High end heavy metal

[@sportbikeguy9875]

A lot of heavy metal music is rooted in classical, and many metal musicians have background with classical, studying it when they were young.

[@davidsagarra9841]

That is totally right for many heavy metal releases, but in the same genre, you can also find a lot of garbage

[@dougdavis8986]

There are 12 notes. It has it's roots in everything.

[@CneyTMS]

@@dougdavis8986 in western music. There are more than 12 notes in others

[@dougdavis8986]

@@CneyTMS we are talking about western music Beavis.

[@CneyTMS]

@@dougdavis8986 no, you stated that there are only 12 notes. You might be talking about western music but you didn't mention it. How are we to know what you mean if you don't write it down. Butthead.

[@paulchristman5875]

Really love these videos Paul. I like how many times you don't steer clear of answering everyone's questions making these videos fun, helpful and insightful.

[@bairon4752]

A pair of Cerwin Vega SL-12 with Marantz Receiver (110watts) sounds amazing with heavy metal music. I don’t even have a subwoofer and the double bass pedal in heavy metal sounds clean and thumpy . The guitar riffs sound like the guitarist is inside my living room. Just amazing

[@shinvergil]

Some live heavy metal or epic rock have great dynamics and sound great.

[@fLaMe98able]

I've found that a great DAC makes a massive difference for metal, more than a lot of other genres. The enhanced separation that it can give, for me at least, helps to unpack some of that compression and make it more dynamic. I recently picked up an Atoll DAC 100 SE and it made a lot recordings with crowded mixes significantly better. As for well-recorded metal albums, The Gereg by The Hu is pretty sweet and worth a listen!

[@MikhailKulkov]

It's just better DAC has better resolution, dynamic and dynamic resolution. It cannot unpack compression, it's bad DACs add compression, like any other bad components, even cables.

[@Yeastextract]

Cattle Decapitation’s Death Atlas (particularly on vinyl) sounds stunning and shows how a great recording benefits music for both the artist and the listener. Most metal unfortunately is badly recorded/mixed/mastered for various reasons, and as we all know detracts from the music.

[@KlaweKlapki]

Paul stayed in 80 metal mixing but today this is past and metal albums get proper mix

[@LordVictorHalgaard]

Classic and metal are technically very closely related genres in many ways. There is plenty of well recorded metal that works well on high end setups, but it needs to be a very detailed system that can handle the distortion, and is either neutral or warm leaning, not exceedingly bright like B&W

[@LuxAudio389]

Your analysis is dead on👍🤘

[@andresjacobsen4551]

Can you recommend any specific albums? :)

[@LuxAudio389]

@@andresjacobsen4551 Megadeth Rust in Peace is a really good recording. I can hear the tonality of the guitars, bass and Nick Menza's drums. Peace Sells But Who's Buying is pretty good too. Some of the earlier Metallica albums like Master of Puppets, Killem All and And Justice For All... those recordings are pretty good and Jame's double tracked crunchy guitar comes through pretty well as do Lars' drums.

[@zackw4941]

Here's a man that needed to put some action into his life! I'm a metal head and I also use Audeze headphones. I had LCD-2c and now LCD-4. My LCD-4 on my tube amp is my gold standard for metal. My favorite is Rammstein and NOTHING I've heard Rammsteins better than my headphones. That said, I have gotten into speakers. I have a pair of big Tekton Moabs. I'm only driving them with reasonably modest equipment, but I've tried better stuff and it didn't make a big difference for metal. What did make a big difference was doing a bit of room treatment. Now that I have a few pieces up, too deal with my weird room, my system sounds a lot better. It's more even, more vivid, more powerful, more resolving, deeper, cleaner, etc. Basically, a speaker system is set the mercy of the room. I think audiophiles wind up listing to a lot of really simple stuff, because it sounds so much better. You have one singer and one stringed instrument and maybe a drummer with narcolepsy and you can zoom in on every nuance. Texture for days and airy highs and all that. Metal really sorts out the wheat from the chaff. If you have a pretty good system, but metal sounds lifeless, work on your room. Your room probably can't handle the energy and it all turns into bland soup.

[@dieseldust27]

Most heavy metal albums produced by Max Norman are great sounding. Countdown to Extinction, Diary of a Madman, Youthanasia and Wicked Sensation come to mind

[@mrpositronia]

Just stick to the original mixes though, none of these remixes or remasters.

[@Error2username]

@@mrpositronia nope

[@mrpositronia]

@@Error2username Each to their own, but Dave really butchered those remixes he did in 2004 and the remasters are just too loud.

[@gotham61]

Those records were recorded 30-40 years ago long before mixes were nearly as slammed as they are today

[@dieseldust27]

@@mrpositronia Agreed. The only improved Megadeth Remix was So Far So Good So What.

