I would say for myself, that my system never stopped me from listening to any particular music...but it certainly ENCOURAGED me to to listen to certain kinds of music more than others because the system was better able to cope with it...mainly i speak of extremely dynamic range, complex music. I had Symphonic works in my collection but did not take them out as often...that is, until i got the big Wilsons.
Interesting. Even though I obviously don't have big speakers, I have always listened to symphonic music of extreme dynamic range. In fact, one of the main reasons I bought my system was precisely the great dynamics that it is capable of.
Suddenly, i 'randomly' decided to try Beethoven's symphonies and was stunned to feel far greater layering, understanding of the musical complexity and really enjoyed the music more. In live performances, i find that i 'get' nuances, contrapuntal themes, etc better...and was amazed to find myself hearing some of that with the big Wilsons. That has only increased as i have sought to push down distortion by isolating components from the floor (which transfers a lot of vibration)..
Yes, I now also get an unraveling of simultaneous musical strands and layers with an ease that in many cases comes quite close to what I experience in the concert hall. I didn't have that before at all, even though I didn't change my speakers. What changed? Some electronic upgrades, but it was mainly the room. Acoustic room treatment got rid of the unwanted reflections that blur and smear the sound -- think about it, you mostly don't have those in the concert hall either, which is a main reason why it sounds so clear. I noticed huge advances in this aspect of system performance even when I still had my 20-year old Wadia 12 DAC.
And by the way, while digital room correction undoubtedly can help greatly in uncluttering the sound, nothing beats the physical removal of unwanted reflections by proper acoustic treatment.
Last edited: