Videos of Acoustically-Coupled Audio Recordings

[Carlos269]

So, after 2,878 posts, is it finally clear that Carlos has the best videos / room / system / process? Or is it still subject to a debate?

I’m not sure that I have made most of those claims. The one claim that I will make is in terms of the best process. I’m no longer subjected to the trial & error approach. I now have the knowledge, understanding and process to make the changes to the sound presentation of my systems that I desire and that is a huge deal.

Last night’s listening session was on my WAAR system with the system-Remastering process and I marveled at the power, finesse, resolution and adjustability of the system. Like being behind the control deck of the Enterprise sonically speaking.

I’m far from done. I have a major upgrade coming for my OKTAN6 system, which will transition to OKTAN7, in a few weeks.

I’m also looking to push the envelope with my SET, DHT, Loth-X/Acapella plasma super-tweeters/Emperor subwoofers systems.

So stay tuned as I think that you will get to hear a glimpse of what these systems sound like on the system videos.

 

[morricab]

I’m not sure that I have made most of those claims. The one claim that I will make is in terms of the best process. I’m no longer subjected to the trial & error approach. I now have the knowledge, understanding and process to make the changes to the sound presentation of my systems that I desire and that is a huge deal.

Last night’s listening session was on my WAAR system with the system-Remastering process and I marbled at the power, finesse, resolution and adjustability of the system. Like being behind the control deck of the Enterprise sonically speaking.

I’m far from done. I have a major upgrade coming for my OKTAN6 system, which will transition to OKTAN7, in a few weeks.

I’m also looking to push the envelope with my SET, DHT, Loth-X/Acapella plasma super-tweeters/Emperor subwoofers systems.

So stay tuned as I think that you will get to hear a glimpse of what these systems sound like on the system videos.

You “marbled at”…as in you were “stoned”?

what driver does the Loth-X use?

 

[Carlos269]

You “marbled at”…as in you were “stoned”?

what driver does the Loth-X use?

Autocorrect strikes again. My Loth-X Troubadours have the Stefan Stamm full range drivers and my Loth-X Polaris have a custom modified SEAS full range driver, with response alignment filter.

 

[morricab]

Autocorrect strikes again. My Loth-X Troubadours have the Stefan Stamm full range drivers and my Loth-X Polaris have a custom modified SEAS full range driver, with response alignment filter.

both nice drivers...

 

[Carlos269]

both nice drivers...

I also need to get back to my Fertin Acoustics 20EX-Carbone field-coil drivers with silver voice-coils, brass phase-plugs, carbon-fiber spiders and Cryogenically treated mounted on set of new JE-Labs style custom Open Baffles.

 

[PeterA]

Peter,
Here is the Solit -Chicago version in full range:

OKTAN6 - Symphony No. 5 III Scherzo Allegro - Solti Chicago

Carlos, I prefer this video to your previous one by quite a bit. The tonal balance is completely different, and the music sounds much more convincing. Is that a result of the different recordings alone? The brightness is much diminished, and the tonal balance sounds more natural. You retain life and energy, but you manage to banish the brightness. Of course, I do not think the two are related, but there were some comments earlier that suggested they are linked. ( @Ron Resnick should listen to this as an example of the difference and compare it to your earlier DG recording.)

It is interesting because you posted that previous video as an example of what you thought sounded good and presumably a reflection of your preferences with this tube/SET system to videos posted by others. Which of your two No. 5/3rd movement videos do you prefer and why? And how would you say your second Solti video compares to the official YouTube video that Argonaut posted? Do you think official YouTube videos should be held up as the standard or reference against which all actual system videos taken in room with an iPhone should be judged?

Finally, I find that there is a large range of tonal differences between your various videos, especially the ones that you adjust with your WAAR device after comments from listeners, but I hear the range now too with your horn/SET system from different recordings. That is to be expected, but I also hear a consistent level of background hiss and see a very grainy video quality across all of your videos. What accounts for those things which I do not hear or see from almost all other system videos here and across YouTube?

I respect your efforts to learn here and share, and to post videos and make changes after comments from others.

 

[Carlos269]

Carlos, I prefer this video to your previous one by quite a bit. The tonal balance is completely different, and the music sounds much more convincing. Is that a result of the different recordings alone? The brightness is much diminished, and the tonal balance sounds more natural. You retain life and energy, but not the brightness. ( @Ron Resnick should listen to this as an example and compare it to your earlier DG recording.)

