Yes - 90125: Blind Listening Test

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DiabloG, Jun 5, 2018.

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  1. beccabear67

    beccabear67 Musical omnivore.

    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    It just depends way too much on what you are listing through and the settings for me. I've been happy with the 2004 Rhino CD on this album. If I were really into it as I am with some albums I might want multiple editions where you can hear things in one you can't in others (for example though, one Close To The Edge I am hearing Chris Squire vocals way too clearly in a right channel and it's sort of destroying the mystery and I have to adjust my settings for less separation).

    Interesting to read about though.
     
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  2. Joseph LeVie

    Joseph LeVie Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    Sample C seemed the best to me, but, didn't you want to level match these before sending out? They were all over the place in loudness.

    I do not have ReplayGain (whatever that is).
     
  3. DiabloG

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

    Location:
    United States
    I believe you need to have a player that supports it. Otherwise, the files won't be volume-matched. Foobar is what I used and each sample played at the same level. If people are still having problems with the files, then I might have to manually apply Replaygain through Audacity next time.
     
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  4. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    I just played this album on my main system for the first time in a while a couple of weeks ago and was doing my own comparisons last weekend so it was nice to see this shootout. :)

    How I listened: Foobar2k > Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card > Sony E80ES preamp > AKG K240DF headphones

    Sample D stuck out like a sore thumb from the rest

    I liked samples A-C but narrowed it down to B and C and went with C in the end

    I liked the snap in the snare of Lonely Heart in sample B but sample C seemed a little more natural

    It was the drums of City of Love in sample C which helped it edge out sample B for me

    Compared to masterings of other albums, I had a harder time making a decision with 90125. I was comparing Candy-O masterings as well last weekend and there were more obvious differences with those.

    Thanks for putting this together... will check out your other ones.
     
  5. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    I was thinking the same thing! Sample C seemed to tame the Trevor Horn sound a bit but I liked it a little better these days.
     
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  6. MikeManaic61

    MikeManaic61 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    Just saw this thread, had no idea there multiple versions of this album.
     
  7. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    The RL vinyl is my "go to" for this album. The cd is dry and unlistenable (imo).
     
  8. Mike McMann

    Mike McMann Forum Resident

    I listened through speakers. Adjusted volume levels with each sample.

    A - had very good separation and was great sounding at a volume level of 50%
    B - sounded muffled or had a lid on it. Moved the volume levels to 53% for a small improvement.
    C - was excellent sounding and similar to "A" when cranked to 60%
    D - was the least enjoyable of the lot.

    I'm going to say C with A right behind it, then B and D.
     
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  9. DiabloG

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

    Location:
    United States
    We're halfway through. One week's left for anyone else who wants to vote.
     
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  10. DiabloG

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

    Location:
    United States
    Just got finished with my second comparison, this time using my ATH-M50x's. My findings were almost the same as before, except I noticed that the imaging and clarity was a bit better than with the Zoro HD's. However, since the M50x's don't handle midrange quite as nicely, sample D sounded much more hollow and bloated. No sir, I don't like it. :) My choice is still C, but both A and B shine in their own ways.
     
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  11. AndyH

    AndyH Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    On small speakers I voted A.

    D was clear loser. B felt too thin.

    C is good, but I preferred the open-ness and vibrancy of A, even though in comparison to C it feels the more 'processed'.

    Looking forward to the great reveal!
     
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  12. cwd

    cwd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clarksville, TN
    me as well...
     
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  13. DiabloG

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

    Location:
    United States
    5 days left.
     
  14. HiFi Guy 008

    HiFi Guy 008 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    Thanks for starting this thread and for the samples.
    This is a wonderfully mastered album.
    The Robert Ludwig Masterdisk lp is fantastic.
    Looking forward to hearing your samples.
    I have the orig Atco cd and Hoffman remaster.
     
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  15. cwd

    cwd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clarksville, TN
    I've got a German RL, a few US RL, and some Japan one, all lps. Have the gold cd as well.
     
