So I don’t have a super high-end system by any means. I have JBL L36 speakers. They sound awesome. There is some music that sounds absolutely incredible on them. The Beatles – Abbey Road. Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests, Robag Wruhme - Thora Vukk, Lorde - The Louvre…

There is some of my favourite music however, that sounds completely non-impactful and wimpy on the speakers as well. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again, and in fact most of their catalogue. Bowie - Berlin trilogy sounds weak but it slams in my car…

I would really love to know if someone has a great system and Depeche Mode/Bowie sound fantastic on it.

  • bigbura@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    We perceive rising distortion as a gauge on how loud things are. Think back to the first sound systems you remember and how when you turned things up what fell apart first, typically the bass.

    So when we finally have a system that can produce sounds louder than we should listen to without distortion something sounds unfamiliar. Like we equate distortion with ‘loud’. Since our mighty fine system doesn’t distort we are left wanting that ‘Linus’ blanket’ feeling, the ‘comfort’ of distortion as a gauge of loudness.

    So I’ve had to retrain my expectations with systems that do not distort meaningfully at the SPLs I enjoy, or can stand.