Genesis - A Trick of the Tail: Blind Listening Test

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DiabloG, May 14, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Mike McMann

    Mike McMann Forum Resident

    That's how I do it after downloading to Dropbox. Press play for each sample and it plays through my system.
     
    DiabloG and Front 242 Addict like this.
  2. Front 242 Addict

    Front 242 Addict I Love Physical format for my listening pleasure

    Location:
    Tel Aviv ,Israel
    Great thread Diablo Griffin :cool:

    I listened with my Shure Srh940 headphones.

    When I listen to the glorious-beautiful synth sounds on Los Endos
    I can hear that these sounds more brighter in A than the others samples , on B they sound with a bit less treble but with enough treble to make them sound beautiful, :) B also have warmer sound.

    on C the synth sounds are very open and beautiful but I can't stand dropouts like the one on the second song 1:52-1:55 ( mentioned by albertop)//// you can definitely hear it.

    A has more bass and more treble then B and C , maybe A has smiley face EQ?
    although I love the synth sounds On A (I can handle the brightness ) ...... I am sensitive to bloated bass so I can't choose A .

    The winner for me is B which has excellent balance for me.

    ps. I have 3 different Trick of a tail cds ( each one with different mastering)
    I can not associate a specific Sample to a specific cd , I just don't remember
    ( even if I knew I wouldn't tell So I will not ruin your pleasure
    when Diablo Griffin will reveal which samples belongs to which cd
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2018
    DiabloG and Rodney Toady like this.
  3. Jack_Straw

    Jack_Straw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wichita, KS
    First impression:

    A

    open, good bass, slightly sibilant and undefined on highs
    good depth and imaging, sounds like good transfer but heavy handed EQ (smiley face?)

    B

    good - nice midrange, high end sounds more natural. possibly older transfer (slightly grainy). Much more defined throughout midrange and more natural sounding vocals than the other two.

    C

    similar to A, but with an even more bloated bass. Excessively smiley faced. Too heavy on the low end and harsh on the high end.


    I'd rank them B > A > C

    Edit: I listened on speakers. Will listen on headphones later on tonight.
     
    Front 242 Addict likes this.
  4. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Sample C has some major tape-wobble during Squonk (at around 0:53) which seems to have been fixed in the other two versions.
     
  5. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Gave these samples another spin with both pairs of headphones. I just can't get over how good this album sounds. I can see myself preferring A or B depending on my mood, though I won't change my vote for the time being. Even though Ripples is a bit thinner on B, I love the imaging and vocals on it.
     
  6. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Anyone else wanna give this a try?
     
    Front 242 Addict likes this.
  7. Joe McKee

    Joe McKee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Connecticut
    The first time I listened was a bit distracted so didn't give the test as much attention as I should have. I have gone back and put the samples on shuffle and done a true blind test (and cranked it up!) I think A & B are both very good but I would give a slight nod to A. There is good detail and clarity and it is crackable.

    But leaving my vote a "C" since that is how I voted before reading the discussion.

    Diablo, thank you for putting this together.
     
  8. Mike McMann

    Mike McMann Forum Resident

    I like your idea to shuffle them up.
    That’s cool.
    I usually will go with first listens and vote from there.
    Gonna try this on your next one Diablo.
     
  9. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    One week left. Who else wants to give it a go?
     
    albertop and Front 242 Addict like this.
  10. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    5 days left.
     
  11. Jack_Straw

    Jack_Straw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wichita, KS
    Hopefully we'll get some more votes. I am anxious to see the "reveal"!

    I've had a chance to listen on two different headphones and on a second system now, with the following conclusions:

    I stand by my choice of B. To my ears it is FAR better than the other 2. The overall tone and clarity is excellent. I don't find the bass to be lacking at all - there is plenty of it, and it is far more detailed and nuanced on this one.

    I do think that I now prefer C now over A. I A/B'd the two directly (or is it A/C'd... hehe), and the bloated bass on C is far less offensive to me than the harshly tweaked highs on A. Actually, I could live with C, with a little EQ on the low end. It has a richness that A just doesn't have, and a much more natural presentation overall.

    So now it's B>C>A for me.
     
  12. Marc 74

    Marc 74 Senior Member

    Location:
    West Germany,NRW
    Hard to vote as i only listened to them on my laptop with headphones. Sample C could be the Nimbus or at least the same mastering. B (probably the WG Yellow Rays CD or the early blue label CDSCD 4001 ?) sounds thinner than C but less harsh. A sounds very different with lots of bass and somewhat compressed. None of them are bad but i guess i go with B here.
     
    DiabloG and Front 242 Addict like this.
  13. riknbkr330

    riknbkr330 Senior Member

    I've been listening to this album since...1976, and always looking for "the" best sounding. I currently have the target ATCO...I guess it's the light blue/white band CD release, the MFSL vinyl and a US original copy. Anyway, these are some of my notes upon listening to these samples over speakers.

    Sample A toms appealing bright treble though

    Sample B reserved sounding....anemic. No low end.

    Sample C ride cymbal very prominent during Squonk, somewhat more detail....remix?

