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When I was at Lone Star Audio Fest, Joshua Miles of JWM Acoustics recommended this Album by Ray Brown. It's a dual 45RPM LP. I bought it and can't argue with Josh's recommendation. Especially if you like jazz.

This has been hinted at and requested in other threads, so here we go. Please post your experiences with outstanding recordings - the actual music is not the focus of this thread, we are looking for well produced, mastered and recorded media, period. I’ll start with a disc that is as close to perfectly recorded as I’ve found. The actual content is not necessarily my favorite, but it is impeccably recorded:

Well, since my first post was not a proper introduction, I will attempt to correct that now. I have been a fan of Carver amps since I heard my first one in 1985 or so, an M1.5 at a friends house. Fast forward a few years and I have an M1.5t of my own, fed by an SD/A 490t CD player via a C1 Preamp. The speakers are Infinity Reference 6 sealed towers, of about the same vintage as the cd player. I have some other Carver items but they are in need of some attention in one form or another and not currently in use. My primary musical taste is classic rock, with a bit of jazz, classical, instrumental/ new age and even some country, especially if the wife is driving! I would like to express my appreciation to the fine folks who operate and maintain the site, so that others may learn, share and enjoy, and to Morris who got me to sign up, finally.

There are so many excellent recordings. You won't go wrong with anything mastered by Steve Hoffman of DCC & AFK. Alan Parsons, Thomas Dolby, Todd Rundgren, Quincy Jones and Mutt Lange were also phenomenal. Most anything with the MFSL label is very well done with a few exceptions. Some of my favorites:

Wow, that's a wide open question and one that might take a bit of effort! I was a stereo junkie in High School when I couldn't afford squat so I am a bit of a sucker for old stuff. Hence the Phase gear. Main living area - Pioneer SX-9100 silverface , wood case, immaculate. Squeezebox Touch Marantz CD player Klipsch KLF-30's Black Man Cave - Sansui G-5700 Klipsch CF-3 cherry front and Advents rear. Mostly iTunes and a computer for source. But an older Sony CD player there as well. This is where I manage the tunes for the Squeezebox. Close to 1 TB of material. This is where I plan to resurrect the Phase 400's. Main surround - BIG old Denon AVR (?) Not sure of the number and out of the country right now...7.1 and huge. Klipsch KLF - 20 fronts Black. Klipsch Heresey rears. Walnut. Klipsch 13 inch sub. Klipsch CF-7 center Black. Secondary surround - Panasonic SA XR 55 Klipsch Forte Walnut Klipsch Academy center Bedroom 1- Fisher 500C serviced to perfect by the local tube guy. Wood case included. Immaculate. $35 bucks on Craigslist! Klipsch Forte II's Black. Bedroom 2- Marantz 2240 receiver Klipsch Heresey, walnut. Bedroom 3- Panasonic SA-ER 55 HT receiver. Perfectly silent sound. Amazing. $50 on eBay. Klipsch Heresey Birch In storage Kenwood 7100 and 8100 amps, tuner Teac RTR Klipsch 15 inch sub Klipsch CF-7 center Marantz digital tuner Phase Linear 4000 preamp - Serviced about 5 years ago by the number 2 or 3 (??) guy from PL in SEA. Can't remember his name, but I have the receipt. Other misc stuff. Short on time right now so that's just a sketch. I'm sure I left some out. Old rock, blues, roots, jazz, classical, cuban jazz, bluegrass, alt rock....most anything but rap, crap and kiddy (popular) music.

All Along The Watchtower Bob Dylan There must be some kind of way outta here Said the joker to the thief There's too much confusion I can't get no relief Business men, they drink my wine Plowman dig my earth None were level on the mind Nobody up at his word Hey, hey No reason to get excited The thief he kindly spoke There are many here among us Who feel that life is but a joke But, uh, but you and I, we've been through that And this is not our fate So let us stop talkin' falsely now The hour's getting late, hey All along the watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants, too Outside in the cold distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching And the wind began to howl Sunday Morning Coming Down Songwriters: Kris Kristofferson Well I woke up Sunday morning With no way to hold my head, that didn't hurt And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad So I had one more for dessert Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes And found my cleanest dirty shirt Then I washed my face and combed my hair And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day I'd smoked my mind the night before With cigarettes and the songs I'd been pickin' But I lit my first and watched a small kid Playin' with a can that he was kicking Then I walked across the street And caught the Sunday smell of someone's fryin' chicken And Lord, it took me back to somethin' That I'd lost somewhere, somehow along the way On a Sunday morning sidewalk I'm wishing Lord that I was stoned 'Cause there's something in a Sunday That makes a body feel alone And there's nothin' short of dyin' That's half as lonesome as the sound Of the sleepin' city sidewalk And Sunday mornin' comin' down In the park I saw a daddy With a laughin' little girl that he was swingin' And I stopped beside a Sunday school And listened to the songs they were singin' Then I headed down the street And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin' And it echoed through the canyon Like the disappearin' dreams of yesterday On a Sunday morning sidewalk I'm wishing Lord that I was stoned 'Cause there's something in a Sunday That makes a body feel alone And there's nothin' short of dyin' That's half as lonesome as the sound Of a sleepin' city sidewalk And Sunday mornin' comin' down

