Making speakers come alive

[@ranseus]

I've recently started making the distinction between "beautiful recordings" (for audiophiles) and "good music" (for civilians). Sometimes a song can be both.

[@Carl-bd1rf]

What good is a high resolution system that reveals all the flaws and detracts from your listening pleasure? Been down that rabbit whole. Now my “mid fi” system with eq, yes I said it eq, puts smiles on my face as I listen!! Won’t ever go back, wish I had learned this decades ago.

[@delstanley1349]

I remember a few years ago news anchors were complaining that the new HD TV was much too revealing. Also, some prima donna guests on certain shows had in their contracts that the cameras could not get certain close ups, otherwise facial flaws would now be noticeable when they were hidden under the prior more "flattering" technology.

[@davidfromamerica1871]

Actor’s today complain about the higher frame rates per second used in some of the movie releases. Too revealing with their faces on screen.

[@apparentlyretrograde]

EQ with bypass is your friend. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise if it helps you get the sound you want from more albums.

[@fabieneldridge3414]

Love your new speakers! Love to listen to them. They look Great. You did a Wonderful job Paul !

[@CaptainCrunch823]

Another excellent video Paul! Your words in this video have held true during my audiophile journey.

[@thebestoffools]

Every sound system should come with a switch you could toggle between "GOOD RECORDING" and "BAD RECORDING" and be done with it. 🙂

[@geddylee501]

That would be the on/off switch ...

[@ericbrown5744]

Isn't that what the Loudness button was for on old systems? Somehow, it was banished by audiophiles to their own chagrin... Bunch of sadomasochists! 😂

[@RacingAnt]

​@@ericbrown5744no, loudness was to compensate for how we perceive bass when the volume is turned down. It just boosted the bass.

[@richardwestmoreland4796]

@@geddylee501 No, that is the point that Paul says we don't have to go to. I say it might never be exactly what you want but there are things that you can tweak to help mitigate that poor sound. Lots of trial and error and the same with with your patience level and you should be able to keep listening to even poorly recorded material.

[@johnshaw359]

You are bit of a hostage to fortune with only a volume knob, some sort of tone control might be the order of the day when dealing with real world recordings.

[@osliverpool]

Even with my relatively modest audio gear, I've still come back to favourite old recordings... only to discover that they were recorded abysmally. There might be modern remasters that try to polish the turd a bit, but you can't fix a terrible recording. I'll simply never listen to some past favourites again. But on the upside, there's plenty of well-recorded great music out there.

[@davidtennien39]

This is a long going issue. You are torn between the music you love or the way it has been recorded. The Mecca is when you have both. I do find myself not listening to poorly recorded music.

[@Justwantahover]

Funny how "Take 5" is regarded as one of the best recordings out there, it was recorded in 1961! Over a DECADE before those nasty '70s recordings were made. This indicates that there is something that is simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH! 😢

[@geddylee501]

You hit the nail on the head, it's all about fantastic recordings, presuming you have a great system too ... bad pressings just sound bad and make your hifi sound like it's got something wrong with it but it hasn't, trust your gear OR go back to the previous way you had it if you miss it so much, question is, is why you upgraded?

[@36karpatoruski]

Get yourself a preamp with tone controls or an equalizer, either one with a bypass or defeat switch. Ignore those who have a stroke at the notion.

[@shopmunkey]

What I've done just so I don't have to forget some favorites from when I was younger with less-golden ears, is to put them on my phone playlist, where I'm listening at work or in the car and the noise floor masks a lot of the problems. Then it's just enjoying the emotion of the music instead of analyzing the finer details

[@bklynbass]

Try adding a bypassable EQ like the schiit Loki. I use a vintage tube integrated that has tone controls. I rarely take them off the “flat” setting but every once in a while I put on a badly mastered recording like a 90s blue note and it’s great to have the option of rolling off the high mids a bit.

[@Carl-bd1rf]

Just took delivery of the six channel Lokius eq. Best money I’ve spent in audio in decades!!

[@apparentlyretrograde]

Bingo, Lokius owner here myself. Also a fan of neutral and resolving with a bit of warmth. Rarely use it off bypass, but it's there when I need it.

[@timd5365]

Add me to that list. A simple EQ can solve issues. Most of the time mine is on bypass too, but it's invaluable sometimes!