[@stephenstevens6573]

Agreed..I use a pair of old magnapan MGllas with an infinity rs12 sub and pop and metal sound fantastic! My system also plays classical and jazz with great results. Cannot say enough about the Magnapan experience.

[@mat.b.]

Metal on vinyl, with my vintage marantz, and klipsch rp-600s.....sounds great!

[@thehawk05]

Audeze = aa-duh-zee LCD-2C are awesome headphones for metal music…….easily one of the best for that genre. They have excellent punchy bass, a warmish slightly forward midrange which makes the guitars and voices sound richer and the highs are rolled off a bit so it keeps the sound in check and listenable since so much metal music is recorded too hot in the treble.

[@MetalTheet]

I use Dynaudio contour 3.0 speakers for over 20 years now for listening to heavy metal and it still sounds great. Most time i use a marantz amp and that matches really great with the Dynaudio's.

[@BouldersBloom]

I've had this exact problem with my metal catalog and found tube amplification to be very helpful in forgiving poor recordings.

[@Clueless_Morgan]

There is plenty of heavy metal with dynamic range. Though I agree that there are lots of heavy metal with awful productions… in some cases that’s part of the rawness of music. Personaly I’m got a Marantz PM8006, Wharfdale Linton’s 85th Ann. and Topping E50 Dac. it got exactly that warm sound I remember from my childhood. Which is perfect for my ears… since I’m very sensitive to highs (more than most people).

[@alancrane4693]

High voltage rock and roll 🤘

[@jawadtaheri4989]

For me the system that plays iron maiden well can pull off anything lol

[@ranarana4471]

Great advise Paul, have been a hard rock fan for long time… it’s been frustrating to enjoy them in my kef setup. No one advised Planar speakers with sub before & it makes sense.

[@jtmcfarland3512]

Many heavy metal musicians are classically trained in university, especially overseas. You’d be surprised how technical some of the music can be. The is a good bit with fairly wide dynamic range (not as much as classical but coming close to jazz). Keep in mind, “heavy metal” has become an umbrella term for many different styles of rock. I would agree though, it most often gets butchered with compression in post production. I would also love to have a system optimized for classical and [some] heavy metal listening.

[@Music.Movies.67]

System for Heavy Rock, Heavy Metal music is Arcam SA20 Stereo Amp, Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g Speakers, Cambridge Audio CXN Network Audio Player, QED XT40 Speaker Cables, QED Coaxial Cable

[@Tidwillshare]

Hi Paul. I've learned so much from you over the years. I'd love to give back even if it's just a tiny tiny bit of knowledge. Audize is a play on the word Odyssey think of Homer's Iliad and odyssey , and it is pronounced the same, although some people like to change the O sound in the beginning to the way "Audio" is pronounced. Thanks for all that you have shared over the years.

[@volpedo2000]

No point. People told him the correct pronunciation in the comments over and over again!

[@jeffharper410]

Paul, Soundlab Dynastats. They are largish electrostatic speakers with massive toroidal transformers and built-in 10 inch subwoofers with fully adjustable bass. It is an all in one solution. The Soundlabs are fantastic at sorting out heavily compressed tracks , I owned a pair .I believe they were 89db. Sensitive and with a good amp could fill a room , loud but oddly, they would not ring your ears .If he puts on a good classical will be in heaven, yet it will open up that compressed bad recording to the point he will be in front of that Wall of sound. Nothing opens a sound stage like Soundlabs ,My wife loves them and miss when we owned them. But not really for condo living with a new babey. So we went with a smaller tube amp and 93 dB. Speakers. I have seen Dynastats sell used for as little as 4k now. He needs radiused bi polar panel that can deliver lightning responses with huge bass.

[@rob_silveira]

I will always go to speakers with metallic tweeters for hard rock or heavy metal. For me, metallic tweeters reproduce the cymbals and metal strings more accurately than soft dome tweeters. Also, you have to pay attention to the mid-range, cause that's where the guitars are. A bad mid-range or bad crossover point can destroy your heavy metal listening. That's why a 3 ways speakers is the easiest way to go.

[@devolutionary]

While many heavy metal catalogues have compromised high and low end or weak dynamics, there are producers out there who value quality over quantity. Take Andy Sneap for example.

[@GTRxMan]

Dynamic range depends on the recording, which is often compressed. A good heavy metal recording will have quite a bit of dynamic range, particularly in the bass and snare drums. There are lots of quality speakers at affordable prices that are well suited to playing heavy metal: Polk Audio Reserve series and Klipsch Heritage series both come to mind as quite capable of playing a broad spectrum of music well.

