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Listening Exercise: Not ANYTHING about Cables!


Mallette

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only 6 people in this entire Forum have any interest in actually discussing music

And with all the fine loudspeakers Klipsch makes - 3 people listen with headphones. :mellow:

I would like to dicsuss music, but I am not set up to do any type of digital uploading/downloading/playing. Matter of fact, I wouldn't know how even if I had a desire. You shouldn't make generalizations like that. Now, if you wanted to send me some variations on vinyl....

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I would like to dicsuss music, but I am not set up to do any type of digital uploading/downloading/playing

I love my vinyl music rig. I have had it since the early 70's. I also like other input sources that can reproduce sound on my system. I have a preamp and can select CD/DVD - FM tuner - cassette tape - TV - and Phono inputs.

I have a laptop PC connected to my flat screen via HDMI and the TV connected to the preamp via RCA. So I can listen to these files on Dave's Blog site with very little fuss. It just pops up in my Windows Media Player. I know this is a rudimentary hook-up but it works for me. There is a lot of content on the internet that has sound output.

My LaScala center channel loudspeaker makes a great TV stand, :D

Edited by mach-1
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Ok, so using the crappy headphone out on my laptop through some cheap *** patch cords...and the heat is on, so listening conditions aren't exactly perfect.

Track #1. My brain kept fighting the orientation of the sound from the orientation of the keys as a player. Good sense of dimension as the pianist goes up and down the registers. I feel as though I'm standing at the back of the piano.

Let's try it with rear speakers engaged via Hafler Dynaquad method. Whoa! The image is huge but indistinct. While not offensive, it sounds like being in the piano. Too much L-R difference for this to work quite right.

Ok, I keep getting distracted by the music, but after half a dozen listens I don't notice any production artifacts. I'm enjoying the crap out of this track.

Track #2. The piano seems about 20' away and panned right. Highs muted, loss of sparkle, as though there was more than simply space between my vantage point and the piano. Large space, my brain put me in the Paramount. In pure two channel, I prefer the personal concert of track #1 to this back-of-the-house capture.

Again, this time dynaquad style...This seems to work much better on this track than straight two channel. Sparkle seems restored, and the piano regains prominence, no longer veiled, and with realistic scale, although the soundstage is still off to the right. Ambience is also revealed more clearly, but quite realistically, rendering a more convincing illusion of being there, rather than becoming a distraction. I like this track via dynaquad as much as I like track #1 in pure two channel.

Great tracks you've chosen, Dave, and a cool idea for a thread.

Some pics to help illustrate the mental image these tracks produce:

Track one perspective (same oblique angle as photo, but nearer to the piano):

2004411533503.jpg

Track 2 perspective (only imagine people in auditorium):

flagey-studio-brussels.jpg

Edited by Ski Bum
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I think it fair enough to report one's thoughts regardless of what one uses to play these back. Just state what it is. I've made it clear that I can readily detect inferior or superior records on most anything. That's why I consider source material to be way in front of whatever one might consider number two in the list of what counts in music.

don't think you are going to get many more comments. Maybe explaining the cable connection would help.

No, it isn't sufficient yet and I am good to wait. Not sure what the issue is with the low participation and won't speculate. There IS a cable connection but it is by no means the whole story...or maybe it is. You guys can be the judge of that. I'm just interested in what we can all learn by listening to the same thing and reporting our thoughts.

Spam Patrol is exactly what it says it is. Those of us entrusted with that have the ability to see the Moderator Control Panel where reports are made by members, and such and delete those that are clearly spam. I don't police content or forum members. I've only exercised any abilities outside that charge on a few occasions where I felt the need was for immediate action and I got the impression the Klipsch folks were otherwise occupied., and then immediately brought it to the attention of the Klipsch employees to act on as they saw fit. Even then, I do a lot of serious thinking before acting. I would never act on the occasion of members veering into politics, religion, personal services touting, etc that are considered "off limits" by the moderators as those things are clearly their call and I don't have a horse in that race.

Only keeping the place clear of obvious riff-raff and Viagra sellers.

I value their trust, and those of the forum members as well.

Dave

Edited by Mallette
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Thanks, Ski Bum, and all so far. You're a good example of making some good judgements on playback without a high end system. As I mentioned, I think that is not only fine but just as good as playback on a system flat from DC to light.

Dave

PS - I would really LIKE to keep this on topic. Not going to whine much about it, but at least try to keep it relevant to the topic.

Edited by Mallette
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on playback without a high end system

Hey, now! The system is quite decent, it was only the source and how I had to connect it where a potential bottleneck occurred, and it seems not enough to prevent the virtues of the recording to shine through, no problem.

I definitely like track one in pure two channel on my near field monitoring system, and just tried it on my Klipsch rig. I'm an imaging ****, and have tweaked and fussed so the Klipsch rig can give the near-field rig a run for it's money (it does, and kills it in the dynamics/sheer ease department). Really liking track #1 on that system, pretty glorious.

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ALL: I am re-uploading the files in non-normalized. I shouldn't have done that in the first place, but I felt any artifacts might be better than significant level mismatch. I should leave that to you guys, and that is what I am going to do.

Any who've done this might give it another shot if you think it impacted. In fact, might bring up issues with normalization algorithms.

If you can't access for a few minutes, try again.

Ski Bum - Sorry. I thought you said you listened on a "crappy laptop" or something. I see you just meant using the headphone out, etc.

Dave

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Listening with Klipschorns and LaScala front, Belles rear. My system uses SRS TruSound XT for 3D enhancement.

Track 2 dull, lifeless with lots of background hiss. Track 1 slightly louder with more dynamic range, less hiss. IMHO Track 1 the clear winner.

Well I went back and edited my first #4 post as above. Turns out to download track #1 first put it on the bottom of my list and #2 on top. When I played them I picked backwards. :(:o

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OIC. I assumed one of the moderators or spam patrollers locked the other thread for some reason. Too bad, there was a lot of interesting issues coming up. Oh well. Just FYI, I can't see anything after age 30.

Nope. It's a real database error...

Remember, it's the weekend and I suspect Chad has other things to do as opposed to fixing this. We do this for fun...he works for a living.

Dave

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My wife & I listened to the tracks you originally posted and both thought track #1 was much preferred. Track one had a couple notes that I felt were either distorted or maybe just a little out of tune, although wife did not.

Track #2 sounded like it was in a cave and lacking dynamics. To much reverb and what some said sounded like paper rustling sounded like tube distortion to us.

I was going to ask 33 1/3 if he was sure he did not have it backwards but see he corrected. We both said we could not believe what he heard because it was exactly opposite of what we heard. :rolleyes:

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