live music versus hi-fi

Dear audiophile, far be it from me to be contentious, but ... I have to touch a sore spot! In my professional life, I have encountered many audiophiles with hyper-costly systems, but can you believe most of them have never set foot in a concert hall? Even worse, the same applies to the owners (and sales assistants) of hi-fi stores that have attained the status of “hi-end temples”, as well as so many reviewers in hi-fi magazines! This situation is particularly concerning, as retailers and reviewers hold significant sway over their customers' and readers' minds. Having spent 54 years in this field, I can confidently assert that, with exceptions, sonic and technical ignorance is a pervasive issue among insiders in the hi-fi world, including the hi-end sector. Likewise, many audiophiles lack the foundational knowledge necessary to assess the equipment they possess or plan to purchase. And this is one of the reasons why aesthetically stunning yet sonically mediocre products can be sold at stratospheric prices! Generally speaking, if hi-end “gurus”, reviewers and audiophiles attended concerts, they could achieve a better understanding of music and its live sound. In particular, audiophiles would become less susceptible to the “succulent baits” presented by the other two categories. In turn, also these “gurus” and reviewers, if acting in good faith, could finally provide an overdue, serious and useful service to their customers and readers. However, while regularly attending concerts is certainly enjoyable and invaluable for developing a deeper appreciation of music and sound, it's not enough to judge the sonic accuracy of a hi-fi system. Why? Simply because you have no way of knowing the true, original sound contained within any given CD (or LP, for the "nostalgics") that you use to evaluate, for example, a pair of speakers. It’s a fact that without knowing the instruments' peculiar timbres, the venue’s acoustics, the recording technique, the placement of the microphones, and the manipulations of the master, with the possible addition of sonic effects and compression, you risk misjudging a good system as bad, and vice versa. For example, if you play a sharp and harsh CD on a very “soft” and “slow” system (what I call a “funeral system”), the resulting sound might seem almost acceptable. You might then conclude that the system is good, but that is a false impression. The acceptable sound is merely the result of two opposing flaws compensating each other. In reality, you're playing a terrible CD on a hopeless system! Now, if you play a perfectly recorded CD (good luck finding one) on the same "funeral system", the inevitable result will be… a funeral. And you'll conclude that the system isn't good. Likewise, poor sound can also arise from the combination of a flawless system with a terrible CD, and ... so on. In light of these undeniable facts, I hope you start realising that all reviews, opinions of esoteric “gurus”, and even your judgments are based on nothing certain! The troubling truth is that these individuals, the modern-day Pythias of Apollo’s oracle at Delphi, claim to be able to resolve problems formulated without known data. Now, you probably agree with me that the only way to correctly evaluate a system (or just a single component) is to use a sound source whose sound you are familiar with. But ... how can an ordinary person get their hands on a known source of music? If you are based in Auckland or its surroundings, it’s simple: come to the concerts of Bach Musica New Zealand and later buy the CD of the concert you attended! Attending these concerts lets you experience and remember their sound. Later, when playing the CD through different systems in some “hi-end temple”, you will have a trustworthy reference to evaluate them accurately. You'll also use these CDs to check your system, and I hope you won’t get any shocking news: my best wishes! I make the live recordings of these concerts, and I assure you that the resulting CDs are true references: completely authentic, capturing even the coughs, incidental noises, and the hum of air conditioning! They are free from phase errors as well as any electronic manipulations or effects. Depending on the sonic "violence" of the musical piece, they can deliver blistering transients with over 80dB of dynamic range, useful for testing the dynamic limits of your system. You’ll also realise that "digital" is an extraordinary medium, far from harsh! Moreover, these CDs feature pristine recordings of the audience’s applause, and clapping is one of the most taxing and complex things you could feed to a hi-fi system. Indeed, clapping spans an incredibly wide frequency range (excluding infrabass, unless the audience and/or musicians start stamping their feet), and it also demands a system with extreme speed and dynamics. Every single clap is like a miniature explosion! For these reasons, to assess a hi-fi system, a perfectly recorded hand clapping is one of the most valuable "tools" you can use, perhaps even more so than music itself. Using one of my CDs, a system that delivers perfect, crisp, clean, and natural-sounding clapping, has all the necessary "documents" to accurately reproduce music. Conversely, if the clapping sounds unrealistic and lifeless (too smooth, homogeneous, not crisp enough, and sometimes confused and/or nasal), the system has NO chance of playing back music properly. You may be sceptical, but there's no denying it! To understand the uniqueness of the sound and quality of these CDs, please visit the live recording page, and to learn more about their sale, click here. I’d also like to add that the Bach Musica NZ orchestra, its chorus, and its conductor, Rita Paczian, are of exceptionally high calibre. Performing in the beautiful Concert Hall of Auckland’s Town Hall, they primarily focus on Baroque music, but also present works by contemporary Kiwi composers, along with world and New Zealand premieres. Nonetheless, there is a recent update: our dearly beloved Rita, after gifting us 32 years of unforgettable music, has sadly stepped down. It is a great void to fill, but BMNZ will carry on, with four well-known guest conductors taking the podium for this season’s four concerts.
If you are interested in joining the Bach Musica “family", you are welcome! To learn more about this orchestra, please visit their website by clicking here. To finish, have a look at the 2026 program. The ticket prices are extremely reasonable, but you could also consider subscribing for the whole Season to enjoy even more affordable rates!
Below, a few shots of Bach Musica New Zealand, performing in the Concert Hall and in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Auckland.