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What are your favourite high fidelity / audiophile recordings?

OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
edited July 2013 in Strut Central
I've never been into the audiophile thing. Music has always been more about experiencing and enjoying, than critically listening. But I recently bought some new hifi gear and am enjoying delving into this new world.

What are the Struts favourite records/tracks from an (reluctant) audiophile perspective?

This sounds amazing. (obviously, the youtube, not so much)

  Comments

  • tabiratabira 856 Posts
    Always loved that Bey cover. Here are two that always stun me with their sound quality



  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Is this as simple as "what sounds good to you"?
    Or is there some specific era of record making where cats were trying to maximize the stereo?

    Either way for a mediocre record ive been wanting to double dip on the last Beastie Boys record which was mastered in a Blu-ray format.
    And I want Hot Buttered Soul in the special super CD thingy.

    Saddiq's Stone Rollin' sounds good to me.
  • ppadilhappadilha 2,244 Posts
    I'm not quite sure what you mean either, but this is one record that sounded crazy to me when I listened to the OG:



    probably a case of the production being so clean and having only heard crappy rips before, but they also went all out with the panning and whatnot.
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    I'm trying to be objective rather than subjective. Obviously I love the Bey track but it also has something great about it sonically. It sounds very clear and precise, has a good range and I imagine it's a pretty good representation of what it must be like to listen to him perform live. Compare it to something like Terry Callier - Occasional Rain (a similar track and another personal favourite) the Callier track just doesn't sound as good sonically IMHO. It's not as clear, there's some reverb in there that I find slightly distracting etc.

    Does that make my request a little clearer? I don't really understand audiophile jargon, nor am I really savvy with the technical side of things, so it's hard to ask questions without causing confusion I guess.

    I could google audiophile recommendations for lps to check for, like this - http://www.tnt-audio.com/topics/testrecords.html - but I'd rather get the strut's input as your responses should be closer to my taste. Collectively we must have listened to hundreds of thousands of lps, some of them must have stood out as sounding better than average. Unfortunately, as I said, it's never something I was really checking for. Collecting reggae for years has conditioned me more the other way, to not really care too much about things like condition and fidelity. The only records I can actually remember putting on the turntable and being noteedly impressed with the sound are the German Selected Sound library records.
  • fryer_motherfunkfryer_motherfunk 123 Posts
    I have just refurbished and upgraded an early quad 303 / 80s Munro Pre-amp . The first things on were:

    Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (Original Mater Recording SACD)



    http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/5532

    Steely Dan - Aja (Universal Japan SACD)


    http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6499


    Looking forward to this in a few days


    http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=220121
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I didn't know the origin of term High Fidelity until recently.

    Until the 1950s phonographs had no bass or treble control.
    Nor did recording equipment.
    The bass was suppressed on all recordings because it would make the needle the jump.

    Recordings with boosted bass/treble were called high fidelity.
    Record players/amps with bass treble controls were called high fidelity.

    All this was before stereo.
  • DustedDonDustedDon 830 Posts
    if you're talking about a Hi-Fi tube amp style turntable/speaker cabinet set up I would recommend any of the 2 or 6 eye Columbia jazz records... also, old school doom metal like Pentagram/Black Sabbath and assorted 70s hard rock records sound awesome as well. newer pressing stuff does not sound that great however on old Hi-Fi's......
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    I choose high fedelity over stero any day.
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    fryer_motherfunk said:
    I have just refurbished and upgraded an early quad 303 / 80s Munro Pre-amp . The first things on were:

    Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (Original Mater Recording SACD)


    These look interesting, but I don't have a SACD player or a Playstation3 unfortunately. What makes them good though? Does this recording of What's Going On offer some sort of surround sound, because the review I read of SACDs said there's no significant difference in audio quality between SACD and standard CD.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Do u have a 5.1 surround system? Its a Multi-Channel Format.

    I have 4 speakers and any surround media sounds great. Whether its a Blu-ray or my Destiny Child SACD....

    Shiiiit....if i had a Center or a Sub, shit would be crazy.

    Stuff sounds wider.
  • ppadilhappadilha 2,244 Posts
    Okem said:
    These look interesting, but I don't have a SACD player or a Playstation3 unfortunately. What makes them good though? Does this recording of What's Going On offer some sort of surround sound, because the review I read of SACDs said there's no significant difference in audio quality between SACD and standard CD.

    Does PS3 even support SACD? From what I understand SACDs are stereo but they have a much higher sample rate than standard CD. In theory that fixes the audophile problem of CDs not having the same frequency range that vinyl has. The other format that was around for a second was DVD-Audio but it lost the battle.

