3 steps to nirvana

In a recent post, Differing viewpoints, I reported that the difference between two identical systems—Octave's mix room and PS Audio's reference room—was big enough that I developed a new mixing routine of listening to both. I start with the closest, most intimate of the two systems—that of the mixroom—and move on to the more distant presentation of the reference room. Now, I've added a third step in the process. Terri's music system in our living room. At each step along the way, I hear different aspects of the final product. Step 1. The intimate view in the mixroom lets me focus on the smallest details while the big picture presentation is more difficult to experience. Step 2. The big picture view comes into play in MR2, where it's easier to point my focus like a laser: intimate details or pull back for overall presentation. Step 3. The mix is finished. We press play on the PST. A glass of wine is poured, dinner is being prepared, and the music is playing on Terri's Stellar Strata system in the living room. This is the ultimate pull back distance from the magnifying glass inspection approach. It's just like what happens when you order an Octave Records release. Three steps to nirvana.