High quality sound albums

[PENG]

Please add Steven Wilson: The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories). Exceptional mastering. The Blu-ray version is likely the preference here as it includes the dtsHD MA tracks as well as 24/96 stereo and instrumental versions of all of the tracks as well.

Done, but won't post the updated list until this weekend, probably Sunday. I ordered myself a copy already, like TLS Guy said in post#191, you guys are sending me to bankruptcy, and way too soon!!

 

[PENG]

Maybe my love for this album is biasing my view but here it goes anyway

The Knack "Get The Knack" on vinyl. This album was very well produced with a clean sound that runs thru the entire bandwidth from bass to vocals, to highs.

Added to list, there aren't too many vinyl title on it yet anyway.

 

[PENG]

I didn't see Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" on your list. It one of my favorites. Also I have both CD and sacs of Dark Side of the Moon, the sacd has 5.1 which is a lot of fun to listen to.

Fleetwoor Mac Rumors added, Dark Side is already on the list, #88.

 

[Pyrrho]

You can buy it at Amazon.ca from third party sellers:

Carmina Burana: Amazon.ca: Music

As I type this, you can pay CDN$4.42 + CDN$3.49 shipping for a new copy of it.

I could not find it this morning for some reason. I follow the link, found and ordered it, estimated delivery April4-11. If it does sound better than the Telarc, that sounds great to me, also has huge DR, I will remove it from the list. For now, I added the Muti so both are on the list, bumping it up to 121 in total, but I have not posted it yet.

When listening to the Muti version, sit in your music listening room, which must be quiet other than the sound from your audio system. The very soft portions should be very soft indeed, and the loud portions will be quite loud. Don't even think about using the disc as background music or in your car, unless you have the world's quietest car.

Having attended many classical concerts, I can tell you that at a live performance, it is not uncommon for them to play so softly that one can barely hear them, and so loud that one can barely stand it. I have no other disc that really gives that sort of impression as well the Muti Carmina Burana.

I will try it in both rooms, one is quieter and the amp has more power but the less powerful one has VU meter so I can see the DR without using the SPL meter. I am a regular classical concert goer so I understand what you are saying.

Please let me know what you think of it, both from the standpoint of the performance, and of the dynamic range.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

So far a great list! (What's the latest version, I keep going back to one I copy and pasted posted a bit back?)

Have these been considered?

Gorecki Symphony No. 3 performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company (24/88.2kHz WAV/HDtracks)
Tron soundtrack (I've only heard it in the movie and on Spotify, anyone have the redbook copy?)
Nora Jones - Come Away With Me (192kHz/24-bit digital versus the SACD listed? Any difference?)
Ice Age - An Omen EP_ (lossless, +15dB dynamic range, very clean mixdown)
Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself (lossless digital) ... we should keep the list to specific CDs, who cares if it gets bigger.

Also, a biggie....

Amon Tobin!!!!

Amon Tobin - ISAM

Also a must see live. He does it in 5.1 discrete... Shows are held at symphony/art centers, he brings his own sound system (enormous collection of Funktion One), there were some people there that didn't know who Amon Tobin was and were just regulars at the symphony hall... they were NOT expecting this lol. I brought some extra packaged earplugs and ended up giving them to some guests. They nevertheless were amazed by the show though, athey couldn't believe the visual effects and sound.

Check this out, one of my favorite bits starts at 5min (Piece of Paper)... this talks about the pixle mapping:
Amon Tobin ISAM - Project Mapping - YouTube (this link should start you there)

 

[Bexiesbruv]

RE: Carl Orff - Carmina Burana
My 2 cents
Having listened to the Muti recording, the Jochum and now the Telarc, I feel the Muti version is the only one of the three worth adding to the list, if for no other reason than the soprano, Arleen Augér. If I have to use one word to describe her voice it would be "controlled". Its worth getting the piece just for her. The Jochum does (for me) come a very close second though. On the others the sopranos sound strained in comparison, to me at least.
This is the first time I have ever gone out and found more than one version (of any piece of music) to make a comparison and am so grateful to this thread for pointing out these wonderful recordings. my musical horizons have, without doubt, been expanded.

Cheers

Bex

 

[PENG]

So far a great list! (What's the latest version, I keep going back to one I copy and pasted posted a bit back?)

The latest one is in post#196 with 115 on the list, currently tracking at 121 on my Excel spreadsheet.

Have these been considered?

Gorecki Symphony No. 3 performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company (24/88.2kHz WAV/HDtracks)
Tron soundtrack (I've only heard it in the movie and on Spotify, anyone have the redbook copy?)
Nora Jones - Come Away With Me (192kHz/24-bit digital versus the SACD listed? Any difference?)
Ice Age - An Omen EP_ (lossless, +15dB dynamic range, very clean mixdown)
Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself (lossless digital) ... we should keep the list to specific CDs, who cares if it gets bigger.