[@thepowerhead]

Thor says that super compression only applies to more modern metuhl. If our friend is listening to older 80s/90s stuff there is a lot of dynamic range in general. CD remasters of course often squash perfectly good original recordings of these times.

[@JoseFerreira-zb7wh]

Most modern metal is actually pretty technical and complex and because of that, recordings are usually quite good so they can translate those qualities. However most of the times when there's a reference to "Heavy metal", one means more classic, old school metal and sure that reflects what Paul's talking about. (wall of sound, compressed sound, bad recordings, etc.) That makes sense as Auzede's headphones, specially lcd 2 classic has a warmer and relaxed sound that is more forgiving and sould make a better pairing in this case. B&W tends to have a more lively, detailed and treble tilted sound that shows everything in the recording so in this context...not good. Difficult to have 1 pair of speakers that are very good with this type os music and also classical but I'd say Polk R200. They are slightly warmer/ richer but still work good as an all rounder. Adding to this they aren't very expensive and very good value. If willing to spend some more Buchardt s400 mkii are even better.

[@solarwind3656]

Perhaps integrating an expander into your setup could undo some of that compression.

[@tikibongo99]

I bought a pair of Magnepan 1.7 i a year ago. They are not lacking bass. I get plenty of bass with no need for a subwoofer.

[@LuxAudio389]

Sopra No'3s. I love mine for all kinds of music. I listen to GNR, Megadeth, Metallica, Motley Cru, Poison. Some older metal wasn't recorded well at all. Then I Go to Freya Ridings, Birdy, etc😍

[@alaindesforges]

Alice in Chains, AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine, Black Sabbath (remastered)... Those recordings are very good.

[@ivanbogdaue]

I understand you Peter. I love Heavy Metal, Classical, Jazz and Blues. Classical at work, and on Weekend mornings, jazz and blues with my wife in the evening and HM when I am on my own.😂

[@ericelliott227]

A lot of heavy metal music is actually based on classical music, but that is as far as the two trains will meet. I don't listen to heavy metal anymore and id not listen to it a lot in the past either. I can appreciate a few heavy metal bands, such as Metallica, but I don't own such music. I don't have an absolute music style preference, I listen to everything but heavy metal, hip hop/rap, today's pop and what they pass off as country and opera with singing. Everything else is fair game with me. I do lean towards prog rock, but it is just part of my mix. I agree about the recording differences between heavy metal/pop and classical, jazz or even prog rock. Two totally different goals. A good example of the problems with most heavy metal recordings is the latest from Metallica, it is unlistenable on anything. Other than that though a good system should be able to handle and nicely present any type of music. In my opinion, music is the most important factor no matter the style.

[@rollingtroll]

I agree with your recommendation. You pretty much need something that's fast and slow at the same time. There are great metal recordings, but they are incredibly rare. Also, B&W... It's just rarely great.

[@venon12345]

i asked same question years ago. u said i can listen all kind of music with same speakers.

[@melomane01]

I have very eclectic taste in music: I have a subscription to the Montreal Symphonic Orchestra and I saw Rammstein latest show. I listen to hard rock and heavy using earbuds while trail running or at the gym. I bought some Audeze LCD-2 for listening to music that doesn’t sound good on my system. I have to intention of changing my speakers, but I will try to listen to some Magnapan in the next 6 months.

[@edwardbalowski6572]

Black sabbath and a pair of vintage cerwin vega speakers and your in heaven.

[@stonefree1911]

For heavy metal yeah, CV will rock the house. Switching back to detailed classical music may be a bit disappointing though (but maybe not...)

[@edwardbalowski6572]

Ha HA.......oh ya.

[@Ian-wh8ut]

ye man my zu dws absolutly are there best w sabbath!

[@Harald_Reindl]

And the moron responsible for the sound of "Born Again" should burn in hell

[@gotham61]

Every time Paul mentions Audeze, he talks about how he doesn’t know how to pronounce it, then a dozen people chime in with the correct pronunciation. I guess he never reads the comments.

[@nmnate]

Love metal on my Audeze LCD-X. It's surprising the amount of detail you can get out of a good pair of headphones. I listen to most flavors of death metal (melodeath, tech death, etc), heavy metal, folk metal, prog metal, power metal...the list goes on. IMHO you need pretty capable bass to go with all the drums/bass guitar. Too much treble can be a bit grating (snares, etc) and the same is true for mids (too much guitar bite). Currently have a pair of KEF LS50 with my Hifi separates. They're good speakers, but metal deserves full-range. Dual 12 or 15" Rythmik subs, or a huge pair of floorstanders with the resolution to handle the double bass drums in a complex mix (especially with the a good bassist) is a good starting point. Some fun suggestions if you're into trying extreme metal: Ne Obliviscaris (Intra Venus, etc off of 'Urn'), Fleshgod Apocalypse (In Aeternum, And The Vulture Beholds), Wintersun (Sons of Winter and Stars), and Rivers of Nihil (start with 'Where Owls Know My Name').

