How is your audio treating you today?

More often than not, we ask ourselves where to put the money for the highest return? Electronics, speakers, cables or room treatment? This is a million dollar question, if only I know. The more I dwell in this hobby, the more I am convinced this is an endless adventure. You keep trying something. Sometimes I get to think that I am living in my own little fantasy, a scary thought.

It is no secret that our technologies unable to replica real sound as in a ratio of 1 : 1, no, not even a chimes. My challenge is I want to make believe I am listening to the real thing.

Bernard Haitink, I am not sure if he is true Shostakovichian, it was a commendable performance. 

A tuning requires hundreds hours of good variety of playback to affirm its worthiness. More good vibe than bad. War torn Shostakovich wrote Symphony No. 8 in 1943, his works are not actually any classical scholar would advise the beginners to start with. Anyway, symphony defines space and dimension like no other music can. Understand what you listen is critical, macro music with symphony, micro with ensemble.

Like quiet time, a conducive listening is desirable in order not to kill the mood. "Dinner ready" a shout from the kitchen is a showstopper. Late comers are disallowed to walk straight in a philharmonic hall because they will distract the play. No excuses for lateness, serve that right. Respect others' time, respect your time.

Haitink was the principal conductor of Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, one the oldest orchestras. As a trained violinist, Haitink started the first movement predominantly with strings, not overly romantic, maneuvering the sound from first and second violin, viola and cello later joined in for a workout. I can't help noticing the quirky echoes lingering around the cello F holes, a minor air turbulence there.

The shrilling brass and vicious timpani highlighted suspense and drama, something for the audiophiles to get excited about after 30 minutes into the play. Occasionally, I got into troubles discerning harmonics at polyphonic and accompaniment when they were seemingly inseparable. Symphony No. 8 is sad and dark and not the most explosive symphony I have heard, however, it is suffice to serve as bass check list. Congestion and indistinguishable bass is not what I have in mind. To maintain composure and never lose grip is on everybody wish list. I am happy with what I heard.

Capturing the mastery of Eugen Jochum whom is know for Bruckner and Brahms repertoires

Emil Gilels is a Russian pianist and as with Russian school of piano playing, they favor aggressive attack on keyboard. The virtuosity of Emil Gilels is unquestionable, and is considered to be one of the best pianists in twentieth century. He was the winner of Second International Chopin Piano competition in Poland at the young age of eighteen. What an accomplishment! I did not know what I do when I was eighteen.

Unmistakably, Steinway is known for its spellbinding golden hue warmth. The maestro's intensity and the improvisations hold your breath to grasp his play. Hearing the glimmering overtone, the steely tailing vanishing into the space, piano is truly a devil's instrument. The deafening silence between notes excites me. Brahms Piano Concerto 2 is not a particularly difficult repertoire to play, Gilels makes it almost too easy.

Berliner Philharmonic requires no further introduction, peerless strings wins world accolades. Woodwind, brass and percussion revolve around the strings. Under the scalpel precision of Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmonic reached great heights. Sir Simon Rattle succeed him as principal conductor, he is not exactly the same mold as Karajan. We shall see in time to come if Rattle can fill in the vacuum.

Mainly, I wanted an audible presentation that allows me to hear every note and harmonic. Clean upper bass is instrumental. The last thing I want is a bloated bass that mess up the balance. I got that checked.

Leonard Cohen's Ten New Songs has awesome bass, great for bass check list 

Leonard Cohen is a poet and a singer song writer. What better than dark, deep and mysterious voice to do sprechgesang? Cohen's song is largely love it or hate it. In "Ten New Songs", he added more color to the music. To me, it dilutes his sprechgesang magic. The tuneful bowling bass was a surprise, great to measure our bass reproduction.

Question is do we know the magnitude of the bass in the recording? My bass varies in the last three months. I got to nail this son of the bitch! From relatively flabby bulldozing qualities, I tighten the bass. At this point, my cello couldn't be any happier with the new found definition. Anyway, a cello should never sound thick and muddy, what more homogenizing the overtures. The inverse relationship between bass clarity and bass weight has never been this clear. I worked toward a bass to reproduce cello and drum realistically, delineated and but still pack a punch when call upon.

I like to think my piano is accurate, my lovely wife says my piano sounds more real now. She is an eighth grader. A boost of encouragement indeed. Getting the piano right is my number one audio goal. My belief if the piano is right, everything will come together. So, how is your audio treating you today?