Also, a biggie....

Amon Tobin!!!!

Amon Tobin - ISAM

Also a must see live. He does it in 5.1 discrete... Shows are held at symphony/art centers, he brings his own sound system (enormous collection of Funktion One), there were some people there that didn't know who Amon Tobin was and were just regulars at the symphony hall... they were NOT expecting this lol. I brought some extra packaged earplugs and ended up giving them to some guests. They nevertheless were amazed by the show though, athey couldn't believe the visual effects and sound.

That's quite a few, which one you abolutely think are high quality recordings? I agree the list can be bigger but if it gets really big then it won't be a list any more. I was trying to shorten it, but a better way could be to rank them by some review ratings because if they can be sorted by ranking then it can indeed get bigger.

Check this out, one of my favorite bits starts at 5min (Piece of Paper)... this talks about the pixle mapping:
Amon Tobin ISAM - Project Mapping - YouTube (this link should start you there)

Checking it out right about now.

 

[jp_over]

Excellent thread - subscribed!

 

[PENG]

Please let me know what you think of it, both from the standpoint of the performance, and of the dynamic range.

I will, but have to wait for a few week. $3.49 shipping, works out to be $1 a week I guess..

 

[bikemig]

I've been avoiding this thread like the plague because I know it will get me to spend more money on music,

That said, I've really been enjoying the sound quality of Kyung Wha Chung's recording of Bruch's violin concerto on the Decca label, Amazon.com: Kyung Wha Chung ~ Bruch - Violin Concerto · Scottish Fantasia: Max Bruch, Rudolf Kempe, Kyung Wha Chung, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: Music

 

[Pyrrho]

RE: Carl Orff - Carmina Burana
My 2 cents
Having listened to the Muti recording, the Jochum and now the Telarc, I feel the Muti version is the only one of the three worth adding to the list, if for no other reason than the soprano, Arleen Augér. If I have to use one word to describe her voice it would be "controlled". Its worth getting the piece just for her. The Jochum does (for me) come a very close second though. On the others the sopranos sound strained in comparison, to me at least.
This is the first time I have ever gone out and found more than one version (of any piece of music) to make a comparison and am so grateful to this thread for pointing out these wonderful recordings. my musical horizons have, without doubt, been expanded.

Cheers

Bex

Yes, even if everyone else sucked, it would be worth buying just for Arleen Augér, who is incredible. Her Dulcissime is breathtaking. Her voice is, as you say, controlled, but it is also beautiful and properly expressive for what she is singing. She is a goddess. But everyone else on the recording is excellent, and so it is a great recording to have. The fact that it sells for a budget price really shows that "you get what you pay for" is a lie; with this, one gets so much more. (Too bad with some other things in life, one gets so much less than what one pays.)

Putting Jochum second and saying no more about the Telarc recording makes me glad I have never bothered buying the Telarc CD or SACD.

 

[PENG]

Yes, even if everyone else sucked, it would be worth buying just for Arleen Augér, who is incredible. Her Dulcissime is breathtaking. Her voice is, as you say, controlled, but it is also beautiful and properly expressive for what she is singing. She is a goddess. But everyone else on the recording is excellent, and so it is a great recording to have. The fact that it sells for a budget price really shows that "you get what you pay for" is a lie; with this, one gets so much more. (Too bad with some other things in life, one gets so much less than what one pays.)

Putting Jochum second and saying no more about the Telarc recording makes me glad I have never bothered buying the Telarc CD or SACD.

Sounds like by April 15 the Telarc one will be removed from the list.

 

[audiofox]

Got one more for you:

Bizet: Carmen Suite/Gounod: Faust
RCA Living Stereo LSC-2449
Gibson, Royal Opera House Orchestra

I've got the Classic Records vinyl reissue (gave up trying to find an original in good condition that I could afford), and the sound is amazing-in fact, I heard the Carmen Suite recording for the first time on a pair of Klipschorns back when I was a teenager in the early 70s, and it was a life-changing experience. I thought it had been reissued on SACD, but I guess that one was not included on the SACD reissue list-too bad.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

That's quite a few, which one you abolutely think are high quality recordings? I agree the list can be bigger but if it gets really big then it won't be a list any more. I was trying to shorten it, but a better way could be to rank them by some review ratings because if they can be sorted by ranking then it can indeed get bigger..

