I'd like to know what other people think about this matter - when I play back modern recording orchestral classical music, I find that I often have to increase the volume on soft passages to hear the instruments more clearly and then have to dial back on the volume when the music hits the crescendos i.e. I'm controlling the dynamic range as it is too extreme for my ears. This has been consistent over the years regardless of listening rooms and equipment.
I have though a wonderful DGG recording from 1959 of Richter playing Tchaikowsky's first piano concerto and from the softest to the loudest passages, volume adjustment is not necessary. The reason, I surmise, is that the DR on tape machines of 1959 was far less than what modern equipment can manage and that the DGG engineers actually understood how much DR was enough. By modern standards, this is compression of the DR and it works. Since that recording, and others, was designed for playback via LP, the DR had to be limited to accommodate the natural limitation of stylii movement in the grooves of LPs
So, I assume that in modern recordings the loud passages are too loud relative to the soft passages and that the DR should actually be decreased, not increased, for improved listening pleasure.
Dynamic range seems to be a big deal with recorded music but playback in a listening room can never duplicate a concert hall or live venue so why is the recording industry so stuck on a wide DR when in real domestic listening environments, a wide DR is actually a problem?
I enjoy Jazz as well and small instrumental group recordings are a pleasure to listen to. Playback volume can mostly be set and left alone for the duration, with enough volume to hear the ambience but not so much that I need to soften the music. Pop type music of course is known for DR compression and, I believe, is the better, not the worse, for it.
I have though a wonderful DGG recording from 1959 of Richter playing Tchaikowsky's first piano concerto and from the softest to the loudest passages, volume adjustment is not necessary. The reason, I surmise, is that the DR on tape machines of 1959 was far less than what modern equipment can manage and that the DGG engineers actually understood how much DR was enough. By modern standards, this is compression of the DR and it works. Since that recording, and others, was designed for playback via LP, the DR had to be limited to accommodate the natural limitation of stylii movement in the grooves of LPs
So, I assume that in modern recordings the loud passages are too loud relative to the soft passages and that the DR should actually be decreased, not increased, for improved listening pleasure.
Dynamic range seems to be a big deal with recorded music but playback in a listening room can never duplicate a concert hall or live venue so why is the recording industry so stuck on a wide DR when in real domestic listening environments, a wide DR is actually a problem?
I enjoy Jazz as well and small instrumental group recordings are a pleasure to listen to. Playback volume can mostly be set and left alone for the duration, with enough volume to hear the ambience but not so much that I need to soften the music. Pop type music of course is known for DR compression and, I believe, is the better, not the worse, for it.
