Videos of Acoustically-Coupled Audio Recordings

[morricab]

Carlos, Brad didn’t say they sound just like what he remembers he heard live. He said that particular video sounds “closest“ to what he remembers hearing live compared to all the other videos including yours and mine. He did not say it was flawless.

THX Peter, you have interpreted my feedback correctly.

 

[morricab]

Peter, you are a kind person. I cannot get past the “plastic“ sound of the Trios. Not only do I think that my systems sound much better, it is clearly evident even through video. I’m not trying to sugar coat anything here. There is no doubt that the sound of my systems is superior.

Yours is less well balanced. It might lack the plastic horn coloration but it has an uneven balance that you clearly like for yourself.

 

[morricab]

Agreed but I believe its down to the original recording. Same channel has this one, sounds pretty good:

Completely different system...how do you get that it is the original recording? It might be, but how do you back that out of all the very significant differences?

 

[hopkins]

Agreed but I believe its down to the original recording. Same channel has this one, sounds pretty good:

Yes, it sounds pretty good. At first it is even surprising - the tonal balance seems pretty accurate to the album (as heard on Qobuz). But here again you lose out in terms of resolution - the bass does not sound as full and dynamic. It sounds a little more "synthetic" and simplified through the video. This being a system recording, even with good microphones there is always some loss, so it is impossible to say whether the system really goes further into the recording than what we hear through the video. Probably, but only those who have heard it live can say.

 

[morricab]

this is what reference playback is supposed to sound like.

High End Munich 2022: Aries Cerat - Supreme Fidelity! (youtube.com)

 

[hopkins]

First of all, there is nothing personal in my comments.

What stress! Do I risk being thrown out of the forum if I fail this test?

The recording quality is superior to what we achieve with our phones. No surprise, it looks like they are using a professional microphones placed in front of each speaker. There is very little background noise on the recording, and this means that you will hear the softer sounds more clearly.

The room is obviously resembling more a recording studio than our living rooms. This affects also the quality of the recording (low background noise, fewer reflections, more direct sound from the speakers).

I see from the comments on YouTube that for some this is the closest to the "original track" that they have heard from a YouTube video.

However, it only takes listening to the first seconds of the video (the first piano chords) to note that there is less "weight" to the sound than what is on the recording. So while there is little "coloring" to the sound, some of the "foundation" is missing.

Her first phrase, "hello, it's me", (at around 00:05 into the track) sounds big and "full" and deep on the recording with some reverb added, perhaps - the video lacks some of those qualities. Not as dramatic, a little more "plain". In the very next sentence "I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet", she accentuates the beginning of each word in a sort of "military" way, and you lose some of the contrast in the video.

To summarize, between the original recording and the video - both heard through my DAC and headphones - the sound of the video is not as seductive.

I did not listen further

Adding another comment on this track. When you listen to the first 10 seconds of the album (ex: on Qobuz as I did), there is a striking contrast between the sound of the first chords of the piano and her first words ("hello"). In a sense, it is as if you are experiencing two recordings in one (does that make sense?). There are clearly separate microphones for her voice and for the piano. That contrast is reduced in the system video. Whatever you may think of the recording quality and the music, experiencing these types of contrasts and getting a feel for the "unique" flavor of each recording is what a good system should do. In that respect, the headphones I use are really good at this - but I still prefer listening to speakers (in spite of all their limitations), and sometimes they are simply too much for casual listening. But they are a good "tool".

Anyway, I would be really curious to listen to such a system, even if I could never afford it - does it really deliver? Or does it only scratch the surface? It's not just about extreme highs and lows, but more, in my opinion, about the "feel" of the recording. Hard to explain.

 

[morricab]

High End Munich 2022: Aries Cerat - Extreme Dynamics - YouTube

Tough to beat dynamics.

Heard live Flamenco not long ago with 3 dancers and live up close it was very much like this video...this video captures the true dynamics quite well and the balance of the sound is spot on.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Tablet held by hand sooory, recorded extra loudly, something is always lost in quiet
recordings. Use headphones

 

[PeterA]

this is what reference playback is supposed to sound like.

High End Munich 2022: Aries Cerat - Supreme Fidelity! (youtube.com)

I like this Brad, very clean with good resolution, but for me it lacks a bit of weight, and the triangles are whitish and blurred, slightly. Otherwise, it is quite good. Thank you.

 

[hopkins]

Tablet held by hand sooory, recorded extra loudly, something is always lost in quiet
recordings. Use headphones

You've got brass balls

 

[Al M.]

I like this Brad, very clean with good resolution, but for me it lacks a bit of weight, and the triangles are whitish and blurred, slightly. Otherwise, it is quite good. Thank you.

Agreed. The solo violin (or whatever that is) is unrecognizable, whitish and feather-weight.

 

[morricab]

I like this Brad, very clean with good resolution, but for me it lacks a bit of weight, and the triangles are whitish and blurred, slightly. Otherwise, it is quite good. Thank you.

Through what did you listen?

 

[PeterA]

Through what did you listen?

Desk top. As I wrote, I think it is very good. I love the music and just played it for a guest the other night after dinner along with many LPs. She told me hearing the music on my Decca recording was like being at a concert.

 

[morricab]

Agreed. The solo violin (or whatever that is) is unrecognizable, whitish and feather-weight.

Not surprisingly, very few agree with you…

 

[morricab]

Desk top. As I wrote, I think it is very good. I love the music and just played it for a guest the other night after dinner along with many LPs. She told me hearing the music on my Decca recording was like being at a concert.

Use good headphones please.

 

[morricab]

Best organ recording playback I have ever heard. Not sure if hat peoples live organ experience is but I have heard a few and even have a friend who used to build them! This is legit organ reproduction.

 

[Al M.]

Not surprisingly, very few agree with you…

I thought you were advocating realistic weight in tone, given your reference of unamplified live music, which I share. You agreed that Carlos' videos lacked weight and liked my posting of the original Beethoven 5 recording as reference.

There is some weight in the lower orchestral strings on that Aries Cerat recording, but the solo violin...

 

[Al M.]

Use good headphones please.

I use headphones. Laptop speakers are a joke.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Best organ recording playback I have ever heard. Not sure if hat peoples live organ experience is but I have heard a few and even have a friend who used to build them! This is legit organ reproduction.

Sounds pretty good , but the sigma lost sound pressure at 38hz* in smaller rooms enough bass.I don't mean anything bad, but I would like a little deeper bass

*into a 3-4 meter long folded horn

 

[morricab]

I thought you were advocating realistic weight in tone, given your reference of unamplified live music, which I share. You agreed that Carlos' videos lacked weight and liked my posting of the original Beethoven 5 recording as reference.

There is some weight in the lower orchestral strings on that Aries Cerat recording, but the solo violin...

Yes, this sounds realistic for up close recorded violin…this for sure is not midhall