Your reference library
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 357 Registered: Dec-06 | When you go to audition audio equipment, what titles are you bringing with you? More importantly, why is this your reference? Not just, "I really like Hotel California"....What exactly is it about your reference that does it? What do you hear there that makes this the recording that tells you if those speaks (or amp or cdp or whatever) sound right? Or if those speaks are positioned just right in your listening room? Is there a particular spot or instrument in a track that tells you if the equipment is doing what it's supposed to or is it the whole of the track? Is it between 2:34 and 2:37 of track 4 on cd X that you hear what you're looking for? How often is stuff moving in and out of "the library"? What moves you?? I'm interested in your stories and opinions. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 586 Registered: May-06 | stryvn, Well right now having this thread moves me. I really appreciate the way you set this up. I am hopeful that a lot of us can gain a lot of useful and insightful information from each other and perhaps find some recordings we just must go out and get. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 358 Registered: Dec-06 | Mike, I know there's some very qualified ears here. I'm interested in what they're listening to and why. I'm quite certain I could learn a lot from what they're hearing. Hopefully others find it useful as well. Your interest in it is encouraging. Thanks |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 106 Registered: Jun-07 | Excellent thread Stryvn. I can learn a lot from this. I'm not really educated on what should be considered Reference material. I do know that if I am going to audition something, I have to bring music that I listen to and that I enjoy. I know something classical from the 60's is going to sound much better then stuff I listen to(Hard Rock), but whats the point if I am never going to listen to that kind of music on my system. I hate Rap, HATE country, HATE pop music. I want Rock, Rock and more Rock.lol. |
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Bronze Member Username: KevincorrFairbanks, Alaska Usa Post Number: 77 Registered: Jul-07 | A favorite Ray Brown trio/quartet. Rays bass and a great piano (Oscar P, Monty Alexander, Gene Harris) really seperates the good equipment. For guitar combination acoustic/electric and vocal Prine. More vocal Patricia Barber. Live is a high quality well recorded cd. Well anything on ECM sounds great and exposes clarity. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 591 Registered: May-06 | I just picked up a Patricia Barber on vinyl. It is both studio and live. It will be swapped into my reference library as it is so exact, so quiet. The live sounds as better in quality than most studio recordings. I only listened to it once and sent it to Jan to spin. I will never over use a record of this quality but as I continue to listen to it I will find the points of interest to dial into when evaluating any changes to my system. I will follow later this week with my #1 reference, both vinyl and CD, Pink Floyd's Animals 3rd track, Pigs. I am drafting it now. |
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Silver Member Username: Sun_kingUK Post Number: 400 Registered: Mar-04 | A selection of music for demoing equipment should first and foremost be music you know inside out. So what other people listen to is pointless IMO, other than out of curiosity. A piece of music you have heard hundreds of times on any number of different bits of kit is the most useful aid when demoing new kit. I choose five tracks; one that has deep bass, another with fast bass, one that's well produced, another that's badly produced and finally an acoustic track. I'll choose the songs I use on the day, I wouldn't bore myself by using the same five every single time I audition kit. The one constant however is as I said, that I know these songs inside out. |
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Bronze Member Username: KevincorrFairbanks, Alaska Usa Post Number: 78 Registered: Jul-07 | AV: Yes exactly. Although a recent album that I have been listening to a lot lately doesn't have the advantage of many kits, a good point, it is fresh on my mind. Especially when I find one that seems to be very well recorded. In the case of Patricia Barber Live, A Fortnight in France, which as Michael W points out is better sounding than most studio recordings. How can that be? Are we talking the same cd on Blue Note? Which LP is both live and studio? I have no Barber on vinyl. I have seen Patricia live twice. Most recently at very good venue. I never thought to use a badly produced track? |
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Bronze Member Username: SkeeterheadPost Number: 63 Registered: Jul-07 | For mid-range and vocal evaluation: You Won't Forget Me CD by Shirley Horn. Exceptional recording of voice and piano. On a decent system, you can close your eyes and you are there. |
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Silver Member Username: Sun_kingUK Post Number: 401 Registered: Mar-04 | Kevin, some systems make badly produced tracks unlistenable. I don't want a system, however 'detailed', that makes me unable to play certain recordings. Mismatching speakers to the wrong amp and front end usually causes this problem. Properly produced music will sound good on even the cheapest kit. It will sound out of this world on good kit but what about the rest of your collection? It needs to be able to cope with that too. Don't only take superb recordings along to the demo. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 8129 Registered: Dec-04 | However, this being the reference music thread, it is presumed that your selections are the very best for you. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 593 Registered: May-06 | Pink Floyd -- Animals -- Track 3 or 1st song "B" Side -- Pigs The opening has a string echo fade off (exit stage left and back) at about 00:08; I keep listening to see if there will be a seventh echo. I listen to the depth of the pigs "grunts" and each of the acoustic guitar strums. Then I listen to the drums kick in at 01:07 for the timing and pace. This all gives me a sense about how "on" I have things dialed in with speaker placement, seat position, ICs, and Speaker wire. If everything is dialed in this is also useful for when swapping in and out. I will call this my "Definition Test". There is a percussion instrument, in the background, left of center, slightly elevated, sometimes it sounds like someone striking a drum stick on a steel tube railing, other times it sounds like a wood block. It shows up at 01:49. I use this to evaluate if what I have done has muddied up my sound, over tightened it, or left me the "naturalness" I am looking for. At 3:22 I listen closely to the "radiate cold shafts of broken glass" to pick up the nth level of detail or see if it just doesn't sound like shards of glass falling. Usually it doesn't. It did with scotch one night. At 03:47, there is a "click" of drum sticks followed 9 seconds later by a piano sweep into drum roll. I listen for where the piano starts (near inside of left speake), and stops (about center of sound stage), and the separation of it from the drum roll as well as how far back the drum roll is in the sound stage and how far right it carries. There is another one much later in the track with different emphasis. This helps me in identifying isolation of instruments as well as sound stage. I cannot say accuracy as it can be different, subtle or significantly, based upon what changes I am making and I have no point of reference for what exactly right should sound like. There is a guitar rhythm loop which at times can be painful in pitch, other times it is mellow and fills in nicely. I notice it around 4:13. I use this too for finding the "naturalness" of my sound. I guess it is sounding very natural lately as I had trouble finding this one. Finally at 08:46, I listen for the background vocal that only showed up after significant tweaking. I listen to see if they are clearer or more articulate. This gives me an excuse to listen to the whole song as most of my reference work is done at about the 4 minute mark with this track and often times at the 1:07 mark if I am looking for just one thing. I do this with both CD and vinyl, probably ruining my Japanese import in the process. |
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Bronze Member Username: SkeeterheadPost Number: 66 Registered: Jul-07 | I'm sorry to have to say this but AV's advice is absurd. While he is certainly entitled to his bias, suggesting that someone take poor recordings for serious auditioning is like suggesting one take that 1970 Ford Pinto to qualify for a NASCAR race. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 8136 Registered: Dec-04 | This is the reference listening thread, we are dealing with the best of the best in your catalogue and experience. Don't let it get off track, gentlemen. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 8138 Registered: Dec-04 | I have held off for lack of being next to my stereo. This thread needs particular attention, and a short review of the tracks/albums would best serve the purpose. However, I just reviewed this particular song on the puter, and everything it brings back to my mind is how good it sounds at home. Rush;subdivisions. Subdivisions entails everything that this trio does so well, and how well such a complicated piece of music can be portrayed so well. In particular, the bass and drums can be heard(and felt) in seperate corners of my room, with absolute distinction, resolution and timing. The snare is relentless, in time and resolve, driving the song into keyboard(played by feet) and soaring guitar to boot. This track, from 'Signals' is a very difficult one to reproduce in proper time, and the recording is up to the task. Fantastic timing, superb drumming from my hero, demanding drive and pace. Can you play it properly? Note: Later on the album, 'The analog kid' is a test of coherence not to be missed. Try to keep up! |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 111 Registered: Jun-07 | Nuck, are your sure you don't write reviews for Audio equipment?lol that was well said. I feel that being the young feller hanging around in the audio forum's, that none of my music would be considered Reference music. I do listen to some old Rock such as Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton though. Perhaps my GF's music is considered more Reference material. Gwen Stephani anybody?lol |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 361 Registered: Dec-06 | Mike...that's a great review. Tomorrow night I will sit down with a printout of your writeup and give a listen. I will say on my last listen to Pigs on my gear I was somewhat disappointed with the overall presentation. And I actually thought it was due to the format (cd). It seemed a bit shallow in soundstage. I remember my Animals album on vinyl from way back. BUT, having said that, my room leaves a lot to be desired and my speakers are not where they should be! I should have an opportunity to do something about that tomorrow night. You hit the nail on the head with the purpose of the thread, tho! I now have something to zero in on. Nuck, Subdivisions is one of my favorite Rush tracks! I do not, however, currently own it on cd. And being that I am without TT, I can't figure out how to get my vinyl into the 1072. I think I will be making a trip to the store tomorrow to pick this one up...I think that album (at least a few of the tracks) could find it's way into the "reference" category. Nick- Nuck knows a thing or two about timing and pace and which player will deliver! Anybody else wanna chime in?. I think we're starting to scrape the surface. I know there's some pretty good ears out there! |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 112 Registered: Jun-07 | Stryvn-Indeed he does. My comment was a compliment to him. I look forward to your list. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 10965 Registered: May-04 | . "I do listen to some old Rock such as Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton though." A thin wimper is heard from the side of the room where the walker stands. . |
