Audiophile quality recordings
Mark Huth
I recently purchased a new home audio system which I'm thrilled with:
Carver CT-26V Preamp/Tuner/AV receiver
Carver AV-705 Power amp (5X125W)
Two Alon II speakers
Alon C-1 Center speaker
Biamp 2X150 Power Amp (for rear speakers)
Rotel CD player (I forget the model, but the only one above it is sold
as a separate transport/processor/power supply)
I purchased the Alon II's because they present a very solid sound
stage with exceptional imaging. The Carver amp is biamplifying these
speakers, so there's plenty of headroom.
One of the things I've found right away is that this system really
exposes the quality of CD's in my collection. The recordings I have
which are of audiophile quality sound fantastic. Other recordings of
lesser quality (overly processed/compressed, poor mic placement,
etc.), which sounded about the same as the good recordings on my old
stereo, now sound very average or downright poor in comparison.
I'm building a small but revered group of very high quality recordings
and would like the group's input as to which recordings in your
collection would you recommend as exceptional. Do you have some
recordings which you find yourself going back to time and time again
because they bring out the best in your system? My tastes in music
are quite varied, so feel free to post music of all styles.
Also, are there audio magazines which publish lists of exceptional
audiophile recordings, based on the same criteria?
In the event that some of you are interested in which recordings I
have found to be audiophile quality, here are a few of my favorites:
Brandenburg Concertos 1, 2, 3 and 4, 5, 6 (two discs) Trevor Pinnock
and the English Consort (Archiv)
(Actually, any of the harpsichord music by Trevor Pinnock on the
Archiv label is exceptional)
Michael Hedges, Oracle (new age acoustic guitar; a few cuts have synth
pad sounds in the background. Wonderful player and tremendously
intimate mic placement).
Michael Murray, Encores a la Francais, specifically, the Poulenc G
minor Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani. (Telarc) Very warm
orchestral string sounds and full, rich organ textures. This
particular recording runs the gamut from very soft to very loud.
Striking of timpani while strings and organ are playing FFFFFF (!) is
particularly stunning. If you love organ music, you'll love this cut.
There are others, but this gets the subject started. Thanks, in
advance, for your recommendations.
Mark
John Dillworth
Well since this is a moderated newsgroups and I'll only receive
flames of the highest quality I'll take a swing at this. I could
probably do this better in front of the cd rack but here goes my
first attempt: Most of these recommendations are of 1st quality
performance and excellent recorded quality. The quality of the
recording does nothing for me if the music is dull.
Famous Blue Raincoat: Jennifer Warrens sings Leonard Cohen. The
finest recorded pop record I know of. First 4 cuts are unbelievable,
the rest mearly excellent.
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue Just remastered (again) the Columbia
number begins with "ck" I think. Picked this up for about 9 bucks at
J&R. Absolutely mesmerizing. In a dark room you can sometimes hear
the music move as the musicians turn or move onstage.
Marianne Faithful. Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (I think
this name is not correct, but its a double live CD). Sad, dark lots
of energy, great miking, excellent image.
Git It, BeauJocque! Rounder records, might be a little hard to find
but very much in print. Squeezebox, Bass, Guitar and drums. Pure
unadulterated fun. Live with plenty of excitement and energy.
Impossible to sit still. This CD is so exciting. Everyone asks what
this one is. This always gets the kids riled up and dancing around
the living room. Fun Fun Fun. Play this loud and it will leave junk
where your speakers used to be.
Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Sessions. Heartbreakingly beautiful
performance and recording. Recorded live with one stereo mike in a
church in Toronto. A must have.
Hhmmmm...... nothing to controversial here (I have an early LP
pressing of the Miles Davis so I know what the performance should
sound like. Lets try a few from the classical rack.
Beethoven late piano sonatas. Richard Goode. In my opionion the
finest combination of performance and recorded sound of these
masterworks. Yes I have the Schnabel and Kemph, but the sound just
is not competitive.
