Blind taste test #2, Pink Floyd - Meddle

[hvbias]

Don't read this if you haven't taken the test and plan to

Spoiler

When I did this test blind B was my favorite as well, however E is what I go to after doing it non-blind. Yeah I know not very scientific

 

[NorthSky]

I didn't read your spoiler because I'm going to do the test seriously this evening...with my best pair of cans.

This will be strictly a subjective audio listening test, sorry, because I have no other better more appropriate measuring tools than my own pair of defective but still trusty ears.

 

[FrantzM]

I don't have access to a decent sound right now just my laptop and no serious gear..

 

[Dynamix]

@hvbias : Love the avatar!

Drop out of life with bong in hand
Follow the smoke toward the riff filled land

 

[hvbias]

Thanks, been on a bit of a Sleep binge Even got one of the artist's art prints for the man cave

 

[hvbias]

Here are the results of the test:

Source A
EMI 7243 8 29749 2 (1994 EU unremastered, level-shifted version of EMI Swindon base master)

Source B
MFSL UDCD 518 (MoFi remaster)

Source C
EMI 50999 028942 2 (Discovery remaster by James Guthrie & Joel Plante)

Source D
Toshiba-EMI CP32-5032 (EMI/Sony base master, Japan)

Source E
Shine On boxset CDS 7805572 (1992 remastered by Doug Sax)

If anyone has questions or something else, PM me and I'll get an email notification. I'm going to take a break from this place... not really getting much out of the forum any more.

 

[NorthSky]

Oh, interesting: On CD I have A, B and E (the complete 'Shine On' big boxset with the large book and cards, etc.). I have few LPs too of that title.

From memory my LPs are the best. On CD, that would be B. As for E, I would have to re-listen.
This is so subjective, and the differences according to those numbers...they're all the same: http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=pink+floyd&album=meddle

What should I do? Buy a new turntable? A high-end one, with a great MC cart and a long extended tonearm.
I guess there isn't much science in music taste, or is it? It all depends...of who wear that set of ears.

Oh did I mention; I'm a big Pink Floyd's fan. ...And also from each member separately.

 

[Sal1950]

If anyone has questions or something else, PM me and I'll get an email notification. I'm going to take a break from this place... not really getting much out of the forum any more.

I find that very unfortunate. I've always found your contributions to be of great value.
ASR will be the lesser for it.
Cent' Anni

 

[krabapple]

You can strip away the ReplayGain in Foobar2k. Feel free to do that if you wish.

DR meter results are no different with and without ReplayGain. Someone more qualified will have to answer if it actually changes dynamics. I have never heard objectivist audiophiles say it does that.

If a file simply has a replaygain adjustment number associated with it as a tag, for use when Replaygain is set to 'on', that can be overridden simply by leaving Replaygain set to 'off'.


But if the replaygain suggested volume adjustment was hard-coded, you can't strip it simply using foobar. You have to manually re-adjust the levels back to what they were originally, whatever that was.

These files have had the replaygain adjustment hard-coded. They all play at the same perceptual level. (this is also demonstrated by the fact that first, they re have no replaygain tags, and second, when you run a replaygain scan on them, the suggested volume adjustment for all of them is 0 dB) There is no easy way to override it. Nor should you, really, if you want the keep the comparison fair. Otherwise 'quality preference' is influenced by simple overall volume.

 

[krabapple]

Fwiw, with cheap headphones I was able to tell a difference between some pairs consistently with foo ABX, by listening carefully to the snare on 'Fearless'. I have no preference -- and I don't have an ABC/hr tester to test that.