Hopkins' System

[hopkins]

Since I have modified the filter on my speakers, I have noticed two positive side effects:

- the "sweet spot" has gotten wider, in the sense that I don't need millimetric placement of my chair in the middle of the speakers to get a good center image, and the sound does not really change when I move my chair around that center position.

- listening from the side, on my couch, as seen below, is much more pleasant than it was before. The image shifts towards one speaker but I still have "focus" (not sure I am describing things correctly).




I spend a year moving my open baffle speakers around my living room, doing a full "kama sutra" in speaker placement, never to reach a point where I was getting consistently good sound. It was really frustrating. With these speakers, things were simpler.

Perhaps some will think that speaker placement is more subtle with high-quality speakers. Maybe.

Right now I feel like this idea of a "deadpoint of live sound" must be simply the result of some kind of psychoacoustic "glitch" in the context of poor speaker/room interaction, and more a sign that something is wrong! Maybe I am blind (or deaf) and will never experience this "ideal state".

 

[hopkins]

Of no musical value, but fun to listen to (with speakers or headphones) - a "binaural" recording of this track:

Techno Ping pong.

 

[hopkins]

After reading this article I purchased a vinyl copy of the record:

https://www.jazzwax.com/2024/12/edgar-sampson-architect-of-swing.html

Then I decided that I liked it so much that I also wanted a digital version. I did not find that the Qobuz version was very satisfying, so I purchased a CD version as well.

Here's a recording of the three versions played on my speakers (using the Sonic Presence SP15C microphone):

Here is a vinyl rip (so NOT a system recording) from the video included in Myers' article:

And a playlist with all these versions:

Edgar Sampson on Vinyl, CD, and Qobuz

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The Qobuz version may have been sourced from an LP (as opposed to master tapes). I don't know. On some tracks, there is clearly audible distortion.

I am happy with having the CD in my collection. The vinyl is undated, but I am going to assume it is a 1970s re-issue. It is not in great condition. Out of curiosity, I also purchased the original 1957 LP, but have not received it yet.

I do not usually purchase multiple versions of an album (unless I am looking for a mono version) but was curious to compare these.

 

[hopkins]

Here is the same excerpt from CD (so NOT a system recording) if anyone is curious to listen to it:

https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/Hoopee%20Whodee%20CD%20rip.wav

 

[Audiohertz2]

I soldered the wires on my new crossover, as I am happy with it. Here is the frequency response curve of one of the speakers at the listening point:

View attachment 144833

There are inevitably some hiccups in the response, especially on the low end. The dip between 200-300 Hz is smaller than what I had before.
It sounds good to me, that's what counts.

Funny to see that the in-room response of that "Aria" speaker I mentioned above - prototype build by GR Research - is not that different:

View attachment 144834

In the comments to New Record Day's post, people are wondering whether "flat" is a good thing...

View attachment 144836

Thanks for the post , looks like a lot of smoothing involved and i wouldn't pay too much attn to the accuracy below 500 hz as this is indoors..!

The 10db gain in the lows is normal for room gain , much less would give a lean balance..

 

[hopkins]

Thanks for the post , looks like a lot of smoothing involved and i wouldn't pay too much attn to the accuracy below 500 hz as this is indoors..!

The 10db gain in the lows is normal for room gain , much less would give a lean balance..

The FR response is smoothed with the "psychoacoustic" setting, which is how I like to look at it, because I don't really feel like additional details are of much value - for a novice like me!

 

[hopkins]

After reading this article I purchased a vinyl copy of the record:

https://www.jazzwax.com/2024/12/edgar-sampson-architect-of-swing.html

Then I decided that I liked it so much that I also wanted a digital version. I did not find that the Qobuz version was very satisfying, so I purchased a CD version as well.

Here's a recording of the three versions played on my speakers (using the Sonic Presence SP15C microphone):

Here is a vinyl rip (so NOT a system recording) from the video included in Myers' article:

And a playlist with all these versions:

Edgar Sampson on Vinyl, CD, and Qobuz

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

youtube.com

The Qobuz version may have been sourced from an LP (as opposed to master tapes). I don't know. On some tracks, there is clearly audible distortion.