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Silver Member Username: Sun_kingUK Post Number: 402 Registered: Mar-04 | Dennis, I stated that I take one of my poorer recordings along to demos (as well as other good stuff) - that doesn't mean that I dust off an old 78 record and take that along! I have plenty in my collection, stuff I play heaps, that I consider to be poorly recorded. As I said earlier, a well recorded album played on ANY system will sound good so surely that's not all we've got to test, right? I don't want to buy a piece of kit that will render 1/3 of my collection unlistenable. Do you consider all your albums to have first-rate production? Bright kit would render a lot of mine painful. So your NASCAR quip was absurd IMO. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 595 Registered: May-06 | I think the intent here is not to promote one favorite over another, but to learn what to listen for. Suppose someone already listens to live music and they find pieces that can bring that to them? Yes, I know listen to live music is the only way to understand what your system can do and that is 100% the best way to get "it". However, when it comes to recordings, which is how 99.99% of us can get the experience of the musicians, it helps all of us to know what others are listening to in order to establish that their systems are doing whatever it is, right or wrong, that they are looking for. I have not seen another thread that even came close to this. Clowning or nay saying not appreciated. Just go with it for the benefit of all, again, right or wrong. This isn't for the Jans, Franks, Nucks, Arts, Stus, Erics, Davids, or Mikes, as much as it is for everybody. Nobody can know everything about everything, yes not even Jan. Indulge one another, allow us to post without rebuttal. Let it flow. Oh, good God I am not from California. LOL. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 113 Registered: Jun-07 | Well said Mr. Wodek. Jan-sorry I didn't mean Old, ahhhhh how about classic?lol Actually I love listening to my Led Box Set DVD in DTS.MmmMMM sounds so good. Are DVD's ok? Or Do you guys when picking reference material to test speakers with, only use LP and CD? Well enough of me, I will let the experts get back to the posting, as I continue to learn. |
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Bronze Member Username: KevincorrFairbanks, Alaska Usa Post Number: 83 Registered: Jul-07 | "I do listen to some old Rock such as Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton though." ' "A thin wimper is heard from the side of the room where the walker stands.' " Good one  That reminds me of a conversation I had with a younger friend who is a pro musician and happen to have left 1000 LPs w/mine in storage. So I was explaining how the great saxophone solo you would hear in "old" rock was normally just sitting in, not with the band. The jazz players often recorded in the same studios and made a great contribution. He wanted to know what sax solo since his idea of old rock was the late 60s and early 70s while I was talking about the 1950s! |
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Gold Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY United States Post Number: 1188 Registered: Oct-04 | I've realized most of the music I've enjoyed for the first 39 years of my life just wasn't that well recorded, or that the emotion it conveys is so blunt, for lack of a better term, that there is little sense in trying to extract detailed nuances from it, IMHO. I don't think I'll ever truly get sick of LET IT BLEED or STICKY FINGERS, and I have been able to clean-up what it is I'm hearing on certain tracks, but I honestly don't think I enjoy these recordings more because of it, my fondest memories of these recordings are of listening to them on scratchy-vinyl on my mom's Sterophonic all-in-one receiver/turntable. What I'm discovering is that with better equipment, I want to listen to new, better recorded artist, often having to reach outside my comfort-zone. I keep a copy of Jan's Emma Demo Disc around for tweaking & auditioning because it is very thorough in ability to push a set-up through the paces, and while I appreciate the quality of all the recordings & their usefulness for my purposes, I wouldn't say it's all my cup of tea, but then I don't think it was ever intended to be. Listen to what you like, but know what it is your listening to, and remember, you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear. (sorry for the cliche). |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 2288 Registered: Sep-04 | I always have a combination of good and poorly recorded music. In both cases, it should give me an emotional buzz. Examples: CD: Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (atrocious recording, excellent songs) Oscar Peterson Trio - Night Train 'Georgia on my mind'. Possibly the most heart rending jazz performance of this song ever made. Typical 1960-ish Verve recording, easily made boring through disjointed reproduction and poor timing. Ludovico Einaudi - Le Onde. Beautifully recorded solo piano - and a nice piano too. Led Zeppelin 2. 'Whole Lotta love' (or anything from this album). Not particularly well recorded but superlative performances. Easily screwed up by poor PR&T or veiled equipment. Ray La Montagne - 'Till the sun turns black' - Fabulous recording, evocative haunting melodies. We were playing with two (yes 2) £14000 CD players on a system and on occasions one player trounced the other and on other occasions the other player was the better player. It seemed to change depending on the nature of recording, the style of music etc. Still not sure which CD player I'd choose... Records: Art Tatum - 20th Century Piano Genius, 'Begin the Beguine'. If the PR&T isn't great as well as dynamic contrast, it falls flat. The recording quality is awful and there's someone in the foreground tapping their nails against a glass (out of time). The performance is fabulous. Paco De Lucia - Siroco. 'La Canada' and 'La Barrossa'. Bright difficult recording. Fast Latin tempo, very difficult to get right. Mary Black - No Frontiers. 'Columbus' evocative gorgeous voice, nice recording. Billie Holiday - Songs for distingue lovers. 'That ole devil called love'. Evocative, yet not brilliantly recorded. Saint Saens Organ Symphony - Duruffle. French Conservatoire (I think). Beautiful. Boring if the pace isn't right. Any recording can teach you something about your system. You just have to listen with both your heart and your head. Regards, Frank. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 10968 Registered: May-04 | . "Any recording can teach you something about your system. You just have to listen with both your heart and your head." Possibly, but I've got a few where my heart and my head tell me, "Don't you ever play that thing again." . |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4708 Registered: Dec-03 | I agree with the post a while back from A.V. -- listen to something you know very well. See whether there is more in it than you heard before, and, if so, try to identify what it is. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 597 Registered: May-06 | Frank, I thoroughly appreciate your post. I will print it and bring it along when I shop the used vinyl stores in hopes that I will find a couple on the list in either vinyl or CD. Cheers good fellow! |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 363 Registered: Dec-06 | Thanks for the input, Frank. I too, have printed out your post for future consideration while perusing the racks. The variety in your library suggests (to me at least) these are truly gems. "You just have to listen with both your heart and your head" Yep. Nick K- I have what I consider to be reference material but I'm not sure I can put into words why. I'm listening and learning...kind of the reason for the thread. I find Frank's comments extremely interesting... "...easily made boring through disjointed reproduction and poor timing." "Easily screwed up by poor PR&T or veiled equipment." "...very difficult to get right." "Beautiful. Boring if the pace isn't right." |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 121 Registered: Jun-07 | Stryvn- I hear ya. I can probably post some stuff that I find to be reference, to me at least, as well. Like you, I just don't know how to put it into words. Frank's post was great. I didn't know one single artist in the post, but I think I will purchase some off that list anyway.Cheers. |
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Silver Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 209 Registered: Feb-07 | For instrumental music I like to audition with Metallica's "To Live is to Die" from the the " ...And Justice for All: album. This song has some really interesting guitar tones, both with distortion and clean tones, as well as some really interesting guitar harmonies. The fact that the bass is mixed in low on the entire album helps the ear to distinguish the guitars, as well the various drum and cymbal strikes. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but definitely worth a listen. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 123 Registered: Jun-07 | David-Right up my alley. I will pick it up. |
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Silver Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 212 Registered: Feb-07 | Right on Nick. |
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Bronze Member Username: SkeeterheadPost Number: 68 Registered: Jul-07 | Frank, I was just about to conclude that no one other than me listens to jazz music. Some of the recordings you mention are excellent for system evaluation. |