Bach solo violin sonatas and partitas. Pearlman Intense, satisfing
performances. This is intermediate to advance Bach so if you don't
care for him this record wont help.
Bruch, Mendelshon violin concertos. Maxim Vengarov, Kurk Masuer and
the Leipzig Gerwandhaus(spell check choke point) Orchestra. Violin
sounds like a wooden box with strings on it, not cold shafts of
broken glass. Masuer is also responsible for making the NY
Philharmonic one of the finest German Orchestras in the world. I
used to cut class to watch Berstien conduct (used to be fridays at 11
am, student admission to rehearsals $4. Then they brought Meta in,
yech!!)
Ladies and Gentleman, what say you?
//Where are we going, Why are we in this hand basket?
Mark Huth wrote:
[quote cut -- deb]
The Creative Director
>I'm building a small but revered group of very high quality recordings
>and would like the group's input as to which recordings in your
>collection would you recommend as exceptional. Do you have some
>recordings which you find yourself going back to time and time again
>because they bring out the best in your system? My tastes in music
>are quite varied, so feel free to post music of all styles.
Here are my picks:
Janis Ian - Breaking Silence. You just can't find another pop CD
with audiophile quality recording and good music.
Eric Clapton - Unplugged. See if you can see Clapton playing
right in front of you...
Linda Eder - And So Much More. My female vocal favorite.
Eagles - Hell Freezes Over. Please play track 6 real loud if you
want to know what kind of system you have.
Chris Isaac - Baja Session. My new audiophile disc to test my
HDCD DAC.
Aaron Neville - Warm Your Heart. My male vocal favorite.
Kenny G - Live and Breatheless (Don't laugh!). I use them to
test midrange and treble.
Larry Carlton - Alone/But Never Alone.
Harry Connick, Jr - We Are In Love
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue.
Harry Balafonte - Live at Carnigie Hall. Every single audiophile
should have one! This is the actual test CD at Madrigal.
plus a lot more...
>Also, are there audio magazines which publish lists of exceptional
>audiophile recordings, based on the same criteria?
Check out the annual Stereophile's Record to Die For issue. It
is published every February.
Gordon Gilbert
John Dillworth had this to say about:
Re: Audiophile quality recordings
JD> Famous Blue Raincoat: Jennifer Warrens sings Leonard Cohen. The
JD> finest recorded pop record I know of. First 4 cuts are
JD> unbelievable, the rest mearly excellent.
I haven't heard that one. I'll have to check it out sometime. I
would, however, point out the simply amazing version (possibly one of
the most emotional gut wrenching renditions of any song I've ever
heard) of the song "Famous Blue Raincoat" performed by Tori Amos on
the Leonard Cohen tribute CD. The sound quality isn't the best I've
ever heard, but it's up there. The performance, however, is top of
the line. It is by far the best cover song I've ever heard her
perform. I would rank it up there with anything else she has written
herself and she's my favorite artist, so it's no small complement.
JD> Ladies and Gentleman, what say you?
Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! (Sorry, that just reminded me of a
Kate Bush song, although technically, it was phrased, "What say you
good people?" :)
Most of the best sounding CDs I've heard are Japanese imports
that few on here would have heard of. They are reviewed on my web
site, however, along with potential locations you can purchase them
at. Their exact sound quality ratings are also given and explained.
The web address is in my signature below.
I will mention a couple top of the line discs here for reference,
however. My current highest sound quality rating (as in it's the
highest rating because it's the reference or the best I've heard so
far, overall. Higher ratings might occur if/when the description of
this rating is superceded significantly, IMO.) is A+++. I define A+++
as (taken from my web site):
--------------
A+++ = Not only does this album make my jaw drop every time I
listen to it, it also has an incredibly low noise floor, extremely
realistic sounding vocals and instrumentation, and generally makes me
check to make sure I haven't soiled my pants in excitement! :)
Because of the low noise requirement, a recording that was originally
analog and otherwise exceptional probably won't receive this rating.
Ratings of this caliber should be qualified. See the review for
details.
