Ron's Favorite Private Rooms + Systems of All Time

[tima]

It seems as if a couple of members put themselves above the rest of the membership and exist, seemingly, to only degrade other system videos....while at the same time, promoting theirs as superior.....as they push for more videos.

This ends now.

Asking for clarification, Tom ... to what does "This" refer? Posting videos or the other stuff?

 

[tima]

To bonzo. Please explain how your "classical analogue music eval scenario" method differs from someone who prefers female vocals as their main listening material and chooses cuts from Dianna Krall, Jennifer Warnes, Melody Gardot, Holly Cole, Patricia Barber, Alison Krauss, Nora Jones, Claire Martin, Madeleine Peyroux, etc. to evaluate a digitally based audio system.

Girl with guitar or with small ensemble music differs from orchestral music in most cases in several areas: dynamic range, frequency range, complexity of pitch and timbre in terms of number of instruments and voices involved, to mention a few. Format/media has nothing to do with it. If you had mentioned female vocals with big bands or orchestra (say, Shirley Bassey singing 'Diamonds are Forever') there might some difference but of those you mention they are largely easy listening mid-range music which typically offers less of a challenge to a system. imo, ymmv, etc.

 

[Ron Resnick]

To bonzo. Please explain how your "classical analogue music eval scenario" method differs from someone who prefers female vocals as their main listening material and chooses cuts from Dianna Krall, Jennifer Warnes, Melody Gardot, Holly Cole, Patricia Barber, Alison Krauss, Nora Jones, Claire Martin, Madeleine Peyroux, etc. to evaluate a digitally based audio system.

I think their point is, and I agree with their point, that if we have experience listening at close range to the sound of an unamplified piano being played we can develop a mental database reference of what a real piano sounds like. We cannot do that with multi-track pop or with a solo vocalist, unless we can listen at length to a solo vocalist singing to us unamplified.

It's a lot easier to find a piano in a friend's living room or hear unamplified piano at a concert hall, than it is to corral Stevie Nicks to sing to you unamplified in your living room.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

I would take that blank check and sell my house and find another larger old house that has an existing room that would be better than mine for my audio system. I would look for an old and large rectangular room, something like 23 feet wide 40 feet long and 17 feet high, with a high coffered ceiling and ideally wooden paneled walls and a wooden floor to which I would add a nice oriental carpet. Only curtains and furniture for treatment.

if I designed a listening room I likely would be disappointed because I do not have the right knowledge or experience to design such a room from scratch. Hiring an expert would be one approach, but I would prefer to find an existing solid large old room with the right dimensions and materials.

apart from the rectangular bit, this sounds like mine......

 

[Al M.]

Girl with guitar or with small ensemble music differs from orchestral music in most cases in several areas: dynamic range, frequency range, complexity of pitch and timbre in terms of number of instruments and voices involved, to mention a few. Format/media has nothing to do with it. If you had mentioned female vocals with big bands or orchestra (say, Shirley Bassey singing 'Diamonds are Forever') there might some difference but of those you mention they are largely easy listening mid-range music which typically offers less of a challenge to a system. imo, ymmv, etc.

That is why exhibitors use girl with guitar music at shows. Their often badly set up and tuned systems would fall apart with more demanding music, and they know it.

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

very true

 

[bonzo75]

I think their point is, and I agree with their point, that if we have experience listening at close range to the sound of an on amplified piano being played we can develop a mental database reference of what a real piano sounds like. We cannot do that with multi track pop or with a solo vocalist, unless we can listen at length to a solo vocalist singing or talking in person unamplified.

It's a lot easier to find a piano in a friend's living room or hear unamplified piano at a concert hall, than it is too corral Stevie Nicks to sing to you unamplified in your living room.

