How close are you to the finish line

[ack]

and what's your point of reference in making that judgement. I know some won't like the classifications, but let's play along as is.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

I'll play the game. My systems mostly end up at 100, that's the point of high end audio (for me). I want it all; dynamics, scale, impact, nuance, imaging, soundstaging.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I debated between <50% and 50%, deciding in the end to vote for 50%. My system still has a long way to go, but I'm not displeased with what I have. In fact, I really like what I have. I will never go into the uber stratosphere of gear ownership so I could never say my system does it all, but that's ok. My goal is to attend to some parts of the system to enhance and improve its sound quality to a point whereby I can say it makes me completely happy. I'm not there yet, but it won't be long.

It's amazing what a little thought, effort and research can do in putting together a quality system for less than a high premium price. It can be done. My system is a good example, I think.

 

[andromedaaudio]

i voted 90 % , i am very happy with the reproduction , although the system doesnt have scale , correct low freq extension /membrane surface.
I m working on that one

 

[NorthStar]

I'll briefly comment, without voting because I just don't have a clue.

First, I don't believe in finish line; this hobby is perpetually in constant development.
Two, somewhere along the way, you become satisfied or dissatisfied with your system(s), depending on your financial situation and assessment of knowledge, and personal experience in listening to yours and other's systems. ...And in different homes too (rooms).
Three, what we have and could have are two very different things. And what we choose is ultimately our own reference.
Four, this is all so subjective in the year 2013 (fast approaching 2014).

 

[RogerD]

90 pct, unless you have 2 pair of Altec horns in your 2000sqft basement I don't know how scale can be reproduced accurately. All in all my reproduction is very natural,especially with the 4 psychoacoustic speakers in the loop. The power available doesn't hurt either 3000w,but I never use 20 pct of that,I have never run out of gas on any recording.

 

[astrotoy]

I am very happy with my system - haven't made many changes in the past decade other than adding digital. However, when comparing to say a grand piano, we have two of them in the living room next to the hi-fi room, including a Bosendorfer 225 (7'4" with 92 keys)... If you have a fine pianist playing at full dynamic range, there isn't one system that I have heard (including the Magico Q5/Constellation, Winston Ma's super system, or even our fearless leader's Wilson/Lamm (when he was in the Bay Area) system, that provides the dynamic range of a great real grand piano. We also had 4 members of the San Francisco Symphony and a pianist playing the Schubert Trout Quintet in our living room last Fall. Again, nothing close to being 20 feet away from great live musicians playing real music. I didn't think about imaging, depth, etc, etc - just being in the moment with real live music.

Larry

 

[NorthStar]

I am very happy with my system - haven't made many changes in the past decade other than adding digital. However, when comparing to say a grand piano, we have two of them in the living room next to the hi-fi room, including a Bosendorfer 225 (7'4" with 92 keys)... If you have a fine pianist playing at full dynamic range, there isn't one system that I have heard (including the Magico Q5/Constellation, Winston Ma's super system, or even our fearless leader's Wilson/Lamm (when he was in the Bay Area) system, that provides the dynamic range of a great real grand piano. We also had 4 members of the San Francisco Symphony and a pianist playing the Schubert Trout Quintet in our living room last Fall. Again, nothing close to being 20 feet away from great live musicians playing real music. I didn't think about imaging, depth, etc, etc - just being in the moment with real live music.

Larry

Will we ever get there Larry?

 

[edorr]

This scale does not work for me. I can realistically do a grand piano (80%), but not percussion (as in a complete drum kit), which is at 75%.

 

[ack]

70% here. @astrotoy: nice summary; I thought about including the Bosendorfer Imperial Grand, but then realized there are very few recordings with it for anyone to know what it sounds like (I, personally, only have the Telarc/Chopin).

 

[andromedaaudio]

In my opinion getting '' believable scale'' is the hardest thing to accomplish, its not the real thing off course
mid /highs are not so hard to get right , but perfect low freq coupling to the room is the biggest challenge

 

[edorr]

70% here. @astrotoy: nice summary; I thought about including the Bosendorfer Imperial Grand, but then realized there are very few recordings with it for anyone to know what it sounds like (I, personally, only have the Telarc/Chopin).

