Videos of Acoustically-Coupled Audio Recordings

[Carlos269]

Carlos, I appreciate you constantly challenging others with your system videos. Does this one employ your WAAR treatment? What performance and recording is this of Beethoven's Fifth? I will have to see which ones I have and will see about getting around to recording a system video for you. Don't know when.

Peter, with my OKTAN6 system I’m making all my adjustments with the adjustable crossovers as opposed to the system-remastering process used in my WAAR reference system. As you can hear, the sound signature is similar. The treble energy is what gives the sound that “live” feel. And while it might sound fatiguing to those that are not used to it, it is exciting and the opposite of what is typically passed as high-end sound, which is devoid of life, excitement and sizzle.

Beethoven’s Fifth recording was streamed from Tidal and is the Herbert Von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic.

I look forward to listening to your system video.

 

[Carlos269]

Carlos likes, in my view unnaturally, bright sound, as is also obvious from the Beethoven video he posted here, and from other videos in the past as well.

It is dangerous to associate bright upper midrange and HF response with "life and energy". I think the trick is to get life, dynamics and energy at a more normal tonal balance which sounds more like live music, without excess upper midrange and HF energy.

This is much more difficult to achieve, but I think I have that in my system, as do you in yours, but it is likely that Carlos would find my system sound endlessly boring, as he might find yours.

Everyone has their own taste I guess.

Al, please lead by example and let me, others listen to that “more natural” tonal balance. I would like to hear a system video with the natural treble energy you speak of. Why not post a quick video for us to hear what you are speaking of?

 

[Al M.]

Al, please lead by example and let me, others listen to that “more natural” tonal balance. I would like to hear a system video with the natural treble energy you speak of. Why not post a quick video for us to hear what you are speaking of?

We have discussed this before, nothing more to say.

I refuse to get bullied into something I don't believe in.

 

[Carlos269]

I agree Al. I think Carlos' video has more life and energy at all frequencies than does the Magico video. I also find, in addition to that, there is excessive brightness on both his Adelle and Beethoven 5th. He explained in another post that that is a product of phone recording and that we should discount that. Sophisticated listeners get that and make accommidations for video brightness. I am not sure I agree with that. I think videos actually capture tonal balance pretty well.

I attribute the life and energy I hear from Carlos' videos to the system, ie, horn/set, versus the Magico system in this case, but maybe the rest of the gear and room or other factors. I have no idea. It might also be his preference with his tuning device to create exactly the sound he wants. It seems like a very powerful tool. I do not know its influence on the overall sound of these latest videos.

I can disconnect the super-tweeters and produce a more laid back sound but with my reference system I do not want to compromise their performance. It is that treble energy that gives it a “live” feel as opposed to a dull, uninteresting, and uninspiring sound reproduction.

 

[Carlos269]

We have discussed this before, nothing more to say.

I refuse to get bullied into something I don't believe in.

Talk is cheap! Words only hold water if there is evidence.

 

[PeterA]

How do you distinguish what is "life and energy" from what is "brightness"?

By listening and relying on my experience with live music. Frequency range and distortion. There are a lot of instruments that are not covered in the high frequencies that have plenty of life and energy exhibited by a sense of dynamics, immediacy, effortlessness, and realism. Brightness has nothing to do with life and energy. There are plenty of high frequency instruments that are portrayed and presented naturally that do not sound bright over a YouTube video.

 

[Carlos269]

If you listen to enough of these high profile comparisons, you begin to comprehend the differences in sound reproduction:

One system has a full range wide open sound, the other does not.

 

[PeterA]

We have discussed this before, nothing more to say.

I refuse to get bullied into something I don't believe in.

Al, I respect your wishes not to participate in posting videos of your system online to share with others. That is your choice and that is fine and I’m not gonna argue with you about it. I just would not characterize Carlos‘s request, which was quite polite in my opinion, as bullying you. You’re not being bullied here.

 

[PeterA]

I can disconnect the super-tweeters and produce a more laid back sound but with my reference system I do not want to compromise their performance. It is that treble energy that gives it a “live” feel as opposed to a dull, uninteresting, and uninspiring sound reproduction.