I am happy with having the CD in my collection. The vinyl is undated, but I am going to assume it is a 1970s re-issue. It is not in great condition. Out of curiosity, I also purchased the original 1957 LP, but have not received it yet.

I do not usually purchase multiple versions of an album (unless I am looking for a mono version) but was curious to compare these.

Something seemed off when comparing my CD version to my LP version. The playback speed of the LP version is slower, as is the Qobuz version (which must be sourced from the same vinyl version as mine). The LP rip on YouTube - last video above - seems to have the same speed as my CD version... and I would say both of these have the correct speed. I will be curious to see if the original LP version I purchased has the same speed as the CD...

 

[hopkins]

Happy Valentine's day!

Lester Young starts things off, then Teddy Wilson takes a wonderful 3 minute long solo, after which Lester Young wraps things up with a very inspired solo of his own.

Another nice version (1941):

Going a couple years further back in time:

 

[hopkins]

I am in the process of transferring my music collection (and music server software) to a new computer - a small Intel NUC running Ubuntu. I previously had Lyrion set up on my desktop computer, in my office in the back of the flat, but the network connection there is not perfectly reliable. There is nothing worse than running into "tech" issues, at the end of a day, when you just want to sit back, relax, and listen to some music.

So in the meantime, I have been listening exclusively to vinyl. My vinyl collection is small, but I do really enjoy listening to the records I have. I do miss having access to my digital collection. It is nice having both...

Today I received a couple records, which in fact I already had, but I felt I could use better copies of: "Grooving with Buddy Tate", and "Swing Softly Sweet Sampson". At lunchtime, I cleaned them, and played a few tracks. The records sound good, and I love the music. Some vinyl really sounds more "authentic". Not all.

 

[Synaxis]

I am in the process of transferring my music collection (and music server software) to a new computer - a small Intel NUC running Ubuntu. I previously had Lyrion set up on my desktop computer, in my office in the back of the flat, but the network connection there is not perfectly reliable. There is nothing worse than running into "tech" issues, at the end of a day, when you just want to sit back, relax, and listen to some music.

So in the meantime, I have been listening exclusively to vinyl. My vinyl collection is small, but I do really enjoy listening to the records I have. I do miss having access to my digital collection. It is nice having both...

Today I received a couple records, which in fact I already had, but I felt I could use better copies of: "Grooving with Buddy Tate", and "Swing Softly Sweet Sampson". At lunchtime, I cleaned them, and played a few tracks. The records sound good, and I love the music. Some vinyl really sounds more "authentic". Not all.

Thanks for sharing. I enjoy reading your updates.

 

[hopkins]

By the way, it is Mary Lou Williams playing piano on this track.



I have the track on the Mosaic Mildred Bailey CD boxset and the sound is very good.

https://www.discogs.com/release/10573944-Mildred-Bailey-The-Complete-Columbia-Recordings-of-Mildred-Bailey

Here is a review of that set:

MUSIC; A Female Singer In Holiday's Class And in Her Shadow (Published 2001)

a female

www.nytimes.com

Cecil McLorin Salvant comments on Mildred Bailey in this video, which I have already posted somewhere in this thread:

It is great to see modern musicians speak about jazz "pioneers".

 

[hopkins]

Here is a rip of that LP I got. It sounds much better than the 1970s version:

https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/Swing%20Softly%20Sweet%20Sampson.mp4

The file sounds a little better than when you embed it in a video:

https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/sampson%20original.wav

Here is the link to the album on Discogs:

https://www.discogs.com/release/10780669-Edgar-Sampson-And-His-Orchestra-Swing-Softly-Sweet-Sampson

The Qobuz version is definitely played at a slower speed...

 

[hopkins]

Now listening to this album:



Ironically, a friend of mine gave it to me on my Bar Mitzvah... 45 years ago...

