Confessions of a Wire Skeptic

[solderdude]

I'm still traumatized by the ZZ Top remixes.

yep.

One of my test-albums is 'the nightfly'. Only on excellent speakers/headphones it sound good albeit sterile, but on lesser transducers it only sounds sterile and of mediocre quality.

 

[MRC01]

Ooh, is the hi-res Yes material any good?

Get the Steven Wilson remix.

Yep. The Steven Wilson remixes are the exception that proves the general rule that high-res remixes and remasters sound worse than the originals. Those original Yes recordings as released on vinyl were so bright & crunchy sounding I couldn't really listen to them. The Steven Wilson remixes are much warmer sounding, better balanced tonally, with bigger dynamics and just overall fantastic. It's the great recording that this music deserved all along.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I have visited several audio shows and I always carry a thumb drive with music I know well. Most vendors will not touch it.

I understand. Because of my press affiliation, they are generally willing to accommodate my requests and, in fact, often solicit my music. If not, I don't get anything out of a show demo. Everyone should be treated the same way, albeit with reasonable time limits.

 

[Martin]

I have the High Vibration SACD rips. They sound good to me. I've never heard the Steven Wilson remixes. (I usually avoid remixes.)

 

[600lbs of Sin]

What happened? Where am I? Can I have that 10 minutes back?

Signed, WTF Productions

 

[SIY]

I've never heard the Steven Wilson remixes. (I usually avoid remixes.)

So do I. These are different, in a good way.

 

[MRC01]

All that said about the Yes albums, as great as they are, and every Yes fan should have these definitive versions, at the end of the day they're analog recordings from the 1970s, not exactly state of the art in transparency or realism. To a lesser extent this also applies to the Jennifer Warnes, Tracy Chapman and other albums common used for system testing. They were great for their time and still are good, but there are modern recordings that are even better especially for listening for midrange transparency and detail. That said, the Floyd Toole list of recordings is a good start, even if reference quality has moved forward since then.

 

[Martin]

My absolutely favorite recording is Supertramp’s Crime Of The Century followed closely by Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. I have half a dozen or more versions of each recording.

What is Floyd Toole’s list? I googled it but cannot find any information on a list.

Martin

 

[MRC01]

... What is Floyd Toole’s list? I googled it but cannot find any information on a list.

That's probably because I mis-attributed them. That's what I get for going from memory.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...sic-tracks-for-speaker-and-room-eq-testing.6/

 

[Martin]

That's probably because I mis-attributed them. That's what I get for going from memory.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...sic-tracks-for-speaker-and-room-eq-testing.6/

Interesting list. I do like female pop rock for evaluating speakers. Especially Sarah McLachlan. Adele and Natalie Merchant are both good, too. I like 3 Doors Down and Dire Straits, also. They have some very well recorded albums.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I like to evaluate stuff using music I like too but at shows that just empties the room...

 

[MattHooper]

Can I nominated this for "Most Misnamed Thread Title?"

 

[Hugo9000]

I like to evaluate stuff using music I like too but at shows that just empties the room...

That's good, though, as no one will be there to fight you for the sweet spot!

 

[garbulky]

Interesting list. I do like female pop rock for evaluating speakers. Especially Sarah McLachlan. Adele and Natalie Merchant are both good, too. I like 3 Doors Down and Dire Straits, also. They have some very well recorded albums.

Ah but kryptonite is not one of them!

 

[TLEDDY]

Despite the content, I had fun reading the Boomer. He would easily get a job writing fo one of the subjective rags.

I cannot get my knickers in a knot. He is like the Babylon Bee of ASR

 

[Valhalla]

Thanks for high purity bullshit. That sounds so articulate to me though it's not broken-in yet. I have to read it once again and I'm sure it will sound even more bullshit afterwards!