    I've never been a fan of 5.1 sound for either movies or music. For music it just seems pointless, I don't want hear bongos traveling around behind my head or some shit. And for movies it may seem like a good idea on paper but in practice it's just an invitation to boost the bass to ridiculous levels and make every sound effect EXTRA LOUD.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    ppadilha said:
    I've never been a fan of 5.1 sound for either movies or music. For music it just seems pointless, I don't want hear bongos traveling around behind my head or some shit. And for movies it may seem like a good idea on paper but in practice it's just an invitation to boost the bass to ridiculous levels and make every sound effect EXTRA LOUD.



    Well produced Surround is way more complex than EXTRA LOUD, either in music or film.

    Do u not like to hear well produced shit in da club?
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    No, no surround sound system unfortunately, not in my personal set up anyway.

    I do have access to a home cinema type set up, with blu ray, surround sound (with a sub), etc. I've watched movies in there and played XBOX but I've never gone in there to listen to music. I only own about 10 cds as I've never liked them, and there seems little point in going to the hassle of plugging my record player into that system.

    One of the things I've bought recently are a pair of AKG k 701s for home listening and production.



    They're pretty incredible compared to what I was used to, and may well be able to handle surround sound from SACDs.
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    ppadilha said:
    Okem said:
    These look interesting, but I don't have a SACD player or a Playstation3 unfortunately. What makes them good though? Does this recording of What's Going On offer some sort of surround sound, because the review I read of SACDs said there's no significant difference in audio quality between SACD and standard CD.

    Does PS3 even support SACD?..
    According to WIkipedia they do indeed.

    My issue with a lot of the audiophile stuff is the validity of certain claims. But I don't doubt that certain equipment will improve the quality of what you're reproducing, recording or listening to.

    Surround Sound for movies is great but only really necessary for those big budget action type movies. With video games in does increase immersion and it's essential for hearing those zombies sneaking up behind you.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Okem said:
    Surround Sound for movies is great but only really necessary for those big budget action type movies. With video games in does increase immersion and it's essential for hearing those zombies sneaking up behind you.

    Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Blu-ray, Audio Quality 5.0 of 5

    The audio is the real spark that ignites Master and Commander, bringing life to the action. This was apparent even in the DVD version, but the Blu-ray goes beyond the excellent sound quality of the earlier release. Now, for the first time, the Blu-ray's DTS HD MA track allows lossless access to sound designer Richard King's original mix. This is a big deal for several reasons. First, it shows off the superior dynamics of lossless audio. Second, the audio engineering of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a landmark achievement in film history. King's work was the subject of an NPR Arts and Culture focus on "All Things Considered", when the film was released in 2003. No stock audio or prepackaged noises were used for the sound effects, according to King. The attention to detail, recording and mixing are reference level.

    Listen to the battle scene at the beginning of the film when cannons fire, the projectiles rip through the air and slam into the hull of the Surprise, splintering the wood, sending men and debris flying. Modern audio design involves a blend of sounds created in innovative ways. For example, the sound of a fist hitting someone's face is often created by recording a head of lettuce thrown onto a hard surface. The roar of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park was created by carefully blending the sounds of several animals, including birds and cats, and adjusting the speed of playback. King's work in Master and Commander goes beyond that in its pursuit of realism. What seems to be a straightforward recording of a cannon firing is actually a blend of recordings engineered to complement the action and assigned to the appropriate channel in the mix.

    Another excellent scene for evaluating the audio is as the Surprise chases the Acheron around Cape Horn. Here, the audio conveys the howling winds, torrential rain, creaking planks of the ship and the crashing waves. Rarely if ever have Blu-ray fans been treated to an audio mix with this combination of resolution and immersion. Even during quieter scenes, the audio quality is uncanny in its realism. Sonic cues like the sounds of water and footsteps lend good presence to the DTS HD MA track. The rich midrange during the Bach viola and cello pieces, as well as voices and gunshots have a strength and palpability rarely heard in home theater mixes.
  • ppadilhappadilha 2,244 Posts
    batmon said:
    Well produced Surround is way more complex than EXTRA LOUD, either in music or film.

    Do u not like to hear well produced shit in da club?

    the only movie I've seen where I remember being impressed by the use of surround sound was Master & Commander. Like any other technical feature it can be done well but most of the time it isn't, it's just used excessively.

    and I understand why a club needs a 5.1 or 7.1 system, but isn't the music they're playing still produced in stereo? I don't think I know of any new music being produced in 5.1, the only things I've seen is shit like a 5.1 remaster of Dark Side of the Moon
  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    Always enjoyed the Direct Drive stuff from Japan. Not exactly audiophile, but still.

    The Herbie Hancock, the Belmonte w/ Afro Latin 7, the Chico O'Farrill & NY Latin Allstars.

    Check out Mambo for Mongo by Belmonte.

    Particularly digging the pan diagrams for the instruments, taught me much about panning on a 4 track bitd.
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