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Bronze Member Username: SkeeterheadPost Number: 69 Registered: Jul-07 | How much can one really learn from a recording that sucks? I guess you could determine if it sucks even worse or has magically transformed into an audiophile's dream. Uh-huh. Would you really purchase equipment from this evaluation? |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2005 Registered: May-05 | I use a few bad recordings when I'm seriously evaluating a component or system. Why? Because I own some bad recordings. While I'm not looking for the system to make it sound better than it can possibly sound, it has to be listenable. There's no point in having a system that limits your catalog. Some great systems will make a bad recording unlistenable, while other great systems will make a bad recording enjoyable. But, it isn't the be all, end all of the evaluation process. Its usually one of the last steps, and can be a final deal breaker for me. My bad recording of choice - Jimi Hendrix Experience Hendrix re-mastered CD. The recording has been somewhat cleaned up, but the imaging is way off, bass guitar sounds bad, and the drums sound like cardboard boxes. Its really a shame that music that good is recorded that poorly. Some systems I've heard have drawn me into the music and forget about the short comings - Naim, Rega, Bryston, McIntosh for example. Other systems have made the CD awful and boring - Krell, Electrocompaniet, Music Hall. Every now and again I think about putting a demo disc together, but never follow through. I generally take a random few CDs with me that I listen to most often. I generally try to bring the following - Encomium - A tribute to Led Zeppelin - Various Artists Most of the CD's sound and production quality is great. My favorite is Stone Temple Pilots' cover of Dancin' Days. Mainly acoustic guitars, bongo drums, and some electric guitar. Scott Weiland's voice is very well recorded with very little echo. Some systems can make the song boring, while others can make it seem like you're there. Some systems will push the short electric guitar notes back, while others will throw them up front. Led Zeppelin 2 - Whole Lotta Love In addition to what Frank said, the part in the middle of the song when Page's guitar and Plant's voice is circling around the room can show imaging height, width, and depth. It should sound like a continuous circling, and not randomly here and there. Some of the best systems manage to screw this up. Combine that with Page's guitar screaming in your face when this part ends. I've heard too many systems make this sound boring. Staind - Mudshovel - From Dysfunctional The opening bass line can show how fast or slow a system is. Alice In Chains - Would? Shows bass pace in a different way than Mudshovel Pink Floyd One of my favorite recordings and songs. It can sound very natural and organic. It can also sound dull on the wrong system. Korn - Make Me Bad If the system is the least bit muddy, this (or just about any other Korn song) will expose it and make it seem so much worse. The guitars are tuned pretty low, playing in a lower mid almost upper bass region. In a clean sounding system with great PRaT, this song will move you. On the wrong system, especially one with a lower mid-range bump, it'll sound beyond awfull. Metallica - Tuesday's Gone Cover from Garage, Inc. Its hard to call it Metallica, because there's only two of the members playing. John Popper, Jerry Cantrell, Les Claypool, and a few others play in it as well. It was recorded live for a radio broadcast. Great acoustic guitars, voices, harmonica... everything. Metallica's To Live is to Die is another one of my favorites for the reasons mentioned earlier. Its also a great song IMO. I've got plenty more, but don't want to take up too much space. |
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Silver Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 214 Registered: Feb-07 | Good post Stu. I was going to mention Led Zeppelin as well as one of my favourite bands to listen to when auditioning. Something about Jon Bonham's drummming while listening to a good system, really, really LOUD. On lesser systems I find Zeppelin can end up sounding rather "sloppy", perhaps because of the less sophisticated recording techniques used in the 70's (I actually read in Guitar Magazine years ago that some of the guitar tracks - possibly from Zeppelin IV? - were actually recorded in a bathroom). |
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Gold Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY United States Post Number: 1189 Registered: Oct-04 | I've got some of those same tracks on my short-list Stu. Stone Temple Pilots/Encomnium/Dancing Daze -Excellent vocal, great vibe, great recording, better than Zep? Alice In Chains/Unplugged/Would? -I like the live version better than the studio track, I've stated before that I really love the sound of those MTV Unplugged sessions I've heard The Rolling Stones/Stripped/Spider and the Fly -The few live rehearsal recordings really stand out on this album, and really make the rest of the album pale in comparison The Old Crow Medicine Show/Big Iron World/Down Home Girl -A great remake of a old classic, fantastic harmonica jumps up front & center Bob Dylan/Love & Theft/Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum -The jumping baseline on this song gets stuck in your head, Dylan's grizzly old voice just adds to the effect, great song Stevie Ray Vaughan/The Sky Is Crying/Life By The Drop -Stevie on a 12-string and his only acoustic recording, I just like the way it sounds |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 129 Registered: Jun-07 | SWEET!! Stu, David and Christopher have some great taste in music. Stu every album you listed I have. I also use Led Zeppelin and Alice in Chains Unplugged for reference material. I also bring some Big Wreck-In Loving Memory Of- with me as well. Every song on that album has a insane bass line. |
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Bronze Member Username: KevincorrFairbanks, Alaska Usa Post Number: 86 Registered: Jul-07 | Denis Michael: "...Frank, I was just about to conclude that no one other than me listens to jazz music..." Hi. Notice my post above! I was thinking Art is the only one. He has mentioned some good ones from time to time. My collection is 70% jazz, 20% blues, 10 pop/rock/ethnic. I have many Oscar Petersons and a few Art Tatums but not listed in this specific topic. I am going to go now and see how good Oscar sounds on Pablo Rec vinyl! I have a lot of Pablo label. Oscar did a series of 5 LPs at a friends private studio in Germany, some of his best work ever. I never thought to consider the sound quality, the sessions are so great: "Exclusively For My Friends". |
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Bronze Member Username: KevincorrFairbanks, Alaska Usa Post Number: 87 Registered: Jul-07 | I should have said see Michael Wodek's and my posts above. I still wonder if we are talking the same Patricia Barber Live CDs. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2006 Registered: May-05 | Sorry... The Pink Floyd track I was referring to is Wish you were here. I haven't heard the Alice in Chains Unplugged album. Another great demo track - Phish - Julius From Hoist The intro and parts throughout the song, the soundstage is huge. This song is capable of imaging past the walls. But the soundstage collapses when the choir and acoustic instruments stop and the guitar picks up for some strange reason. I don't know why, but it sounds better overall on my headphones. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2007 Registered: May-05 | "Stone Temple Pilots/Encomnium/Dancing Daze -Excellent vocal, great vibe, great recording, better than Zep?" As sacreligious as it sounds, yes. I also like Cheryl Crow's D'yer Maker better than the original. Even worse, Hootie and the Blowfish's Hey Hey What Can I Say is great too. I hate that band, but they really did that song justice. When I was demoing a Bryston system, the salesman liked them so much he made a copy of the CD and uses those tracks during demos. |
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Silver Member Username: StefanomVienna, VA United States Post Number: 827 Registered: Apr-06 | Pink Floyd, The Wall, has and will likely continue to be my primary album for judging quality. It can certainly evoke emotions of out me on a good system; it can certainly separate good speakers from bad in terms of imaging, resolution, dynamics, etc. And of course, it was the first album I listened to which made me realize what a good system could do. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 364 Registered: Dec-06 | Mike, I've never heard the glass in Pigs sound real. But as I listened tonight, I realized I never heard the "glass" end so abruptly either. It really sounds "fake/piped in" when it suddenly stops rather than fading out. After I moved the furniture around and moved the speakers (away from the wall and no longer toed in) I got a satisfactory listen with Pigs. I also heard a note in Stevie's Riviera Paradise I've never heard before. Around 5:18...left of stage. Sounds like a broken string or an erroneous clanger. And I've listened to that song hundreds of times. Subdivisions is my definition of "attack". That cut gets after it. I want to hear this on a poorer system. Listening to it in the car on the way home tonight gave me some insight to how things can go wrong. The Analog Kid and The Weapon are highlights from Signals for me as well. Thanks for the nudge, Nuck. Thanks Stu. I'll be giving your stuff a listen real soon too. Next time I go over to my Dad's I'm going to bring some of this reference stuff I've been listening to here and give it a whirl on Dad's Onkyo receiver, cdp and AAL speakers. I should hear a difference there..... I can almost hear the muddy sound now. I think I'm going to get a dose of what all this timing talk is about too. Thanks to everyone participating here...this has already paid off for me! |
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Silver Member Username: James_the_godDoncaster, South Yorkshire England Post Number: 559 Registered: Jan-05 | One song I can't stop listening to is Meatloaf - The Monster Is loose with particular reference from 3:36 to around 5:20. There are a lot of instruments and musical activity if you listen carefully. The build up from the moment he (Marvin Aday) sings with the piano in the background starts to create an ambience for the what I find a sensational transient that starts at 3:57. His voice in line with the choir like backing and the vocal harmony really embraces you. Its small things like the bass guitar at 4:03 that make it special. It does to me and I'd expect it do the same with anybody. After the piano leads in to almost a theme of repetitive drum and guitar beats which you know is leading to something good and the familiarity of knowing whats going to happen next doesnt get boring to me. There is a lot of attention with various string instruments, the drums etc so it all creates a really energetic feel. 4:32 the best of the song is here, and it sends shivers down my back. His voice becomes more present along with the vocal harmony backing, I find it such a perfect combination. Then the drum and guitar beat starts again along with i think violins, bells, to come out of the transient and go back to 'the monster is loose'. Listen to it.. there is a lot of complexity to it, his voice sounds so real. |