It is interesting because you posted that previous video as an example of what you thought sounded good and a reflection of your preferences with this tube/SET system. Which of your two videos do you prefer and why? And how would you say your second Solti video compares to the official YouTube video that Argonaut posted? Do you think official YouTube videos should be held up as the standard or reference against which all actual system videos taken in room with an iPhone should be judged?

Finally, I find that there is a large range of tonal differences between your various videos, especially the ones that you adjust with your WAAR device after comments from listeners, but I hear the range now too with your horn/SET system from different recordings. That is to be expected, but I also hear a consistent level of background hiss and see a very grainy video quality across all of your videos. What accounts for those things which I do not hear from almost all other system videos here and across YouTube?

I respect your efforts to learn here and share, and to post videos and make changes after comments from others.

Peter, the only difference between this and the previous video is the source file. This again shows the impact of the mastering on the resulting sound quality. The OKTAN6 system does not have the System-Remastering process implemented. I’m using a different approach with it to fine tune it. I’m adjusting the various complex crossovers to achieve my desired sound presentation and have been extremely successful with this new, to me, approach.

The interesting thing crossed my thoughts last night. After recording the Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Track on my OKTAN6 system, I went into my main listening room for my listening session on my WAAR system with the System-Remastering process. As I was lost to the system, I thought that you, Ron and others that found the presentation of my OKTAN6 system over videos a bit bright might actually prefer the sound and presentation of my WAAR system, with the System-Remastering process. Here is a little taste of how great the system sounded last night:

Hello

Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Solti Chicago

 

[PeterA]

Peter, the only difference between this and the previous video is the source file. This again shows the impact of the mastering on the resulting sound quality. The OKTAN6 system does not have the System-Remastering process implemented. I’m using a different approach with it to fine tune it. I’m adjusting the various complex crossovers to achieve my desired sound presentation and have been extremely successful with this new, to me, approach.

The interesting thing crossed my thoughts last night. After recording the Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Track on my OKTAN6 system, I went into my main listening room for my listening session on my WAAR system with the System-Remastering process. As I was lost to the system, I thought that you, Ron and others that found the presentation of my OKTAN6 system over videos a bit bright might actually prefer the sound and presentation of my WAAR system, with the System-Remastering process. Here is a little taste of how great the system sounded last night:

Hello

Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Solti Chicago

Thank you Carlos. I like your horn/SET system and have actually stated I prefer it to your WAAR system, but that preference based on those videos may have been recording dependent. It is still unclear to me which of your two Beethoven 5th videos your prefer. I found the first quite bright but still showing energy and life, while the second was better balanced.

Also, I remain curious about the background hiss and grainy video quality of your videos. I have seen no other iPhone videos that exhibit these characteristics. What is the cause? And how do you think your Solti 5 compares to Argonaut's official YouTube file?

 

[PeterA]

Carlos, I just watched the two new videos of "Hello" and Solti No. 5 on your main WAAR system.

I never liked "Hello" and simply can not relate to the music. I find Adelle? has a lot of sibilance on her voice and it sounds highly processed. I do not know if it is the fault of the recording or the system. It simply does not engage me and I lost interest pretty quickly.

I prefer the Solti No. 5 on your horn/SET system. It sounds clearer and more natural. On the WAAR system, I hear congestion and some homogenization. I prefer your horn/SET system in general based on past videos, and in particular on this specific comparison of the same recording. I know your WAAR system is almost infinitely adjustable, so you have it set to your preference. I would likely prefer different settings. I think your horn/SET system sounds very good based only on a few of the videos you have shared.

Again, there is that graininess and background hiss across both systems in your videos. What is the cause? It is quite unique.

 

[Carlos269]

Carlos, I prefer this video to your previous one by quite a bit. The tonal balance is completely different, and the music sounds much more convincing. Is that a result of the different recordings alone? The brightness is much diminished, and the tonal balance sounds more natural. You retain life and energy, but you manage to banish the brightness. Of course, I do not think the two are related, but there were some comments earlier that suggested they are linked. ( @Ron Resnick should listen to this as an example of the difference and compare it to your earlier DG recording.)

The previous recording sounded the best that I have heard it from the various system videos that have been posted.

It is interesting because you posted that previous video as an example of what you thought sounded good and presumably a reflection of your preferences with this tube/SET system to videos posted by others. Which of your two No. 5/3rd movement videos do you prefer and why?

