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Recommendations for Highest Quality Recording


SteveMKentucky

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Its great listening to the high end recordings listed here in this post. The quality brings out the best in a system and is impressive for sure. The only down side is that about 1/2 of my music collection sounds poor by comparison. Its easy to get spoiled with the good stuff and the average, common recordings sound flat and not so good. Guess thats a good problem.
 
Interesting thought.  I catch myself selecting my best recordings when I want to sit down and listen to something instead of selecting a specific genre or piece of music.  I'm listening to my Brothers in Arms recording right now.  Love it.   The good recordings do spoil one.
 
Thanks to LT for the BST lead.  What a gentleman. 

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MFSL UDCD 593 
 

Folk Singer (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"...Folk Singer received positive critical reception. It was generally lauded for its high-quality sound and the instrumental performances by Waters, Guy and band. Cub Koda from Allmusic gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising the fresh and vital sound. The album was ranked at number 280 on Rolling Stone‍ '​s "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003, stating that the "unplugged" playing was pioneering and "is beloved by blues and folk fans alike." In a 1994 issue of Rolling Stone, the reviewer wrote, "...There aren't too many blues albums that qualify as audiophile recordings, but Muddy Waters Folk Singer surely does. A wonderfully intimate session, it delivers Waters' voice in all its power and subtlety, while rendering his guitar work...with such vivid realism, you would think you were sitting in the studio...." 
 
 
 
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MI0002401329.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
 
 
Amazing recording; this is one of the most "live" sounding recordings I have aside from the live recordings of Zappa in the "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore" series.  Concert in the Park captures a huge image of open air performance with incredible clarity and detail for every instrument and vocal.  Incredible dynamics and jam sessions, all with huge soundstage.  I consider it better than any of Paul Simon's studio recordings, in never disappoints when listening to it.
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Ran these as a test using a DEQ-2496 between a C-1 (non-BillD) and TFM-15.
 
Dire Straits (1985 CD) - Money for Nothing
 
20150924065958291.jpg 
 
Bela Fleck (CS Reference CD 2014 #1) - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
 
20150924070118142.jpg 
 
Supertramp (CS Reference CD 2014 #1) - Brother, Where you bound! 
 
20150924070506667.jpg 
 
 
 
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  • 2 weeks later...

61mCwSCzNoL._SL500_SX425_.jpg 

KUSC Listeners' Choice Vol. 1 CD 
  1. W.A Mozart - Marriage of Figaro Overture (04:17)
  2. Puccini - Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro (02:42)
  3. J.S. Bach - Air 'On The G String' (04:22)
  4. Satie - Gymnopedie No. 1 (03:03)
  5. Puccini - Turandot: Nessun Dorma (04:12)
  6. Barber - Adagio for Strings (06:23)
  7. Albeniz - Suite Espanola: Asturias (Leyenda) (06:24)
  8. Delibes - Lakme: Dome Epais, Le Jasmin "Flower Duet" (04:21)
  9. Pachelbel - Canon in D (04:59)
  10. Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake: Waltz (07:21)
  11. R.V. Williams - Fantasia on "Greensleeves" (04:39)
  12. Martinu - Piano Quartet #1: Finale (08:29)
1_a415530c427f958fd4fbf109a3a51044.jpg

KUSC CLASSICAL LISTENERS' CHOICE VOL II (2CD) 

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Ran these as a test using a DEQ-2496 between a C-1 (non-BillD) and TFM-15.
 
Dire Straits (1985 CD) - Money for Nothing
 
20150924065958291.jpg 
 
Bela Fleck (CS Reference CD 2014 #1) - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo
 
20150924070118142.jpg 
 
Supertramp (CS Reference CD 2014 #1) - Brother, Where you bound! 
 
20150924070506667.jpg 
 
 
 
 
Showing my ignorance but what is the takeaway from the above?  The recordings each have a different frequency profile, but which is better (and in what way) than the others?  Supertramp appears 'flatter' but is that beneficial?
 

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"DIRE STRAITS".... has excess energy @ about 5-6 Khz.....".A Tweeter Killer"
 
I've lost count of how many tweeter fuses I've blown with Billie Jean. 
 
Do you have a specific pressing in mind? 

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Mine are alll flac files fron the internetz.

Thriller Special Edition 2001 and
Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition,
neither of which are spectacular, dynamically speaking.

It appears there's an SACD and many vinyl cuts plus some digital downloads out there in the 17-18 range.
I'm sure they'd really slam the crap out of those tweeters. 