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Bronze Member Username: SkeeterheadPost Number: 71 Registered: Jul-07 | Way to go, Kevin!!!! |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 366 Registered: Dec-06 | Kevin, Do you have a particular Prine cut or album that shines? |
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Bronze Member Username: KevincorrFairbanks, Alaska Usa Post Number: 93 Registered: Jul-07 | The new Prine, Fair and Square is very good. The opening song Glory of Love is great. John P is known for his humor and has one on this cd called Other Side of Town (where his mind goes when she goes on just a little too long about somthin he hadn't done). "When she's done I come down stairs and assume the body of the one she presume who cares" Because I got every album as they came out, when I first heard the new one, I thought ya, well more of the same. Then with repeated listening (wife and Mom love him) I realized that he is doing the same thing only better. That realy is remarkable to improve instead of the formula getting stale. His label Oh Boy http://musicfansdirect.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=62&HS=1 It was not sudden improvement though. He had made a few great albums in the last 15 yrs: Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings and maybe his classic: The Missing Years which outside of the title song has some very unusual instrumentation and great playing. With Prine it is not just about sound, but his way with words. His albums are full of clever lines: "Grampa in the front yard leanin on a rake wondering if his marriage was a big mistake" Moms' favorite is his collection of duets with country lady singers: In Spite of ourselves. Only one of his own songs on that. I don't listen to country, especially the new pop cw but this cd is like Doc and Merl Watson. In other words, classic American music, defying genre. Meaning everyone likes it. I am way off topic here talking about music not sound. I do believe that Fair and Square is well recorded. Don't bet on me though. |
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New member Username: Dl_spryReno, Nv Post Number: 10 Registered: Aug-07 | I'll come in late on this because I just want to say John Prine is one of the best wordsmiths out there in my opinion and a long time favorite. I saw him sit in with a group of street musicians at an art and craft festival in Aspen in 1975 an he is just amazing. I heard him join in on a song a half dozen street musicians were jamming on and from 30 feet away recognized his voice. I ran over and there were he and Ramblin Jack Elliot setting in. WOW!! As far as his reference songs, this is a little off the beaten path but Nanci Griffiths cover of Speed of the Sound of Lonliness with him doing backup on the Other Voices, Other Rooms album is absolutly amazing. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 608 Registered: May-06 | On my way to purchasing a Roger Waters' "Amused To Death" Holland Pressing Vinyl online I came across this review of the album. I apologize for not being careful enough to credit the author but am posting it here as I found it most helpful when listening to the CD the past couple of days. THIS IS NOT MY INPUT!!! IT IS COPIED FROM A WEB PAGE REVIEW.... Amused To Death Written by Roger Waters Produced by Patrick Leonard and Roger Waters Mixed by James Guthrie Recorded in Q-Sound. Engineers: Hayden Bendall, Jerry Jordan, Stephen McLaughlan Mastered by Doug Sax & Ron Lewter at The Mastering Lab, Los Angeles. Dedicated to Private William Hubbard (1888-1917), Eighth Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, City Of London Regiment. Track 1. The Ballad of Bill Hubbard - 4:19 Listen for the dogs barking WAY off your right shoulder--outside your wall, typically--and a home shopping network type broadcast off to the left. The track then moves into a narration provided by the genuine Alf Razzell, of the British Royal Fusiliers, as he describes his inability to save his colleague, Private William Hubbard (to whom ATD is dedicated), from death and possibly never being found in the trenches during the battle of the Somme in France during World War One. Jeff Beck's creamy, haunting guitar sets the stage while Patrick Leonard's keyboards and Luis Conte's percussion weave an opening track that deftly foreshadow the fantastic aural play about to unfold. If you don't have speakers capable of recreating the bottom-most octave (20-40 Hz), you'd better hook up a subwoofer. You'll need it to appreciate most of the bass work and to recreate the full spatial effects from this recording. Track 2. What God Wants, Part I - 6:00 With the young girl speaking off to the extreme left and the menagerie of animal noises sprinkled throughout the stage, Graham Broad's somber bass drum pulse eases you into the track before it picks up its tempo. Guitar rock? Yesiree! Jeff Beck, Geoff Whitehorn, Tim Pierce, and Andy Fairweather Low blend their individual guitar work here to exquisite effect and Graham Broad's timekeeping propels the composition along like soldiers marching in lock step. There were some outcries from some religious groups about the lyrics when first released. Listen for yourself. If you are inclined to be offended, it is important to understand that Waters is not condemnatory of "God"; he is instead satirizing those who declare "God" to be in support of whatever it is they are "selling." As Waters explains, this song "was written as an irritable response to the idea that God can be on somebody's side and not on somebody else's side." And, in my opinion, it is VERY effective here, especially with the combined voices of the London Welch Chorale Track 3. Perfect Sense, Part I - 4:16 Ok, so close your eyes and just go with this one. There is a bizarre voice off your left shoulder, actually a backward masked message. Fan web sites speculate as to what the rising pitched rant and following message may be, and Stanley Kubrick is at the center of all the speculation. The cover of ATD shows an ape intently watching television. The Stanley Kubrick connection, through his film 2001: A Space Odyssey, will be obvious to most. From the massed ape vocalizations early on, to lyrics like "The monkey sat on a pile of stone... And he stared at the broken bone in his hand," the symbolism and references seem clear enough. During the opening sequences of 2001, we see the "evolution" of apes, as they progress from passive and timid to aggressive and war-like as they learn how to "master" a tool, an animal bone used as a bludgeon. Here, the tool is television, but used, in Waters vision, in the same fashion. Be sure to pay attention to the clap of thunder which starts, just after the backward masked message, off your right shoulder then rolls forward, continuing across the front of the stage, then slides up the left completing a clearly defined, semi-circular pattern! A bit later, we are treated to a solo piano followed shortly by a solo violin hanging in space off to the extreme right. Waters lyrics here are ironic and clever, but the strings, bass and Patricia (P.P.) Arnold's voice are the stars. We're definitely headed somewhere. Track 4. Perfect Sense, Part II - 2:50 Waters' voice opens, leading into another guitar driven cut. Rick DiFonzo's low grunting guitar is deep, articulate, and powerful. Here the irony kicks into high gear with a battle televised as a sporting event, complete with Marv Albert doing the battle play-by-play. Track 5. The Bravery of Being Out of Range - 4:42 Here, the energy kicks up again with solid, detailed bass guitar runs. Denny Fongheiser's drum work, Patrick Leonard's Hammond and synth efforts, and Tim Pierce's guitar work are the stars here. Natalie Jackson and Lyn Fiddmont-Linsey's backing vocals are vaguely reminiscent of the "Great Gig in the Sky," from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. No super effects here, but this song is definitely rock 'n' roll. The sarcasm here is scathing; the underlying message perhaps too close to home to be funny. Track 6. Late Home Tonight, Part 1 - 4:01 Ok, be prepared to snap your head over you left shoulder to locate the dripping faucet. This sound effect seems to originate from well behind you on the left side of the room. True to the Q-Sound effect, as soon as you turn your head to localize it, it seems "connected" to the front left speaker. Return your head to the front and center position, and it is again well behind you on the left side of the room. The tempo slows down again here, and we are back to remarkable sound effects used to heighten the story telling. Fighter cockpit and tower controller conversations, as well as other flight sounds, are all around you. Luis Conti's percussion throughout this track is vividly detailed and varies widely, from rock riffs to tribal rhythms. At the very end of the cut, listen for the fighter to release its missile and the resultant detonation. That very dynamic explosion (watch the volume here!) literally rolls through the room, starting well behind the speakers then rushing past your chair on its way toward the back wall like a wave! Track 7. Late Home Tonight, Part II - 2:13 The military dirge-like coronet by Steve Sidwell sets the somber tone. Sounds here include aircraft and felines. Track 8. Too Much Rope - 5:47 Effects out the wazoo here, and what a blast, ranging from TV shows to chopping wood. From a horse drawn sleigh crossing the stage, considerably forward of the plane of the speakers, from left to right, to a Ferrari later re-crossing from right to left, this cut is quite an extravaganza. James Johnson's bass runs are DEEP, articulate and defined. As I've indicated, you really need full range speakers (or a good sub?) to appreciate the power of this cut in particular, and this work in general. The beautiful blend of guitar tones from Steve Lukather and Geoff Whitehorn, combined with Andy Fairweather Low's feather strummed 12-string Rickenbacker, yield a delicious sound. We even get to hear Patrick Leonard's children (Jessica and Jordan) screaming near the end of the track before fading into the sound of a warm summer evening with its cricket refrain. Track 9. What God Wants, Part II - 3:41 Opening with a televangelist speaking off to your left, the choir is back, and this time the theme is more driving; more negative and ironic too. Once more, guitars rule. More crickets, night sounds, and a final train whistle off in the distance--way out behind the