My comment of realistic grand piano is based on the 2L surround sound recording (Mirror Canon). I have another set coming in on MCH SACD that is supposed to be of the same sonic caliber http://www.allmusic.com/album/beethoven-piano-sonatas-op-101-op-106-hammerklavier-mw0002565048

I have not been able to pull this off with 2 channel.....

 

[Bruce B]

For anyone that voted 100%, you're lying through your teeth. There's always room for improvement, unless you've given up and said that's "good enough"!

 

[egidius]

+1

This scale does not work for me. I can realistically do a grand piano (80%), but not percussion (as in a complete drum kit), which is at 75%.

Exactly! In my studio I can do a piano (the Steinway stands just beside my system) believeably. Not percussion.

As to everything else; I believe the sound of my own violin more on my home system with humble Merlin VSM speakers, two ways but what two ways..running on Bow ZZ8 into Audio Consulting Silver Rock / MIPA; Again that system is nowhere near an Orchestral scale, but in my room I can listen to it.

As I currently just work, I listen to it as work and would consider my Studio system 80%, my home system 70% even though I like it a bit more..

 

[microstrip]

Although my system can reproduce scale with adequate symphonic recordings and I would love to give my system a great classification, when I compare it to the best I have listened to I can not go over 70%.

 

[rockitman]

I said 95%, I still have a few items to address...More Odin and or Valhalla 2 cabling, perhaps a new preamp and a tube tape preamp.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

For anyone that voted 100%, you're lying through your teeth. There's always room for improvement, unless you've given up and said that's "good enough"!

Not lying here. I'm getting 100% according to the chart. I get real bass and real scale. There is always change though, some systems are more detailed, some more musical, some more etched, some have more ambiance... but they all end up 100%.

OK, everyone fess up! Who else voted 100. I know I have an advantage but I still have to put it all together and make it work.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Personally, I find I can't answer the survey directly. Tbh, I have NO idea how grand piano in a large space sounds (don't really do classical gigs). Until 2 yrs ago I would have said less than 50%. But in the last 2 years I've made some massive leaps in improvement - direct rim drive tt/air bearing linear tracking arm/straingauge cart that has with lp eliminated time domain smear and tracking/tangency issues making my analogue as uncoloured as cd, both equally attractive, SET amps to give me to die for tonality, xoverless full range drivered spkrs to give me music dripping in tone and freedom from xover artifacts. And 4kVA balanced power/Entreq grounding/Spatial Computer Black Hole room node management/Symposium Isis isolation is expanding the transparency, stability and scale of the system.
Now I'm just looking for the perfect cable/power cord loom to complete the "illusion" of 100%, along with a little more isolation and grounding. I'd say I'm at 80% now.

 

[ack]

Not lying here. I'm getting 100% according to the chart. I get real bass and real scale. There is always change though, some systems are more detailed, some more musical, some more etched, some have more ambiance... but they all end up 100%.

OK, everyone fess up! Who else voted 100. I know I have an advantage but I still have to put it all together and make it work.

Personally, I am not sure if I can believe ANYONE has reached 100%, which is accurately reproducing ANY musical performance, like Mahler's 2nd (120+ orchestra, 120+ chorus, organ, soloists) which I am attending next Tuesday here at Symphony Hall.

The poll serves a singular purpose: to show that we not only have different preferences, but we also have different references, and that we don't necessarily evaluate things the same way.

 

[mep]

Personally, I am not sure if I can believe ANYONE has reached 100%, which is accurately reproducing ANY musical performance, like Mahler's 2nd (120+ orchestra, 120+ chorus, organ, soloists) which I am attending next Tuesday here at Symphony Hall.

The poll serves a singular purpose: to show that we not only have different preferences, but we also have different references, and that we don't necessarily evaluate things the same way.

Now there's a real shocker. I bet if you did this same poll on a Bose forum you would get people to answer they are at 100%