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Music that systems have ruined or saved

D

darrenyeats

pfm Member
This is a companion to the "Audiophile music" thread!

After a recent DAC upgrade the following have made their way back on to my listening list. A lot of them I realise, I only really last enjoyed on my ancient Krell/PMC system, until now that is!

I've realised my previous DAC was ruining a lot of things, top of the list and unforgivably, piano.

NOTE. This isn't about absolute SQ. But it *is* still about SQ. It's specifically about flip-flopping across the line between "enjoying this music" and "you know what, I'm not really enjoying this music".

La Roux, La Roux
Hania Arani, Esja
Look Sharp!, Roxette
Capitol Years, Frank Sinatra
Division Bell, Pink Floyd
Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell
Oracular Spectacular, MGMT
Live! (1975), Bob Marley
Mezzanine, Massive Attack
Tourist, St. Germain
Bibio, Mind Bokeh

So ... What albums that you like - or liked! - have been ruined or saved by system changes, for you?
 
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Piano is a deal breaker for me, and so are vocals. Maybe the two most important things to get right. I have four amps that I've built and when piano and vocals aren't right I have to make component changes until they are. I'm not a passive listener here - whatever isn't right goes straight onto the bench for modification.

So in answer to the question, my test tracks remain the same year in and year out. It's the system that gets changed, not the music. I love my test tracks to bits and when they are right, everything is right.
 
Yes I had convinced myself my DAC was good for objective, technical reasons, but I was fooling myself for ages. It gives me pause about a lot of things, including myself! The new DAC is technically better than the old (and not NOS or valve or anything) - but musically, plays in a different league.
 
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What was the previous DAC Darren?

What’s the new DAC?

I’ve recently bought an Auralic Altair G2.1 ex-dem Streamer/DAC and everything is sounding really good. As in, I’m pretty sceptical about how much difference DACs can really make, but…
 
darrenyeats said:
Hania Rani, Esja
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Interesting choices. I can’t imagine this not sounding great! All her recordings have a lot of piano noise due to the close mic positions and her very distinct piano (the upright one). I don’t mind that at all. It is what it is and the musuc is just beautiful

darrenyeats said:
Capitol Years, Frank Sinatra
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I’m sure this will be a mastering thing. A lot of old mono recordings don’t make it to digital very well. This stuff sounds great from original vinyl even if the side length is well over the optimum on some titles. You can still find originals fairly cheaply which surprises me.

darrenyeats said:
Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell
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Joni’s digital legacy was a bit of a mess for a long time. The late-90s/early-00s masterings are mostly the dreaded HDCD format, so not decoded correctly by most CD players/DACs. As such they end up sounding rather bright and sterile. Nothing to do with the music, just an obsolete and largely unsupported format.

darrenyeats said:
Mezzanine, Massive Attack
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That should sound amazing on everything! Certainly wonderful via giant Tannoys!
 
Mezzanine and Tourist. Yeah always sounded *impressive*, stunt bass etc. but I just wasn't connecting musically. So they didn't get played except the odd track now and then.

A good example is Mezzanine's Man Next Door. Now my main and lasting impression is the story and the feelings expressed by the singer. Does that make sense?
 
Whaleblue said:
What was the previous DAC Darren?

What’s the new DAC?

I’ve recently bought an Auralic Altair G2.1 ex-dem Streamer/DAC and everything is sounding really good. As in, I’m pretty sceptical about how much difference DACs can really make, but…
Click to expand...
Will DM you or possibly a new thread. Am trying to encourage people to share music here but it's not happening!
 
Bit esoteric this one, darkwake industrial.
In Strict Confidence - Seven Lives from the Album ‘Holy’ 2002.
very fast paced multiple electronic instruments and a rasping vocals. Only a very good system extracts the music from a cacophony.
 
darrenyeats said:
Will DM you or possibly a new thread. Am trying to encourage people to share music here but it's not happening!
Click to expand...
I don't have much to add, liking most of the old stuff I always liked, but my appreciation of classical music has grown hugely. I can't decide whether that's because my systems can resolve it, play violins, pianos and orchestras and allow me to appreciate them better, or I'm just getting old.
 
darrenyeats said:
Which are ...?
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My test tracks are these. The operas are for voices and orchestra. The Dee Dee track is for jazz vocals. The Keith Jarrett is for cymbals as well as piano and bass - it's a real test of the extreme treble.
- Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen: Act III, Scene VII, "A Vixen's Running Through The Woods..." Prague Nat Theatre/Gregor on Supraphon
- Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg - Act 1: David! Was Stehst? Van Damm, Heppner/Solti on Decca
- Love Vibrations - Dee Dee Bridgewater from CD Keeping Tradition
- It's Easy To Remember, Keith Jarrett Standards Trio from the album Tribute

 
That's the problem with upgrades. Some music is bound to sound worse on the new equipment (and some, hopefully most, indeed better). The question is then: Is it because the new gear is actually worse or the new gear is so good it reveals how 'bad' the recordings are?

Well, I don't have an answer to that. But, in a way, it what makes HiFi so fascinating. If everything simply sounded better with better gear, places like this (pfm) would hardly exist!
 
I was listening to Serkin playing Mozart the other day. I recently acquired a Systemdek transcrption and I was brought up short by the realism of the sounds, even down to a few Serkin vocals that punctuated the music and enhanced the listening.
 
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