front wall and encompassing the room--to close the track. You are surrounded by the sounds of a summer night. Track 10. What God Wants, Part III - 4:08 Dogs again, go figure, with voices off left during the lead in. Graham Broad's cymbals reveal their lush flavor (listen to the bronzy bite of the ride) and Jeff Beck's weeping, pleading solo guitar is magnificent. And while you may not always care for Waters' voice, here he totally nails the emotion. Track 11. Watching TV - 6:07 This is the beginning of the real ride. The last quartet of songs is the piece de résistance of this work. Taken together by themselves, they are so strong that he could have just recorded these four songs and released a killer EP. Effects here include rampant TV channel switching off left and an eerie set of wind chimes. While the lyrics may not be the most inspired, they are certainly clever and Don Henley offers doubled vocals. The tone is set for the beginning of the finale. Track 12. Three Wishes - 6:50 Wow. The woman's voice, discussing the murder of her children and her own attempted suicide, is way off left. As the track picks up momentum, the disconnected voice of a Genie fills the room--behind you, left, right, behind the front wall. Chills--Goosebumps. The power of that disembodied Genie's voice rattles doors in their frames--down the hall, and closed! Listen to the cymbal attack and trail. Jeff Beck's solo soars in the middle of the track, but Tim Pierce (Chorus Lesliy) and Andy Fairweather Low (again with that feather strummed 12-string) are haunting as well. James Johnson's bass work is highlighted along with Patrick Leonard's keys and John Rabbit Brundrick's Hammond organ. Track 13. It's a Miracle - 8:30 The composition here, with the rising synth, the deep background vocals (London Welsh Chorale) and children's voices, the lilting piano solo near the opening, and the chanting "Never more", is ever so slightly reminiscent of the Alan Parsons Project, Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Regardless, the effect is powerful and engaging. In a rare track, Waters picks up the bass... This track reminds us just why Jeff Porcaro was asked to sit in on so many sessions over his all too brief life. His understated mastery of the drum kit (listen to him switch between sticks and brushes) is enthusiastically displayed, with tom rolls, focused head locations, vital skin tone and pitch. And the application of Q-Sound to the echoed voices and drum strikes have them reverberating all around the room. Track 14. Amused to Death - 9:07 Starting slowly and building in energy not tempo, Beck, Whitehorn, and Waters on guitar soar with Leonard's keyboards, all the while allowing James Johnson's bass to strut. As with most of his works, Waters makes his closing cut a masterpiece. Rita Coolidge doubles his vocals here, while Katie Kissoon and Doreen Chanter offer superb backing vocals. Final questions asked, and answered. And when they found our shadows Grouped around the TV sets They ran down every lead They repeated every test They checked out all the data on their lists And then the alien anthropologists Admitted they were still perplexed But on eliminating every other reason For our sad demise They logged the only explanation left This species has amused itself to death No tears to cry No feelings left This species has amused itself to death Amused itself to death Amused itself to death In Waters characteristic bookend style, the last words we hear are again from Alf Razzell. In closing this work, and in providing closure for himself, Alf describes how he discovered his fallen comrade's name on the memorial to the missing at Arras some forty years later. As the track closes on this remarkable work, the TV switches off and the sounds of crickets take us to fade out... |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 384 Registered: Dec-06 | Very cool, Mike. Nice find. Thanks for sharing |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 8210 Registered: Dec-04 | Very detailed, but missing the description of the equipment and setup. A 5.1 with a hi-res source? |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 609 Registered: May-06 | From what I get from my set-up, pre and post MC-7300, I have to guess 2 channel. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 635 Registered: May-06 | Roger Waters' "Amused to Death" vinyl. There is a richness to the music of this that is, well I do not know how to describe it. The last cut on the LP, the title track, may be one of the most musical presentations I have ever heard. I know this is exactly the kind of post stryvn was not wanting on this thread but I cannot convey in words anything meaningful other than go listen to it. Not like that is possible since only 500 of them were only made, and that was back in 1992. Just come over, I'll spin it for you if you show up. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 415 Registered: Dec-06 | Mike, Are you saying the musicality is there on vinyl but not so much on cd? Is this true of the last cut on the album only or in it's entirety? I don't have either, which is criminal. Roger Waters is brilliant. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 637 Registered: May-06 | The vinyl cut, 180 gram etc. sounds very little like the CD. The CDs has all the oomph of the effects for the Q-Sound which spreads the sound all over the place. On the vinyl production the Q-sound is not present. Those effects show up mono-center stage, more or less. However the richness and range of the vocals and instrumentation of the vinyl completely dominate the CD production. Again, I have both, anyone is welcome to audition. I also found Waters's Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking on vinyl (both copies I own) audiophile quality. I whole heartedly agree with you regarding stryvn as to his brilliance. I was speaking to another member today and now know that I am not the only one who fist pumps outstanding music passages. Roger Waters scores will do that for me. |
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Silver Member Username: KevincorrFairbanks, Alaska Usa Post Number: 178 Registered: Jul-07 | "...I whole heartedly agree with you regarding stryvn as to his brilliance..." stryvn IS brilliant! ;) |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 418 Registered: Dec-06 | Surely Kevin is very hungover this morning! And Mike, music often moves me. Fist pumping or otherwise, you most certainly are not alone. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 419 Registered: Dec-06 | Ok, Mike. I've printed out the ATD review above. Tonight I go home, crack out some beers, perhaps a bourbon, and enjoy Amused To Death. Then Pros and Cons. Then Radio KAOS. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 424 Registered: Dec-06 | I defy anyone to sit idle with Roger Waters The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range playing. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 425 Registered: Dec-06 | And I agree...you don't need 5.1 to enjoy the effects of Qsound on this recording. This thing comes from everywhere. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 8493 Registered: Dec-04 | It sounds awfully good at Mike's place. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 663 Registered: May-06 | Al Stewart - Year of the Cat Original Master Series Recording Vinyl simply one of the best records I have ever spun |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 8509 Registered: Dec-04 |  |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 670 Registered: May-06 | Yeah, I sort of broke the rules with my last post. It was late, etc. The recording quality is the best I have heard. The vocals are absolutely perfectly paced, clear, and even. Imaging and sound stage are almost as good as the vocals. You could dislike Al Stewart's music and love this LP. |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 2351 Registered: Sep-04 | Vinyl: Paco De Lucia - La Barossa (Alegrias) from Sirocco - Superb percussive flamenco with all that crazy Latin timing and interplay plus the delicate guitar work of Paco de Lucia himself Albeniz/Fruhbeck de Burgos - Asturias from Suite Espanola (very famous demo track, also available on XRCD apparently) - huge dynamics followed by soft slow movement going back into huge dynamics again. Any lack of dynamics, contrast or compression in the system is shown up promptly. Mary Black - Columbus from 'No Fontiers' or Golden Mile from Babes in the Wood - pure wistful voice underpinned by a warm intimate acoustic. Perfect balance should show Mary rock solid in the middle, very intimate recordings without the overproduction you find in other recordings of its type (such as Songbird by Eva cassidy for example). Should be extremely engaging, getting under your skin, haunting. Saint Saens Organ Symphony, Duruffle off an MJP record, first movement!! - yes, first movement. The opening sequence is supposed to be on the brink of 'not making it'. The strings should be not quite out of time but almost, teetering on the brink. Excellent display of timing because if it isn't right, the piece is boring. Going into the 2nd movement you have very deep bass and scale but done quietly so lots of drama - again useless with poor timing. Art Tatum - Begin the Beguine from 20th Century Piano Genius (I think). Awful recording quality, but a real timing spectacular. Only the best record decks get through the awkward section toward the end... Belle & Sebastian - Stars of Track and Field or Like Dylan in the Movies from If You're feeling Sinister - Well put together, pacey, rhythmic, interesting interplay. CD: Oscar Peterson Trio - Georgia On My Mind from Night Train - highly evocative, hissy, slow moving but should get the hairs on your neck standing up. Ludovico Einaudi - Le Onde from Le Onde - beautifully recorded with wonderful resonant piano tones and slow fluid progression to its inevitable and perfect conclusion. Ray Lamontagne - Be Here now from Till The Sun Turns Black - very evocative, breathy vocals underpinned by awesome brooding strings and synth. Very emotional connection if the pace and rhythm is right, but positively boring otherwise. Led Zeppelin - What is and What Should Never Be from II, oh heck anything from II - odd recording, very bluesy rhythms. Anonymous 4/Einhorn - Homasse! from Voices Of Light - Choral piece with delicate soft voices contrasting against a big powerful choir, draws you in spellbound unless the system tears it apart. Fourplay - Bali Run from 'Fourplay' - Very fast pacey, dynamic track with lots of rhythm thrown in. Useless in the wrong system. I hope this helps, and makes at least a little bit of sense... Regards, Frank. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 689 Registered: May-06 | Thank you very much Frank. I will add one more, Santana Abraxas, track # 7, Samba Pa Ti. Not that this one track is any better than any other, but the separation of the instruments, the isolation of Carlos Santana's guitar, a frequent theme across the whole CD, the distance between instruments, really plays out well. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 793 Registered: May-06 | Tool 10,000 Days Track 1 -- Vicarious This track is what I use when setting up speakers to find the sweet spot for bass, the bass is so strong it is very easy for it to get muddy losing the separation from the drum kit and Chancellor's bass. Getting it just right supplies the attack spacing and incredible timing of the presentation, drum rolls buried behind the dual bass, kick drum just pound off of your chest with each snap. Ok, I like this song, getting a bit over the top I guess. I will try to dial it down a bit (but not the volume). There is also a brief dialogue center left to left I cannot make out about 3/4s through the song. At the close the drums, guitar and bass provide a spiraling effect between front, back, left, and right, similar to that of Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta' Love". I cannot believe that this cut did not make this list. http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_drumperf.html The only answer I have for that is that this list must have been created before 10,000 days was released and not updated since. Nobody has a kit like Carey's. Track 2 -- Jambi The vocals at "The devil and his had me down," came from like two feet from my right, then the rest of the line "in love with the dark side I found." returned to center stage. Track 3 -- Wings For Marie (PT 1) I was already aware that this song was for Carey's mother and equated to the time she lived after a severe stroke, 27 years. Shortly into this track there is a sonic laser show like presentation with the sound darting throughout the soundstage. Vocals are "surround sound" to center stage and back again. Haunting of sorts. Another track where there are drum rolls buried in behind the bass. Track ends ominously with the sound of the casket closing and also being lowered into the grave. I read about the closing but I heard what seemed to be the lowering of the casket. Track 4 -- 10,000 Days (Wings PT 2) It's thundering, lightening, and raining. Particularly can hear thunder from the ceiling directly to my right. Well into the track there is clearly a drenching thunderstorm overlaying the vocals and music. Track 5 -- The Pot I hear what Stu was talking about with the reverse echo but I do not think that is what this is. I have heard this phenomenon on other CDs and LPs too for that matter. JV explained what this was some time back but I do not remember where to look for it. Track 8 -- Rosetta Stoned If I did not know better I would think someone stripped my room of its acoustic treatments while I sat in my chair listening to this track. The drums and guitar flare out, like sun spots flaring, to the right of my listening position, then recede back into the soundstage. Er, ah, make that left and right now. Late in the track there is also a sense of vertical extension from floor to ceiling, alternate notes just about, from the drum kit and bass. Except for length of this track I have no idea why this was not put out as a single. Track 9 -- Intension This is one where I wish I had watched You Tube, VH1, or MTV. I have not seen a single video of any of these songs but would like to know what the opening entailed. This track really shows off my Gallo sub-amp. Distortion free resonating deep bass offset with etching, cymbals, echoey (sp?) vocals. I really think I could use this track to showcase my kit if not most of this entire CD. About halfway through this track the guitars blare out as if they were being played in the Liberty Bell. Nice effects. Track 10 -- Right in Two Did I mention I get more feedback from my floor with this CD than anything else I play? This is supposedly an awesome live song. The force this song winds up with is sensational. The drum kit extends beyond the room on my setup. This cut can take you up, stretch you out, then settle you down as it winds out. |
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Silver Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 335 Registered: Feb-07 | Awesome post MW! I want to go home now and listen to some of the tracks listed on the 100 best. |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 2426 Registered: Sep-04 | LMAO, just realised I contributed twice to this thread. Luckily most of the tracks are the same!!! |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2161 Registered: May-05 | Great write up on 10,000 Days Mike. I get a pretty good sense of what you're talking about with the layering, but not to the extent you've got it. That's why I said I'd love to hear it in a properly treated room with better imaging and faster paced speakers. I think I'm going to print out your post and listen again. One of the biggets issues my speakers have is the pace of bass. It gets a touch too muddy when it gets quick. Some of it is the room, but mostly the speakers. I'd love to hear 10,000 Days on a pair of Totem Arros and Thunder sub. They've got a huge accurate image, fast as hell, and are very clean tonally while staying extremely musical. After I buy a new house, the Arros are at the top of my list to audition in the new room, along with some PMCs, Rega, and Naim speakers. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2162 Registered: May-05 | Also, great link. |
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Silver Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 337 Registered: Feb-07 | Listening to 10,000 days as we speak... albeit on headphones in the office. |
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Silver Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 338 Registered: Feb-07 | Machine Head - The Blackening. The production on this album is as close to perfect as I've ever heard on a metal album. The overlaying guitar tracks create an absolute wall of crunchy goodness without becoming sludgy or muddy. I read that some songs on this disk have as many as 10 guitar tracks mixed in. There's a good mix of clean guitar tones and distortion throughout the album, and some of the tempo changes and stop/starts really make me enjoy my dual NAD C272s. I recommend you give it a listen even if you're not into metal. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 555 Registered: Jun-07 | Heading home for lunch, and I am going to crank 10,000 days, with MW's post in hand. |
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Bronze Member Username: EduardoxPost Number: 17 Registered: Aug-07 | I use 3 cds Bob James Trio Excellent poercusion and cymbals plus stage image Bebo & Cigala Lagrimas Negras Accoustic Bass in different notes (string) Ana Karam Rio after Dark. Voice, mid one, stage |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 556 Registered: Jun-07 | M Wodek- Although owning all the Tool cd's for some time including that one, Ive never listened to them on my system before. On lunch I basically only got the first song in, but it sounds incredible. I printed out your post, and I was sitting in my chair with the paper in my hand, and when the song kicked into gear, I could feel the bass kick vibrating the paper and down into my forearm. Great song. No muddiness at all, sounds great. Good find. I pulled out all my Tool cd's on lunch at brought them into work. Aenima, to me, is by far their best effort to date, Undertow is also very good. Can't beat the song Sober, good old Manard at his best Mike. Cheers. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 541 Registered: Dec-06 | MW - The new table has opened doors here. I had forgotten what vinyl sounds like. No, make that, I have become so used to cd's over the past 20 years...I had lost some of the depth that lp's offer. Some albums, I believe, should never have been converted to 1's and 0's. It's just wrong. Blue Oyster Cult's first album, for example. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9082 Registered: Dec-04 | Stryvn has been lured to the dark side. Actually both dark sides, A and B. I will catch up soon! Must find cheap vinyl, must find cheap vinyl... |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 834 Registered: May-06 | stryvn, I have gone on record that just about everything that is on CD sounds better on vinyl to me. There are exceptions and to all others this is still MY OPINION which is not open for debate, that is not my purpose for this post. On "Music selections for the speaker guys" I posted couple of days ago about Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat - The Songs of Leonard Cohen - vinyl, which I easily could of posted here. Add to that 10CC - The Original Soundtrack (vinyl) which Nuck and Jan posted on the aforementioned thread. I found it today for $5.98 at Half-Price-Books. It should have its own place here. As Nuck mentioned, this one really surpasses Queen in it whimsical delivery. An enjoyable listening experience. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9162 Registered: Dec-04 | Big time. |
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Gold Member Username: GavdawgUpstate, New York Post Number: 1005 Registered: Nov-06 | When I audition equipment, Diana Krall's "Love Scenes" is a must have. The recording is mastered well throughout. Unfortunatly, this is one of those recordings that would sound good to my ears playing from a set of TV speakers  , but because it is a frequent play, and one I know inside and out, I always take it with. Peel me a grape is usually the track that I demo. The bass is full and rich, and in time with Diana's piano chords. I have heard several combos that blur the bass, and in so doing make the experience seem not as tight. From time to time I also take a CD by Michael Bolton. Not an artist that I usually listen to (but do like to from time to time...guilty pleasure:-) The CD I own is not mastered the best, and like most of you, it is important for me to have a system that does not butcher CD's that aren't the best. There are other discs that I bring with me that I know intimately (such as Loreena McKennitt's "An Ancient Muse" that I use to check for siblance). I usually take about 5 or so with me. Other choices that I rotate in. Elaine Elias Sade (9 times out of 10 Greatest Hits will go with me) Melisa Etheridge (helped me to discover an issue in the MartinLogan Clarity) Sarah Brightman Candy Dulfer The Rippingtons (IMHO earlier GRP releases have better SQ than more recent releases) |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 843 Registered: May-06 | Nice post Gavin, thanks. Alicia Keys - As I Am is just released. It is a very well recorded CD. It is one that I can imagine anyone enjoying. The clarity, quietness, softness or realism to the vocals, make every track worth playing. It is still on the player so I am not done with it, but it has made a very positive impression on me. There are tracks probably made for listening at very loud levels, but I am listening to it "peacefully" tonight. Not to mention the picture on the cover of the case depicts one of the most beautiful faces I have ever seen. It appropriately sets up what Alicia Keys brings to the CD inside. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 708 Registered: Jun-07 | Michael- Do you have Audioslave-Cochise in your collection? You may think im crazy, but you should pick up the cd and give it a listen. Sound quality on the cd is better than Tool-10,000 days, and you might like the songs as well. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 845 Registered: May-06 | I will certainly seek that one out, thanks Nick! |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 710 Registered: Jun-07 | No Problem Mike, stand out songs on it are Like A Stone, and Life Is A Highway. It wont live up to some of the stuff you listen to as far as SQ, but you dont come accross too many hard rock albums that still have as good SQ as this album. |