The second one is not as well recorded. The first one is brighter but to me sounds like better microphones used to capture the recording and better mastering was performed on it. The second one is a bit fuller and subdued, missing some of the resolution and dynamics of the first one.

And how would you say your second Solti video compares to the official YouTube video that Argonaut posted?

It sounds very close to the file that Argonaut posted. I went back and listened to that file after I had made my recording and the file has the brass shimmer that I hear on my system and on the video of it.

Do you think official YouTube videos should be held up as the standard or reference against which all actual system videos taken in room with an iPhone should be judged?

No. Most of the time the Official video is not a good reference because it has no system/room/video-microphone contributions and therefore it is not a good reference for a “system video”. If one is not familiar with the track then the official track can provide a reference but the expectations should not be that the in-room video should sound exactly like the official video, this is short sighted and shows a lack of understanding of the elements at play.

Finally, I find that there is a large range of tonal differences between your various videos, especially the ones that you adjust with your WAAR device after comments from listeners, but I hear the range now too with your horn/SET system from different recordings. That is to be expected, but I also hear a consistent level of background hiss and see a very grainy video quality across all of your videos.

The sound of my various systems actually sound more alike than different. Sure there are slight differences in tonal balance and presentation and I attribute those differences to the systems’ make-up in terms both speakers and overall system capabilities. The more capable the system, the more it can be made mailable to sound like one desires.

What accounts for those things which I do not hear or see from almost all other system videos here and across YouTube?

I hear a lot of flaws and shortcomings in other system videos. I hear over-damped acoustically treated rooms sucking the life out of the music, I hear 2 watt system driving pairs of 15” bass drivers and hear that limitation, which sounds like bloated and ill-defined bass notes. I hear system that sound smooth and enjoyable because they roll-off early, around 8 to 10 KHz and this passes as “smooth” to some ears. I hear lack of bass definition and delineation in most system. But mostly I hear lack of resolution, low-level and inner detail in other systems, and this is mostly due to the absence of HQPLAYER.

I respect your efforts to learn here and share, and to post videos and make changes after comments from others.

Thank you. Much more and more impressive things to come with my OKTAN6 system and perhaps even with my WAAR system with the System-Remastering process. This year I will make the effort to optimize my full-range driver and Open Baffle based systems.

I hope that this year we get to hear videos from TiLi, AudioCrack, MikeL, and others who believe that cost correlates with performance. I like to see how knowledge stacks up against those high costs systems.

 

[Carlos269]

Carlos, I just watched the two new videos of "Hello" and Solti No. 5 on your main WAAR system.

I never liked "Hello" and simply can not relate to the music. I find Adelle? has a lot of sibilance on her voice and it sounds highly processed. I do not know if it is the fault of the recording or the system. It simply does not engage me and I lost interest pretty quickly.

I prefer the Solti No. 5 on your horn/SET system. It sounds clearer and more natural. On the WAAR system, I hear congestion and some homogenization. I prefer your horn/SET system in general based on past videos, and in particular on this specific comparison of the same recording. I know your WAAR system is almost infinitely adjustable, so you have it set to your preference. I would likely prefer different settings. I think your horn/SET system sounds very good based only on a few of the videos you have shared.

Again, there is that graininess and background hiss across both systems in your videos. What is the cause? It is quite unique.

The custom HQPLAYER server is in the same room as my WAAR system. It doesn’t have to be but it is there at this time so you hear some fan noise on those recordings during the lowest passages. The OKTAN6 system is very high efficiency and the tube rush from the SET amplifiers is heard on the high efficiency drivers, the coaxial is 118dB efficient for example.

 

[PeterA]

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

Thank you for posting that Peter …It just made my year so far …No seriously

(Carlos,) Do you think official YouTube videos should be held up as the standard or reference against which all actual system videos taken in room with an iPhone should be judged?

No. Most of the time the Official video is not a good reference because it has no system/room/video-microphone contributions and therefore it is not a good reference for a “system video”. If one is not familiar with the track then the official track can provide a reference but the expectations should not be that the in-room video should sound exactly like the official video, this is short sighted and shows a lack of understanding of the elements at play.

I see a new trend here in these video thread discussions. People who rarely or never post videos of their own systems and generally criticise system videos are increasingly posting official YouTube files in response to posts system owners make with links to their system videos. I do not know the purpose of these quick responses? Are they meant for comparisons to some supposed reference? Do those who post the files realize that one is of an actual system in a room and recorded with a simple iPhone, while the other is just a file and may not even be the same mastering? Do they think that is an apples to apples comparison?

