Bowie – "Heroes": Blind listening test

I'd like to do the whole 1967-1980 thing, some of the later stuff which has interesting digital alternatives (SACD, reissues), and maybe even some CD/LP/mastered for iTunes comparisons for the post-Outside stuff. Reality is mostly unlistenable on its regular CD, for example. Then, at the end, a big document summing up the whole series, from the debut to Blackstar (what's the absolute best? what's the cheapest alternative? is the difference that big? with samples here and there to tune things to your own liking).

Lodger is quite high, in my imaginary list. I'd also like to do Space Oddity; I'd be curious to see how the 2009 remaster would compare with the other options.

I'm also interested in doing the same thing for some other artists, but my time is finite, unfortunately .

 

A seems to have a very pleasing dynamic range. It was bass-shy, but I could boost some lower frequencies and then it was my favorite overall sound.

C had some pleasing EQ, not as much range, a tad more congested compared to A, but brought out some nice mid frequencies and worked well on a number of songs.

D was not disimilar to C but found a little more of a spaciness vibe. It lacked a little of the guitar chug found in C (due to different EQ), but had a touch more space air (due to EQ/compression differences than C). The problem with D was that I didn't like it on "Blackout", kinda strident. C seemed more consistent overall between those two.

A is the overall winner because of the dynamic range and good EQ, too bad it didn't come pre-programmed with a little more bass.

I voted for all 3 of the above. Honerable mention to B. Surprised so many liked F. Maybe I should have given it a few more listens. I found it okay, but unremarkable, and a little too much compression, but better than E which was the worst to me.

 

Played it on my computer, which is the only place I can play lossless audio files. So not the best basis for comparison. I chose B, but it was very close between that one or two others.

My only copy of "Heroes" is the WG RCA.

 

This test is quite a bit harder than the previous tests as the top 3 are very similar.
I went for
F Seems to have the nicest top end
C Very close to F but sounds a gen removed
B I like the EQ on this but even at reduced volume it sounds cluttered
E clean but cold
D Hyped EQ/No noise
A What the hell is this? It sounds like a portable tv's speaker

Usually I'd pick the issue that is D(i think) last but A is not a pleasant listen

 

That's very interesting: the sample jeighson1 prefers is the one rrowley likes the least. There are some very different opinions here, and that's a very nice thing to see. Thanks!

 

I do wonder if preferences are influenced by people’s first exposure to the album. For me that was on cassette and headphones. Every version since is measured against that benchmark. I like music to sound like I remember or like it but better.

 

I recognised the ones I own straight away but my preferences and my votes went to 2 I have never owned. My least favourite I also don't own....

 

I can't speak for anyone else, but while I've heard the title track, I don't own the album in any form, so in my case, no.

 

I went the extra mile and burned the samples to a CD and listened at home, in the car, etc., to give you an accurate response.

It was a tough choice between B and F for me.

A was too harsh. Too much top end.

C just sounds wrong to me. This is my least favorite.

D and E were similar to A. Too top heavy.

I'm going with B. It's the one that seemed to hit the spot for me. I got the feeling I'm looking for. But I could just as easily have picked F. Tough call.

 

This is a really hard one because the samples all sound quite undynamic. Samples D still sounded the best to me, a bit more dynamic, but also a bit smiley EQed with a little bit more top end than I appreciate. Sample C is my second choice.

Short summary: A has too little bass, B has boomy bass, C sounds quite alright – runner up, D sound the most interesting to me, E has no mid-band, F sounds very undynamic.

Edit: Heroes from my Fame & Fashion compilation sounds different from all the ones here (but D sounds closest).

 

All right. I'll play, got nothing to loose. Chose option B. Don't know. Felt more engaging and even at the same time I guess. I'm no trained ear.

 

I picked F and B. Very close call, but I think I prefer F.
A and D had too much treble.
C was a bit too dark, but not bad.
E was nice, but a bit flat on Arabia for instance

 

Okay, I'm going with C and F.

C has a familiar, pleasing warmth, and F seems to have a a nice sense of detail and clarity without being bright or harsh - the top end sounds smooth.

A and E both sound a bit too bright and bottomless to me.

B sounds very bass-heavy yet also bright, compressed, and aggressive in an in-your-face sort of way.

D is the worst - sounds extremely bright, brittle, harsh, glassy.

 

Forgot to mention that I listened to these on the laptop with headphones.

 

I'm finding that I keep getting different results depending on how I'm listening. For example, one version that sounds terrible on my headphones sounds fantastic in the room (E). I've based what sounds good in the room, played on the same system I'd use for CD listening. I use wireless headphones, Beats 3 for the gym and AKG for commuting and general use (the latter work wired too). I find that something that sounds good on the Beats (which emphasise bass) sound thin on the AKG. For example the latest Bowie box Heroes sounds way too bassy on the Beats but OK on the AKGs. I'm not going to change my vote but blimey these tests have made me more aware of how system dependent audio quality is.

 

^ same here. My head sets give very different results. My B&O H2 are very bass aware, but my Sennheiser HD580 aren’t, so a bass heavy sample can disqualify a perfectly fine one on Sennheisers.

 

Same here, although in my case, I was only listening on headphones and the laptop, and it was a matter of swapping headphones. In the end, I went with a pair of very neutral/flat AKGs, which is what I should've used in the first place.

Very anxious to see the results. Either I'm fairly sure what's what, or I'm way off and I'll be forever barred from speaking on the sound quality of David Bowie CDs again!

 

I'm surprised by the love for C. To me it sounds like someone turned a nob all the way left or something. It's missing something, like a blanket has been placed over the speakers. Maybe I'm wrong and this is the Holy Grail of Bowie. To each his own.

 

I remember an old article about mastering from the early 80s, probably in a Smash Hits Yearbook, that explained that a good mastering engineer will listen to an album or single through a variety of different speakers from high-end to the transistor radio variety to ensure that the music sounds as good as possible in a wide variety of circumstances. Did this practice die out?

 

c'mon Tsomi, we're far above the 29 votes for the YA poll, time to reveal what is F, winner at this time ex-aequo with the "I can't decide" option

 

The YA results are already up (page 5 on my iPhone) since the end of July.
Still waiting for the “Heroes” results though.

 

DON'T READ THE THREAD! SERIOUSLY, IF YOU ENJOY YOUR SANITY, STAY AWAY!

 

Some people told me they want to to do the test but need more time, so it's going to remain open for a few weeks I think (the more votes the better).

The impatient ones can PM me for results if they agree to keep them private for the moment

 

bingo.

 

I haven't voted yet, as I've only listened twice so far and would like couple more listens before choosing a foavorite. It is tough with 30 second clips, because sometimes what impresses at first becomes tiresome after a couple of minutes. However, there were two that stood at as particularly bad on my system (I burned to CD and played over the speakers): C and E. C was incredibly dark and muddy, and was the one that stood out the most. I think E had an extra harsh treble that also stood out as particularly unpleasant.

As to the others, A seemed kind of thin and unimpressive sounding, though I imagine it might work better than others over a longer listening session. B sounded better, at least initially, a bit like A but with increased bass. The bass was not nearly as overwhelming and muddy as C, though, so it kind of felt like the happy medium between A and C. D and F struck me as kind of similar to B, but possibly had a brighter top end. I need to listen again, comparing B, D, and F one after the other to figure out how they differ and which I prefer.