Help with listening impression – distortion on Chesky’s Spanish Harlem

[jp_over]

I’ve been listening to Rebecca Pigeon’s Spanish Harlem (Ultimate Demonstration Disc: Chesky Records' Guide to Critical Listening ) and noticed scratchy distortion around the 2:00 mark when the guitar comes in.

I first noticed it on my new car audio system but also noticed it on my ATH M50s which I know to be very accurate. Source was both CD and lossless .flac played on my PC (to double check).

Anyone else notice this distortion / scratchy sound? Is it supposed to be there? I’m trying to tune my car system and need to verify my listening impression.

Thanks!

 

[STRONGBADF1]

I’ve been listening to Rebecca Pigeon’s Spanish Harlem (Ultimate Demonstration Disc: Chesky Records' Guide to Critical Listening ) and noticed scratchy distortion around the 2:00 mark when the guitar comes in.

I first noticed it on my new car audio system but also noticed it on my ATH M50s which I know to be very accurate. Source was both CD and lossless .flac played on my PC (to double check).

Anyone else notice this distortion / scratchy sound? Is it supposed to be there? I’m trying to tune my car system and need to verify my listening impression.

Thanks!

I'll have to go and listen to that in particular but I have never thought that disk sounded all that special to begin with. Must be my speakers...or me because lots of people really like it. A lot of the tracks sound like whatever effects processing that has been applied was applied with a heavy hand. I would have liked the Spanish Harlem track to be presented more naturally.

I listen to it tomorrow and get back to you. Family becons.

 

[zieglj01]

I'll have to go and listen to that in particular but I have never thought that disk sounded all that special to begin with. Must be my speakers...or me because lots of people really like it.

That is not the cleanest track, and is somewhat noisy. I pick up
something around the 1:55 mark, and some noise elsewhwere.
It is not the speakers - and I am not really impressed with that
whole CD to begin with.

 

[jp_over]

That is not the cleanest track, and is somewhat noisy. I pick up
something around the 1:55 mark, and some noise elsewhwere.
It is not the speakers - and I am not really impressed with that
whole CD to begin with.

Agreed; I like some of the music on the CD but I'm pretty sure I'm just hearing noise in the recording.

I've tested quite a few other tracks today and all of them sound fine.

Thanks!

 

[STRONGBADF1]

I've listened to that track multiple times now through my SVS MTS-01's, Sennheiser HD280 Pro's and Etymotic MC5's. I don't really hear it well in either set of headphones (which surprised me) but I can hear it with the SVS's when I crank them up a bit. I'm not sure what that sound is for sure but my three guess's are (I get three right?): Brushes on a snare drum or a wire type scraper on some sort of guiro (both of which channels could have been mixed out but still picked up on another instruments microphone if they were recorded all together) or a recording artifact. Something just creating distortion. But hey I'm really tired and my mind is not clear but I said I would get to it today. I might listen again tomorrow when i have a clear head, but no promises.

You know though, I don't always hear what that CD is trying to tell me is there to the degree they say it is. So, I don't know if that's the audiophile in them, my insufficient equipment or my tin ear.