--------------
Pop/Rock (A+++) (only one CD has received this rating so far):
- Tori Amos: BOYS FOR PELE
This disc does have 3 or 4 brief digital overloads over the
course of the album (more than 70 minutes). They may or may not be
bothersome on any given system or to any given person. However, the
rest of the time, it's sheer audiophile bliss. Her voice is perfect
sounding. It's one of the few discs I have where I can actually
believe there is a real person singing in the room with my eyes closed
without suspending disbelief. Bass and drums are hard punching with
plenty of slam on the right system (that is for the tracks that use
them; some don't have any percussion). Bass guitar is detailed and
well recorded. The piano is a Bosendorfer Grand, specially miked to
separate the vocals (acoustic box seperating the piano mikes from Tori
playing at the keyboard; this was also done for the harpsichord).
Vocals are downright spooky and become part of your room. This is why
it's so convincing. The piano sounds like its in its own large space.
Imaging in general is wide. The piano takes up the entire space
between the speakers with the bass octave on one side and the treble
on the other, just like if you were sitting at the piano. The noise
floor is almost non-existant on most of the tracks (this album was
recorded directly to DAT), although this varies a bit over a few of
them. Harpsichord is out of this world on here, miked to be LOUD.
The detail, however, is not lost in the volume. You can crank the
volume higher and higher and it won't let you down.
This is not meant to be a substitute review for the lengthy one
on my site, so I won't discuss the performance too much, but let's
just say it's a gut wrencher. Some may be confused by the lyrics for
awhile (some may hate them even), but there can be no mistaking the
emotional presense on this album. It comes through like a freight
train! It's slow to get started while one adjusts (this type of music
may be very unfamiliar to many), but then it doesn't stop once the
momentum gets going. This is not an album that wears out after a few
listens. It's one you keep coming back to and discovering new things
with. The highest complement I can give this album is to say it *is*
my favorite album of all time (so far). Be aware and prepared to hate
it, however. It is NOT mainstream music. It's not even categorizable
as "rock" music, really. Some tracks have a classical feel, some have
a rock feel, and some are a unique blending of the two.
Non-Rock (A+++):
There are a few more in this category, but they're all Japanese
"anime" soundtracks (see my site for their reviews and more
information). The only one I've given this rating to so far that's
not from Japan is:
- John Whelan's CELTIC CROSSROADS
There are two vocal tracks on here that I wouldn't give an
A+++ rating to. Otherwise, the instrumentals that make up most of
this disc are just outstanding. With the lights turned off, I really
feel like I'm in another time and place. This is itself isn't what
makes this album stand-out, as there are other albums that can do this
with lesser sound quality ratings. The difference here is that the
instruments sound extremely convincing to me. It's no big stretch for
me to believe there are instruments in the room and that those
instruments are acoustic and real. The speakers completely disappear.
The soundstage is very 3-dimensional (at some points it feels like
their in front of the speaker, not just behind them or to the sides).
The music is 100% NON-Ear Fatiguing. I could listen to this for hours
and my ears wouldn't get tired. The disc is a 20-bit mastered/noise
shaped combination and the noise floor is extremely low. You can
crank and crank and it just sounds better and better! This is an
album to dim the lights with, sit back with a drink of your choice,
and just enjoy the experience. The recording will not get in the way.
It's also an album that will tell you if your mid-range and highs
aren't right on the money. It should sound as good as I described or
your not getting your money's worth. It won't, however, push your
speakers in the area of dynamic "punch" and especially bass punch.
The bass guitar sounds great on here, but there aren't hard slamming
bass drums like on BOYS FOR PELE (above) or even compared to something
like RIVERDANCE or LORD OF THE DANCE, which will test your system in
this area. Therefore, this album is especially nice for
electrostatics, since the mid-range shines and the bass isn't really
tested to its limits. This is not to say it doesn't sound great on
other planar speakers (I liked my own AL-III ribbons' presentation
just as well as the Martin Logan ReQuest, which was contrary to BOYS
FOR PELE, where the ReQuest fell far short because of the bass
requirements), just that you won't notice bass limitations as much.