    Anyway, I voted for sample C because there was stuff in there that sounded new to me...like it was a remix.
     
    DiabloG likes this.
  14. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Do you guys think these samples hold up to any of the vinyl editions? I have a US Atco pressing, but I haven't heard it in a while. Might as well give it a spin soon.
     
  15. izgoblin

    izgoblin Forum Resident

    You're not apt to like it. I hated the US yellow label Atco LP. Thin and quiet as I recall. A later '80s pressing recut it and it sounded quite nice, but they sped up the tape to get the long sides to fit and still have some volume and bass. Sounds great if you don't know the album well enough to recognize that it's overly fast.

    The MoFi pressing was the only winner I found, which is unfortunate because it's obviously not cheap.
     
    DiabloG likes this.
  16. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    3 days left.
     
  17. The Slipperman

    The Slipperman Forum Resident

    I picked A narrowly over C. B sounded kind of flat/muddy not good to me. To keep it scientific, I didn't read anyone's comments before listening but agree with others that A has good bass and treble. C sounded maybe a little better in treble but did not have the bass presence. I only have ATOTT on LP but will buy the CD with A once it is revealed.
     
  18. riknbkr330

    riknbkr330 Senior Member

    I'll have to spin the MFSL this weekend sometime. It's been awhile since I listened to it.
     
    Neonbeam likes this.
  19. riknbkr330

    riknbkr330 Senior Member

    Well I had some time....early off on the three day weekend...and found that the vinyl is, well, warmer. It doesn't have the high sizzle that the digital has. It just sounds more natural. Then again volume matching is a bit difficult as the MFSL NEEDS to be turned UP. I suppose I could level match as I have a attenuator (Zbit from Decware) between my OPPO and Decware amp. Also the Oppo has variable attenuation as well.

    I like the vinyl at this point, but I also like the first CD pressing . I believe it was done by Barry Diament. Oh the choices :) .
     
  20. olegrayman

    olegrayman Senior Member

    Location:
    IL, USA
    A - I can't pass "dirty old mountain all covered in smoke" line, it's so sibilant. This album does exhibit some of it, but not to this extent.
    B - totally fine, this is how I want it to sound.
    C - Los Endos and Ripples are fine, but B wins because of the Dance.
     
    Jack_Straw and albertop like this.
  21. DonnyMe

    DonnyMe Forum Resident

    Location:
    SC
    First time doing one of these. Very cool. I'm listening through headphones (Massdrop HD-6XX ) through a Peachtree Audio Decco 65 and I found Sample A to be my favorite. Bass was deep and full, good separation of instruments, drums sounded good, highs a little rolled off but overall I could live with this sound. Sample B sounded lighter in the bass, not the fullness of Sample A. Kind of compressed. Vocals were more forward though, drums were lacking thump. Sample C was good, but would be my second place finisher. Bass was good, as were the drums. Good separation of the instruments, highs are sharper here but I prefer a little less on top. To me the bass on Volcano & Squonk has a very deep and pronounced signature that Sample A captures. So Sample A gets my vote.
     
    DiabloG likes this.
  22. albertop

    albertop Forum Resident

    I'm very surprised to see so much love for Sample A. I'd rank it third :D
     
    Front 242 Addict, DiabloG and jeffsab like this.
  23. DiabloG

    DiabloG City Pop, Rock, and anything 80s til I die Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    Just one more day until the big reveal! If you haven't voted yet, now's your chance!
     
  24. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist

    Location:
    Virginia
    I just voted, and I haven't read any of the discussion. I listened to all three samples on my local PC, downloaded from the OP Dropbox page. I listened on OPPO PM-3 headphones through an Audient iD14 USB Audio Interface.

    I voted for Sample C.

    Sample A sounds too bass-heavy to me, and a little too compressed for my tastes. The drums, bass, and vocals all sound less impactful as a result--all very covered and muddy. The guitars in "Rippled" don't sparkle. The kick drum work in "Los Endos" isn't as distinct or dynamic.

    I like Sample B, which sounds pretty neutral by comparison to Sample A, but I don't hear as much depth or richness in the sound--less midrange energy and complexity. The bass doesn't sound as extended, either.

    I voted for Sample C because the sound seemed to have more texture, especially on the vocals. I could hear the processing (ADT or chorusing) on Phil's vocal more clearly. I could hear the subtleties of his drumming--little rolls, flams, etc.--more clearly, and they seemed to have greater impact. The guitars in "Ripples" had more of a bell-like tone. The cymbal washes in "Los Endos" seemed to have a little more complexity in the sound as it grew and decayed. I do hear that terrible dropout in the right channel of "Squonk," though, at about :55-57 into the clip. Pity! If Sample C was mastered from a copy tape, as seems likely, to my ears the mastering engineer still did a fine job with a less than ideal source.

    Thanks for the comparison! Now to read the discussion....
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2018
    riknbkr330, DiabloG and jeffsab like this.
  25. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist

    Location:
    Virginia
    Agreed, and for me third by a substantial margin.
     
    Front 242 Addict likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine