Polishing the Turds

[David Matz]

We own some of the most transparent speakers made. However, this can have a downside in making certain recordings sound awful and take away from enjoyment of the music.


Do you choose your electronics to be as transparent as possible, seeking the "truth" or do you like equipment that makes bad recordings sound less bad? Ayre and CJ are brands that come to mind that make bad recordings sound good.
<O</O
Do you still listen to old or crappy recordings? If you do, is your enjoyment of these less, as you are analyzing what you hear and thus less engaged in the music? Or have you become an "audiophile" that listens to the same handful of cd's/ records all the time?

 

[FISH_MAN]

I have lost some enjoyment of albums that I thought sounded good before. these are now left for play in the car.as bad as something can sound the flip side of the coin is that there are other albulms that sound so good it just makes you want to jump up and down. I think that I would always strive for the most revieling equipment possible becuase when its good its all well worth it.

 

[DrJRapp]

I have lost some enjoyment of albums that I thought sounded good before. these are now left for play in the car.

I thought I was the only one who did that!...lol

 

[Tube60]

My system is probably not as revealing or as accurate as other member's systems on this site, but just the same, it's probably better than 99% of what most people listen to. Revealing? I have a recording of Liszt (can't immediately recall which CD I have - I'm at work) in which I can hear the pianist breathing and flipping his sheet music during the concert, which I can't hear at all on any other system, so I'd say that's pretty darn good! And yes it does make a mockery of a bad recording. I accept it as the truth; I'd rather have a system that reveals all with no sugar coating. I'm not one of those "audiophiles" that only listens to a few recordings over and over. If something catches my eye at a music store, regardless of what it is (except gangsta rap ) I take it home. I've been both delighted and appalled at my discoveries, but that's part of the game!
Here's a little homework assignment: Get a recording of ABC's Poison Arrow and describe where in the song the treefrogs start chirping.

 

[DTB300]

I thought I was the only one who did that!...lol

Car mode is AWESOME for those hard to listen to CD's. I had a very heated discussions on a Spyro Grya forum about their new disc being very good musically but terrible sonically - man they really go all the hair on the back to stand up . I stated I expected more from a group like this and from Heads Up the label. Heads Up does some great stuff (YellowJackets for instance) and earlier (a couple titles back) SG discs sounded very good but the latest was not near it, so that disc ended up in car listening mode.

Lately though, instead of being so critical of how things sound, I find myself now listening more to the music, and at lower levels for those lower quality discs, instead of listening to how the music sounds. You would be surprised at how much more satisfying it is to enjoy the music instead of listening to it.

 

[User211]

We own some of the most transparent speakers made. However, this can have a downside in making certain recordings sound awful and take away from enjoyment of the music.

The solution here is to get "magic" amps. Ones that sound blinkin' brilliant with ace recordings, and make the best of not so good to poor ones. They do exist - I own a pair!

 

[DTB300]

The solution here is to get "magic" amps. Ones that sound blinkin' brilliant with ace recordings, and make the best of not so good to poor ones. They do exist - I own a pair!

Then you have an amp you like - nothing magic about that - but I know where you a trying to go with your statement

I want an amp that just shows the recording - period.

I want an amp that does not add to the poor ones to make them better.

If it is crap in, I want crap out, if it is nirvana in, I want nirvana out (no not the band). For poor discs I have my car player which helps roll off the high end to make them more pleasing sounding.

 

[Dreamer]

I do both things. I have amassed a pretty big collection of good recordings that I like, and so I don't have to listen to the same handful over and over again.

However, there are some CDs and records that I REALLY like, but they are, in fact, crap recordings (or more likely, crap engineering and heavy-handed post production). And I can listen to them on my system with a little "help" from some external processing.

That's what a tape loop is for, guys. Punch the processors in when you need them, punch them out when you don't.

I enjoy having a system that is revealing enough to show how absolutely brilliant (or dreadfully hideous) a recording is. But at the same time, there are a few of my favorite discs that are crap recordings, or bad mastering, but I LOVE the material, so I use some tone controls, digital EQ and noise processing to make them more enjoyable...

--Richard

 

[FISH_MAN]

Car mode is AWESOME for those hard to listen to CD's. I had a very heated discussions on a Spyro Grya forum about their new disc being very good musically but terrible sonically - man they really go all the hair on the back to stand up . I stated I expected more from a group like this and from Heads Up the label. Heads Up does some great stuff (YellowJackets for instance) and earlier (a couple titles back) SG discs sounded very good but the latest was not near it, so that disc ended up in car listening mode.

Lately though, instead of being so critical of how things sound, I find myself now listening more to the music, and at lower levels for those lower quality discs, instead of listening to how the music sounds. You would be surprised at how much more satisfying it is to enjoy the music instead of listening to it.

being critical is one thing but some recordings really are turds.

 

[TomDac]

Get a recording of ABC's Poison Arrow and describe where in the song the treefrogs start chirping.

so fun!! I'm gonna do this tonight when I get home!

 

[DTB300]

being critical is one thing but some recordings really are turds.

I do not disagree, but there is some music that I really enjoy for the music - what our hobby is REALLY all about. A while back I probably could not do this caught in the vortex of "audiophileism" instead of just enjoying the music.

With bad ones I can do the car deal, do the processor with all kinds of added and removed frequencies, or I just play it a lot lower in volumes.

There is surface noise on vinyl, hiss on tape, harshness on CD, etc. But I am sure there are plenty of people who can look by this when they are looking to enjoy some music they really love.

All equipment adds or removes from the source. This is where system synergy and your likes and dislikes come into play regarding your choice of components.

For myself, I want the best recordings to sound the best and I will take whatever I am presented with on the lesser ones.

 

[Bernard]

Do you still listen to old or crappy recordings? If you do, is your enjoyment of these less, as you are analyzing what you hear and thus less engaged in the music? Or have you become an "audiophile" that listens to the same handful of cd's/ records all the time?

I still listen to old and crappy recordings of music that I like, and the enjoyment is not less.

 

[theWB]

I do not disagree, but there is some music that I really enjoy for the music - what our hobby is REALLY all about. A while back I probably could not do this caught in the vortex of "audiophileism" instead of just enjoying the music.

:bowdown:
Great Post
100% Agreement from me.
I think we all start down the audiophile path because of our Love of Music.
And I at some point got caught in the Vortex you speak of Dan.
But I'm back to enjoying and discovering new music.:music:

 

[JMAUSGP]

TreeeeFrroggs

Tube60,

Tree Frogs! Now we are talking. I have hundreds of those buggers around my place. They are often called birdsong tree frogs. At about 2:20 I think they start but definitely at 2:28 for sure, they are there in the back ground. I love the sound of tree frogs in the morning...or was that napalm? Anway, they are dissappearing from the landscape at an alarming rate. Good to see ABC's keeping the memory alive. What do I win?

 

[Tube60]

Good to see ABC's keeping the memory alive. What do I win?

For giving away the answer, a boot to the head! Ow!:ROFL:
Got no troubles for frogs around here. Golf course down the street has a large pond, and a settling pond for a sewage system. From about this time of year through April, at night their combined song is like an 6khz tone, all night.... worse than cicadas.... they're too small to eat though.....
Back to topic. It's tough to enjoy the music for what it is, music, when one is into audio at the level we are at. It's a slippery slope to fall down to bemusedly critiquing the system with just a few reference tracks only.... real easy! I started deliberately trying new albums of all kinds because I found myself doing that. The true journey, for me, is back on course! The music in and of itself!

 

[amey01]

Like it always has, it depends on my mood. Sometimes I am in full audiophile mood and can only listen to good recordings. If I have played a few really good recordings and then put a bad one on, I get all depressed....."awwww, that is underwhelming".

But when I'm not in full audiophile mode I can listen to the bad ones and derive just as much enjoyment from them. Heck, they still sound better than on a crap system!

 

[FISH_MAN]

I still listen to old and crappy recordings of music that I like, and the enjoyment is not less.

that's a lie Bernard! you know you would enjoy it way more if it was produced better lol.you seem like a particular guy as the rest of us and I know that when you put on an old favorite and the first couple seconds of it hit your ears you say to yourself what a shame they could have done a better job owe well I like this one so I will still listen.

 

[Bernard]

that's a lie Bernard! you know you would enjoy it way more if it was produced better lol.you seem like a particular guy as the rest of us and I know that when you put on an old favorite and the first couple seconds of it hit your ears you say to yourself what a shame they could have done a better job owe well I like this one so I will still listen.

Like incest, everything is relative !

 

[JonFo]

We own some of the most transparent speakers made. However, this can have a downside in making certain recordings sound awful and take away from enjoyment of the music.


Do you choose your electronics to be as transparent as possible, seeking the "truth" or do you like equipment that makes bad recordings sound less bad? Ayre and CJ are brands that come to mind that make bad recordings sound good.

I go for the most accurate reproduction possible. Starting with good engineering and impeccable specs that are well matched to the rest of the gear. E.g. amps that double-up on current with halving of impedance.
If one piece of gear reveals a flaw upstream, then it’s an opportunity to fix the upstream issue at some point.

<O</O
Do you still listen to old or crappy recordings? If you do, is your enjoyment of these less, as you are analyzing what you hear and thus less engaged in the music? Or have you become an "audiophile" that listens to the same handful of cd's/ records all the time?

I listen to old recordings, even if of a lower quality just for the enjoyment of the music.
But really bad issues in a recording can pull me out of the zone and make me focus on the sound.

And yes, I tend to discriminate and listen to the better recordings. Fortunately, I have many of those.

Also fortunately, many of my favorites have been remastered and re-released on formats like SACD. So I get to be the audiophile snob and enjoy my music

 

[User211]

Like incest, everything is relative !

As my sister used to say "Vice is nice. But incest is best!" Of course we never actually... well, nevermind!