[@kirkcunningham6146]

Audiophile speakers are not good for that type of music. Brands such a as JBL, Klipsch, Cerwin Vega and SVS are some brands that reproduce Metal very well. Unfortunately, Cerwin Vega is struggling as a brand with no word about their future developments. However, if the recording is bad to begin with, it still may sound as you described...

[@109jonne]

If you have the room fore it i will recommend JBL XPL 200 made in usa from 1989 - 1992 they have the Dynamic for classic and the punch for heavy metal music but give them mininum 5 feed to the front wall and 4 feed to the side thx Paul for all the videos you have shared over the years.

[@anthonycyr9657]

Metal head myself, but i listen to all kinds of music, and metal rocks on my yamaha system.

[@julesc8054]

Up sample metal to 96khz, ie set your playback sample rate at 96khz

[@hailkings]

Manowar (from NY state) is the loudest HIFI one can witness on a stage. They're the loudest band ever (Guiness approved), and yet have a clear sound ! (all custom guitars, amps, speakers..) Also check the Wall of sound by the Grateful Dead. Both bands dedication to their HIFI live sound should fascinate any audiophile !

[@Hare_deLune]

I remember hearing advertizements on the radio for Black Max speakers in the late 70's. Black Max speakers were designed and sold for one purpose, and one purpose only: To piss off your neighbors so bad that they would call the cops.

[@andrew1977au]

Can't say I've seen them live but motorhead were pretty dam loud.

[@Fastvoice]

@@clickbeetle2720 The dB value (that should be dBA) doesn't tell you much about the loudness without the measuring distance from the sound source.

[@Fastvoice]

@@clickbeetle2720 Just look here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_pressure#Distance ... and you may understand what I meant. As long as the sound pressure levels aren't measured in the exact same distance they are not really comparable. And who knows at which distances the dB were measured at those concerts? BTW: The Guinness book of records doesn't list "the loudest band" any more since the 1990s. So these "records" in the 2000s are just irrelevant marketing crap.

[@Harald_Reindl]

@@clickbeetle2720 moron the point is when you place the microphone 1 meter away from the speaker versus 10 meters away from the speaker you have different dB values - so to compare something you need to make sure you have the same distance and settings

[@jackturtle131]

For listening to heavy metal A set of Marshall Amp and Speakers will do fine for that bloke and keep the B&W setup for decent music

[@TotalyFreakt]

As a long time metal head, I feel your pain! Unfortunately a lot is indeed just badly recorded. There are some bands out there that are trying to change away from all the loudness war stuff. Others I only listen to on headphones or ciems. Personally I use kef ls50 meta with a pair of subwoofers. I agree with Paul here, you need a bit extra in the low end to bring the music back to life. Fun experiment, there are some drum cover channels with more dynamics then the original. It's crazy how much more life that brings to the music, even though KZbin!

[@davidfromamerica1871]

Heavy Metal is about screaming into the microphone, guitar distortion, Heavy bass drum, in your face blasting music thru the speakers and keeping your neighbors up to date with your Heavy Metal collection. 😀 if you are not getting hearing damage, you are playing it all wrong..😀

[@alex_stanley]

What I love about car stereos is that the woofers are compressing the entire interior of the car, making the bass viscerally felt and not just heard. An IEM's complete seal in the ear canal offers the same experience. Empire Ears Legend X IEMs, with their double dynamic woofers, sound like there's a nightclub inside the head. I've never heard a home stereo where the low frequency pressure waves could be felt like that, and it's piqued my interest in pro audio.

[@TotalyFreakt]

@@davidfromamerica1871 I mean, if the devil isn't summoned by the end of the track, then what's the point? Those sacrifices don't stay fresh for ever! 😉

[@alancrane4693]

@@davidfromamerica1871 WHAT!!

[@ivanbogdaue]

@@davidfromamerica1871 There are many music styles that I do not like, but I was never so shallow to belittle music I do not understand.

[@eugenepohjola258]

Howdy. I would suggest the cover track No Remorse by Diamond Head. Check if the guitar plucking is discernable. Also check if the fuzz sounds real and is not just "oatmeal porridge". Regards.

[@stanmountain6060]

I have TOpping D90 Pro as DAC, NuPrime 9 CD transport Emotiva pre and amplifier and Klipsch RP-8000F and heavy metal sounds OK ( at least for me). There is soundstage which I was surprised to realize. Can't discuss other aspects because everybody can understand ithem differently. Emotiva pre-amplifier allows me to increase treble to max and increase bass to 3/4 of range to bring some aggression and life to music -- Paul is right that recordings can be problem because probably it is difficult to properly record wall of sound.

