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| Commentary |
| He’s At It Again |
Why Modifications are Questionable by E. Leopold |
Absolutely nothing is as upsetting for a reviewer (and me)
than to evaluate a product, publish the results and then find
out that the component was modified before the magazine hit
the stands. This also makes EF angry as hell. He states that
although it doesn’t happen often, even once is one too
many times. He and I agree that such modifications may sometimes
be beneficial; more often than not they aren’t.
Then there are those who modify components claiming that they
can improve the sound quality; I’m sure you have heard
about some guy who modifies and “improves” CD players,
amplifiers, preamplifiers, etc. I know a few fellows myself
who claim improvements that are outright stunning. However,
careful listening after the deed had been done often reveals
that the improvements are really simple sonic modifications,
not better, just different. Personally, I hold that electronics
that need to be modified should not be on the market in the
first place. The Aurum system reviewed in TIE’s last
issue is a perfect example. Derrick Moss is a talented designer
who did all the tweaking and necessary modifications before
he put the system on the market; obviously it was designed
so that you and I could enjoy the music — no modifications
required.
The worst offenders are likely those who swap tubes continually
and may (or may not) find one tube more sonically pleasing
than another. However, you know what they say: you can’t
make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
Modifying sound is sometimes appropriate — as long as
it is done to enhance a system’s performance, not to
change it to meet preconceived, and often misguided, notions
regarding accuracy and musicality. If a system has been assembled
with attention to detail, the sound should be good; too good
in fact to be modified. If the system or component didn’t
sound right to begin with, why buy it?
However, changing the system configuration to perform at its
best should be a no-brainer. Let us not call this modification,
but rather enhancement of the listening experience. This can
be done with good wiring, resonance inhibiting shelves, contact
cleaners, power line conditioning and many other logical tweaks.
I hold that no one has the right to tell you what to do when
it comes to improving your system (except me, of course). However,
you must take steps to avoid costly mistakes. You must train
your ears; let these fine instruments guide you toward the
right decision. This will be easier once you have achieved
the art of listening, which can be practiced by listening to
the subtle sounds of everyday life.
Begin listening to — I mean hearing — your spouse.
This will train your hearing apparatus to appreciate inflections,
textures, significance, colouration and volume levels. Think
I’m kidding? Think again, for I know — as should
you — that volume levels go up and down in audio as well
as in conversation. If, however, the level goes up too much,
one solution is to turn off the apparatus that created the
noise (I recommend not trying this with your spouse; it may
be that the one being turned off is you). All joking aside,
I urge all audio enthusiasts to learn the art of careful listening,
not only with the ears, but with the body and soul. Live, preferably
unamplified, music will serve as the best reference and, while
unamplified sound may be difficult to find, it’s quite
possible — I go to a piano bar where I can sit right
next to the instrument. Listen and make notes of timbre (a
sound of distinct pitch and quality), fundamental notes and
overtones (harmonics), attack (the initial compression or rarefaction
wave caused by striking a string or drum) and texture (traits
that define and establish the character of instruments).
Once you have trained yourself to listen to musical instruments
and recognize natural sound, the electronics will truly become
the medium for the art form, and only then can you relax and
appreciate a great artistic performance conveyed through a
good sound system. |
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