titian said:
But nevertheless I would be interested in knowing which compositions (organ works) I should hear to be aware of these "unpossibile reproductions of tones". I know the organist over here and he might play the pieces, so I hear how they sound live.
I just notic\ed I did not reply to this. Well, it is impossible to tell you what kind of *music* will be impossible to reproduce: it all depends on the organ.
But if an organ has a Posaune 32 and an extremely high Sharff (I mean, multirank - VIII or something - with lots of high quints and octaves (1 1/3', 1' and higher) in the treble, although a system can reproduce it, you can NEVER, EVER, have the same sound in your room without suffering from ear dammage. It is true that listening from 30 meters does make the sound softer. But recordings are make from much closer (otherwise the sound would be confusing) and, what is more, a normal Stopped flute 16' is unbearable in a normal room: you will feel the pressure in your ears. Similarly, mixtures (say a two rank, 1-1/3 + 1, repeating a middle c to 2+1-1/3, will be deafening (in a very real sense) if used for long. In a small room (anything smaller than 8*6*4m) playing a real organ is a nightmare if you have to use the plenum.
Now can you get the same sound you listen to at 30 meters distance? I think not. This is because a 20-30 Hrz soundwave will not have the space to unfold and, again, you would feel an insufferable pressure on your ears.
Finally, all the nonsense about subwoofers has to be exposed: if a subwoofer is to give anything approaching true sound, it would have to be about 2000 Watts plus. What most subwoofers do is add to the upper frequencies (about 30-50 Hz). Rel claims their subwoofers work only downward. I have had one in my room (the bigger one). It did nothing to the music. Yes, you got that awful sense of pressure. And that was all. It did not do any good to the upper frequencies, as some people parrot around.
The best test you could make is this: record, in DAT, an organ such as the Huss-Schnitger one in Hamburg (there is no 32' stop); came home and play it. That would be a good test.