[@geminijinxies7258]

My best advice is to get gear that's musical. Then it doesn't matter if the system is revealing, shabby recordings will still be very enjoyable.

[@denniswaske]

my solution, was a second, mostly vintage, system in my office. am a "music first" person. won't give up great music because it wasn't recorded well. guess i'm not a true audiophile, because i can enjoy both.

[@OldTooly]

After 60 plus years of playing music on audio systems, I have come up with a rapidly configurable system that goes from seriously revealing details and stage with a presence and life I never thought I'd get, to a system with great fidelity that blends out the grit , adds bottom end and can blow your socks off which is a fools ideology since you WILL lose your hearing if you continue to do it. But this system does it all. I'll never look back. Everything I own, in any format is enjoyable. Yes it can be done. Edit.. oh and BTW, I do it without any EQ, though I do have that option if I or a guest would like to use it.

[@yourdiytechlife]

I remember this moment well, it took me a while to figure out what was going on but when I realized my equipment was revealing just how bad the recordings were it was eye opening. I’m to the point now with my system that I like just about anything I play on it (it’s not to the level of PS audio but it’s still nice)😊. But it’s a fun place to be. It’s enjoyable every time I listen.

[@shipsahoy1793]

Enjoying music is the main goal ! Way too many purist types always unhappy, complaining, trying to convince others to think like them, or just spending loads of money for satisfaction. Stop analyzing stuff to death people and just realize that this is the planet Earth and nothing will ever be perfect or permanent !

[@football33ao]

What is your setup?

[@shipsahoy1793]

Dan, what did you actually do to mitigate that effect? I’d be interested in “hearing” about it . I chose to put together a second system, and so now I always maintain a transparent system and not so transparent system, and I play analog or digital source material on one system or the other according to the quality of the source material, or just which system I prefer the vibe. Not the neatest solution because you have to set up a second listening space at your residence, and preferably a centrally located library of analog and digital source material. I’m just lucky I still have the ability to do that. I dread the day I don’t, as I’m happy now. A stereo system doesn’t have to be 100% revealing to be enjoyable. Speaker flavor is always at the listener’s discretion. I appreciate the duality. For some, it’s one way or another. I’m glad I’m not much of a movie or music video person, so I never really got hit by the home theater bug. I literally only use a pseudo full range 3D soundbar on the flatscreen. Been thinking about adding a sub though, but that will probably open Pandora’s box lol Also the TV room is a fairly poorly laid out sound space to have multiple subs and at least 5 other speakers. Might be able to get away with 3.1, but I really don’t have the desire to go there.😉

[@yourdiytechlife]

​@@shipsahoy1793 For me it was finding the KIND of speakers I really like first. I've always loved the warm enveloping sound of bipolars AND I love a good solid kick you in your seat base. So years ago I landed on the Definitive BP line of speakers and this is for both music as well as scinima. I've had several models over the years but landed on the BP2000's and the BP30's for rear with BPX for side channels. I always had a sunfire sub that has been critical for me to get what I wanted from the main speakers. An odd thing I have found regardless of what speakers i've used, is that they ALWAYS sound better with a good powered sub in the room. It allows me to offload the deep base and not disrupt the main speakers and amps with reproducing those frequencies. Ive found you can get away with far less power to your mains when doing things that way. I started out with all Adcom pre amps and amps setup but got frustrated with the lack of processing support and switched over to a series of better quality receivers starting with Marantz and several other brands. What I found for me, was that the speakers are really what matters. yes the electronics are important but the speakers are the real soul of the system. I also found out that I am not a purist in the least when it comes to sound shaping with EQ's and so on. I have no problem using tone controls and other tools to get the sound to where I want it. Really at this point I use very little sounds shaping but I have in the past. one other thing is that I do have two systems. the second system is an all vintage setup that I really like but for both systems generally I stream rather than use records or CD's. To be honest I don't think I'm really an audiofile at all, I know what I like, I can't stand bad sounding systems or recordings but I don't get tied in to pretzels about things that only change the sound in minute ways. you can always compensate with your room setup, speaker position and so on. By the way, you mentioned your looking at getting a sub. I think that's probably the one change you can make that is almost guaranteed to upgrade your sound. you'll love it. 😁. Just be aware you will need to play with the positioning to get things right. there are plenty of youtube videos on how to start that process.

