I should add that sometimes letting through the recording by keeping tremendously low noise and taking out color, like Mike L does, can add to the realism by letting the recording flow through, but the only place I saw that work without causing sterility was Mike's place
Live music, Tone and Presence: What most systems get wrong
- Thread starter morricab
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I should add that sometimes letting through the recording by keeping tremendously low noise and taking out color, like Mike L does, can add to the realism by letting the recording flow through, but the only place I saw that work without causing sterility was Mike's place
Precisely spot on IMO. It is not about accuracy -- how can we know what is 'accurate'? Does the recording engineer even know? He is at the mercy of the studio monitors in a certain acoustic to judge also, and he may not even know how much that deviates from 'neutral' (microphone placement aside, which Jim mentions to be very important).
What it is about is believability. Live music timbres are vastly varied, but they all fall within a certain wide range. Anything reproduced at home from good recordings needs to fall somewhere within that range, anything falling outside is not believable.
It's electronic music, I'd just grab a digital copy...
Believe it or not, in a recent review of an expensive unnamed vinyl playing component three of the four listed LPs were digital recordings ...
Yes and that is why I think this, "where did you sit in the hall" argument is a red herring. It ALL sounds like live and believable because we hear it as live and not recorded. It is artifacts from recording and playback destroying live sound. Minimizing those gets closer to a live feeling.
Ya but digital to vinyl doesn't mean it's bad. You can afford a decent analog setup more easily than an actually good digital playback setup. You've converted the digital into analog when you make the vinyl in a physical way that doesn't necessitate all the noise that could come with it, and you can cut the vinyl from the highest resolution stuff that it was recorded on so it can be a much better source than a CD.
Do I prefer digital to vinyl? No, but it's not really that big of a deal compared to whether the album was done well or not to begin with.
Do I prefer digital to vinyl? No, but it's not really that big of a deal compared to whether the album was done well or not to begin with.
It's not that, it's that the music has few/no acoustic instruments besides some vocals, and the synthetic bass extends very low, so I don't feel vinyl is an advantage vs other types of music and might actually sound better on digital. I do like some vinyl copies of electronic music though, it can sound really nice, but with electronic music it seems more like an effects box. With electronic music noise is almost always added, usually to mimic typical vinyl... sometimes it's obvious, sometimes very subtle but some sort of noise is almost always added.
That is disappointing. I find that wrong on several levels.
I like very much several songs on Famous Blue Raincoat but I do not use it to audition turntables, tonearms or cartridges.
What are your reference recordings when you are listening critically or reviewing gear?
+1! But then people ask us what is believability!
To understand believability you need to understand the background of the person. At least, that's what I believe
Perhaps this is a question that could be included in reference to Ron's thread about listener preferences and type of music, ie, "I subscribe to type #1 and listen to small scale classical, chamber, jazz and some vocals, etc. My reference recordings are...." It would be helpful but tiring over time to include this information while posting. Perhaps the best place for it is on one's virtual system page introduction so members could refer to it to get a better understanding of what a particular member's priorities are. However, many members don't have system pages, so this information only comes up when it is asked and answered in particular threads and it is hard to later reference.
My standard recordings, which I use and why, are already listed here http://zero-distortion.org/kedars-s...omponents-and-reference-recordings/#Reference Recordings CDs
You could list this great link in your signature - I would not be asking the same question again and again ...
And Ron will love such practice!
Fortunately, i have at least half of your references so good news. I dont have any LPs though...just the CD.
MUSICAL INTERESTS
My main musical interest is female vocals with minimal acoustic instrument accompaniment. Examples include Sarah McLachlan singing while playing the piano on Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Jennifer Warnes on Famous Blue Raincoat and Amanda McBroom on Growing Up in Hollywood Town. I also like male vocal recordings such as Bill Henderson’s rendition of “Send in the Clowns” and Jeff Buckley’s Grace.
I like a little bit of jazz such as Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, “For Duke” and Bill Evan’s “Waltz for Debby.” I like a little bit of classical including Mozart Jupiter Symphony 41 and Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. I am a big fan of direct-to-disc recordings by Sheffield Lab and M&K RealTime.
I enjoy a lot of perfectly ordinary rock and pop songs (e.g., Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, New Order, Phil Collins, Elton John, Jim Croce, Billy Joel, the Cranberries) and a lot of 1980s songs from “one-hit wonders.”
AUDITION TRACKS
"The Rose" by Amanda McBroom, Growing Up in Hollywood Town (Sheffield Lab 13)
"Send in the Clowns" by Bill Henderson, Live at the Times (Jazz Planet Records/Classic Records)
“Landslide” and “Rhiannon,” by Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac (MFSL)
"First We Take Manhattan" and "Bird on a Wire" by Jennifer Warnes, Famous Blue Raincoat (Rock the House Records/Classic Records) (I know this is a digital recording.)
”I've Got the Music in Me" by Thelma Houston, I've Got the Music in Me (Sheffield Lab 2)
"Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley
"Where the Wild Roses Grow" and "Stagger Lee" by Nick Cave, Murder Ballads
You could list this great link in your signature - I would not be asking the same question again and again ...
And Ron will love such practice!
Yes I have been planning to. I think the second track on the Mendelssohn CD is great for comparing electronics due to it's complexity. I suggest getting it
I agree with morricab , that there is a difference versus real or repro .
But hey im not complaining , one could also turn it around and say what do repro systems do very good , i think ive reached quite a good level .
I was listening to Requiem the other day
Liturgia defunctorum -scola gregoriana on CD EMI CDM 7632812
Choir in a kathedral , very convincing very good recording , not real but you get a taste
But hey im not complaining , one could also turn it around and say what do repro systems do very good , i think ive reached quite a good level .
I was listening to Requiem the other day
Liturgia defunctorum -scola gregoriana on CD EMI CDM 7632812
Choir in a kathedral , very convincing very good recording , not real but you get a taste
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Your list should be a perfect for a demo of SoundLab's with the big MA2 and MP1 Atmasphere preamplfier. I once listened to such system with a The Well-Tempered Arm turntable and tonearm, and it was easily the best LP session I have ever witnessed. The Sheffield Lab's you refer sounded like heaven!
I now understand better your preference for LP - these direct cuts are hard to beat.
I know you are not planning to go analog but if you pick up 4 to 5 fro LPs it will help you enjoy a new perspective while listening to other systems, whether in private or at a show
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