Home Audio VS Concert Hall Audio

[ruadmaa]

Why can't home audio sound every bit as good as live audio??? At many of the pop concerts all the artists are doing is playing a recording and lip syncing and nobody knows the difference.

With some home audio equipment boasting 1,200 watt monoblock amps exactly what edge does concert hall audio have over home audio??? You are not hearing the artist in the concert hall in the first place. You are only hearing their voices amplified over loudspeakers.

In the Thomas Edison days (back in the 1920's) Edison used to get one of his recordings and then the original artist of that recording on stage and no one could tell which was being heard, the artist or the recording. And at that time mind you, there were no amplifiers, all was done acoustically.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Why can't home audio sound every bit as good as live audio???

Very good question I would say that the acoustic space is so different from a live venue and that makes a huge difference.


With some home audio equipment boasting 1,200 watt monoblock amps

Yes, but they are coasting the vast majority of time at less than 10 watts and their acoustic space and reproduction is still limited. Acoustic space is where the greatest difference is with the speakers and recording quality right up there.



In the Thomas Edison days (back in the 1920's) Edison used to get one of his recordings and then the original artist of that recording on stage and no one could tell which was being heard, the artist or the recording. .

John Dunlavy, the speaker builder in Colorado used to do this too with similar results

 

[Hi Ho]

Who said home audio isn't as good? My humble system sounds better than some concerts I have been to.

 

[markw]

Who said home audio isn't as good? My humble system sounds better than some concerts I have been to.

I have to agree with this. Many concerts have tremendous obstacles to over come. Bad acoustics, less than perfect speaker placement, all that stuff.

When a piece is recorded, either in a studio or a live concert, they have the option optimizing each recorded track and, to boot, control the stage spread.

I can't think of too many concerts where I've heard a "true" spread since most music emanated from a bank of speakers.

Now, this does not hold true for smaller venues with a small scale group, usually acoustic, such as a chamber orchestra in a well designed church where amplification isn't needed.

As for that Thomas Edison trick, I believe they "preferred" the sound of the victrola as opposed to being unable to identify it.

A similar test was performed in the late 30's with a live full scale big band orchestra behind a screen with a bigol radio. The listeners could tell the difference but they "preferred" the sound of the radio because that was what they were accustomed to hearing.

Now, Tandberg did a similar test to show off their TCD-310 cassette recorder in the late 70's. They contracted with local 4 or 5 piece chamber groups in some towns with a hi-fi salon. They would carefully record the group in a particular room on a 310. then, later or days later, they would invite guests and the group would be playing. At some point they would cut in the recording of the group and nobody could tel where it was. but, when they put down their instruments and the music still sounded just the same, it made a very good point. I was lucky to be a participant in the audience of one of these. Spooky...

 

[Sheep]

Pro sound equipment boasts much higher power ratings then 1200watts.

The goal for these systems is to paly LOUD. Hitting 20Hz to 20KHz isn't a priority, its hitting hte musical notes 35Hz to maybe 16KHz.

SheepStar