--
- Gordon Gilbert | g...@sssnet.com | g...@uakron.edu -
- Visit The Audiophile Asylum for CD Reviews with Standardized -
- Sound Quality Ratings at http://pages.sssnet.com/glg -
KCdgw
Mark Huth wrote:
> here are a few of my favorites:
>
> Brandenburg Concertos 1, 2, 3 and 4, 5, 6 (two discs) Trevor Pinnock
> and the English Consort (Archiv)
Try the London set of Brandenburgs with the ECO conducted by Benjamin
Britten. Beautiful analog recording done in late 60's, recorded in
The Maltings... and a wonderfully refreshing interpretation to boot :)
KC
Those who know the truth are not equal to those who love it - Confucius.
TFred5star
Some great sounding pop CD's:
Joe Cocker "Organic"
Carl Perkins "Go Cat Go"
Tom Petty "Wildflowers"
Frank Sinatra "Songs For Swingin' Lovers"
Elton John (All of) "The Early Years-remasters"
Natalie Cole "Unforgetable"
I'll post more when my brain and memory is functioning at full power...
Thom Middlestadt
[ In future follow-ups, please provide a little bit more info (as did
Mr. de Villiers). Just listing labels gets old fast. -- jwd ]
dev...@unisys.co.za (Dave de Villiers) wrote:
>Mark, I have found that some labels tend, generally, to offer a higher
>standard of recording/mastering/pressing as a mechanism to
>differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
>
> BIS Scandinavian label focusing in Classical music
> Edelweiss Italian label (also Classical)
> Narada US Label with mainly "New Age" & Celtic focus
> Sheffield Labs US Label - Classical and Jazz mainly
> Reference US Label - mainly Jazz
> DMP US Label - mainly Jazz (direct to digital "DD")
> Hyperion UK label with predominantly classical catalog
I'd like to add to these:
Opus 3
Mapleshade
Audioquest
--
bigHEAD brewery eld...@dnc.net
Albany, Or.
Thom Middlestadt "All Grain, All The Time"
Thom Middlestadt
dev...@unisys.co.za (Dave de Villiers) wrote:
I'd like to add to these: Opus 3
Mapleshade
Audioquest
>Mark, I have found that some labels tend, generally, to offer a higher
>standard of recording/mastering/pressing as a mechanism to
>differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
>
[cut -- moderator bt]
Morten Bache
Hi
Interesting thread I considered starting, but what the heck? I totally
agree with Gordon Gilbert: Tori Amos' "Boys for Pele" is sheer
excellence. OK, I liked her a lot before this CD, and she's quite
controversial. But the quality of sound... It's simply amazing!!!
You've never heard a piano and a vocal sound like this before, I
guarantee you. You can hear the reflection of her voice on some
tracks, probably because some are recorded in a church. Others are
recorded in a wooden cottage house. But on to my recommedations. I am
a die-hard rock fan, so I'm having some trouble with finding proper
CDs that aren't too boring. But here's what I have in the
not-always-so-well-recorded-genres (in some sort of order):
1. Tori Amos "Boys for Pele".
2. The The "Dusk". Amazing studio one-takes. These guys play together!
Only his vocals are a bit "produced" from time to time, and surely
nothing like Tori's on Boys for Pele. But the drums, the bass (floor
and electric), the brass, the guitar etc. It will kill you. And it's a
bunch of super-songs with great lyrics, too. My fav is "This is the
night" with the amazing floor bass. Buy it!
3. Roger Waters "Amused to Death". Now this is some quality recording.
Some of the best controlled I've ever heard. The bass is just
thunderous. His voice is floating in the room. Uses Q-technology for
pseudo surround effects.
4. Kari Bremnes "Loesrivelse". Norwegian girl. I have only heard this
in HiFi shows, but my God it's a quality recording. Style is fusion
between new-age and rock in some weird way. The record company is
called "Kirkelig Kulturverksted" and the number is FXCD 123. Good
music, too.