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Gold Member Username: GavdawgUpstate, New York Post Number: 1006 Registered: Nov-06 | Mike, Melissa Etheridge's "Yes, I Am" was the recording I was referring to. Her voice wrecked havoc on the enclosures on the clarities, and set them resonating. This was the first time I heard it, and after that, nothing sounded good. That CD is also mastered decently, and thankfully they left her voice alone. I have several CD's that are terrible in the mastering department (such as the newest release from Candy Dulfer, but her sax sounds oooh so right) Macy Gray is another one that falls in that category. Several of her discs (if not all) are mastered horribly. |
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New member Username: DcluvskeysPost Number: 1 Registered: Nov-07 |  Michael has the greatest taste in music!! Mike is knowledgeable and a wonderful example of what a true music enthusiast truly is...You are awesome!! Rock On! } |
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Silver Member Username: WattsssupBarrie, ON Canada Post Number: 135 Registered: Aug-06 | Nice trick Mike....changin your name... |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 848 Registered: May-06 | LOL I guess it did not sound like Wiley this time huh? |
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Silver Member Username: WattsssupBarrie, ON Canada Post Number: 136 Registered: Aug-06 | LOL. |
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Silver Member Username: KevincorrFairbanks, Alaska Usa Post Number: 293 Registered: Jul-07 | Not related to my reference music: eduardo zarate- I am also a fan of Anna Caram. I think that is hers that I posted once that the dog runs to the window because of the kids in the background. Michael Wodek- I am anxious to hear Jennefer Warnes, I see that a reviewer at Absolute Sound also uses her cd as a reference. Christopher Molloy makes a good point about not realizing the recording quality for many years; e.g. I listened to Oscar's Night train for years, see Franks' reference. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9216 Registered: Dec-04 | Denise had a birthmark that I would not like to see on Mike's behind... |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 903 Registered: May-06 | I think Wes Phillips was short selling Dave Grusin - GRP Live which he provided as a reference for his review of my Anthony Gallo Speakers. Since he used this CD to test the speakers and reviewed it so well I thought I would try it. On the "Music Selection..." thread I said that Frank A recommend this CD, perhaps he did, but I mis-spoke when I posted that, it was the Gallo review where I found this CD. The percussion, horns, just fire away at you. This recording has the highest peaks I ever heard from any brass instrument. You can literally hear the players run out of air they are so into this! The bass (string) isolation is spot on. Absolute wonderful PRAT, fast, accurate, the best live recording I have heard. This ever so slightly edges out Patricia Barber's for me. Thanks Frank! |
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Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1039 Registered: May-06 | Missy Higgins - On A Clear Night CD This one will not be making its way back to M.R. She is quite the musician. Higgins plays many of the instruments on the recording, backs up her own vocals, wrote her own lyrics and music. Not exactly Jazz, somewhere between Pop and Jazz is how I would describe it. The instrumentation within the music is more towards jazz, vocals are biased towards Pop, but get into Jazz, Blues (Secret), with a little bit of Folk (Angela). She utilizes a lot of non-amplified instruments so I definitely would want to hear this on Jan's kit. On my kit, the speakers disappear from the first note and stay gone. On "Secret" I can sense her facial expressions during a particular passage. She would excel a cappella. The recording is excellent. I really enjoy the pacing of this CD. The one fault that I found with the recording, although minor, I get a sense that the instruments are recorded in more space than the lead vocals. She seems slightly apart from the band in terms of depth. Not on all the cuts and especially not on "Forgive Me", which I sense she solos, playing the acoustic guitar with her single lead vocal. If correct that would make sense hearing her voice in the same space as the instruments as she is accompanying herself on guitar. This was my favorite song on this CD. I ran it twice tonight while the tuner that just got here today sits on the side warming up. |
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New member Username: MsgtpogiShaolin Master Sergeant, NJ Post Number: 3 Registered: Jan-08 | Los Lobos- La Pistola Y El Corazon: their worst-selling album because it's not rock n roll but "traditional" Mexican music. LL was in their element here as the songs had the feeling that they grew up singing them. The musicianship is outstanding and the recording does it justice. Everything is acoustic. Transients from the guitars will give your system a workout. You can hear every individual string sound even when they are strumming. The singing is from the heart. If you "get it", this album will leave you breathless and in awe. Needless to say, hi-fi store clerks will look at you funny. BTW, I'm not Mexican. Venice (RCA Living Stereo LP of various orchestral pieces): If the violins of La Traviata do not touch your insides, the audio system is not doing its job and I will not even consider it. Music has to move you emotionally and if the stereo doesn't do it, why bother. Deep Purple "Machinehead" album: if I'm not doing air drumming or air guitar in 10 seconds, next... Janis Joplin "Summertime": if I don't tingle once her voice comes out os the speakers, there's something wrong Most any Opus 3 recording will demonstrate natural sounding, unamplified music. You'll immediately know when the something is wrong. I hate most hi-fi spectaculars from the usual high end labels because the performances are mostly 2nd rate and the music is horrible. They have their place in demoing but I usually limit them to 1-2 minutes exposure time. |
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Bronze Member Username: KbearPost Number: 47 Registered: Dec-06 | November Rain by Guns N' Roses - because there's a lot going on in this song. Piano and violins to kick things off, then drums and some light guitar strumming kick in, then vocals and eventually electric guitar. There's even some flute at the start (only about a second or two worths but it's cool to hear nonetheless) Patience by GN'R - a good song to judge the quality of acoustic guitars and vocals, as the band uses nothing else for the entire duration of the song Foolish Games by Jewel - a beautiful and haunting tune, a great song for evaluating the female voice |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9620 Registered: Dec-04 | Dan, Isaw GnR in London a couple of years back, the only show that they actually did on that clusterbust tour. Heavily aided sound, the band did its part, Axl was on the box. Good show, expecially Buckethead. |
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Bronze Member Username: KbearPost Number: 48 Registered: Dec-06 | Saw them twice in 2006, Nuck. Once in NY, the second time in Toronto. Awesome shows. Axl looked and sounded on top of his game, he's in much better shape now than he was back in 2002. The new band is great (they look more like a rock band now), but of course nothing can top the old days. Lots of videos on You Tube of the 2006 tour. Bucket is unfortunately no longer with GN'R. I agree, the man is an amazing player. Luckily, it sounds like his work will be kept on the soon to be released album (snicker). Have you heard any of the new songs? A bunch of them have leaked. You can find them on You Tube. Leaked tracks are: Catcher in the Rye (feat. Brian May lead guitar) Better I.R.S. The Blues Chinese Democracy There Was A Time Madagascar Not crazy about the mixing on some versions but these are just demos after all. Overall I think the songs are great. Wondering what you think of them. |
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Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1044 Registered: May-06 | Msgtpogi, Thanks for the post. I will find the Los Lobos. Most Shaolin Master Sergeants would not be Mexican I'm thinking. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnPost Number: 641 Registered: Dec-06 | Hey Mike, give track 7 (Will You Miss Me) on the Notting Hillbillies disc a go. This cut has clarity and depth that belongs here. I may post more tomorrow. Thanks for the post Sarge. I have the popular Lobos disc, and I dig. I will take a look for La Pistola Y El Corazon and give it a listen. I do agree, they have a nice sound. |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelGondelsheim, Baden-Württe... Germany Post Number: 38 Registered: Oct-07 | Thanks to stryvn!!! What a wonderful and informative thread!!!! Here my several cents of reference: - Led Zeppelin "How the West was won" > Since I've loving you: Richness of sound, nearly perfect drums,...LIVE ATMOSPHERE - Nora Jones "Not too late" > all songs: I love to hear this soundstage (instruments are so sweet and clear - Katie Menua "Call off the search" > Title song, Close to you: incredible vocals - Yo-Yo Ma "The Essential YoYo Ma" - Amy Whinehouse "Back to black" - Amon Amarth "With odin on our side": Near-to-perfect Metal-sound, drums, vocals - Coheed and Cambria "2nd stage..." and "No world for tomorrow": Vocals, drums, guitars... Wonderful soundstage - Pink Floyd "The Wall" - Metallica "The Black Album": Sad but true - Miles Davis "Kind of blue" - Iron Maiden "Caught somewhere in time" and "Seventh son..." - Pixies "Where is my mind"(song)and "All over the world" (song): Bass, drums and far-out vocals to be continued... |