[@yourdiytechlife]

@@shipsahoy1793 One thing that amuses me are the folks that chase the "perfect" sound not realizing that they will NEVER hear what the live recording session sounded like. Microphones change the sound, engineers change the sound, processing changes it, acoustics, and on it goes... I have switched from chasing the original sound to building a system I like the sound of. That works for me..

[@TT-eo2is]

Great points for Jesse, Paul! With steady sonic progress advancements in my system components these past 2 years (speakers, amps, cables, setup), the recordings I considered "fair and edgy" have now become more listenable and enjoyable. Although my synergistic revealing system balance does highlight deficiencies of poorer recordings, the capabilities of what I now have does better justice to the musical performances, enhancing the emotions and feelings that the musicians have created in their artful style. Most of those ehhh listening sessions are now great and fun! On the other hand, with my ever growing library of excellent acoustic recordings, the level of Holographic presentations and Live music experiences has grown exponentially and become consistent Jaw Dropping, Mind Blowing Ho..Sh.. moments. Soundstage size and presence are only limited by the live recorded venue / engineered mix itself!!

[@LeonFleisherFan]

The solution is to have either more than one system, or an alternative component that'll do the trick, such as in my case, more than one amplifier. Even among e.g. different single-ended tube amps, there are ones that are extremely revealing, and others that sugar-coat everything. Just get one of each.

[@geddylee501]

Sure, and two sets of speakers and sources 😅 just in case 😊

[@LeonFleisherFan]

@@geddylee501 I'll hook up a warm-sounding 211 amp some nights and enjoy mediocre recordings (including nearly 100-year-old ones), or a highly revealing GM70 amp the other night and listen to great sounding ones. The alternative would be that one no longer listens to badly recorded music only because the system is too revealing, and that to me would be audiophile "lunatism". It's all about the enjoyment of music!

[@LeonFleisherFan]

@@geddylee501 I mean, seriously, what's an audiophile system good for if one won't use it to listen to one's favorite music? That simply wouldn't make senes to me.

[@geddylee501]

​@@LeonFleisherFan Dead right 👍

[@Carl-bd1rf]

@@LeonFleisherFan That’s exactly what audiophiles do. It’s all about the equipment vs the music. Been there done that. I really went to the dark side and added an eq to my non high end system. Wow, the music comes alive even on poor recordings. I’ll take the music over the equipment all day long.

[@artyfhartie2269]

If you have tall floor standing speakers, lean them a fraction forward by puting some felt pads under the rear feet, split and twist the speaker cables. Tips from Paul. Cost nothing and works. Also bi amp if you can. About 11 feet apart. I have mine on adjacent walls. Enjoy

[@davidfromamerica1871]

I just tilt my phone speakers. 👍🤗✅😎😍

[@artyfhartie2269]

@@davidfromamerica1871 Just tilt your head to dislodge your brain cells

[@36karpatoruski]

Tried that. They sounded better tilted back as the Infinity design stands were intended. Must be they knew something.

[@artyfhartie2269]

@@36karpatoruski Not all speakers are made the same way. I was not saying that is what everybody should do. I was talking about MY loudspeakers.

[@artyfhartie2269]

@@clickbeetle2720 How do you wall mount 50 kg each floor standing speakers and what good would that do?

[@ford1546]

When it comes to sound and loudspeakers, there is no such thing as a free lunch. You can't get a speaker with sound problems to become a speaker without! How many expensive speakers have been made that have problems? More than you like to know!

[@D1N02]

You just need a secondary amp that smears everything into a nice warm stew so you can enjoy your vintage crap recordings.

[@LuxAudio389]

"Better equipment handles worse recordings in a way that isn't irritating and bad" 💯

[@cletusberkeley9441]

Its all relative, "High end" equipment reproducing recordings that were produced on equipment that were of earlier technology, you will most certainly hear all the little "negative" nuances that would have been "forgiven" by reproduction equipment of that era. The output cannot be expected to exceed the quality of the source material. But, I embrace and appreciate that phenomenon, for me, it's what this hobby is all about.