Have you noticed this trend, what purpose does it serve, and do you think it is productive?

 

[Argonaut]

Awwww Bless …

 

[hopkins]

Peter, the only difference between this and the previous video is the source file. This again shows the impact of the mastering on the resulting sound quality. The OKTAN6 system does not have the System-Remastering process implemented. I’m using a different approach with it to fine tune it. I’m adjusting the various complex crossovers to achieve my desired sound presentation and have been extremely successful with this new, to me, approach.

The interesting thing crossed my thoughts last night. After recording the Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Track on my OKTAN6 system, I went into my main listening room for my listening session on my WAAR system with the System-Remastering process. As I was lost to the system, I thought that you, Ron and others that found the presentation of my OKTAN6 system over videos a bit bright might actually prefer the sound and presentation of my WAAR system, with the System-Remastering process. Here is a little taste of how great the system sounded last night:

Hello

Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Solti Chicago

Your "Hello" video has pretty poor recording quality. I don't see how you would expect anyone to conclude anything about your system based on this.

This is recorded from my desktop speakers (Vanatoo, 500$), playing Qobuz from Google Chrome...

Videos are a treacherous exercise, both for those who publish them and for those who comment on them

 

[bonzo75]

I see a new trend here in these video thread discussions. People who rarely or never post videos of their own systems and generally criticise system videos are increasingly posting official YouTube files in response to posts system owners make with links to their system videos. I do not know the purpose of these quick responses? Are they meant for comparisons to some supposed reference? Do those who post the files realize that one is of an actual system in a room and recorded with a simple iPhone, while the other is just a file and may not even be the same mastering? Do they think that is an apples to apples comparison?

Have you noticed this trend, what purpose does it serve, and do you think it is productive?

it is quite silly IMO. Even a LP recorded from the phono into a Tascam will sound nothing like what you record coming out of the speaker. I ignore all those posts.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

note to self; continue to just abstain from commenting on system video postings or system video process methodology. as tempting as it is.

this after starting to post multiple times, and thinking better of it. better to simply take an occasional look-see.

 

[hopkins]

it is quite silly IMO. Even a LP recorded from the phono into a Tascam will sound nothing like what you record coming out of the speaker. I ignore all those posts.

I don't think it is silly to give an exact reference of the track you are playing, and if it is a digital track and it is available on a streaming platform, then it is even simpler to provide the link. If you are playing an LP, then a digital version may obviously differ, and I am sure many people are aware of this. It's not because there are a few idiots who misuse "videos" that we need to stop providing this info.

People don't always know the music that is being recorded, and they may be curious to listen to that same track in their own system.

 

[bonzo75]

I don't think it is silly to give an exact reference of the track you are playing, and if it is a digital track and it is available on a streaming platform, then it is even simpler to provide the link.

People don't always know the music that is being recorded, and they may be curious to listen to that same track in their own system.

Giving a reference of the track to listen to on another's system is quite different from comparing YT clip to the video. Anyway why did I get drawn back in here?

 

[hopkins]

Giving a reference of the track to listen to on another's system is quite different from comparing YT clip to the video.

Here is a YouTube video of Adele's Hello on YouTube:

On my headphones it sounds no different from the version that is on Qobuz, and if I played the CD on my computer through those sames headphones it would probably sound exactly the same as well. If I choose to play it at my computer or on my main system, that's my decision, but it is always the same track...

So what you and PeterA are telling me is that I cannot post that YouTube link but I can give a reference to the track? That makes absoluetly no sense. Why make things simple when they can be complicated...

System videos are supposed to be fun, they are there to satisfy or generate curiosity, nothing more. Only the people who think that you can "rank" systems based on system videos get too serious about them.

 

[bonzo75]

Here is a YouTube video of Adele's Hello on YouTube:

On my headphones it sounds no different from the version that is on Qobuz, and if I played the CD on my computer through those sames headphones it would probably sound exactly the same as well. If I choose to play it at my computer or on my main system, that's my decision, but it is always the same track...

So what you and PeterA are telling me is that I cannot post that YouTube link but I can give a reference to the track? That makes absoluetly no sense. Why make things simple when they can be complicated...

System videos are supposed to be fun, they are there to satisfy or generate curiosity, nothing more. Only the people who think that you can "rank" systems based on system videos get too serious about them.

No I am saying a recording of what you play through your system or any system will never sound close to that YT clip.