I understand Carlos. We shape our system sound to please us and for some of us live music is our reference. Even with that same goal, systems end up sounding very different based on individual preference and what we think reminds us most of the sound of live music.

 

[morricab]

Peter, with my OKTAN6 system I’m making all my adjustments with the adjustable crossovers as opposed to the system-remastering process used in my WAAR reference system. As you can hear, the sound signature is similar. The treble energy is what gives the sound that “live” feel. And while it might sound fatiguing to those that are not used to it, it is exciting and the opposite of what is typically passed as high-end sound, which is devoid of life, excitement and sizzle.

Beethoven’s Fifth recording was streamed from Tidal and is the Herbert Von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic.

I look forward to listening to your system video.

Sorry Carlos needs more wood and less string…sounds thin in the upper registers. I have heard this Beethoven live 3 times, once with my ex playing 1st chair violin…so, suffice to say I know what it shoukd sound like. I would also suggest trying some other versions as DG can sometimes be a bit thin.

 

[Carlos269]

Sorry Carlos needs more wood and less string…sounds thin in the upper registers. I have heard this Beethoven live 3 times, once with my ex playing 1st chair violin…so, suffice to say I know what it shoukd sound like. I would also suggest trying some other versions as DG can sometimes be a bit thin.

Listen to the tonal balance on “Lua” above. I played back the recording that was being compared:

What’s your take on the above compared to the 3 times you have heard the piece live?

 

[wil]

If you listen to enough of these high profile comparisons, you begin to comprehend the differences in sound reproduction:

One system has a full range wide open sound, the other does not.

Hard to compare, with the levels so different. The magico might sound a lot more lively with matched levels.

 

[wil]

Sorry Carlos needs more wood and less string…sounds thin in the upper registers. I have heard this Beethoven live 3 times, once with my ex playing 1st chair violin…so, suffice to say I know what it shoukd sound like. I would also suggest trying some other versions as DG can sometimes be a bit thin.

To me this sounds, like morricab alluded to, an overly bright, thin DGG recording. I don’t see how any of these comparisons can make any sense without using the same source material!

 

[morricab]

Listen to the tonal balance on “Lua” above. I played back the recording that was being compared:

What’s your take on the above compared to the 3 times you have heard the piece live?

Please record your system with different versions of Beethoven’s 5th. If they are all kind of thin then it is likely your personal sonic choice coming through. Your WAAR system was similar until I said something.

 

[Carlos269]

Please record your system with different versions of Beethoven’s 5th. If they are all kind of thin then it is likely your personal sonic choice coming through. Your WAAR system was similar until I said something.

Why don’t you and Wil post your system videos so I can hear where you are coming from?

 

[Al M.]

Sorry Carlos needs more wood and less string…sounds thin in the upper registers. I have heard this Beethoven live 3 times, once with my ex playing 1st chair violin…so, suffice to say I know what it shoukd sound like. I would also suggest trying some other versions as DG can sometimes be a bit thin.

The original recording, also processed via the YouTube digital. Much less bright and thin:

 

[morricab]

The original recording, also processed via the YouTube digital. Much less bright and thin:

Good proof that

 

[Carlos269]

The original recording, also processed via the YouTube digital. Much less bright and thin:

Very nice, Now play that back on your system and record it. You will quickly find out what the microphone’s limited low frequency response will do to the tonal balance.

 

[morricab]

Why don’t you and Wil post your system videos so I can hear where you are coming from?

Because, as Al pointed out, the recording itself is quite different than your playback. We’ve been around this loop already, Carlos. Make yours sound like the YouTube file of the original recording.

 

[morricab]

Very nice, Now play that back on your system and record it. You will quickly find out what the microphone’s limited low frequency response will do to the tonal balance.

Don’t blame the microphone…unless you want to give nearly all the other phone recordings a pass as well…even those with sufficient bass. Your WAAR system sounded the same and then you gave it “more wood” and it wasn’t thin anymore. You just seem to prefer it that way because you always seem to default to this thinish kind of sound.