[@n.r.2258]

@ Jessi .... I was a sound engineer for 45 years and recorded about 650 albums and saw the change from 2/4 track analog to digital first hand and know the compromises we had to make. Today I feel as you do but I have found a compromise to mitigate the main shortcomings of our old recordings. The biggest shortcoming is transparency. I help myself with 3 important tools from Logic Pro and get along well with them. You can't save a bad mix and a wrongly tuned guitar with it, but you can save what comes out of your speaker pretty well. Ok, it's a compromise ... but a pretty good one in my opinion. Try it ….

[@martinkormunda2264]

I would recommend to keep crap audio system for the crap recordings. I found this approach to be the best and cheap solution.

[@finscreenname]

Part of the getting a better and better system is they take away tone controls. Audiophiles listen to what sounds good, not good music, unless the two overlap. Get yourself an EQ and dont look back. No one says you even have to use it most of the time but there are recording out there that I love that sound like crap. In most cases I can make them sound better than they did in the studio by moving a couple sliders around. I use a 7 band EQ on everything. Home, car, garage, if its more than a clock radio it has a EQ. 7 Band works best for me. Enough movement and controls but its not like you are using a sound board. Also easy to learn so you are not searching all the time for that sound.

[@rstar88105]

This video reminds me of at work where a 60,000 count multimeter which has a resolution of .000 ohms. Some of the measurements have a tolerance of +/- .07 ohms and so the 1/1000 ohm range is nice to see but is more accurate than the spec sought after.

[@AlterEgoRacing]

A lot of us go through this. All the reference tracks sound amazing, speakers disappear, stage is great then I put one of my high school college favorites and the stage is gone, singer is trapped in a can, balance of vocals to instruments is gone.

[@Joricano]

I have a setup it’s not very expensive but decent enough for my taste. Most of the time I’m listening to it with music that i like that doesn’t sound very good. Every now and then I’ll listen to some high quality audio that really makes the system come alive. It’s not something that I would listen to for more than 10 minutes. Recently I realized that when i play those high quality audio recordings, i’m not really listening to music. I’m listening to my equipment.

[@davidfromamerica1871]

Listening to Mori Masako even comes alive from my phone speakers. 😎🤗👍

[@glenncurry3041]

When my oldest son improved his system he bought a copy of a record we always enjoyed listening to. He was upset with distortion on it and returned it. The replacement had the same distortion. He had not said anything yet and borrowed my old copy. It had the same thing. When he mentioned it, e.g. harshness in female vocals, I told him that? Yep I was well aware of it and that is just the way it is. To perhaps make it worse I showed him where that distortion is there but less noticeable in other areas. But once known, we love the music and have to put up with it. Just like bad sound at some concert.

[@jimdavis5230]

Back in the 1990's I read a review on the Tannoy Westminster compound horn speakers. The reviewer said that they are so revealing that they pose a serious threat to any income disposable or otherwise.

[@Justwantahover]

If you have open baffle speakers or panel speakers, they only sound different to regular speakers on some good recordings. On many recordings, dipole speakers won't sound any different to any other speaker. The slight echo still has to be in the recording. Dipole speakers bring that out, but don't actually make it sound more "ambiant" unless the "ambiance" is in the recording. That's when you hear the difference dipole makes to speakers.

[@mirage.bryston]

Great video, do you have a list of your go to tracks. I have a small list myself, would be nice to have more. Thanks,

[@constantin58]

I agree that better equipment makes bad recordings sound better. After many lower tier amps, I had this experience for the first time with a Hegel amp which made even bad quality 160kb mp3s sound great.

[@herrtrigger7220]

If your rig is transparent, hearing the bad parts is unavoidable. Get any McIntosh preamp from 90s up to about '02. They are almost tube-like in their ability to smooth out harsh, biting material. For around $100 you can replace the old bulbs with LEDs, you have an heirloom component that will outlast you. Measurably not as transparent as Benchmark's LA4 but for SQ few would choose the LA4 over a C35, C36, C38, C40, C41, C42 or C712. That's a big reason their gear holds value or even goes up.

[@derreckgilmore3360]

Placing S'mores on top of the power amp heat sinks will lend a gooey warmth to the sound...

[@sv6958]

If a system is so revealing to become a cerebral experience, such as to remove my emotional connection to the music that an ‘inferior system’ in comparison brings the magic out of said music, then this inferior system is doing its job playing music, and the superior system is hifi-ish. If such is the trend of a superior system that is to bring music to my home, I will not have it. I got into specialist Audio to listen to ‘everyday music’ better. This does require as part of the entire investment, one’s own propensity to learn what a good system should ethically do, train it towards that end, and learn how to listen to its music playing properties. It is true that many recordings which contain beautiful music cannot be saved, but many recordings do pass muster and deliver the intent of the music. Getting that baseline established is my aspiration and reward.