[@lucebruno644]

Might be a long shot but try some big klipsch speakers. Those horns can really bring compressed music to life sometimes

[@EricJFrank]

I have maggies along with 2 SVS 4000 subs and I am pretty happy. I enjoy all kinds of music. Plenty of metal music for sure. There is just something about maggies that had me hooked from day one.

[@jamesstanley7263]

Not all metal is heavily compressed. Tool albums sound great to me

[@digggerrjones7345]

Tool *is not* heavy metal IMHO. Their albums do sound very, very good!

[@Audiorevue]

I would change it up, my advice would be to have a system that's more forgiving, like a budget system and then have your high-end system when you want to listen to your classical. I've heard quite a lot of high-end equipment and in my opinion a lot of it, in fact most of it that I've heard tends to be pretty unforgiving. now granted I've not heard it all but I've heard quite a lot and for my money I would have two systems. I'd have a budget system preferably with either tube amplification or Marantz comes to mind and some easier to drive speakers that aren't harsh in the treble. another option of course if you wanted to have your cake and eat it too is simply get McIntosh and some focals, that's one of the few high-end or more expensive combinations that I've auditioned that basically sound fantastic with every genre.

[@60zeller]

Pantera Cowboys from Hell sounds damn good.

[@Peter56Persson]

Thanks for video, very interesting. But, I don´t experience a lack of soundstage when I listen to all heavy metal. Maybe it´s depending on the recordings, maybe it´s about the electronics or the speakers? In any case, when I listen to Nightwish I find many of those recordings to have a very good quality, the same stand for old recordings of Deep Purple, I find them great. Can that have something to do with my electronics/speakers (Marantz SA10/PM10, Dynaudio Confidence 30, Rel sub)?

[@Kd-vl7xi]

Hear me out Paul lol.. klipsch forte IV for rock. Then of course s300 amp and stellar gain cell dac 😉. Bass is killer in a corner (gives me live band feeling) sound image is decent and it really jumps out at you like rock is supposed to

[@computerfreakch8912]

I happen to own and am usually very happy with - a pair of Magnepans with a sub - but my experience with hard rock and metal music with them has not been great. I think Maggies are probably too revealing speakers for this kind of sound and recordings. Personally, I'm looking into getting additional pair of speakers dedicated to rock music. I think large speakers with a 12-inch woofer could do the job. Magnat Transpuls 1500 come on top of my list, but I will definitely want to test them before buying. I'd be curious to learn from your experience, Peter, so how about posting your story once you have found what you are looking for?

[@gtric1466]

My ZU DW's do very well with HM. especially electric guitars sounds like there energizing the room

[@Ian-wh8ut]

right on man any advice on how to make my dws sound more um ?spatial ? thanks

[@Ian-wh8ut]

maybe my amp? this is getting xpensive. just got emotiva amp and pre amp

[@gtric1466]

@@Ian-wh8ut I can try, it's really tough without hearing your system. Do you like the tonality your getting now? How would you describe it? What is your setup from streaming service, source all the way to the speaker placement. Any type of EQ or tone controls? What version DW's do you have, placement and tilt, do you have any upgrades like Clarity caps or HI-FI footers? Would you consider your room neutral, bright, warm?

[@Ian-wh8ut]

@@gtric1466 first thanks so much for responding! im also super new to just using email typing and such as wll as setting up a 2 channel system.i use a flipp phone if that makes sense>the goal is to get back into vynl. now im fm radio and a dvd player w scjiit dac.emotiva pre and emo amp.dw 2 with clarity cap and footers.love the mid tones most but want more separation if that makes sense.room is basically 12 by 12 but open on the kitchen end.when i go up to about 40 on pre amp volume it all falls apart. i thought high effient speaks sould play louder than say 4 ohm. im sure my room is bright as there is no carpet hardwood floors, 3 windows and no posters on walls or the such.dws are1 foot off back wall and about 4 feet wide.i dont sit in a triangle to listen. stand up move around and generally try to rock out,bass boom in opposit corners front to back is gigantic,any tips more than welcome. i am def looking at a bellari tone control.again im amazed somebody would take time to respond to me!have a great day ian

[@gtric1466]

@@Ian-wh8ut You have a fairly resolving system, which is good. idk what your streaming but if it's not at least 16/44 it's never going to sound good, you can use CD's. I use Apple Music. Most speaker will never sound good where you have them. If you have the option to move your speakers, spread them 8' apart centered on the wall, the DW's should be 3' from the front wall to the front of your DW's. sit centered 7-8' from the speakers with them toed in just beyond you shoulders. Set all you tone settings flat to start or rerun room correction if you have it. if it sounds bright, try the clap test - when the room is quite clap hard in the middle of the room if there more then a natural echo you will need to bring more fabrics into the room. shouldn't sound dead either. This should provide a good center image , sound stage and the resolution your looking for. If you have a sub set the crossover to 80Hz. Give it a shot lmk how you make out.

[@andreaslindmark2928]

Most metal recordings are actually pretty good. This is a matching problem. Even blackmetal sounds good on the correct system. There might also be a problem with speaker placement? hard to tell. But please, stop saying that metal is badly recorded, because it's just not true. Sincerely.

[@andrewjackson9417]

I'd add I think Electrostats are great for metal. They have a very smooth high end, yeah my Logans definitely need subs, but match subs to the ESL's and metal really shines.

[@PooNinja]

I do a lot of post processing to get King Diamond to Bump in the car. MetaaaaaaaaaL 🤘🏽

[@Alamo-cz5xc]

Don't Break the Oath

[@victormedrano2316]

Grandmaaaaaaa!

[@_andreas_]

A 24 bit recording with a tight ASIO driver gives you the best of the both worlds, in terms of sound cohesion and impactfulness. It allows you to feel that snare without it sounding too sterile. An oppressively dark and noise-free background doesn't hurt either as it allows you crank up the volume. Teflon coated cabling provides better separation in the sound, which I find especially beneficial for metal, but it can make 16bit recordings sound too thin. Crossfeed or dithering helps with thinness though.

[@Harald_Reindl]

Cables make 16bit recordings thin? Stop drinking!

[@_andreas_]

@@Harald_Reindl If you've never experienced an overly thin sound, then you're probably missing out on more impactful snare attacks as well.

[@Harald_Reindl]

@@_andreas_ it don't matter what i hear when it comes to bullshit like "Cables make 16bit recordings thin" - one more uneducated audiofool with little to no knowledge but strong opinions you can't prove by measurements nor a double-blindtest

[@_andreas_]

@@Harald_Reindl It's easy to trip people with blind testing. Our senses are dependent on pattern recognition and predictability. You can take something that is initially obvious to most and then 'prove' that everyone is more or less deaf and blind, which seems to be your goal with your antagonism. I can't see how you can enjoy much of anything with your mindset.

[@Harald_Reindl]

@@_andreas_ either you can hear a difference in the sound with two cables or you can't - when you only hear it as long as YOU KNOW which cable you are dumb

[@SzilardPusztafalvi]

APHEX VITALIZER give extra base and high effect. I did that to improve the sound of mine mackie speakers especially the base and the high gives life to the music. This is an effect what you can turn on and off, adjust the base and the hights give it more enjoyable, I use it for my mackie powerd speakers. That is my audiophile setup. And I don't have a base yet. It is also improve the understandable what they're singing. It is perfect for rock and roll. Try this first. I don't know what is it doing with the Soundstage but it's going to sound great.

[@aakar88]

Can't speak for all Heavy Metal, but the Sabbath remasters sound great on my system

[@makzmakz]

Depends on the recording. I listen alot to Nightwish and they mostly sound great. The live recording from buenos aires sounds great. Especially on a 5.1 system where the kickdrum is fed straight into the LFE channel which makes it easier to get that part of the recording "hotter" and not destroy the bass guitars and other instruments. I use Cerwin Vega XLS-215 and feed them ample power (bridged Crown XLS2000 per speaker) and use a topping DM7 DAC and Dirac Live room correction on my PC. Sounds awesome and gives the right "live" feeling without breaking your bank.

[@davidstevens7809]

We dont know enough info.. but the hardest challenge to audio guys is to bridge the gap between sq and spl..it takes more than what a setup can muster that can play instument demo music to be able to put you front row at fleetwood mac..or Ronny james Dio.. i memntioned those 2 on purpose.. LOUD IS ONE THING.. WIDE BAND IS ANOTHER.. TO DO BOTH.. takes special knowledge...my goal for over 35 years was to master this very problem..

[@mddawson1]

Alternately, listen to a well recorded heavy metal album like Gojira's 2021 album 'Fortitude'.

[@Alamo-cz5xc]

Or most metal recorded in the last 20 years.

[@yuriwalter385]

I have the Fortitude's LP... not great sounding, but the streaming files are very good! I'll probably end up buying the CD...

[@jesperwrona6736]

A pair of Wharfedale lintons with or without a rel sub and you be happy with your life. Yamaha or Marantz amp work great. Ive heard people really like audiolab aswell.

[@RodneyAllanPoe]

The latest Megadeth album seems to be well recorded, mixed and mastered. No doubt Dave and his record label had the $$$ to enable a great result.