I’ve really been enjoying Sean Rowe for a while now. He has a very unique sound, and I especially like the stories he tells in his songs. One in particular that I find powerful is The Very First Snow. The world rolls and it changes gears But today I'll stay in bed I'm gonna soak these sheets in tears I'm gonna think of you instead They say that you're in a better place now Oh but they don't believe what they know You left with all of the Christmas lights on As light as the very first snow I see red and I hear the noise I'm gonna go there when I can Oh whiskey rye is my drug of choice I think the night will understand And though you won't get that cold anymore You will freeze in the back of my brain And in my dreams I will open the door If you will lean into the frame I'm gonna miss your indoor voice And the way you washed your hands And all these diamonds you left for me That I just thought were sand They say that you're in a better place now Oh but they don't believe what they know You left with all of the Christmas lights on As light as the very first snow

Needless to say I am a fan. My brother turned me on to them and I started watching CList. I scored all of them there locally and only paid a "reasonable" price for two pair. All the others were stolen. I left out the Klipsch and Magnaplaners (etc) that bought and that I've already sold! There was a window about ten years ago when older SS gear was going for next to nothing. Now all of a sudden, its in demand and flies off the shelves. Still looking for a nice pair of Cornwalls or LaScalas.

I am quite fond of this recording! I had the vinyl at Carverfest for the first time my vinyl copy was played! the song ‘ keith don’t go’. Is one of my reference tracks$ barryg

For me, it's one where I find no or few mistakes and a pleasing balance over the audio spectrum. It is very subjective. Mastering for a boombox or iTunes is vastly different than mastering for a home stereo, though that may be rectified with an EQ. I don't have an EQ, so that's conjecture on my part. I hope that helps.

Gary Clark Jr. Come Together

Ripple Grateful Dead If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung Would you hear my voice come through the music Would you hold it near as it were your own? It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they're better left unsung I don't know, don't really care Let there be songs to fill the air Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow Reach out your hand if your cup be empty If your cup is full may it be again Let it be known there is a fountain That was not made by the hands of men There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go no one may follow That path is for your steps alone Ripple in still water When there is no pebble tossed Nor wind to blow You who choose to lead must follow But if you fall you fall alone If you should stand then who's to guide you? If I knew the way I would take you home Songwriters: Jerome J. Garcia / Robert C. Hunter

This one sounds good with SH/SDA effects...

I think a stick for albums that are truly excellent recordings would be read. Need to list Artist Recording mix Production company Missing anything?

welcome from canadian side of the border,my first amp and preamp was the 1.5 and c4000mpreamp.

@AndrewJohn. It’s on the web, Zumbini had posted it a couple times in the past.

Welcome! Try this for a starting point. 'Draw' a line from your speaker impedance across to the max power and find the fuse size. FWIW, I use 3A fast-blow in my Amazing Silvers.

Ten Years After I'd Love to Change the World

If you can pipe that Little Axe to a Sonic Holography system, I don't think you'll be disappointed. and welcome to blue @GarciaFan

That certainly works!