[@TheDanEdwards]

"Making speakers come alive" - Paging Dr. Frankenstein, paging Frankenstein.

[@JonAnderhub]

A few keywords here: "I loved the music I listened to, but I upgraded my system anyway". After the upgrade "I no longer love my music." Audiophile solution: The music was bad and you have to buy more equipment to make your bad music sound better. Hello people! The equipment should serve the music not the other way around!

[@davidfromamerica1871]

I listen to White Noise in Hi Res. 😊

[@Pksparty2112]

I have several systems that I use for different music. When I want to listen to really bad recordings I save those moments for my earbuds on a walk or bike ride. Everything sounds good on earbuds.

[@doylewayne3940]

Ya Paul, the better my system the worse my old collection sounds . I tried to turn on a TV in the background to help the bad recordings lol. Could someone remaster the old recordings in DSD and try again? Thanks Paul ;-))

[@Catlover664]

Maybe you can discuss "Stereo for aging ears." It goes without saying that as you get older, you don't hear as well as you did when you were young. Is worth buying a system that I don't have the hearing for? Also what if anything I can to enhance my system to make up for hearing loss. I was tested and usable hearing stopped at 2k. This is without hearing aids.

[@ford1546]

Acoustic music or drums have more even tones or how should I explain it, and always sound better than if you play pop or rock music. It may quickly happen that you do not have a speaker that has such good sound. You who sent in this question. What speakers do you have? model, brand

[@724horndawg]

Since I got DSJ and M700's, I have simply outgrown or moved on from poor recordings. So many music choices today compared to the 70's/80's and even 90's!

[@Mikexception]

That choice is still not enough for me - example I listen to old chinese music which I can find only in SW radio. Thanks to luxory tube radio DIY miraculus stereo speakers and DIY stereo amp for mono I do not feel bad in compare to modern stereo

[@davidfromamerica1871]

@@Mikexception I listen to old Chinese and Old Japanese music. Lots of it uploaded to KZbin from all over the World. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqCcanmaqbqYptk kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKTOnHVniq1qkKM kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqXLn4KMbr91mJI

[@arlenesauder1913]

Is this day and age digital is usually the weakest link , or you don't believe cables make a difference

[@nextsibling]

I was hoping this might be a video about some kind of weird necromancy, but it turns out it's just audiophile stuff.

[@christophergaus3996]

You may want to use a cheap streamer/source and run it thru a tube buffer on any free inputs. That way if your wanting to hear something warm and fuzzy, you have a dedicated input you just switch to

[@jbones360]

Bad recordings are bad recordings, does not mean the music does not deserve to be heard. A good system with either good flexibility via tone control and flat, tolerant speakers, or a system so delicately engineered with the best parts available will make any recoding sound as good as the music (and often times better). The former can be acquired far cheaper. When in doubt, get great loudspeakers as a first priority, build from there.

[@stephancobb13]

how much are those amplifiers n speakers in the video?

[@jeffbrooke4892]

Yep, bad recordings are bad recordings and changing a stereo system to improve their sound will degrade everything. Even the quality of astounding recordings. You just have to accept it and keep moving forwards, not backwards.

[@jpatrickmoore5158]

Relegate the bad recordings to your car. If you're watching this channel, you probably won't have a car system that sounds like there's a guy in the trunk with a big bass drum

[@davidfromamerica1871]

That is probably true. Most people just listen to the standard OEM system that came with the car.

[@jpatrickmoore5158]

@David from America even if you have a custom system in your car, there's wind, road and mechanical noise that most people don't have in their living room or listening room.

[@bryanwilliams3665]

An EQ with a low noise floor is a good solution ( salt and pepper to taste) Your system without EQ is not being heard how the Producer /Engineer of the music intended in any case. Your room and speakers are different. If you EQ it yourself ( for the better) NO,you do not have 'better ears' than the original engineer, rather, more likely you now have the sound closer to the original source.

[@tcngr]

musicality is more important! this solves the dilemma ... !

[@freekfaro5606]

Great stuff! Hi fi components, or any components really, are not aware they are revealing bad or good recordings .... They just reveal, some more than others. And yes, it can be somewhat disappointing sometimes if you go through your CD collection with your new, better, equipment ... 😏 the 'oh, oh' experience ...

[@coyoteproject999]

what are these amazing speakers ???

[@mylesconnolly2470]

Hey Paul, your videos are so great and really helpful as I journey down the road from ignorant listener to knowledgeable audiophile. Question; do you ever get to a place where you say "at last, I found HiFi nirvana and don't need to tweak/buy/modify my system any more" or is this going to be a lifelong quest for something better? I only ask because I'm very happy now but...there are these speakers...😂

[@hoobsgroove]

Well you could try putting it through a line transformer or an active gain four band graphic equaliser or both that will sort out your bad recording

[@hifi-photo-Brian]

Get a pre-amp with tone controls or get an EQ, adjust to taste, it's like adding spice to bland foods.

[@NeilDSouza7]

Speaker: "I'm coming to get you!" 🤣🤣🤣

[@andrefortune8278]

Hi all, i have an amplifier which i sent to be rebuilt by a technician caps etc. The power supply is strangled by a captive mains lead and the heat sink is subsequently in the way will i benefit from cutting the power cord short and adding an IEC inlet and utilising a higher quality cord?

[@hogio]

Cables matter. What cables does he use?

[@SuperMcgenius]

I use a dbx 120 sub, harmonic, synthesizer to bring out bass on old lp’s .

[@TheDanEdwards]

The answer is easy: go buy some Cerwin-Vegas and an old 1970's receiver (perhaps restored.) Your old music will sound as good as ever.

[@cfiliz1]

What do you think about sound exciters? I know they are intended for studios, haven’t heard in person but read some people are using in hifi systems, would that help to feel music more “alive”?

[@jebnemo5279]

I wonder how Kimi Ga Suki by Matthew Sweet would sound on a PS Audio system. It is no where near to audiophile intent, but glorious nonetheless.

[@mpachis]

Paul, care to publish your demo track list?

[@thegrimyeaper]

Google "Paul's picks" and it'll pop up for you.

[@DrBroncanuus]

quality of recording will have the biggest impact on your system

[@bikdav]

@drbroncanuus8069: That’s what I have experienced time and time again regardless of all except seriously bad systems.

[@shipsahoy1793]

That’s why I’m convinced that, if you’re a heavy audio enthusiast, you need to maintain multiple systems, to prevent source material from driving you crazy, regardless of whether the source is analog or digital . Ultimately the source material can become as or more expensive in this hobby when you actively collect recordings over time.

[@xanderguldie]

No, it's room treatment

[@DrBroncanuus]

@@xanderguldie no that is wrong....a terrible recording cannot be saved by cushions dotted around your room

[@xanderguldie]

@Dr Broncanuus a terrible recording is just what it is, a terrible recording. It doesn't have an impact on your system. The system simply interprets the recording. A good system will reveal the flaws of a recording rather than hide them.

[@jamesschneider3828]

My system, less than $5000.00, most of the time, my speakers disappear. The music can mimic a surround system running on a multichannel surround mode.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

I find I just have to admit I do not enjoy listening to badly recorded music and prefer to spend my limited time with stuff I enjoy. An analogy is with food. I love cooking and eating really great food. Great ingredients cooked simply and great taste. I used to enjoy fast food from burger chains. There is no way to degrade my taste sensation that I want to tolerate that stuff now. No going back to bad.

[@guystpierrecomposer]

Eq help a lot. For me it's the mojo 2 that is doing the trick.

[@akrocuba]

I know most audiophiles will hate this.....just add and EQ and the you dial in the bad recordings to get them to a better listenable stage.

[@agentbrown321]

What about balanced tone control like a lokius or better yet the lokius max, which is a 6 band eq. The former having a gain stage per band, a remote control allowing you to save presets for certain recording types and changing levels from listening chair. So when a bad recoding is harsh or flat in certain areas, you can dial it back or up. Seems like an almost perfect solution. Although it doesn't fix everything about a bad recording

[@Artemis_Prix]

I have been thinking along the same lines, and had made a mental note to add one to my system at some point. In fact, many others have conveyed the same in today's comments. However, Andrew Robinson recently reviewed the Lokius and he said you will hear hiss if you turn any of the gain knobs beyond neutral. Of course, that's if you have revealing, efficient speakers like he and I both have. That's very unfortunate in this day and age, but something to consider prior to purchase.

