darn it! i replied to this string once already and my reply disappeared. arrrrrrrrrrgh!
mellow music is subjective. are you talking about mellow acoustic music, or just music that's laiid back?
the main recommendation that i gave in my 1st reply was: solex: solex vs. the hitmeister it's very electronic, but it's also laid back and i always bring it along as a demo disc as it features MOST of the things one should listen for when demoing speakers. it has super deep bass that puts many "rap" CDs to shame it has one track with such high frequency treble content that i've barely heard it on my speakers and have only really heard it on B&W's super extended titanium tweeters the vocals are by a "cutsey voiced" female there's one track that opens with a plate reverbed electronic "whistle" that's and excellent test for imaging depth and there is some panning in the mix that is a good test for left to right imaging.
solex vs. the hitmeister makes a great demo disc for imaging, low and high frequency extension and dynamics. it would surely strain any crapfi speakers or amps.
another mellow electronic album with female vocals that i'd recommend is marta sebyestyen's apocryphia (spelling?) that has similar qualities to solex, but is sung in hungarian and includes one track (tavasz tavasz) that i've always considered the best electropop lullabye
if you want an acoustic album, badi assad's rhythms albums is considered one of the highest fidelity acoustical guitar albums ever. it's kind of jazzy, and the "a primiera vista" track is absolutely beautiful. i've never heard ANY female vocal that cativating ever.
i'd recommend the CD "chants of india" for a demo disc as it includes male and female vocals, is very mellow, and because the ensembles are an excellent test of loudspeaker imaging. the "prahbujee" track is particularly moving and haunting.
a good recent choice would be norah jones. i've seen her CD marketed by stores that specialize in hi-fi discs and her "i don't know why" song (or whatever it's called) truly is mellow.
regardless of whatever discs you settle on, make sure that you're totally familiar with them before you go auditioning speakers so that you can pick apart all of the the things that the speakers you're listening to do right and wrong.
if you're a big fan of female vocals, i'd recommend magnepan speakers as at least 'must hear" speakers for you. they make super realistic vocals. they are lightnng quick, flat sounding and coherent throughout the frequency range.
their downsides are: they're power hungry at 4 ohms, they're amp picky they are a little rolled off at both ends of the frequency spectrum (B&Ws have more upper treble clarity) and because their drivers are so huge, they don't have the imaging precision of tiny minimonitors
but to their credit, they are super fast, detailed and have no typical box speaker resonances.
i've always been a "tiny acoustic suspension minimonitor fan" because of their imaging abilities, but maggies are awesome with female vocals. they sound the least like speakers for anything i've ever heard.
hope something here helps you.
p.s. tube amps are often considered the "most magical" for fans of female vocals but have other tradeoffs.
just find music that you love and are familiar with before you go hunting for the "perfect reproduction interface" so that you'll know it when you hear it. ;)
Anonymous
Posted on
JACK JOHNSON - i have all of his albums and it's All feel-good music to the MAX...the type of music you turn up loud in your car on a hot summer day while driving to the lake...mellowist of the mellow i promise...Jack Johnson is a genius
Yes, but great music lasts forever. However, that racist scumbag that goes by the name of shamuchef who criticized the Carpenters so eloquently by the going "yuk" has absolutely no staying power.
You mean the 50 yr old bald guy who was her manager since she was 14, and groomed her into a huge star, only to wed the kid, guru style, and lose millions of dollars at the tables, while crying about treatments, and driving the product in Vegas? All the while hiring a surrogate to impregnate the product and pose for the pic's?
oh...you mean the girl that lip-synchs all her live shows because she can't sing a lick live? come on! Even madonna can sing her music live (yes, Ive seen madonna live to know)
add wynonna judd to your list for female vocals too.