 

Thriller, Original Vinyl :                             DR17 -0.05 dB -18.01 dB 06 Billie Jean.wav

Thriller, Acoustic Sounds DSD download: DR18 -2.57 dB -21.37 dB 4:54 06-Billie Jean

Thriller SACD:                                          DR17 -0.44 dB -19.04 dB 4:54 06-Billie Jean

 

 
Michael Jackson wasn't really on my radar as I've always thought of Thriller as music for 10 year old girls.
But then I went to buy a Rane AC-23b from a guy described as 'a bit eccentric' out on Tybee Island.
I get there and this guy is over the top, for sure.
Retired electrical engineer.
Entire system handbuilt.
Speakers, tube amps, tube crossovers!
None of the manufactured stuff is good enough for him anymore, hence the sale of the Rane.
I have to just about beg the guy to let me hear something.
He selects a Thriller 'half speed master'
(not that I have any idea what the hell that is at the time)
And he tells me offhandedly that Michael Jackson had the highest standards in the studio.
So, he lets me hear about 30 seconds of it, VERY loud and phenomenally clear.
Stops the record and I'm kinda standing there open-mouthed.
He hands me the Rane, takes my money , and dismisses me, still stunned. 
That was about 5 years ago. I'd love to hear that setup again. 
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I know the guy who now owns the Neve console that Thriller was recorded on.

 

Wow, that's really cool. I'm sure his wife loves it! Swedien_01.jpg?bbuK.noq9RX2MgILbrWS3Nfba


Legendary engineer on Thriller
 

"one of the deleterious side-effects of tape-based multitracking: that repeated playback of the [master] tape during the overdubbing and production process would progressively dull the transients of previous recorded tracks."
 

"So what I would do would be to record the rhythm section on a 24 track tape, then take that tape and put it away and wouldn't play it again until the final mix. And holy cow what a difference that made! It was just incredible."
 
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I know the guy who now owns the Neve console that Thriller was recorded on.

 

Wow, that's really cool. I'm sure his wife loves it!
 
 
Heh...he's not married. It's also the same board The Aristocrats recorded their first album on but at the time the Neve was in a state of disrepair. It worked but had been patched and rigged in order to function. It was found dismantled in a Chicago studio and bought for a song but the reconditioning cost an arm and a leg. It's now in perfect working order -so I'm told- in a private studio. 
 
Now then........back to recommendations for Highest Quality Recordings.
 
Sluggo-Deluxe_1024x1024.jpg?v=1383781028 
 
Read all about it here in words far more eloquent than I'm capable of cobbling together. 
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  • 3 weeks later...
I'm planning to buy a CD copy of the Beatles "Revolver" album.    I noticed that there is a 2009 remaster but fear that it's been remastered for ipods.  I know that there were UK versions, U.S. versions and Japanese versions (I think).
 
Can anyone comment on the best version to buy? 
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  • 2 months later...

Loudness Sounds Better. It’s Also Ruining Music.

 
 
 "...For the last 20 years or so, music producers have been caught in an audio arms race dramatically referred to as The Loudness Wars. To better please the ears of potential customers, record producers started mixing records at higher and higher relative loudness over time. The problem is, pushing up audio levels has a damaging effect on the quality of the recording—so much so that a movement of professionals has tried to put an end to the so-called war, though to no avail..."
 
 
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One CD I like for the range of instruments and sounds is Gotye - Like Drawing Blood. If your system can resolve sub sonic rumbles and a full range of other sounds like clanks, try it. I also have the Telearc SACD's and a pipe organ Cybele SACD 030.802. I have a couple of 24bit 192hz Blue Coast tracks that are tremendous. The pipe organ has the widest frequency response range of any instrument. I attribute the ability to resolve subtle details to my systems configuration. Check the member systems for my system configuration. Having two 10" low mids in series, represents the majority of the sound contribution. Most of my music files are FLAC (25-50mb) and DSD64 & 128 (150-250mb) being fed to my analogue rack by an OPPO 105D with 32bit DAC. The Blue Coast site has a link to a high definition audio database that lists hardware and music providers with their formats and number of selections.
 
For frequency references, check these links out
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  • 6 months later...
+1 on the Night Fly. One of my favorites.
 
  I have to mention 'Genius Loves Company' a duet album by Ray Charles. Some special recording techniques were used there and it shows.
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Basically I don't like multi track traditional studio recordings. I find the best recordings for my taste are live concerts at www.concertvault.com. When played back in auro 3d if you close your eyes you could swear you are in the crowd on a LOT of these recordings.
For the less than stellar recordings or files I have a feature in my marantz processor called MDAX that helps restore some of those lost "bits". 
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