If I was to narrow it to one:

Gorecki Symphony No. 3 performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs:
Besides being beautiful, the recording is spectacular, the dynamics are demanding and authentic. The vocals over the strings that are subtle yet go surprisingly deep. Can tell a lot about a speaker from the wide range of sounds from this 'minimalist symphony' which really lets you pick out the details. This pluck of a stringed instrument is extremely detailed on great speakers, then shifting immediately to vocals over lower midbass and bass heavy content that only fine speakers seem to pull off.

I'd put a dynamics warning with this.


Ranking them could be cool, but maybe tedious. I did, however, sometimes wonder if it would be helpful to have a recommended 5-10 songs for Audioholics that we could use to discuss speaker playback. Like, the top couple recorded tracks of each genre.... then even if we don't listen to a couple genres on the list we could have those as something to help compare speakers for people who did prefer that type.

 

[PENG]

If I was to narrow it to one:

Gorecki Symphony No. 3 performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs:
Besides being beautiful, the recording is spectacular, the dynamics are demanding and authentic. The vocals over the strings that are subtle yet go surprisingly deep. Can tell a lot about a speaker from the wide range of sounds from this 'minimalist symphony' which really lets you pick out the details. This pluck of a stringed instrument is extremely detailed on great speakers, then shifting immediately to vocals over lower midbass and bass heavy content that only fine speakers seem to pull off.

I'd put a dynamics warning with this.


Ranking them could be cool, but maybe tedious. I did, however, sometimes wonder if it would be helpful to have a recommended 5-10 songs for Audioholics that we could use to discuss speaker playback. Like, the top couple recorded tracks of each genre.... then even if we don't listen to a couple genres on the list we could have those as something to help compare speakers for people who did prefer that type.

Thanks for the feedback, I agree categorizing some of them that way may be good too, and ranking would take half a vacation of mine even if there is good way to do it.

 

[PENG]

Ah, haha, it's all explained here:
Tom Elmhirst: Recording Adele 'Rolling In The Deep'

Yeah, lotsa 'stuff' used.

Rolling in the deep, the chorus I only see 2dB dynamic range (more in the rest of the track)... which is why the kicks sound so lifeless.

Just might not be our taste.

I finally was in the mood yesterday to play her vinyl album "21" yesterday. I prefer the overall sound quality over the BR and CD. The vocal distortions, while still apparent, is more even, instead of being emphasized at the end of each phase when she ramps up. Hard to describe but I could say the vinyl sounds more sophisticated and musical. I waited too long the digital download offer expired on 23/2/2013 but I reallly didn't know it came with a coupon.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

I finally was in the mood yesterday to play her vinyl album "21" yesterday. I prefer the overall sound quality over the BR and CD. The vocal distortions, while still apparent, is more even, instead of being emphasized at the end of each phase when she ramps up. Hard to describe but I could say the vinyl sounds more sophisticated and musical. I waited too long the digital download offer expired on 23/2/2013 but I reallly didn't know it came with a coupon.

I'm speaking a little over my head, so, take this with a grain of salt:

My understanding of vinyl cutting is the upper frequencies can't be pushed like they can digitally. Digital 'pop music style' vocal processing curves often cut the lower harmonics and then boost heavily in an inverse square fashion from midrange up to 20kHz. That gives that really forward sound of the musician is right at the speaker (decreasing the depth of the soundstage). This is really popular in rap, it gives this airy crystal sound to the vocals and makes the bass hits sound stronger from the contrast. Which, actually works really good for completely synth based rap (in my opinion), because soundstaging is kinda worthless using synths and vocal booths. But, it's also applied to a lot of pop music... and when you get a big star...they get the 'pop' engineers... who proceed to apply what works well for hit records.

Want to hear a really good example of this?
Lil Wayne - How to Love

Just listen to it on Spotify or even YouTube, doesn't take an ultra high res file to hear the mastering style. Works great for rap. He has this sharp 'sexy' vocals, you'll hear the ultra high frequencies are super boosted. Then the bass has a strong punch in the lower midrange, and rap stylee boom (although this one they cut the sub bass a lot to make it sound more 'acoustic with the guitar' .... This is actually kinda similar to what Adele's mastering sounds like, just replace the vocalist and swap the guitar for a paino. hehe. Yes, he has autotune and reverb, so does she, just it's not used as an artistic tool (because she is an amazing singer).


While I don't agree with how a lot of music is mastered lately, the choices they make are very calculated... and when someone becomes 'pop' music, the engineers - who are getting paid to help make this a hit - might even do stuff they aren't happy with personally but know that 99% of people listening will like it that way better because they are listening on lossy formats, often double or triple compressed downstream, on speakers/earbuds which have so much coloration, in order to give the song a sonic signature (that translates well across all these mediums) it requires dramatic processing. :/

 

[MidnightSensi2]

Thanks for the feedback, I agree categorizing some of them that way may be good too, and ranking would take half a vacation of mine even if there is good way to do it.

