SpeakerTalk

[suffolk2]

I have been listening to all types of music, as I am bored
with mainstream pop stuff for awhile.

As the topic says, what's your favourite ?

[vistisen]

Good Question, It depends what aspect I'm trying to demonstrate
sheer ability to play loudly: Delirious- Investigate from the gloria album
deep base (I own Kef 107's ) Sting's A Thousand Years from the Brave New World album.
The abilty to hold complex details under control: No way out by Peter Gabriel off the Up album. An finally the ability to make music sing, Diana Krall's when I look in your eyes album, I purposely didn't choose a particular song as I always end up listening to the whole CD

[Gary]

Anything that Steve Hoffman, the Mastering Engineer that did the mastering (or most of the masering) for the DCC catalogue including the gold discs.

Or rare Japanese first pressings.

Specifics? Oh, it depends on my mood, I guess. Classical, rock, vocals (ever hear the DCC Nat King Cole gold discs? Nat is alive and in your living room! Shocking! )

Or McCartney & Wings... The Doors.... all DCC gold, of course....
_________________
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
-- Charles M. Schulz (as Charlie Brown)

[suffolk2]

I have been listening to these lately and some tracks on their albums
are fab.

underworld

martyn simpson

john martyn

anyone else like these ?

[Gary]

[centaurus]

i usually start with my "ringer" Patricia Barber Verses or modern cool. but those albums are so well recorded, they would sound good on a boombox

then, i move into music for music's sake. dennis wilson pacific ocean blue, beck sea change, dead can dance. then maybe a little johnny winter, robin trower or alvin lee. i like 70's guitar rock

see ya,
Robby

[suffolk2]

[Cloth ears]

I have a bit of spare time this evening so I don´t mind adding a couple of posts.

Having recently moved house, (and country), I am still playing with setting up acoustics. I have a few 'reference' tracks on CD and Vinyl that I know by heart now. They help me greatly with speaker positioning and room problems.

I have to say that my favourite has to be the group 'Radio Tarifa', Album Name is "temporal", track 4 "Baile de Almut". It is all percussion ....various hand drums, Jembes, Bongos and the like. The separation between players is excellent and if your speakers are set up properly you get a real treat!

Other favourites are Stevie Ray Vaughan´s "Tin Pan Alley" and "Riviera Paradise".

If I have visitors I certainly relish the opportunity to play at least these tracks.

Stephen
_________________
Simplest Hi-Fi tweak is to syringe your ears.

[Parts]

I have a couple of CD's which some find unlistenable, but I myself enjoy.

Very demanding of systems at volume, Cyclo by Ryoji Ikeda and Carsten Nicolai, and Touch + -. These are Ambient electronic albums with minute editing of frequencies which go above and below human hearing, they can be quite discerning and uncomfortable to listen to at high volume. Some equipment either is uncapable of reproducing these sort of albums, or ends up damaged through clipping, or politely switches off.

Leafcutter John, The housebound spirit, Madolin work can be quite difficult to reproduce at realistic volume.

I enjoy Underworld, and stuff like Groove Armada, Planet Funk, etc, but these though good sounding are a little processed.

Also stuff by King Tubby, DepthCharge, Dub Syndicate and Lee Scratch Perry.

Some of the THE THE reissues are quite good.

As for vinyl,

Mostly seventies, though some late ambient like Boards Of Canada, Massive Attack and the like.

70's
Vanilla Fudge
Gong
CAN
Man
Ten Years After
Groundhogs
Grobschnit
Amon Dull
Klause Schultze
Tangerene Dream
Jan Ackermann
ETC ETC

Too much variation and stuff to list I guess, and it usualy depends on what you are looking at enjoying. A lot of my music is pretty ambient,and relly suited to speakers that can disapear low bass detail and control are pretty important to me as is bass direction and phase capability(as it is directional at lower frequencies is some set ups)

Most of the above highlights the particular strengths of my vinyl and CD front ends via Krell amplification and Kef R107 speakers, and shows the speakers and pre as the slightly weaker components in my view.

Movies are another consideration, with highly dynamic movies with low frequency content such as Chronicles Of Riddick and War of the Worlds having to be capable of being reproduced at realistic volumes.

I did destroy the surrounds of an early set of bass drivers with War of The Worlds, but since replacing the drivers have came to the conclusion that this may also have been due to the drivers surrounds being brittle.

The room is another important aspect, which I feel lets me down now. In my previous location bass had the capability to seem to image behind ones head, with discernable imagine well outside the box and around the listener, and outstanding control and extension of the lower frequencies.

[suffolk2]

Wow, there are alot I have not heard of, so time to check them out.

That should keep me busy for awhile.

Thanks for all your contributions - Keep them coming

[Kurt]

The test disks I use are:

Bass response.

Survivors - Priority Blues (from the Survivors eponymous album on Angel Air)

The opening bars are played by the bass maestro Mo Foster on his Fender Jazz 5-string bass. The tone of the bass is superb, the recording gorgeously clean.

Also Chris Rea - Daytona (from the Road To Hell CD). a lovely extended driving bass riff.

Mid-range

Ry Cooder - It's Going To Work Out Fine (Bop Til You Drop CD)

There's a wonderfully subtle buzz distortion on his guitar that lesser speakers fail to define properly.

As mentioned by a previous poster SRV - Tin Pan Alley (Couldn't Stand The Weather CD). A delightfully slow and bluesy track with a superb guitar tone.

High-range

Anything with cymbals and high hat really

[ajswinscoe]

deleted

[suffolk2]

[essence]

Either Mahler 9 or Bruckner 8 slow movements. Feel the double basses.

Or if you want the volume up. Bruckner 9th.

[Ragnar]

Associated discussion:

If i want to show the ability of my furniture to move about in the room, Ray Charles interpretation of Imagine (on the Genius & Friends album), gives a fairly good impression.

The KEF 107's powered by a Luxman L560 have an easy job mobilising the sofa.


Ragnar
_________________
Record:
KEF C10's (1986-now)
KEF C80's (1987-2007)
KEF Reference 105's (2006-2006)
KEF Reference 104/2's (2006-2007)
KEF Reference 107's (2007-now)
KEF Reference Two (2007 -now)
KEF Reference Four (2010 -now)