Audiophile albums

[klang]

ime a technically good production will work on any given system.the 'trashier' productions requie a better set of speakers.

 

[killer b]

the 'trashier' productions requie a better set of speakers.

There are some exceptions - I enjoy black metal best on really shitty distorting speakers for EG

 

[klang]

then again, a wonderfully recorded album will sound pristine on v good speakers.

so i'll leave it here

 

[klang]

There are some exceptions

no there aren't

 

[killer b]

no there aren't

I was listening to a black metal album recently through my laptop speakers and it sounded amazing.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I was listening to a black metal album recently through my laptop speakers and it sounded amazing.

I’m starting to realise why you like cassette tapes

 

[Orang Utan]

I was listening to a black metal album recently through my laptop speakers and it sounded amazing.

Bet it sounds even better on someone else’s phone on a bus

 

[klang]

tbh for something as densly produced as b metal to sound good on laptop speakers it would have to be recorded pretty well.

 

[killer b]

I’m starting to realise why you like cassette tapes

I enjoy high fidelity recordings played on the finest systems too. But listening to music in different ways does give you other - sometimes quite different - perspectives on the music. What's that thing Eno says about today's distortion being the desirable aesthetic of the future?

 

[killer b]

Here we are:

Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature. CD distortion, the jitteriness of digital video, the crap sound of 8-bit - all of these will be cherished and emulated as soon as they can be avoided. It’s the sound of failure: so much modern art is the sound of things going out of control, of a medium pushing to its limits and breaking apart. The distorted guitar sound is the sound of something too loud for the medium supposed to carry it. The blues singer with the cracked voice is the sound of an emotional cry too powerful for the throat that releases it. The excitement of grainy film, of bleached-out black and white, is the excitement of witnessing events too momentous for the medium assigned to record them

 

[Athos]

It takes a lot more skill... to have a full wall of sound type effect where everything is still clear and working harmoniously together.

Galaxie500's 'On Fire' gets this just right.

 

[Sprocket.]

You want Steely Dan's 'Aja'

Hence my tag line.

 

[killer b]

Hence my tag line.

I'm afraid despite 'dan's rep for sophisticated lyricism, I don't really listen to the words so unfortunately it means nothing to me.

 

[danski]

I enjoy high fidelity recordings played on the finest systems too. But listening to music in different ways does give you other - sometimes quite different - perspectives on the music. What's that thing Eno says about today's distortion being the desirable aesthetic of the future?

Yeah, I bought a plug-in that is based on all the bad artefacts of vhs recording. I love it

 

[Sprocket.]

I'm afraid despite 'dan's rep for sophisticated lyricism, I don't really listen to the words so unfortunately it means nothing to me.

Eee, you young uns.

 

[Orang Utan]

I'm afraid despite 'dan's rep for sophisticated lyricism, I don't really listen to the words so unfortunately it means nothing to me.

Glad it’s not just me

 

[danski]

Same

 

[Orang Utan]

lol

Still puzzled at this response?

 

[killer b]

Still puzzled at this response?

Just that it's a terrible album loved by people with very expensive stereos, or middle aged ex-stoners. I know lots of people feel the same way about Aja too, but they're wrong there because I like it.

 

[killer b]

 

[ska invita]

Any idiot can record a wall of distorted noise, and any old heap of shit speaker can reproduce it.

It takes a lot more skill - and a better speaker system - to capture a sense of depth and space, as well as the individual elements within it, or to have a full wall of sound type effect where everything is still clear and working harmoniously together.

I follow but not all walls of distorted noise are equal - far from it. Anyhow, distorted noise isnt the alternative bench mark - creative engineering is.
When i think of the great produced records things that spring to min are MBV Loveless, certain Black Ark Lee Perry, Spector's Wall of Sound...not 80s Phil Collins productions, no matter how clear and harmonious they might be.

im not against clarity of course - i think grace jones was rightly mentioned - sly and robbie's 80s stuff tends to all have that sound - which includes Black Uhuru's Dub Factor, which would be a strong audiophile nomination from me.

Maybe this association is another reason why audiophile perfection is such a nonsense...its leads you to really appreciating mediocre music

 

[ska invita]

Just that it's a terrible album loved by people with very expensive stereos, or middle aged ex-stoners. I know lots of people feel the same way about Aja too, but they're wrong there because I like it.

how about this lol?

Audiophile albums

Not very Urban I know but let's complile a list of albums that have a sweet production. I've just signed up to Tidal Masters so need some audiophile recommended sounds to make it worth it. Two off the top of my head that have always stood out productions wise.... FGTH - Welcome to the...

www.urban75.net

 

[Orang Utan]

Just that it's a terrible album loved by people with very expensive stereos, or middle aged ex-stoners. I know lots of people feel the same way about Aja too, but they're wrong there because I like it.

I wasn’t vouching for the quality of the music, just that it would make an audiophile orgasm. They’re music is not terrible IMO, but so beige as to be almost unlistenable these days

 

[killer b]

I wasn’t vouching for the quality of the music, just that it would make an audiophile orgasm. They’re music is not terrible IMO, but so beige as to be almost unlistenable these days

I thought you were making a joke about that very thing, so I laughed.

 

[danski]

FSOL-Lifeforms


Anyway, all this goes out of the window (for the listener) as soon drugs are involved

 

[editor]

Just that it's a terrible album loved by people with very expensive stereos, or middle aged ex-stoners. I know lots of people feel the same way about Aja too, but they're wrong there because I like it.

When I was young I used to try and drum along with Aja, which provided a swift and lifelong lesson in knowing my limitations.

 

[Sprocket.]

When I was young I used to try and drum along with Aja, which provided a swift and lifelong lesson in knowing my limitations.

Yes, but you are up against Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, and Rick Marotta, amongst the plethora of drummers and other top of their game session musicians that Fagen and Becker utililised often a totally different line-up for each track. Perfectionist bleeders.
I’ve still not mastered most of the guitar parts after all these years, so we can come to the same conclusion about our abilities.

 

[savoloysam]

There’s


If you’ve got kit to render MQA then Tidal Masters is well worth it.

There’s some amazing stuff on there - John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin and Philip Glass if you’re into that. Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly well worth a listen.

For anyone confused but interested in MQA and how to get it.....

It's a Hi Res file format that is compared to the masters that are produced in the studio. Whereas even CD quality still has some form of compression. MQA is designed to sound as near to the studio masters as possible. The MQA files are authorised from the artists and studio producers themselves.

To get them you need a Tidal Hifi subsription (the top tier available) and you need something that can feed the full file format throught to your hifi (a decent stereo amp is recommended. If you are playing music through an Alexa type speaker you're wasting your money)

To play full MQA you can purchase something expensive such as this NODE 2i

NODE 2i

Or more cheaply you can also stream from your phone but your phone must have Hi Res audio support and you need to purchase a USB app (USB audio pro and then an in app MQA support codec - Costs less that £10 all in) from the play store. I've gone this route and have bought the the IFI zen DAC for £129. This fully converts MQA into my analogue amp.

Much easier though is to download the tidal app onto your laptop or PC and stream via USB into your amp or DAC. The desktop app itself will convert the MQA file for you.

You can trial Tidal Hifi £4 for four months..

TIDAL Holiday Offer

Re-discover and experience your favorite music in the best sound quality available.

tidal.com

.

If you love your music like I do and crave really decent sound quality. I fully recommend it!

 

[seeformiles]

Steve Hillage - “Green”

(yep some will dismiss it as hippy shite but an amazing headphone LP regardless )

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Whereas even CD quality still has some form of compression