical excellence as a goal if that makes any sense.  Maybe I stop here and just enjoy, or maybe I continue to pursue the technical in hopes of getting even more of an emotional connection.  Chicken and egg?

All about the emotion. No Rube Goldberg applications for me...which I do see on this Forum an others.

What I think you locked onto Palomino was that you touched base with the `living being` that is music. Every band that is tight, rehearsed, and then plays for fun will have a sound that is more than the sum of the musucians. It`s not easy to put words to it. I dont like using spiritual language and it`s probably no big deal to the performers other than thats how they like it. I`m not an accomplished musician by any stretch of the imagination and have only experienced the phenomina twice, once in a not very good band when it clicked,and sometimes playing with a very good accoustic guitar player who could replicate other players records.
It`s easy to say thats how all recorded music should sound once the engineer has tried his best. And...most recorded music is not spontaneous but done in individual takes. I cant comment really. Is it always captured, do they want to capture it, do you have to have the R2R experience as Steve D. mentioned ?
Well Pal I wouldn`t be here writing if I thought a good system cant look into the sound of musicians and not get the `emotional` ingredient

I`d be reluctant to tweak for a while and just  see if the vibe blooms.
I`ve been blown away a few times.

Palomino said: Quote:


From listening to your progression unfold, it seems like your stage was well set with room, cables etc, and the new DAC/transport/power supply combo tipped you over the top? Like the old story, the source, the source the source???

The thing that tipped me over the top was definitely Decware. I got an SE34 and 944s (with a Rega Apollo then) and off it went...the magical moments.

But as I learn more, I realize that, though my room has problems, mostly it is really, really good. It has adobe walls, wider at the base, so generally angling upward, segues into irregular room spaces like alcoves and other rooms, and a great deal of irregularity in the plaster. The combination gives the reflections a real problem doing the bad stuff plumb and level sheetrock rooms set up. Also the ceiling is irregular round log beams with a herringbone pattern of rough pine boards on top with open cracks. On that tarpaper creates a "diaphragm," with a foot of fiberglass on top, and an angled space above created by the "flat roof" that is really slightly sloped. This space is pretty well air tight above with sealed parapets and a foam roof, likely creating a helmholtz resonator of sorts. Finally, the ceiling changes height in the part of the room that expands into the dining area, kitchen and entry, and the whole floor is irregular bricks laying on a bed of sand.

So I have a live space that is naturally diffused and good at absorption of some of the frequency range before any real room work. With some bass traps, more absorption (conventional and otherwise), and finally EQ for low bass I could not get with traps, the room is amazing.

Progression-wise my room and Decware put me there with good recordings right off. As I have improved source, room, cables, vibration, tubes....it just got better. But the emotional effect started with Decware in an inadvertently created room that has extraordinary qualities for contributing to the sense of live feeling music.

I think state of mind plays a big role.  My thread I started on psychoacoustics mentioned this theory.  I was in the right place this past weekend and that contributed.

But I think the stage was set with everything I had done before and the new DAC put me over the top.  And I remember Steve's words on getting more from his amps by going to a better source.

I don't know if I'll make that level of emotional connection every time, but now I know I have the capability and that's a good place to be.

Raven, as I mentioned in a text, I think you need to bring the DS over to my room and give it a listen.  Maybe use my source.  My theory is I was able to get the emotional connection with my rig/room.   Let's only change the DAC variable and see where that gets you.

I've not owned a preamp in 16 years - I have nothing to try out.
I tried to borrow one from Steve, but the only one he had was that new shop one. It's not like he's got used ones laying around unfortunately. And honestly, I'm way too broke to really look at buying a preamp right now.

I was looking at even simple, balanced, studio grade XLR "buffer/booster" to see if I could bump the input to the ZMA - but I have a feeling a little booster like that isn't going to sound pretty - it's all I'd be able to afford right now.

Looks like the last few on eBay sold for about $400.

I'm totally open to budget/used options like that if anyone knows something that could hold me over till I can afford a CSP3. Steve did say we could make a CSP do what I want it to, so I have faith in him...just not the budget.