5. Pink Floyd "The Wall" Mobile Fidelity version. Just listen to "Hey
You" or "Mother".
6. Lisa Ekdahl "Lisa Ekdahl". A Swedish girl, singing in Swedish. Nice
acoustic record with good vocals etc.
7. Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon". Don't we all have this one?
8. Soundgarden "Superunknown". The best hard rock record I own. Very
good drum recordings, and everything is sounding naturally.
9. The The "Mind Bomb". The songs are not as good as on "Dusk", but the
recording is excellent. Very pompously arranged.
10. Nick Cave "Murder Ballads". Vocals are extremely well recorded,
and everything else is high quality, but I miss some punch in the
tracks, so no dynamics here.
11. Eric Clapton "24 Nights Live at Royal Albert Hall". Good
alternative if you're bored with the "Unplugged" of his. These guys
really know how to play. The sound is dynamic and focused. See if you
can find all 14 musicians in my favourite track "Old Love" (with
extensive solos).
12. Pink Floyd "The Final Cut". The follow up on "The Wall". The songs
are probably only for PF-fans, but the recording is among the very
best. Listen to the explosion in the middle of the record.
13. Tool "Aenima" This is not a true reference recording, but
considering that the genre is metal it's a unique recording. I always
like to listen to this record. It's dynamic, detailed, with good bass
and well defined mid. And surprisingly the treble is rather well
controlled (again: This is metal).
14. Kashmir "Travelogue". A danish band, not promoted anywhere else, I
believe. Fusion of funk, rock and metal. Very good recording of the
bass, nice drum-recordings and lots of dynamic.
Well, this is it. I guarantee you hours of good music!
Morten Bache
-------------------------------------------------------
"if there's an order in all of this disorder
is it like a tape recorder?
can we rewind it just once more"
U2 "Wake Up Dead Man"
-------------------------------------------------------
Morten Bache
Kollegiebakken 9, 1, -3206
2800 Lyngby
Denmark
Tlf: 45977488
e-mail: ba...@kampsax.dtu.dk
http://www.kampsax.dtu.dk/~bache
http://www.gbar.dtu.dk/~c938046
Steve Collier
Morten Bache wrote about some Scandinavian artists:
> 4. Kari Bremnes "Loesrivelse". Norwegian girl. I have only heard this
> in HiFi shows, but my God it's a quality recording. Style is fusion
> between new-age and rock in some weird way. The record company is
> called "Kirkelig Kulturverksted" and the number is FXCD 123. Good
> music, too.
>
> 6. Lisa Ekdahl "Lisa Ekdahl". A Swedish girl, singing in Swedish. Nice
> acoustic record with good vocals etc.
If you have difficulty getting these you could try
http://www.sol.no/akersmic/sok.htm putting some of the above details in
the search field. I only mention this shop because it in on the web and
is in Norway, not because I have an opinion on it either way (& that
would belong in another ng ;-)
SteveC
--
OECD Halden Reactor Project ^ fax: +47 6921 2460
Postboks 173, __,@ /|\ tel: +47 6921 2286
1751 Halden, _-\_<, '/|\` mob: +47 9284 0669
Norway_____________________(*)/'(*)______' | `_____I prefir cycling__
Bruce Abrams
Thom Middlestadt <eld...@dnc.net> wrote in article
<6376hr$s...@eyrie.graphics.cornell.edu>...
> I'd like to add to these:
[ quoted text deleted -- jwd ]
The record company (funny that we still call them that) that most
consistently impresses me is Dorian. They do a better job (imnsho) of
capturing the sound of a performance in a particular venue than any
other label I've heard. I used to think that they were a specialty
firm that dealt only with Early Music. (For some fabulous
performances of wonderful music, pick up any of their recordings of
the the Baltimore Consort performing in the Troy Savings Bank.) Then
I heard their recording of Mahler's 5th performed live by the Dallas
Symphony in Dallas. It is an incredible performance and recording of
some very BIG music. These recordings are as different as could
be. Both are particularly wonderful music recorded better than just
about anything available.