That is partly it. It is also if the audition music you use and you draw conclusions from, can you use those conclusions for a broader set of LPs, or is it only more LP specific? That is what I meant by extendibility. If I record Ron Resnick in a local studio on their custom vinyl and play it back, I can use Ron in person's voice as reference. Does that tell me how rock and opera vocals will play on the regular labels? To do the latter, I need to use a representation of opera vocals or Decca, EMI, Columbia, speakers corner, classic records, to get a reasonable sample. So I really cannot say I have auditioned a system for vocals by playing a specific LP unless it is a broader representation. This is beside the point of difference of a girl with guitar vs with a larger band or orchestra, which tests a system more. But what you use for that purpose should also be extendible. Plus, it should test for good vs bad recordings - the latter should sound awful.

I am not saying Stevie Nicks should not be used for audition, but it will only be one LP in a larger sample. As I said, when we played Fields of Gold at audioquattr, we both preferred it on the Opus on Graham. Yet, both of us prefer his Vyger RS, Dava, and vdh more overall and that's how he listens on a day to day basis too, those 3 taking priority over Opus. Therefore if I wanted to listen only to Fields of Gold on that system I would use Opus, but it would by no means be a conclusion I could more broadly extend to other LPs in the system.

 

[andromedaaudio]

That is why exhibitors use girl with guitar music at shows. Their often badly set up and tuned systems would fall apart with more demanding music, and they know it.

Thats why people flock to audioforums for info / aid.
I take people serious if they have had a certain item playing in their home system for a month or so

 

[PeterA]

Girl with guitar or with small ensemble music differs from orchestral music in most cases in several areas: dynamic range, frequency range, complexity of pitch and timbre in terms of number of instruments and voices involved, to mention a few. Format/media has nothing to do with it. If you had mentioned female vocals with big bands or orchestra (say, Shirley Bassey singing 'Diamonds are Forever') there might some difference but of those you mention they are largely easy listening mid-range music which typically offers less of a challenge to a system. imo, ymmv, etc.

I love Ella Fitzgerald singing while Joe Pass plays his guitar. I also like Peggy Lee singing Fever. These recordings are good and they tell a lot about a system. I like them for purity of tone and scale. Do they sound believable? Are you in their presence? But you are right, they are less revealing compared to more complex material if your goal is to judge a system’s full capabilities and learn of its limitations.

 

[Audiohertz2]

That is why exhibitors use girl with guitar music at shows. Their often badly set up and tuned systems would fall apart with more demanding music, and they know it.

Well Girl with guitar is easier to record and get correct than it is to record a Symphony at full chat. Most symphony recordings don't even come close to capturing the realism of a symphony , add audio system playback deficiencies and you need a pretty strong imagination to make it happen ..

Girl with guitar less so ..

If you really want a wake up call place a grand piano in your listen room and have it played at full chat ..


Regards

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

then you´ll need big room and hi-efficiency system

 

[Audiohertz2]

How so?

Its much easier to predict or put together a system to match a particular room than it is to predict the acoustic response to a non existent system in a specifically designed room ..



Regards

 

[Audiohertz2]

then you´ll need big room and hi-efficiency system

Yes then with supercharged imagination its a lock and heavenly ..

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

IMO superimagination doesn´t work on hi-power/lo-eff systems

 

[Tangram]

My preference for girl with guitar instead of opera has inadvertently saved me a lot of money, time, headache, and arguing. See you tonight Joni!

 

[Audiohertz2]

IMO superimagination doesn´t work on hi-power/lo-eff systems

Hahaha , just a different supercharged imagination ..

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

now this is a system test at full throttle

 

[Lagonda]

apart from the rectangular bit, this sounds like mine......

I bought my house for the relative large listening room and garage, garden, bathrooms and kitchen where low on my priority list. I might even take out the 3 of the rooms upstairs to get better ceiling hight in my listening room. Electricity is not up to code, with American outlets on my dedicated audio lines, holes have been cut in the wood floors where the audio "stand" has been cemented directly to the foundation. I will be dead when someone tries to sell the house anyway !

 

[Audiohertz2]

now this is a system test at full throttle

View attachment 123813

Dolphy like to keep his titles simple ,

Out There ..!
Out for lunch ..!

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

better with complex music, than titles