  16. AndoDoug

    AndoDoug Forum Resident

    Does anyone have a good way of setting up blind listening tests for parties? I'll supply the fur eye masks
     
  17. Jack_Straw

    Jack_Straw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wichita, KS
    I’ve been meaning to listen on headphones but still haven’t.

    I think I have a pretty good idea what A,B, and C are, but I have absolutely no idea about D.
     
  18. DiabloG

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

    Location:
    United States
    Just 3 more days...
     
  19. Thanks @Diablo Griffin for setting this up! This is my first time doing one of these controlled comparisons, and I don't have "professional" ears or the vocabulary to describe all of what I'm hearing accurately, so take my comments for what they're worth. I'm listening through Sennheiser HD 202 headphones with volume at 30% of maximum.

    Sample A - Whatever this one is, it sucks. A very unpleasant listen. It sounds loud, harsh and congested. Some component of the sound is pushed far too much forward--is the mid-range goosed up on this? If I find this one is in my collection I'm throwing it out.

    Sample B - This is much better than A. Quieter and not as clausterphobic. Feels more dynamic. The loudest parts of the sample are still a little mushy bordering on harsh, but not too bad. This would be acceptable, I guess.

    Sample C - This was my favorite. Similar to B, but better. The loudest parts did not have the same edge to them as they did in sample B.

    Sample D - Not as offensive as Sample A, but unpleasantly "tinny". I'm guessing treble has been boosted on this one. Louder than B and C, but not as loud as A. Still, I didn't really enjoy the listening experience.

    So, I vote C. B would come in second.
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2018
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  20. DiabloG

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

    Location:
    United States
    1 more day...
     
  21. DiabloG

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

    Location:
    United States
    We only have 5 and a half hours until the big reveal, so now's your chance to vote if you still intend to.
     
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  22. Inquiring minds want to know...
     
  23. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    :agree:
     
  24. Jack_Straw

    Jack_Straw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wichita, KS
    After listening on headphones (3 different sets of cans: AKG K 240 DF & AT ATH-M50 & Sennheiser 595 from a Sound Devices USB Pre-2) , I can no longer justify my vote for D.



    a -
    is it possible to be both harsh and dull at the same time?, loud, sterile, not pleasing, not musical, very flat and one-dimensional soundstage and imaging


    b -
    more depth and substance, bass & kick drum have some meat. more smoothness AND detail than A, better soundstage - much more 360-degree presentation with more precise imaging


    c -
    all the good qualities of b but more clarity and dynamics. Veil lifted. Could have been perfectly happy with b until i heard this one !


    d -
    i don't find this one as bad as everyone else does, The EQ was appealing on first impression, but it is a little fatiguing and unnatural after a while. the most offensive part of this to me is the speed issue


    Edit:

    I think I own A & B. Would love to get my hands on C and have a pretty good idea of who mastered it. Still wondering (and anxious to hear) what the hell D is (?)

    The EQ of D actually sounded good on the AKG headphones which are light on bass. It does sound harsh in the louder transients, almost like it was overdriven somewhere in the transfer/processing chain.
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2018
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  25. DiabloG

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

    Location:
    United States
    Voting time is over. Let's reveal the masterings:

    Sample C = 1980s West German Target, 15 votes
    Sample B = 2009 Audio Fidelity remaster (CD layer), 9 votes
    Sample A = 2004 Rhino remaster, 7 votes
    Sample D = 2013 High Vibration remaster (CD layer), 0 votes

    The results a bit more obvious this time, but I'm sure some of you are surprised that our host's remaster didn't come in first place. Once again, I think all of these versions sound quite nice (aside from Sample D of course). The only masterings I didn't use were the 2002 HDCD and the 2009 SHM, both of which likely sound similar to the High Vibration disc. Thanks to everyone who voted! I hope you had fun! As for my next blind test, I'm not sure what album to use yet. It would most likely be from Rush since I've had a few of their releases in mind, but I'll see if there's another artist that strikes my fancy.
     
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