Deutsche Grammophon. Now before you laugh, pick up any of their 4D
series (of music you like!). Try Mahler's 7th by the Cleveland
Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez. Knock your socks off stuff.
(Can you tell I'm partial to Mahler?)
Telarc. Their newer 20 bit recordings really are terrific. Try
Beethoven String Quartets Op. 127 and 131 by the Cleveland Quartet.
This is serious goosebump stuff (if you like chamber music).
Let's not forget Sony. I haven't heard a recent bad recording out of
them. In particular, I'm in love with the Brahms' Sting Quartets
Op. 51 & 67 performed by the Julliard String Quartet. This is a
double CD that also contains the Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115. The
performance is just wonderful. This is an interesting CD for another
reason: It was recorded at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, as are
many of the Dorian recordings. A comparison of how the different
companies achieve their results would be interesting.
--
Listen to the music!
Gordon Gilbert
Morten Bache had this to say about:
Re: Audiophile quality recordings
MB> Interesting thread I considered starting, but what the heck? I
MB> totally agree with Gordon Gilbert: Tori Amos' "Boys for Pele" is
I'm glad I'm not the only one that recognizes the sheer audio
quality of this CD. :) Vocals just don't get any more real sounding
and all of the vast resevoir of emotions contained within just pour
right on through. It's one album I don't have to suspend disbelief
with to believe she's actually in the room. This effect will,
apparently, depend on the system, however. A Conrad Johnson powered
Martin Logan ReQuest system totally failed to convince me of her voice
(and the bass was rather mushy too). This is, of course, all just my
humble opinion. :)
MB> 3. Roger Waters "Amused to Death". Now this is some quality
This is definitely an excellent album. I think it's on par with
_The Wall_ and _The Final Cut_ as Pink Floyd/Waters' best recordings,
sonically. I also like the music/theme, even if Waters' vocals aren't
going to compete with the Three Tenors anytime soon. :)
MB> recording. Some of the best controlled I've ever heard. The bass
MB> is just thunderous. His voice is floating in the room. Uses
Too bad his voice doesn't sound better (it's recorded GREAT; I
mean his actual voice ;-)
MB> Q-technology for pseudo surround effects.
This is the only Q-sound album I've heard that has truly
audiophile sound quality. Pink Floyd's live album PULSE supposedly
has Q-sound processing, but I've never noticed any special effects on
it, at least not any that I don't already get with most albums using
Sonic Holography. Whereas, _Amused To Death_ has a few effects that
can cause one's jaw to drop when one realizes that it's not in AC-3
and there's only 2 speakers running....
MB> 5. Pink Floyd "The Wall" Mobile Fidelity version. Just listen to
MB> "Hey You" or "Mother".
I haven't heard the MF version and I believe it's long out of
production. The regular version, however, is already outstanding.
MB> 7. Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon". Don't we all have this
MB> one?
I think this album is a little overrated in terms of sound
quality. Yes, it's great for 1972, but it's not even close to The
Wall. Yes, it has some impressive opening bass "heart beats," but I'd
take "Welcome To The Machine" over that track any day for sheer bass
delight. :) I think _Wish You Were Here_ generally has better sound
quality as well, although it seems to have a bit more hiss on average,
with the exception of "Great Gig in the Sky," which is just plain
noisy.
I personally recommend people stay away from the Mobile Fidelity
version (if there are any left in the store you're in). I find it
inferior to both the original release and the new remastered versions.
The bass is greater, but it's also sloppier. There are also "clicks"
present that are not present on the remastered and regular releases.
MB> 8. Soundgarden "Superunknown". The best hard rock record I own.
MB> Very good drum recordings, and everything is sounding naturally.
Yes, "Spoonman" is a good one to show off your system's bass
capability, but overall, I'd give an edge to Queensryche's _Promised
Land_ for overall best combined performance and sound quality. It
also has very deep bass and unlike _SuperUnknown_, I liked *all* of
the tracks, whereas I really only liked "Black Hole Sun" and
"Spoonman" on _SuperUnknown_.
MB> 11. Eric Clapton "24 Nights Live at Royal Albert Hall". Good
MB> alternative if you're bored with the "Unplugged" of his. These
"Unplugged" is pretty amazing sounding. It has a real live feel
to it, not just a "recorded" live feel. But, I agree with the boring
part as well. Maybe, I'm just not a real blues fan. I like his
electric work better on things like _Journeyman_, which also has
pretty decent sound quality.
MB> 12. Pink Floyd "The Final Cut". The follow up on "The Wall". The
MB> songs are probably only for PF-fans, but the recording is among
Don't be too sure. I find that the average Pink Floyd fan and
even many devoted ones *don't* like _The Final Cut_. I definitely
think it has the best sound quality of any Floyd album and personally,
it's also my favorite Pink Floyd album musically as well, but then I'm
a huge fan of Tori Amos and this album has more in common with her
music than previous Pink Floyd material, IMO (with some exceptions
related to The Wall).
MB> the very best. Listen to the explosion in the middle of the
MB> record.
I note that that is the exact same explosion remixed and
reequalized for use in Roger Waters' _Amused To Death_ at the end of
"Late Home Tonight (Part I)." The difference is that on TFC, it
sounds like it's outdoors and explodes off into the distance. On ATD,
it sounds like it explodes inside your house! :)
I think I'll mention on more "recent" album that I've found to be
exceptional in performance that also has pretty decent sound quality
(even though it's mostly synthesized) and that's _Karma_ by the group
Delerium (with guest vocals from Sarah McLachlan and others). This
album is AMAZING. It's what Enigma's 2nd and 3rd albums are NOT. In
fact, I think it has more shelf life and stands the test of time
better than Enigma's first album (although MCMXC a.D does have its own
personal charm and character and is still very different from
_Karma_). I've been playing _Karma_ in the car for about 3 months
now, probably 4 days a week and I'm not even close to sick of it yet!
I, more recently still, bought their previous album _Semantic Spaces_.
It's good, but it's not even close to _Karma_, IMO (although I think
the sound quality is probably better on _Semantic Spaces). Karma is
an example of what techno-type music can and *should* be, IMO. The
bass and beats of techno/synth/electronica are applied to *real* music
(even more interestingly, Middle Ages/Middle Eastern styles), not just
samples and an endless array of boring, repetitive loops (although
after listening more closely, you can pick out various sequences
fairly easily). Try playing this one in the dark on a cold, rainy
night!
Speaking of Sarah McLachlan (she's on tour right now; do see her
if you can; her voice is just as beautiful in concert as on her studio
albums), her new CD _Surfacing_ is by far her best recorded album. I
think it's the first one that I could really call worthy of being
considered "audiophile" grade (barely). Musically, it's a very good
album, certainly comparable to her first two albums and it definitely
has more commercial appeal than any of them, but I'm quite sure that
_Fumbling Towards Ecstasy_ is her most powerful work, sound quality be
damned! (actually it's only a notch worse than _Surfacing_ in terms
of sound quality. In general, the sound quality has progressed with
each new album).
Gerald Wang
In article <63bdpa$g...@canyon.sr.hp.com>,
Gordon Gilbert <g...@sssnet.com> wrote:
>
> MB> Interesting thread I considered starting, but what the heck? I
> MB> totally agree with Gordon Gilbert: Tori Amos' "Boys for Pele" is
>
> I'm glad I'm not the only one that recognizes the sheer audio
>quality of this CD. :) Vocals just don't get any more real sounding
>and all of the vast resevoir of emotions contained within just pour
I have this on LP, and I must agree that it is indeed quite superb.
> Yes, "Spoonman" is a good one to show off your system's bass
>capability, but overall, I'd give an edge to Queensryche's _Promised
>Land_ for overall best combined performance and sound quality. It
A friend of mine, who is definitely not an audiophile, recently
suggested that I check out Queensryche. Heck, if their albums are
audiophile-approved I'll be seeking them out tomorrow!
> "Unplugged" is pretty amazing sounding. It has a real live feel
>to it, not just a "recorded" live feel. But, I agree with the boring
This is a good one as well.
> I think I'll mention on more "recent" album that I've found to be
>exceptional in performance that also has pretty decent sound quality
>(even though it's mostly synthesized) and that's _Karma_ by the group
>Delerium (with guest vocals from Sarah McLachlan and others). This
Ah ha! Another Delerium fan! I use this album, along with their
previous one (Semantic Spaces) as my references when evaluating
components. In fact, I'm listening to Semantic Spaces right now. I
still listen to it regularly even though I've had it for over a year.
>album is AMAZING. It's what Enigma's 2nd and 3rd albums are NOT. In
>fact, I think it has more shelf life and stands the test of time
>better than Enigma's first album (although MCMXC a.D does have its
>own personal charm and character and is still very different from
>_Karma_). I've been playing _Karma_ in the car for about 3 months
I like Enigma as well. To the casual listener, the two groups might
sound very similar, but in fact I think they are quite different.
Sound-wise, Karma and Enigma 3 both share that organic feel whereas
their previous albums (Semantic Spaces and MCMXC a.D) are more
obviously synthesized-sounding.
>now, probably 4 days a week and I'm not even close to sick of it yet!
>I, more recently still, bought their previous album _Semantic Spaces_.
>It's good, but it's not even close to _Karma_, IMO (although I think
>the sound quality is probably better on _Semantic Spaces). Karma is
Give it a few more listens, as Semantic Spaces will grow on you. The
two albums are more different than similar, both musically and
sonically speaking. Semantic Spaces is more instrumentally oriented
and has a more techno feel to it than Karma, which is (pardon the term)
more mainstream (though not to the extent that Enigma is). I do like
the vocals on Karma very much. With regards to the sound, Semantic
Spaces has a precise and cool feel to it. There is a lot of detail,
much layering of depth, and some downright spectacular imaging effects.
Check out tracks 5 (Consensual Worlds) and 8 (Sensarium). Most of the
tracks on this album also have a midbass line which is very prominent
yet tight. I actually enjoy the heavy midbass. It's a great test for
the system.
On the other hand, Karma has a lush and more natural sound.
This may be due to use of more real instrument and vocal samples on
this album. They've done a great job of integrating the real and
synthesized sounds here. And once again, there is plenty of low and
midbass, however the midbass is more naturally balanced than it was on
Semantic Spaces.
As to which of the two sounds better, both are excellent however I
would have to give the nod to Karma. But only on revealing systems, as on
lesser ones the subtle details present on Karma will probably be lost.
In other words Gordon, your car stereo is not doing it justice. :-)
Play it on your Carvers more, I tell ya. Just curious, how does these
albums sound through your Sonic Holography processor?
>an example of what techno-type music can and *should* be, IMO. The
>bass and beats of techno/synth/electronica are applied to *real* music
>(even more interestingly, Middle Ages/Middle Eastern styles), not just
>samples and an endless array of boring, repetitive loops (although
>after listening more closely, you can pick out various sequences
>fairly easily). Try playing this one in the dark on a cold, rainy
>night!
Speaking of samples, do you recognice the drum beat on the last track?
You should, as it's taken from one of Tori's songs. Hope this doesn't
lower your opinion of the group.
> Speaking of Sarah McLachlan (she's on tour right now; do see her
>if you can; her voice is just as beautiful in concert as on her studio
>albums), her new CD _Surfacing_ is by far her best recorded album. I
I will have to check this out.
BTW, you might want to check out some of Dead Can Dance's stuff. VERY
well-recorded, but musically a bit strange (at least to my ears). YMMV.
Oh yeah, you might be able to pick out some of their samples on Karma
as well.
Regards,
Gerald