If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]

99% of people watching these types of videos do so on a smartphone, tablet or laptop without headphones. If they have any, they are of mediocre quality because they don't need better ones for such films. Posting such videos is pointless because they don't hear much anyway.

This video proves my old adage that audiophiles need to spend more time in recording studios to learn what happens where the mix is done. How it was recorded will bear no earthly relation to how it was mixed. Left can be placed left, right can be placed left. The entire stereo field of the clarinet can be narrowed with a few clicks if an expressive moving player was ever an issue in recording. Recording engineers place mics to get the best capture and provide the best recording options. Mix engineers get the most creative and dynamic performance from that recording using all the available audio tools in their tool box. Accuracy to how it sounded on the stage isn't even a consideration, at least it wouldn't be if I was producing. Let's not even start on EQ, compression etc. Most Audiophiles would have a fit at what we do to get spatial clarity for every instrument in a mix.

Nope. Didn't hear anything wrong. I pictured in my head the clarinettist moving much like was revealed later, but I puzzled as to what the issue was. Maybe it's because when I recorded for a living, it only rarely included orchestral instruments, and then it was usually just a section with a co-incident pair, supported by spot mics. Also being a musician, a solo instrument moving in the soundstage is not uncommon. I just didn't hear a problem. I heard the movement, but I quite liked it :D

Wonderful video! 40+ year pro mobile audio tech here. This is a great tool to show the budding audiophile/ enthusiast how to listen to things properly. It will be invaluable in teaching them the finer aspects of DSP and equalization. Thank you!

As a music lover & professional roadie, I would like to comment on the Tannoy hanging out of the road case a top of a tripod. One word, "Fired" As far as the delay, all I could think of is A/B comparing the time in the room against the machine to see where the numbers on the display land. Then use that unit tuned to those numbers in the studio to simulate the room. Long way to go about a room copy, but not sure what else to do with that thing. It's like bringing sand to the beach.

Williams Amy Brown Patricia Hall Daniel

Wait am i losing my mind, I hear clicking like someone using a keyboard almost

I hear you

99.9 percent of "audiophile" sh is gimmick. Being labeled as an audiophile would be an insult.

Rather than the stage and movement of the clarinet.. The prominent sound of the keys clicking on the clarinet was all I could really focus on, it was quite distracting for me

I heard the movement, of course, but I disagree entirely that it's a problem. Calling it a "problem" presumes that there exists a correct location in the stereo field for the clarinet. It also presumes that this location must be fixed. I submit that you are listening to the artistic work product of a skilled audio engineer. Saying there is a "problem" is akin to saying Rembrandt used the wrong color hue or brush. Ultimately, audio is a hearing art-- we hear it and render judgement about it against our preferences. Not different than fine dining being a tasting art or photography being a visual art. As with all art, it is subjective and there are no "problems."

What you perceive as a problem in fact is a matter of taste, and you admit it. Pointless video

I heard the panning of the solo clarinet right away, but was then trying to listen for a 'problem'. I thought the movement of the image slightly from side to side was delightful - not a problem at all. It made me feel he was standing in front of me where I would hear the image move as he moved. Incidentally, I visited someone's home recently and his speakers blew me away. He had an amp much like mine, but his speakers were enormous KEF 1.5m high floor-standing ones (mine are moderate floor-standing Eltek - 1m high). How much do I have to spend on speakers to get a top-end sound? OK, you can spend £15k (Richer Sound's most expensive pair) but how much to get nearly there without throwing money at the last small percentage of upper end quality?

I disagree with you completely. The Clarinet certainly moves between left and right but I don't see this as a "problem" especially when he is performing a solo and should be highlighted in the mix. Having those notes dance around in the image just makes the recording more engaging. In a fun piece like this, I feel like the movement just makes the Clarinet more alive. You're asserting that it's a "problem" when in fact it may have been utterly intentional, an artistic choice.
I don't consider myself and audiophile and I certainly don't have the budget to be one. I listen mainly on a set of Yamaha HS-8's and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 1990's so not bargain basement stuff but not what I'd regard as "audiophile". But what do these terms even really mean?
A more accurate question would have been "I have a problem with this recording, can you guess what it is?".

I'm not sure how having expensive equipment is related to panning that doesn't matter. I've intentionally done that with an instrument before in a mix (to a slightly more significant extent) because I liked how it sounded and it made the instrument more interesting. It's just artistic license rather than sound quality.
What I did notice was that the recording of his voice sounds like it has a (somewhat obnoxious) delay in one side - maybe 40ms? Did he not hear that? Maybe he's not an audiophile.😂

I heard it, thinking it was intentional. I don't consider myself an audiophile,, but I have been listening to music/playing guitar/piano since 5yrs old, over 60yrs.

Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Op.74: III. Alla Polacca

I heard the clarinet moving, yes. I am not an audio file per se, but I have been a professional musician, and I was exposed to and listening to music from the cradle. I would say I am a melophile first and audiophile second. I don’t buy $1000 cables, however.

I heard a lower end noise at a certain part, like a hum between the two channels then to the right. After I put in the second earbud I did notice the panning. I think lol.

I probably should have waited until the barotrauma and muted hearing in my right ear from a recent flight resolved itself before listening to this

I considered myself an audiophile until this. Ive now thrown my whole sound system in the backyard, set it all on fire and went and bought a 1978 JC Penny record player/tape deck/ AM-FM tuner combo with a cheep set of Yorx speakers.

The thing that stood out to me was you can kinda hear pad/finger movement (whatever they’re called on a clarinet?) and maybe breath or some clothing sound? The stereo panning was kinda nice, I’d accept it as a stylistic choice if it wasn’t pointed out as a ‘problem’

There's some kind of clicking in the background

Maybe it's the keys on an instrument or something

didn't think this was an issue at all

i dont think that's a problem

Meanwhile me listening through my phone's mono speaker: "🤔"

I love this stuff!

I'm a budding 67-year-old audiophile. I heard the separation, and it sounded very nice. I liked it. I described myself as "budding" because I'm going to swap out the copper audio cables with silver audio cables soon. That should make an immense difference in sound quality. (I hope).

I'd say I'm an audiophile as I'm almost a qualified sound engineer but I wasn't sure what I was trying to listen to cos I found this video amongst all the Foley and sound effects videos I was watching so I thought it was missing background forest ambience

Im using intermediate PC speakers and with them in hand, arms extended, pointing at ears I can´t hear anything moving.

I consider myself an audiophile and I DID hear it during both listens! I would not have described it accurately though. I would have said that I heard either one or the other speaker dropping out or maybe lowering in volume throughout the song. The left always seemed to be more pronounced though, and it WAS the clarinet that alerted me to this. I have always had an ear for sounds and music though. Perhaps because I have played various instruments since the age of 12, but never professionally. I enjoyed this.

😂 your worried about the stereo image problem and I’m over here going crazy hearing the Fn clicking sound thats low in the mix.

Let me just say that i do not care about anything this man says. "If you cant hear this you arent an audiophile" bro you wanna gatekeep being audiophile? It doesnt even matter if a person cant tell big differences in music, all that matters is if they actively try to get better sound from their devices even if it is through other's opinions, if they even just try to get closer to what the musician intended, not because they can hear it, but because they want to hear what was originally intended. They are already an audiophile and you dont need to think otherwise.
Source, the f ing definition of "audiophile" from google = An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. An audiophile seeks to reproduce the sound of a piece of recorded music or a live musical performance

I make my own cables so i know the soldering job is right .
I do not enjoy old music and my hearing is damaged anyway 😉👍
Seems like some fun here just subscribed 👍

hush unc

I was wondering what I was missing out on with expensive audio equipment, and now I know that I was only missing out on nothing, I can rest satisfied that I have no need for excessive headphones or cables.

Shit man I still couldn’t hear it even after being told what it was.

That is not an issue. It's a feature. How dull and dead would that sound, if the clarinet was just glued to the centre?! Isn't that kind of why we use these types of mic setups in the first place? To be able to hear a sound in space. If the source moves, that should be represented in the final recording. So going back to the recording, now knowing the issue, I still hear no issue! : )

The compressed audio was more of an issue than a guy moving with a instrument...

This video has nothing to do with being or thinking you may or may not be an audiophile. Its just a dude who knows the clarinet moves slightly left to right and knows the mic placement during the performance, taking jabs at 'audiophiles' who are expected to automatically know this based on a 15 second audio bite which most are probably listening on a phone or laptop. Him saying this recording has defects or problems is obtuse. A self proclaimed audiophile would gravitate towards music like this for that exact reason, their million dollar system would accentuate that sound and give the music motion, emotion and clarity in ways a cheap set up or laptop cannot.

the funny part is that i like panning and movement so i guess i even like accidental stereo imaging issues too. I never would have guessed the slight movement was a problem. I have never been an audiophile though so i was just listening with a gaming headset plugged into my motherboard.

Did you record it on top of a horse? I'm using a redmi airdots

It's subtle but you can pick it up, especially when a (clarinet) low note hits. Having played woodwind many years ago, the soloist moving is natural IMO, especially for a clarinet/oboe/sorprano sax.

listening on my 5 dollar earphones