I enjoy it. It is fun to listen to now. I can still picture myself listening to it in my room at the time with my small turntable and stereo speakers, nearfield. I would be curious to listen today to that same budget setup. At the time, of course, I did not care about sound. I was discovering Rock & Roll!

A few years later I purchased "Blonde on Blonde" and played it over and over again. To this day I am still fascinated by "Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again"



I guess I am still trying to understand what the hell he is talking about

My girlfriend can't stand Dylan. Nobody's perfect. So late night listening...

 

[hopkins]

I finished my listening session last night listening to this CD:



It is available on Qobuz:

Listen to the release 100 Years - Forever Young by Lester Young on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/album/0885686083949

It's great to have access to these recordings on streaming services, but you have no way to tell when the music was recorded, where, and who the musicians are. For me, it is really frustrating. This is why I spend time documenting some of my albums. I cannot simply memorize all this information.

These are live recordings from 1951-1956. The track above was recorded in Paris, The recording quality is generally poor, but you can still appreciate the music.

The liner notes are useful, but it's always interesting to read the late Jan Evensmo's comments when it comes to Lester Young. If you are in a hurry you can focus on what he considers to be the highlights.



His comment above is brief. He sometimes wrote lengthier comments, such as this one, a Buddy Tate session, in which he is critical of the band members... "the drummer is also out of touch with the requirements of real swing music...". He's not sugar-coating it, and it makes it fun to read.



You can obviously agree or disagree with jazz critics' opinions. I am in awe of the knowledge some have acquired from years of listening, and from witnessing the musicians perform. Of course I am referring to many who are now deceased. You would be 100 years old today had you been 20 years old in 1945.

From an "audiophile" perspective, we can marvel at their ability to identify individual players, what instrument they are playing, identify out of tune instruments, or the correct speed at which some records have to be played.

 

[PYP]

I finished my listening session last night listening to this CD:
From an "audiophile" perspective, we can marvel at their ability to identify individual players, what instrument they are playing, identify out of tune instruments, or the correct speed at which some records have to be played.

The first jazz record I had was inherited from my father (well, until I returned it after many, many years) - Pres and Sweets. This was an amazing slab of vinyl but I cannot remember if it was otherwise of audiophile quality. Didn't matter to me. I played the hell out of it on my simple setup (turntable + integrated from a kit + no-name speakers). Can we ever match he excitement of first discovery?

 

[hopkins]

My youngest son (23 years old), visiting for the weekend, approves of the speakers and prefers it to the open baffle.



He likes all types of music, including jazz... My record collection will not go to waste when I pass away

 

[Audiohertz2]

What speakers would that be ….. !

 

[hopkins]

What speakers would that be ….. !

Teufel Ultima 40, with a modified/simplified crossover.

 

[Audiohertz2]

Ok let me google that ..!

 

[hopkins]

@PeterA talked about his recent experience visiting an audio bar in NYC. An ad for this one, here in Paris, popped up on my phone, and I thought it would be interesting to share the link:

Closer to the music - Listener

Listener propose de nouvelles expériences d'écoute permettant au public de vivre et de partager des émotions musicales et sonores.

listener.fr

The bar is equipped with Horns FP15 MKIII speakers, which I have read about and am curious to listen to, so I will probably go check them out.

https://horns.pl/en/speaker-sets/fp15/

From their YouTube channel, a video of the bar with a DJ playing Parliament's "Flashlight"

Interestingly, they have a private listening space, which has to be booked in advance and costs 50€ per hour. I am wondering who decides to do that.. The system in that listening space is also interesting:

Speakers are: https://www.tuneaudio.com/audio-product/tune-audio-anima/
The rest of the system:

• Aries Cerat – Diana integrated
• Aries Cerat – Hélène
• Antipodes – K50
• JC Verdier – Grande Verdier
• Graham – Phantom III
• Lyra – Kleos
• Rega – 303
• Ortofon – Blue 2M
• Rike Audio – Natalija III

They also have a "nap space" where you can lie down and listen to headphones (Sendy Aiva planar magnetics) for 15€ an hour: