| AND....recordings are just that.... recordings. Not live. We don't know what equipment was used to record the clips, nor do we necessarily know the sampling rate (and therefore sound quality). We don't know what kind of setup you have on your computer nor what speakers YOU use to play the clips back.
If the sound clips had come from a previous recording, we don't even necessarily know what horn was used for the recording.
Oodles of variables; too many to make a definitive statement about the sound quality of any given horn/player combination.
I'll just add here that there exists what is known as the "80/20 rule". It states that 20% of the people in any given sample will have 80% of the money. There is a similar rule called "the rule of diminishing returns"; the more you spend at the top end of the scale, the smaller the benefits returned might be. In other words, the first $20 you spend will get you something that works at an 80% level. It's the final $80 that adds the last 20% "quality" to the object. The "80/20" rule can be extended to become the "90/10" rule, or even further, the "95/5" rule. Monette is obviously at the top end of the scale where the "air is mighty thin". Whether you or I can hear the final percentage improvement is immaterial: those with the cash to pay think they can and for Dave, that's what is important. |