[@timd5365]

@@Artemis_Prix I think Andrew just had a dud, and didn't bother to contact Schitt and ask for another to confirm that. I guarantee there is no hiss. I know because I have one (and so do thousands of others...)

[@Artemis_Prix]

@@timd5365 Tim... thank you! I'm actually relieved. It's been put back onto the future acquisition list.

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

One could have their audiophile system as well as a lessor system for the badly recoded albums.

[@davidsagarra9841]

Get yourself a good quality vintage equalizer or maybe a new one like the Schiit Loki or the Schiit Lokius and use it when needed to help a bad recording otherwise just bypass it. I use a Yamaha EQ-1100 and the results are excellent.

[@sirtimothyjasonwellsakaelduce]

This is why I have different audio systems for different era, and type of music ,

[@tainle]

he is using audioquest dragon zero cables on that speaker.

[@NoEgg4u]

I do not believe that further system improvements will make bad recordings palatable. The issue is hearing the difference between bad and good recordings. If Jessie, in Dallas Texas, had played only his bad recordings, he might have held his nose and enjoyed them. But once Jessie heard good recordings, he became aware of how awful his bad recordings sound. Some of us grew up when we had only TV channels 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, and 13. We had to adjust our rabbit-ear antennas to get a decent picture. And for the most part, we were happy with how our picture appeared. But if we ever set that up now, and compared it to our 4k, cable fed movies, we would lose our lunch. And so it is with music. That the studio personnel cannot hear how lousy of a job they do, is almost unbelievable, if we did not hear it for ourselves. Or, the studio personnel just rush their mixing and mastering, because they do not care (they get paid, regardless, like a government job where competence and end results are ignored). How the glorious sound from the initial, multi-track capture, master tapes, gets vandalized into the garbage sounding releases that we hear, is a mystery. If you had access to those initial capture tapes, how would you ruin them? What kind of process does that entail? I could not do that if I were challenged to do so, because I could not figure out a way to destroy the sound quality. I would not know where to begin. That takes a special skill, to learn how to vandalize great sound quality. I would love to see a database of which studios get which songs right, and which songs wrong, and also the names of the mixing and mastering engineers. When we watch TV shows and movies, we have all of the above information (in the credits) on nearly all of the key personnel involved in the show and what they did. The same should be made available for music. Then we will learn who is competent, and who is incompetent. Paul, how do the amazing sounding, initial capture tapes, turn into a sonic mess that gets released to the public? What is your insight? What are those people in other studios doing? Is there a "foul up the fidelity" box that they use? Is there a "wreck the sonic image" box that they use? What exactly are they doing?

[@martinlindberg1983]

I cannot listen to bad recordings on my revealing system. It is that easy.... I´ll skip a bad recording in less than 10 seconds. So, yes, I have my different play lists depending on purpose. One play list is called Hi-Fi and that makes me smile, but the song must of course have both great mastering and good tune/vibe. Rest of the bad recording / good music can be heard on my less revealing system when I do not care to sit exactly in sweet spot. It is two different worlds to enjoy music... But to only have one system to "rule them all", is not an easy task and regards your preference more than anything, my take...

[@gtric1466]

i have my Eq set up on my Wiim Mini good recording it's off bad recordings it's on, i have the custom setting saved so it's easy to just toggle on and off.

[@laurelhardy4064]

Most of the music I listen to is early 50's to mid 60's jazz recordings, so I try to stay away from gear that are too revealing, in a perfect world we would buy the most revealing reference system that we can afford with all perfect recordings, but as we all know...

[@osliverpool]

A lot of 50s and 60s jazz recordings are actually really good!

[@laurelhardy4064]

@@osliverpool Most of the ones from 57 to mid 60's are good, but most of the ones from early 50's and late 60's leaves a lot to be desired.

[@davidfromamerica1871]

Old school Jazz and Blues from the 30’s and 40’s 👍🤗 Many are out of print from the original music labels. Buy used or find uploaded to KZbin from collectors.

[@osliverpool]

@@laurelhardy4064 Yeah, there's definitely a lot of variation.