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New member Username: MsgtpogiNJ Post Number: 9 Registered: Jan-08 | I also like "Run Like Hell" from Pink Floyd's The wall. Nice dynamic bass drum kicks in the intro. Believe it or not, for you metalheads, Slayer's "Reign In Blood" is the most intense 20 minutes of listening. If your woofers have any overhang, it will be made apparent by the drumming in this album. Lots of things happening in the wall of sound but a good system should be able to figure out the mess. A lot of 12" dance records will give you a system workout. Yazz "Situation", Depeche Mode "Route 66/ Behind the Wheel", New Order "Blue Monday", 808 State "Pacific", Nitzer Ebb, etc. Kraftwerk has excellent sounding albums for elctro pop fans while Neil Young is also very conscientious about sound. Listen to his Harvest Moon album. For classical music fans, be on the lookout for recordings engineered by Kenneth Wilkinson on Decca, London and RCA. Harmonia Mundi records has an awesome engineer in Jean Pontefract. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2414 Registered: May-05 | Reign In Blood is also good for evaluating speed in highs. A while back I was comparing two interconnects, and noticed that with one of them, it sounded like a single long cymbol. With the other interconnect, I could distinctly hear the drummer hitting the cymbols multiple times. That album probably has the fastest drumming I've ever heard. |
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Silver Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 578 Registered: Feb-07 | Good call. Reign in Blood is a classic metal album. Their latest album "Christ Illusion" is even better (in my opinion), especially for evaluating gear. Better musicianship and crisp production. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnWisconsin Post Number: 674 Registered: Dec-06 | Thor - You sound like you're really into the Since I've Been Loving You that is on the How The West Was Won discs. A great version, no doubt. Do yourself a favor, run, don't walk, to the nearest record store and get a copy of the remastered The Song Remains The Same. Go immediately to track 7 on disc 1 - No Quarter. Or just send me a PM. |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelGondelsheim, Baden-Württe... Germany Post Number: 85 Registered: Oct-07 | stryn, Remastered Audio-The Song or DVD??? Will check it out...have the old one on CD... No quarter is AWESOME. Tool's version is nearly as good as Zep's. |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelGondelsheim, Baden-Württe... Germany Post Number: 86 Registered: Oct-07 | Went AND bought the CD... Great. Right now I am still at school, teacher I am... |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelGondelsheim, Baden-Württe... Germany Post Number: 95 Registered: Oct-07 | Unbelievable....this version of "No quarter" is priceless!!!! Another thing: I was just fully "in trance"..listening to Pink Floyd's "The Wall"... Honestly, I NEVER heard anything like that in my "previous" non-NAIM-life.....GREAT recording, great sound... |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6258 Registered: Feb-05 | "non-NAIM-life" I love it!!! Naim is very fun gear. I'm feelin' the same love for my all Rega setup right now. I tweaked it a bit last weekend and every recording I've played has benefitted....I'm in love...I feel ya Thorsten! |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelGondelsheim, Baden-Württe... Germany Post Number: 96 Registered: Oct-07 | I feel ya toooooooooooooooo |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 6260 Registered: Feb-05 | Aight now let's not get too touchy feely...lol!!! |
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Silver Member Username: JawPost Number: 184 Registered: Mar-06 | Hey stryvn, hope you're enjoying Milwaukee Winter; tonight here we go again. Maybe, you'll get your bike out for 4th of July. Without music, I would be crazy by now. |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnWisconsin Post Number: 679 Registered: Dec-06 | I'm borderline suicidal, JAW. BUT, it's a good reason to lock the doors, pull the shades and spin the vinyl. I recently had somewhat of an epiphany with The Eagles Hotel California. A song I don't particularly care for but when I saw the vinyl at the record store for a buck I could not pass. When I listened to that song on vinyl it was like hearing a completely new song. I could not believe my ears. I heard drum parts in that song that I never knew existed and guitar unlike the previous nine hundred and fifty trillion times I had heard the song before. And, Led Zeppelin's No Quarter from The Song Remains The Same. This is ten minutes and 38 seconds of pure bliss. Opening with JPJ's haunting keyboard. Bonham enters, big, in your face at around 56 seconds with Page quietly accompanying. 1:14 Page takes over. Bonham calmly beats out a rhythm. 2:03 - "Close the door, put out the light..." Unbelievable. JPJ...wanders quietly. 4:40 Bonham picks up and decides to carry the pack again....5:12 Page takes off. Nice riff. This is simply beautiful...while Bonham pounds the skins to death. 8:05 - "Walking side by side with death..." Plant's voice is perfect. 8:54 - Page takes us back to rock and roll. Bonham no stranger..... They ask no quarter. |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelGondelsheim, Baden-Württe... Germany Post Number: 100 Registered: Oct-07 | This is a version, not from this world... What a fabtastic group, performance-wise... I cannot stop listening to them...aaaaaaaaargh. How tough is Milwaukee-winter in °C??? stryvn, do you have the Knebworth concert on DVD? 5.1. DD-sound, 169 minutes? So awesome... |
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Silver Member Username: StryvnWisconsin Post Number: 681 Registered: Dec-06 | Check your e-mail, Thor. |
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Silver Member Username: LuxendelGondelsheim, Baden-Württe... Germany Post Number: 101 Registered: Oct-07 | Check ur personal messages, stryvn!! |
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Silver Member Username: DmitchellOttawa, Ontario Canada Post Number: 666 Registered: Feb-07 | TL, A Milwaukee winter is much an Ottawa winter. Not unusual for it to go down to -30c, and this year so far we have over 200 cm of snow! |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2488 Registered: May-05 | Thorsten - Tool did a cover of No Quarter? Where can it be found? |
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Silver Member Username: LuxendelGondelsheim, Baden-Württe... Germany Post Number: 104 Registered: Oct-07 | Dear Stu, its on the very rare CD "Saliva"....check your PM's...  |
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Gold Member Username: Touche6784USA Post Number: 1235 Registered: Nov-04 | Here are my two pennies on this. If I were to be auditioning systems, I would start with a simple vocal piece to check center imaging. For that I use the original Broadway cast recording of Lion King. I use both track 14 and 16, "Shadowland" and "Endless Night". I would think it is easy for a poor setup to have a very wide center stage. It also sets up how much I like the systems treatment of both male and female vocals. Another piece I would use would be Diana Krall's "Temptation" on her SACD album Girl in the Other Room. Sorry styrn but I don't know if I can really explain why I would use this. I have listened to this song alot and it does have a lot of intricate work on both percussions and piano. Another piece that I would use some of you Jazz people may cringe at. For some reason when I heard "Lazzez" from Acoustic Alchemy I really got into it. There is a lot of guitar work both nylon and steel string going simultaneously. There is also a bass line that goes throughout the guitar parts that really shows systems with poor, muddy bass. I remember listening to this song on a sharp bluray player on Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grands powered by a Denon 4308, I worked at a store that sold these, and it sounded horrible. Since I don't notice that much classical I will add some that I like. First is Beethoven's Midnight sonata. I love this whole piece and love using it to check systems out. It was very hard to find a good recording of this but I finally got a decent one played by Stephen Kovacevich. I use the whole sonata. The first movement is perfect for hearing background noise. It is played fairly softly so to hear it with some decent volume requires turning the knob up. I also use it to see if the system can transfer the emotion of the player and the music. The third movement is probably the most famous one and hardest to play. It is because of how awful other recordings had this movement played/recorded/mastered that I had a tough time finding something good. There is a lot of notes in this movement. Cheap systems will blur the upward scales. There is also a lot of dynamics in this movement. The other classical piece that I use is a SACD recording of Hillary Hahn doing Bach Concertos with the LA Chamber Orchestra directed by Jeffrey Kahne. I use the third movement, track 6, of "Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D minor BWV 1043". This piece mixes the highs of violins with the deep tones of cellos to give a very wide sound spectrum. This is another way I check for boomy bass. There is also what I believe to be a Clavier playing that can easily be drowned out in a bad setup. |
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Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1196 Registered: May-06 | John Lee Hooker - Endless Boogie Vinyl Double LP During the last song, "Endless Boogie Parts 27 and 28", Hooker states "These cats are just jammin'", then, "These cats are just cookin'". True. |
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Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1219 Registered: May-06 | Jackson Browne - Running on Empty Vinyl I heard his songs, what maybe a thousand times on car radios, Juke Boxes, elevators, whatever. Dull and uninspired, not my "thing". Then I read or heard something recently, and I cannot remember which, he or James Taylor, could be both for all I know, record some really decent music. So knowing I had some of both, picked up when I bought lots of 40 to 700 LPs. Not something I would have flipped through in a music store and said, that's what I want. So I pull this out and play it to see how it sounds, wanting to test out changes I have made in my room set up. Amazingly, hearing it on my kit makes all the difference in the world. I listened to it a lot differently. This is a really solid recording. Pace, timing, balance, production are all excellent. Not normally my cup of tea, but certainly worth hearing on your kit. The musicality of the presentation is worth the price of admission. |
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Gold Member Username: GavdawgAlbany, New York Post Number: 1091 Registered: Nov-06 | Chris, I have Acoustic Alchemy in right now... Aart. if you don't have it, I highly recommend it. The entire album is rhythmic and punchy, with great SQ |
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