Rebecca Black - Friday

Grateful Dead "He's Gone" Rat in a drain ditch, caught on a limb, you know better but I know him. Like I told you, what I said, Steal your face right off your head. Now he's gone, now he's gone, Lord he's gone, he's gone. Like a steam locomotive, rollin' down the track He's gone, gone, nothin's gonna bring him back...He's gone. Nine mile skid on a ten mile ride, hot as a pistol but cool inside. Cat on a tin roof, dogs in a pile, Nothin' left to do but smile, smile, smile!!!! Now he's gone, now he's gone Lord he's gone, he's gone. Like a steam locomotive, rollin' down the track He's gone, gone, nothin's gonna bring him back...He's gone. Goin' where the wind don't blow so strange, Maybe off on some high cold mountain chain. Lost one round but the price wasn't anything, A knife in the back and more of the same. Same old, rat in a drain ditch, caught on a limb, You know better but I know him. Like I told you, what I said, Steal your face right off your head. Now he's gone, now he's gone Lord he's gone, he's gone. Like a steam locomotive, rollin' down the track He's gone, gone, nothin's gonna bring him back...He's gone. Ooh, nothin's gonna bring him back. "Jack Straw" We can share the women, we can share the wine. We can share what we got of yours 'cause we done shared all of mine. Keep on rollin', just a mile to go; Keep on rollin' my old buddy, you're movin' much too slow. I just jumped the watchman, right outside the fence. Took his rings, four bucks in change, ain't that Heaven sent? Hurts my ears to listen, Shannon, burns my eyes to see; Cut down a man in cold blood, Shannon, might as well been me. We used to play for silver, now we play for life; And one's for sport and one's for blood at the point of a knife. And now the die is shaken, now the die must fall. There ain't a winner in the game, he don't go home with all. Not with all. Leavin' Texas, fourth day of July, Sun so hot, the clouds so low, the eagles filled the sky. Catch the Detroit Lightnin' out of Sante Fe, The Great Northern out of Cheyenne, from sea to shining sea. Gotta go to Tulsa, first train we can ride. Gotta settle one old score, one small point of pride. There ain't a place a man can hide, Shannon will keep him from the sun Ain't a bed can give us rest now, you keep us on the run. Jack Straw from Wichita cut his buddy down, And dug for him a shallow grave and laid his body down. Half a mile from Tucson, by the morning light, One man gone and another to go, my old buddy you're moving much too slow. We can share the women, we can share the wine.

I didn't have to think about this for more than 2 seconds.... "Time" Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town Waiting for someone or something to show you the way Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today And then one day you find ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking Racing around to come up behind you again The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older Shorter of breath and one day closer to death Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say Home, home again I like to be here when I can When I come home cold and tired It's good to warm my bones beside the fire Far away, across the field The tolling of the iron bell Calls the faithful to their knees To hear the softly spoken magic spell

A little PDR history for you.......sorry to bore you. Like a lot of you here I grew up in the seventies, that was a different time for music, there didnt seem to be all the lines drawn in the sand back then, at least not where I grew up in northern Canada. It was ok to listen to a lot of different types of music.....I remember listening to Waylon Jennings. the Tubes and Pink Floyd all on the same ride home from work. The exceptions were disco and country.....those were a no no. The biggest shock probably came from watching Elvis Costello in 1977......he was backed by a band called the Bare naked Ladies....not the band your thinking of.....punk was surreal back then for me. I was involved with a band ...a garage rock band that had a bit of success with a competition that was held on the local rock radio station. They took submissions from local bands, picked the ten best, and they cut an album. We were lucky......ours was the most popular and we received quite a bit of air play.....another song was recorded.....and that also recieved airplay. That was the best 6 months of my youth. So what was my role in the band?.....not what you would of expected.....I was the song writer. I play many instruments.....unfortunatly they are more suited to classical than to a rock band. But I started writing lyrics and playing guitar when I was about 13 yrs old.....it has always been a passion of mine....and though for many yrs now I havnt put a song to paper, I always considered myself a better song writer than a musician. So heres the weird thing...I also dont pay much attention to lyrics in music.....I never did. It was always the music itself that caught my attention.....there are a few exceptions. This one will date me......Neil Youngs "Old Man"......I always thought this was one of the most beautifully written songs...the guitar playing is so uncomplicated......yet fit the words so well....I always thought this song to be a masterpiece. I was lucky as my first wife bought me tickets to see Neil and Crazyhorse perform.....one week after my 24th birthday......I remember the crowd rocking back and forth to that tune.....amazing.... So for what its worth.....this is one of my favs in the lyrics dept.

Not to jump to any conclusions or anything, but do you like Klipsch speakers? or is your name Paul W. Klipsch?

Squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg...... Dont know why I like this one......

That one is so bad they only have to play it once, and then you spend the next few days fruitlessly trying to get it out of your head!

Barry, I think that one is banned by the Geneva Convention.

Playing that song on a quality system would be like hauling fertilizer in a Cadillac.

I can't agree with all of those songs. I would add the song where the girl "sings" I WANNA SEE YOU BE BRAVE over and over. Don't know the name of the song or who sings it but that song always seems to be playing at the CO-OP grocery store and it makes me want to go on a killing spree.