[@Durkhead]

I'll probably get some bad feedback from this but smoke some pot and listen to it again

[@davidfromamerica1871]

Don’t laugh. Not a joke. There is “Audiophile Cannabis” I just past a Google news headline awhile ago. I didn’t click on the story. Now I can’t get Google to bring that story up.

[@Ian-wh8ut]

it sure dont hurt!

[@robertspringer9477]

Joint or bong?

[@Durkhead]

@Robert Springer I took a collage class for singing and the teacher said you should use a bong cause the smoke is cool enough it won't hurt your throat

[@Durkhead]

@Douglas Blake is weed addictive?

[@maxhirsch7035]

My suggestion would be three-fold- first, if it's an option for the letter writer, for him to set up a more forgiving secondary system on which to listen more to the crappier recordings. Second, and to a lesser degree, if he gets overly discouraged at time by a high proportion of crappy recordings, to compile a list of better recordings, & listen a bit more to them for a while, until shifting back, more sated with great sound, to a typical range of recordings. But mostly, just focus on what he likes about the music itself that's nevertheless poorly recorded.

[@PaoloCaminiti]

Decware ZRock?

[@razisn]

Get an equaliser or tone control of some sort (digital or analog), lower the low treble and up your mid bass. 90% of the time this will make bad recordings tolerable.

[@Carl-bd1rf]

I’ll second that. Just added an eq to my system. Night and day difference. Can’t believe I wasted decades on using gear that was straight wire with gain and wondering why I could never find the right sound. Enter eq and bingo!!!

[@ДмитрийЗубик-ч8л]

Иногда нужно чувствовать когда надо остановиться... Готов ли ты пожертвовать удовольствием ради истины...

[@arkman8109]

Have two systems, that simple.

[@Foxrock321]

I’ve been in that room and listened to those FR30s to my favorite Louis Belson CD, and it did sound like the band was set up in front of me playing their asses off…Your detuning your amp idea would be like removing a spark plug for a hemi engine…why would you do that..no no no.

[@Kwells92]

Listen to the badly recorded tracks only on a separate unrealiling system as background music…

[@snowboarderrx]

what are those speakers and why do i feel funny in my pants?

[@NateEll]

We don’t add extra BBQ sauce to a mediocre steak into a better steak !

[@paulhunter6652]

Bad engineers and producers who ruin recordings should be rounded up and prosecuted under the audiophile statute.

[@Schnauzer-2]

Bad recordings are so many. Don’t waste your time with them trying to find “ the magic “ . Leave it and don’t touch your system if you have achieved that point.

[@georgeradulescu7175]

Nah, I don't like that answer. That's like saying I know you spent a lot on your system, but you need to spend even more to be happy. Why can't we enjoy music for what it is? And why can't we divide the music we listen to into the artistry and technical components and at least enjoy one aspect if not both? And why are we so quick to criticize the technical qualities of a recording but not the musicianship? Yeah, some music was recorded not so great. It will never sound as good as some other, more carefully produced recordings, on any system. So what? If you enjoy it, listen to it. If you don't enjoy it, don't listen to it. Maybe it's not your gear, maybe it's your prejudice. And no amount of money will change that.

[@davidfromamerica1871]

That is because they MUST JUSTIFY to the Planet why they spent big bucks. Secondly, they are all in competition with each other’s systems. MY SYSTEM IS BETTER THAN YOUR SYSTEM. That is like a little kid. MY DOLLY IS PRETTIER THAN YOUR DOLLY. 😀

[@jimromanski2702]

Build a second system for another room and don't focus the sound on accuracy as much. Get some older tube gear and speakers that you like but are not quite as revealing and rolled off on the top.

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

If the SOURCE is wrong, everything else will be wrong!

[@spacemissing]

Don't trash songs you like when the recordings are poor. The material is more important than the sound quality, no matter what you were taught.

[@stimpy1226]

Bad recordings are just bad recordings. Your system is so revealing that it becomes ruthless when it comes to playing poor quality recordings. In your case it may be a combination of system synergy and poor recordings.

[@MikhailKulkov]

No. Old recordings sound great and alive, starting from 78 LPs and good system must show it. Dirty recorded rock of 60s also has a lot of live sound in it.

[@Skye_the_toller]

Equipment is going better and better, even EarPods! But, recording is going in another way… faster and cheaper… destined to MP3 … AirPlay, etc… quite sad….