SH Spotlight Wanna check how your CD player is doing? "Tigerlily" CD Natalie Merchant, how I compared CD players

Indeed, I do see it in every thrift store everywhere.

 

This is what I think of.

 

for those that do not have the CD, is it potentially possible to do this with the hi-res version of this on Qobuz or whatever version is on Tidal?

 

Wait, @Steve Hoffman , let me buy the CD first...

 

interesting: on Qobuz there's an "Édition Studio Masters" version and the CD.
What you describe is more noticeable on the latter, so I assume the former is some sort of remaster.
I'm not an engineer, producer or musician - but it's always fun to do these exercises with direction from those that are and can help tell you what you're hearing - assuming (as you originally point out) you have a system capable of revealing it. thanks.

 

Probably because Qbuz used a compressed the **** out of version of the recording.

 

Thanks for this Steve. I'm going to try this with my new (old) Sony SACD player.

 

Midtempo jangly pop rock. Natalie Merchant vocals are midrange and a little nasally,

You must have found something from the last 30 years that isn't unsettling....

 

Ohhhhhh yeayea... Totally hear the smear of verb all over track #2, probably would've never picked that out without the tipoff! Subtle but definitely clouds everything up a touch...
Carnival does get a bit towards sibilant in those choruses when she starts doubling up vocal tracks. It's funny I haven't heard that song since the 90s when I was a teen and had no ears... Never realized how thick & gigantic the low-mids on her vocal track are in this tune until now. And verse 2 really starts pulling into saturation station! Lotta hair all over them vox...
Fun listen! Thanks Steve

 

Hmmm I was actually interested in this, just to see if my ears had gone or not

Just listened to track 5 and 9 as mentioned

The vocal on 5 sounded nice

Then the vocal on 9 just sounded harsher in some way

interesting


Maybe my ears haven't gone if I can hear the difference

 

Totally understood.

 

Just had a quick listen to 2

I can hear a bit of reverb

What's fake about it? It's there I can hear it, it's not fake. There is reverb there

Fake wood means it's not wood, it's something else designed to look, smell, and feel, like wood but it's not... Get me?



Words are quite important here right?

So do you mean, it's not reverb produced by a room naturally, it's a processor?

Interested how you can tell

Apologies if this comes across as confrontational, it's not, I'm just interested

 

Happy that my system passed the audition! I could hear the differences, although I would never have been able to describe them as accurately. I had not listened to this album in ages, love the drum sound on "Carnival" and still adore the pure pop of "Wonder."

This was great fun, hope it can turn into a monthly feature - thanks!

 

I think the hi res version is a horrible fold down of the DVD-A. It is really off. For example, listen to the bass drop of “River”. There are frequencies missing. Also the acoustic guitar on “San Andreas Fault” is hollow, like too much echo from one channel.

 

Right, so they used the EMT 40 Plate reverb that was at Bearsville studio at that time?

Is a plate reverb considered a processor? Always good to learn stuff

 

Except global climate.

 

I've just read your profile, so I know what amp you use.

So when you first turn it on it sounds "thin" and "horrible"

If it sounds "horrible" when you turn it on, I suspect your amp might be broken

Or... As I suspect... You are using over dramatic words to define minor changes?

Or after 30 minutes you are more relaxed and enjoy the music more?

Apologies in advance if this comes across as confrontational, I do not intend it that way

 

I just compared track 4 River

The 95 CD

vs

MFSL UDCD 771

The bass is boomier on the 95 CD

On the MFSL the boom has gone, but there is more texture to the bass

I hope that describes the difference between the CD issues on that track for bass

 

Can't say it's hard to find! This is a compact disc that one can find in about 99% of Goodwill stores in North America right now.

I'm sure I have it but haven't listened to it in years. I've always liked 'Carnival' - the sound of those drums and congas at the start, the slinky and funky beat, then that cool guitar sound (albeit a little dated sounding now). What a voice, too. Looking forward to trying this experiment!

 

I'm not taking your post about my amp's as confrontational, I take it as being helpful!
My SS power amp and valve preamp sound "horrible" when first turned on in an audiophile sense. It's OK for background listening, or for putting a movie through. But certainly lacks the depth, presence and musicality which there after the 1-hr warmup. I'm confident that the amp's are not broken. I was friends with the developers of my power amp (I listened to it in many configurations as it was being refined), and it's always needed some warm up to be able to shine.
I note you are from the UK - do you have a Croft (perhaps PM a reply so we don't take the thread off-topic).

 

thanks for including this suggestion: I wasn't clear what Steve's involvement was in this, so I didn't want to be critical, but I found the files on Qobuz to be pretty offputting, and curious as to why the CD version was "better" - but your idea would explain it. That said, Steve's original exercise was still audible in them.

 

Me too for the same reason. Life is too short for waiting a long time.