We all want a little warmth. POLL .

Right, I voted "none of the above" too.
James Taylor should sound "warm", Nine Inch Nails should not sound "warm".

 

Good point.
I could never figure out why some folks place so much emphasis on reproducing exactly whats on the recording even if it sounds dull and distant or harsh and unbalanced.

 

Fidelity, I think.

 

You mean the lack there-of. As recorded music is nothing like live music.

 

No, I think they want fidelity, or their understanding of it.

I just want enjoyment.

 

Me too.
But the recording has little to do with the fidelity of music.

 

True, but you can only reproduce so much and the system can only reproduce what's on the disc.

 

I just listen to music everyday, very occasionally I go into Hi-Fi mode with a wow that sounds amazing, but most of the time I'm just enjoying what's on the recording.
There are poor recordings and great recordings, most are somewhere in the middle. attempting to find a system were you just forget about it is not easy, I have spent a lifetime trying.
I know I have found my balance between the goal of Hi-fidelity and pure enjoyment.

 

can't agree with this one- the recording quality seems to come through no matter what system i hear it on. lately on my main system it is the no. 1 influence on fidelity / sound quality.

 

The " recording quality " or lack there of ? As most recordings are a poor representation of music.

I used to listen to my daughter practice the Cello, the life and energy the instrument produced even in the hands of an amateur made even the best audio systems pale in comparison.

 

At least someone here thinks they could be wrong. LOL

 

I don't agree with the premise of this question.

warmth is really colouration and a good system with neutrality reveals the truth of the recording. good or bad.

never buy audio equipment that is tweeked in the frequencies to give bloom or warmth.

this sonic signature is a lie and does NO GOOD service to the recording or the listener.

always go for "the truth".

 

Take a walk around any venue while someone is performing, you'll get all the variations in sound that you could
ever hope for. The sound in the concert hall fits the old real estate adage: location, location, location.

Add amplification and the problem becomes worse........

 

For me, the pre-amp will make or break the sound.
The pre is like the painter that paints the soundscape for you.
I have tried many pre-amps. SS being the most clinical, most of the time.
Cyrus, Pass Labs, ATC, Coda. In the tubes department, I have tried Cary and VTL.
Cary sounded too bright....VTL 2.5 (older original model) sound great, but I had technical problems
with it.

I have finally settled on an Audio Space pre-amp. Gives me the most natural sound.
But of course a little bit of tube rolling helps to dial in the best sound for my ears.

I do use SS state amp for my 4 ohm speakers....but for a pre, it must be tubed.

 

As to brightness vs warmth and which component to address in this quest, I've had a single set of cables absolutely skew this. I'm guessing most of have had similar experiences. One thing I might add here. While progressively working towards elimination of the unheard "noise" I have noticed that the ability to turn up the volume without that harshness/brightness becoming a factor. Clearing this "noise" adds nothing, but makes all recordings seem a little less bright, but not necessarily warm. The recordings appear deeper.
Balanced components, balanced electricity, XLR interconnects are moving my system towards the less bright side of the spectrum. Had one of the industry's foremost setup experts point me in this direction and I must say this subtraction of "noise", not hiss or tube rush mind you, has progressively allowed more transparency without the harshness or brightness that sometimes is associated with.
This "noise" can't be heard, it just gets in the way of the signal and obscures the nuances of the musical presentation. Each step in this process lets more music through without the brightness usually associated with revealing systems, yet allows the system to be more revealing. Granted there are bright recordings and while some components or interconnects tame this, the next recording which may be neutral/warm will be darkened. Best to clear away the debris than to alter the overall tonal balance. JMO

 

I think amplification. I got a pair of Focal 807v's and all the reviews said they were a little bright and border line sterile sounding.
I plugged them into my amp, a Sansui 2000A I got on Craigslist for $80. They sound supple and warm and I am really impressed. A friend brought over a newer solid state amp and hooked the speakers to them. Not supple, not warm but they did sound good. Very neutral.

I'm probably in the minority but I like a warm, pleasing sound as opposed to clinical.

 

Flatter, more extended frequency response, lack of dynamic compression, and an effortless delivery - the cones are controlled better. This is hardly suprising as the amplifier is seeing a simple load, over a narrow frequency range, rather than a lossy crossover and multiple drive units. In an ideal world, passive crossovers would not exist - they are a bad thing, and a compromise. This does not mean that there are not many great sounding passive speakers available!

I'm with you on the benefits of a good active system - the top end sparkles away, even when heavy bass is going on. Having owned five active systems and installed many more over the years, I don't think you really appreciate the gains, until going back to passive.

This doesn't make the music "warmer", but certainly the top end tends to be cleaner, as the amp has a much easier job to do.

I voted for none of the above. I don't want any equipment taking away from what's been retrieved. Having said that, if the listening room is glass walls, some soft furnishing is probably a very good idea! In fact, carefully positioned soft furnishing, is a cheap tuning tool, and would be my vote.

Many instruments simply do not sound warm to begin with, certainly not my China cymbal! If I don't change my guitar strings for a couple of years, I guess this is certainly a warmer sound than new strings - reduced harmonics etc. The maple shell of my snare drum is definitely a more mellow (warmer?) sound than the brass shell I originally used - and quieter! A towel over a friend's saxophone reduces that nasty "brass" sound.

Ultimately as long as people enjoy the music their system produces, they can have it as warm or cold as they like. Have to admit that given the choice, warm "sounds" more appealing!

If all else fails, the old Yamaha, tissue paper over the tweeter trick........

 

A recording is only going to sound as good as the weakest link, so I'd think all of the above is the way to go.

 

I've changed nearly everything on my system to get a warmer sound and I think the speakers are the biggest part of it. It all counts for sure but it's nearly impossible to make bright speakers sound warm.

 

Have you tried a few drapes, or curtains around the room? Despite what I have written in my previous post, tonal differences between speakers, can be very marked - as is the contribution of a "hard sounding" room. Depending on the system, it is often cheaper to change the sound of the room rather than the speakers.

 

I'm sure that would help. I'm not in a dedicated room so I am limited in what I can do.

 

I'd hesitate to go with "all of the above" just because if each component in the system is adding warmth, the cumulative effect could be a bit much.

 

Well, I did veto a house, because of a bad shaped potential music room!

Once staid in a house where there was wooden flooring and glass all down one side - a very "hard" and echoey sound. A few rugs and curtains later, the sound was transformed, for not much money.

 

Nine Inch Nails could never sound warm no matter what system you have.

 

F'cked if I know...and I'm serious too.