Yeah, don't kill yourself hehe. People can sift through this list, its already great.

Let me think about it though, maybe I can come up some web based method (I do a lot of digital branding).

 

[3db]

I'm speaking a little over my head, so, take this with a grain of salt:

My understanding of vinyl cutting is the upper frequencies can't be pushed like they can digitally. Digital 'pop music style' vocal processing curves often cut the lower harmonics and then boost heavily in an inverse square fashion from midrange up to 20kHz. That gives that really forward sound of the musician is right at the speaker (decreasing the depth of the soundstage). This is really popular in rap, it gives this airy crystal sound to the vocals and makes the bass hits sound stronger from the contrast. Which, actually works really good for completely synth based rap (in my opinion), because soundstaging is kinda worthless using synths and vocal booths. But, it's also applied to a lot of pop music... and when you get a big star...they get the 'pop' engineers... who proceed to apply what works well for hit records.

Want to hear a really good example of this?
Lil Wayne - How to Love

Just listen to it on Spotify or even YouTube, doesn't take an ultra high res file to hear the mastering style. Works great for rap. He has this sharp 'sexy' vocals, you'll hear the ultra high frequencies are super boosted. Then the bass has a strong punch in the lower midrange, and rap stylee boom (although this one they cut the sub bass a lot to make it sound more 'acoustic with the guitar' .... This is actually kinda similar to what Adele's mastering sounds like, just replace the vocalist and swap the guitar for a paino. hehe. Yes, he has autotune and reverb, so does she, just it's not used as an artistic tool (because she is an amazing singer).


While I don't agree with how a lot of music is mastered lately, the choices they make are very calculated... and when someone becomes 'pop' music, the engineers - who are getting paid to help make this a hit - might even do stuff they aren't happy with personally but know that 99% of people listening will like it that way better because they are listening on lossy formats, often double or triple compressed downstream, on speakers/earbuds which have so much coloration, in order to give the song a sonic signature (that translates well across all these mediums) it requires dramatic processing. :/

I'll try and find the link but from my limited understanding, treble isn't the issue as vinyl can go upwards to about 70KHz. Good luck finding a cartridge that can play that high though . Bass is the problem with vinyl. Too much and too deep will cause the needle to jump tracks. I'm off to a meetingbut I will try and find the link.

Here's an interesting link but not the one I'm looking for.. It does point out that vinyl, the medium, is much more capable than 20KHz.

http://www.channld.com/vinylanalysis1.html

 

[MidnightSensi2]

I'll try and find the link but from my limited understanding, treble isn't the issue as vinyl can go upwards to about 70KHz. Good luck finding a cartridge that can play that high though . Bass is the problem with vinyl. Too much and too deep will cause the needle to jump tracks. I'm off to a meetingbut I will try and find the link.

Here's an interesting link but not the one I'm looking for.. It does point out that vinyl, the medium, is much more capable than 20KHz.

Analysis of Vinyl Frequency Content

Oh no, it's not that vinyl can't reproduce those frequencies, it's just when you use that ultra hot vocal curve, the highest frequencies are generally distorted.. and it can damage the cutting head when producing a plate. So, instead, I've seen this curve replaced for vinyl with one that boosts a little lower, still giving that feel but not as in your face.

A good CD master is supposed to be fine for vinyl. Even pretty loud CD masters. But, that's an example of something that just doesn't work.

*edit*
Found this nice, readable, post on Gearslutz: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/914005-post5.html
The thread itself has some stuff Audioholics might not agree with (like vinyl is best for hifi), so I isolated that guys post.

...

From my experience regarding vinyl and bass... just, to give a little real world example:
I was a hanger oner to vinyl when I DJ'd and CDJs came out. Bass with vinyl typically sounded stronger in the clubs when CDJs first came out because they typically had the bass bins too hot or the CDs were ripped mp3s of varying quality. In the case of the bass bins (er, subwoofers) being too loud over the tops... the room would rumble, but that lower midrange punch that is so powerful at high volumes would get lost. Vinyl, because the deep bass wasn't as loud, compensated for the bass bins being too loud and would bring back that punch because you'd just turn up the levels. So, club goers started to associate vinyl and better bass - when really it had nothing to do with a flaw in CD.

Bigger venues had a sound guy, but, they'd be juggling the set before and after and generally wasn't pratical to adjust because an hour or two later someone playing CDs might be on, then someone with vinyl, and they never had a heads up. On the mixer, the bass controls generally low pass pretty high, so if as a DJ you lowered the bass from the mixer you'd kill your entire low end.

Still today many believe vinyl has superior bass that were around when DJs still used vinyl (rare now). But, there were a lot of factors.