How to pick music

[chris92346]

So I am a new owner of Magnepan 12s. They are VERY picky about what recordings they like. Bad recordings really sound bad on them. So my question to all you audiophiles out there... How to you pick new music? Are there particular labels/studios that consistently put out good stuff? Do you always read reviews on albums? The few high quality recordings that I have in my collection by sure luck and totally sent me on a quest. The maggies really reward you when you put good stuff through them.

 

[MDS]

If your criteria for picking music is that it is recorded/mixed/mastered well then you will be severely limiting your choices. Besides whether something is recorded 'well' is entirely subjective. You should pick music you actually like and look for other ways to improve its sound in your room.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

I start with audiophile recording labels (Telarc, Mapleshade, Chesky, Deutsche Grammaphone, Refrence Recordings, etc etc). Pop/Rock albums tend to sound like **** after 1995 or so regardless of label, nothing you can do about it. Of course every now and then a new album arrives with stellar sonic qualities... but they are rarer than wolf eggs.

 

[Gimpy Ric]

If your criteria for picking music is that it is recorded/mixed/mastered well then you will be severely limiting your choices. Besides whether something is recorded 'well' is entirely subjective. You should pick music you actually like and look for other ways to improve its sound in your room.

I concur. Buy music you like. Even if it was the CD of the century, you couldn't get me to listen to some so called music groups. From AC/DC to ZZ Top, I love rock. And alternative, and almost anything but country. I don't care what my speakers like, they just better do thier job, or they are out of here.

 

[chris92346]

Thank you for that list of labels... I guess I will look at their collections and see if they do any music that I like.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Hope you like Jazz & "Classical". Those are the only genres that are well produced (on almost every label).

If you must have Pop, I'd look into MFSLs back catalog.

 

[skizzerflake]

Check out audio magazines such as Stereophile and Sensible Sound. They offer advice. The Accoustic Sounds catalog and web site also offer pretty good advice as to what's well recorded and being bought by presumptive audiophiles. There is plenty of advice on what's well recorded, but as for what do you like...that's entirely subjective. I find music that I love but is pretty weak sonically, music that sounds good but I don't like and everything in between. It becomes a quest...good music AND good sound.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

If your criteria for picking music is that it is recorded/mixed/mastered well then you will be severely limiting your choices. Besides whether something is recorded 'well' is entirely subjective. You should pick music you actually like and look for other ways to improve its sound in your room.

I couldn't agree more. You don't want to become the kind of obsessive audiophile who sits around going "I know this group sucks, but listen to those pristine cymbals!" Choose music based on what you enjoy (surely that category includes a fair number of titles that are also recorded well.)
Having said that, I must admit that I have a few CDs that I hardly listen to in spite of enjoying the content, simply because they are so poorly recorded/mastered.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

And poorly recorded CDs can usually find service in your car's Bose 9-speaker stereo while driving 75mph.

 

[Hawkeye]

And poorly recorded CDs can usually find service in your car's Bose 9-speaker stereo while driving 75mph.

...or ripping them and listening with an iPod

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Nah, iPod with quality headphones are just as bad for listening to bad CDs. Clipping especially, not so much a problem with lack of range.

 

[Masher]

So I am a new owner of Magnepan 12s. They are VERY picky about what recordings they like. Bad recordings really sound bad on them. So my question to all you audiophiles out there... How to you pick new music? Are there particular labels/studios that consistently put out good stuff? Do you always read reviews on albums? The few high quality recordings that I have in my collection by sure luck and totally sent me on a quest. The maggies really reward you when you put good stuff through them.

Then you bought the wrong speakers. If you are now forced to listen to only "pristine music quality", you are defeating the point.

 

[avaserfi]

Then you bought the wrong speakers. If you are now forced to listen to only "pristine music quality", you are defeating the point.

Maybe that is just a sign of where the record industry is going right now. Take most anything mastered back when they actually mastered music (20 years ago) and it will sound good. The real problem should NEVER be owning quality speakers.

Edit: Check this thread and these articles out to see what I am talking about: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33168

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Maybe that is just a sign of where the record industry is going right now. Take most anything mastered back when they actually mastered music (20 years ago) and it will sound good. The real problem should NEVER be owning quality speakers.

I have found that I either have to load my changer with all older CDs or all recent ones. If I mix them up, and I turn up the volume enough to enjoy one of the older ones, then when it changes to a new one it is excessively loud.
The difference between average levels of 20 year old CDs and current ones can be quite extreme.

 

[avaserfi]

I have found that I either have to load my changer with all older CDs or all recent ones. If I mix them up, and I turn up the volume enough to enjoy one of the older ones, then when it changes to a new one it is excessively loud.
The difference between average levels of 20 year old CDs and current ones can be quite extreme.

Agreed completely. I think its a sad thing too especially because I am a fan of a genre that did not exist 20 years ago (Hard Metal). While I enjoy the music the CDs mastering quality SUCK so I leave most of that listening to when I am doing work or when I am in my car. Hopefully this trend falls off but it doesn't look likely with the increase in people using horrible apple earbuds.