[@dieseldust27]

It's a compressed recording and it clips

[@Clueless_Morgan]

That album sounds so digital and the clicky cardboard bassdrum is so horrible (everything I hate in modern metal productions)… imo.

[@brentcollins9727]

It’s a great album and the videos for it could be movies

[@RodneyAllanPoe]

It sounds great on my gear! 🤘😝🤘

[@sickjohnson]

Wondering if Paul has ever listened to Dream Theater? NIN also have some impressive clean detailed ish recordings. Paul's recommendation is probably the best one...far as I know REL is the only sub that can keep up to the speed and accuracy of Maggie's...you would want at least 2 of them. If you like it loud you could also look to see what brand of speakers that are used for live concerts (I feel guilty saying other brands on PS Audio's channel); 3 letters that start with a J and end with an L; run them with double the recommended power for less distortion and more speed & control? Extra bass helps big time as it gives the effect of loudness at half volume too...

[@finscreenname]

Ya, Dream Theater was one I was going to say. Muse may not be metal but they are super hard rock with great sound. Megadeath, Saxon... there are so many.

[@digggerrjones7345]

REL are certainly *not* the only subwoofers "that can keep up" Magneplanars! Subs from JL Audio (sealed) and Rhythmik (open baffle) are great matches with Maggies! To my ears, RELs have always sounded syrupy and boomy. It depends on whether your goal is maximum *thump* or precise and articulate reproduction.

[@sickjohnson]

@@digggerrjones7345 I have heard JL's with Maggie's and you can tell in my opinion they are delayed and JL's are one of my personal favorites because of their soft warmth and power. Everything is extremely subjective to personal experience and preference always of course. Fastest I've ever experienced was that Canadian Servo 15 but it's range was from like 10-40 htz...leaving a hole on the rest of the bottom end from 50-90Htz.

[@davidfromamerica1871]

Future Audiophiles take note. You will need a different speaker type with each genre of music you listen to. 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[@OscarSanchez-tk3hx]

Just get a large bass PA speaker and a horn tweeter and you are done I just to do that when I was a teenager listening to Rush and Deep purple

[@thehawk05]

Although a lot of metal music is poorly recorded there are lots of examples of it that are superb. I’ll add more later but right off the top of my head: Rage Against The Machine’s debut album sounds amazing (avoid the 20th anniversary remaster though……it sucks) The SACD reissue by Audio Fidelity is even better and widely considered the best version out there (same can be said for the Evil Empire SACD as well)

[@radspeed113]

The headphones are pronounced "awe duhh zee" Hope that helps

[@johndough8115]

Sorry, but this isnt fully accurate. If you listen to Heavy Metal cds made before the 90s, you will often be getting higher resolution audio. For example... Megadeth's "Rust In Peace" is fantastically detailed. Countdown to Extinction, is also phenomenal, in details and non-compressed audio. HOWEVER... in later Albums, they went with studios that started compressed the ever living SH*T out of them... and its utterly Disgusting.

[@Carambal81]

I've found bands like Revocation and Septicflesh to have quite good recording quality for their genre.

[@bikdav]

Heavy metal sounds best on the likes of big KLIPSCH, JBL and, Cerwin-Vega speakers - as big as you can fit in your room (as I have witnessed many times). You need speakers that have high output - in other words “hell raisers.”

[@GigantorRexAtron]

Machine Head 's latest album Of Kingdom and Crown sounds really good... The opening track is a really good show of metal can sound like

[@MegaM563]

There are some hard rock / metal albums that sound okay. Like No more tears by Ozzy osborne and Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion II by Guns n roses

[@davidfromamerica1871]

From Electronic music to Heavy Metal now. 😀 ❤👍 Slowly making it thru the Genre list.😀 Japanese City Pop and Japanese ENKA. ❤️

[@the_dude182]

Before you spend lots of monay, try some equalizing. I mean they decent loudspeakers, you just want some other settings for different styles of music. When listening Metal, my right hand automatically goes to my pre-amps bass knob to turn it up a bit. And many times i turn the treble a tiny bit to the left, just so my ears will not bleed. As for soundstage.. isn't that more depending on the recording? I dont know what stack u run but there are a lot of filters to shape the soundstage. Both on your computer as on fancy digital equipment.

[@nestoroldman]

I think the comments are losing sight of the fact that we are talking about audio, not music. To make a good recording you need an experienced engineer and good acoustics and both cost A LOT of MONEY and most metal bands can't afford it and to this we add that the vast majority of metal musicians don't even know what it's like to be an audiophile, we're in trouble.

[@mrpositronia]

Metal is mixed with little width and even littler (?) dynamics. The best way to do it is to just tune tonal quality so that all the frequencies are relatively even. That's about it.

[@Harald_Reindl]

Don't change the fact that dead compressed recordings are a pain the same way as recordings with way too much dynamics you can't listen at night

[@Mark-lq3sb]

Pete, may I suggest switching to one of the best guitarists and a fellow countryman of yours. You can't go wrong with Rory Gallagher; no overwhelming 2 chord blasting in your face crap. Just good rock and blues. I wonder what Paul thinks Heavy Metal is? Probably Zeppelin and Hendrix. Like they say on the radio... Thanks for playing, try again..........

[@jordanmacfarlane5807]

All I can say is try iron maiden it sounds amazing on my B&W cm10s

[@scottyo64]

I never thought of my Maggies as good heavy metal speakers. Even with twin RELs

[@stonefree1911]

Agree. Bad match.

[@TheHammerofDissidence]

Forget looking for your typical hifi goodies if you're trying to build a system around metal. Imaging and soundstage are not important. Yes, I know great quality recordings exist, but if you're into anything remotely extreme then those great recordings are purposely eschewed. Metal is supposed to be felt. You want that wall of noise and gritty texture and you want your system to be fast enough to deliver those bass drums and deep enough for ungodly bass guitars. If you go to any proper metal show, you're not there to nod your head in the back and admire the sound quality. You're there to have bass drums pound your chest at 200mph or get close to sensory overload. Great thing is, budget speakers do what you need quite well. Get some floorstanding Polks or Cerwin Vegas and go off.

[@Hammersmash3dFace]

That is why i most listen on headphone. It is not hard to find that music in good quality but the production. specially when it comes more "commercial". i listen to some bands that grow up to major labels but the "original" sound disappears.

[@fookingsog]

Just get some classic Cerwin-Vegas!!!😳🙄

[@georgepg6563]

Hi Paul, Pls join with Florida Audio Fest,thanks.

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

What, Paul, you don't care for Lamb of God? BTW it's not a gospel band.🤣😋

[@Gug9000]

I have much experience Magnapans. To make them sound non-compressed and have good dynamics, you need an amp with no respect for speakers. It must grab them by the yarbles and make,the behave and LIKE IT!🤣 In the old days this would have been something like a GAS Ampzilla. I suspect the top PSAudio line can do it. Also, Maggies are very room and placement dependent. Look for an amp that increases it’s power substantially into lower impedance. I don’t recommend solid state amps with terminals for different impedance speakers. These have output transformers and sound compressed on planar speakers.

[@geddylee501]

Not metal obviously but Oasis had their first album re-recorded because it wasn't compressed and loud enough

[@davidsagarra9841]

I have been listening to heavy metal music since 1978, and I have more than 2,500 records from many many bands, some of them are very good, but I have to say that it’s just the minor proportion because most of the recordings are bad. Not Audiophile at all. On the other hand, I can say that the energy in most of those recordings is just huge and fascinating.

[@Hare_deLune]

Paul? I'm sure the folks at "Aud-eeze" thought they were being tremendously clever when they came up with that most unfortunate spelling. However, they have said in interviews that they were inspired by Homer's Odyssey, which is the correct pronunciation. Odyssey. "So, Mr. Luxury Yacht..." "N-no, I'm sorry but it's Throat-warbler Mangrove." "Well it says here 'Luxury Yacht'." "Yes, well, it's *spelled* 'Luxury Yacht', but it's *pronounced* 'Throat-warbler Mangrove." ~Monty Python's Flying Circus

[@richardsmith2721]

If you like metal I'd look at Klipshe legacy speakers. It's the kind of speaker you hear at a concert.

[@Clueless_Morgan]

Klipsch are fantastic… if you’re not sensitive to highs. But for me it was too much… so ended up switching my RP-8000F (they are amazing for your home cinema though) for a pair of Linton’s 85th.

[@ryanfitzpatrick3256]

Also look into a more powerful amp possibly to control the drivers... 2 cents.

[@santiagofederici5819]

You can have lots of dynamic by going to heavy metal in the middle 70s and 80s, Even records from 90s like fear of the dark that sounds great. But yes...anything recorded from 2000 to these days sounds like crap. And always but always avoid remasters. Originals from 70 and 80s sounds the best

[@anthonycyr9657]

Landlord has a sproat ps audio, and that unit rocks out metal with a set of klipsh speakers.

[@anthonycyr9657]

@@clickbeetle2720 Are you even human?

[@stonefree1911]

Klipsh are a really good choice of speakers for this question. Will hadle all types of music well. Maybe not the best, but overall very capable.

[@crimsonghost6454]

Klipsch heritage line or vintage...

[@richardsmith2721]

I like to take my Danger Kitty cd with me when auditioning equipment.

[@canepaper967]

It's all in the source with heavier styles, some older metal or obscure stuff is badly recorded or badly mixed.