[wink]

Quote:

It's always been very frustrating to me that the jazz and classical genres are the only ones that seem to care about making quality recordings.  I can appreciate jazz and classical for their fidelity, but musically speaking they tend to bore me in general.

Stay away from hip-hop unless you like beats and No-Fidelity.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

Quote:

 
It's always been very frustrating to me that the jazz and classical genres are the only ones that seem to care about making quality recordings.  I can appreciate jazz and classical for their fidelity, but musically speaking they tend to bore me in general.
 
I love when I can find good recordings in other genres, but in my experience they're few and far between.  It would be awesome if artists / engineers in these other genres would take note and step up their game, but given the rise of mp3 and the online retailing model for music, I don't see it happening any time soon.

There's plenty of good rock, metal, and hip hop recordings. Some of the major artists in these genres sound horrible mind you, but there are a plethora of amazing quality albums, Fire up the MOG or spotify and see for yourself. Just not looking hard enough

 

[disastermouse]

Das Racist and busdriver sound pretty good with better gear.

 

[Sophonax]

Quote:

There's plenty of good rock, metal, and hip hop recordings. Some of the major artists in these genres sound horrible mind you, but there are a plethora of amazing quality albums, Fire up the MOG or spotify and see for yourself. Just not looking hard enough

 
I still have to disagree.  I look plenty, and ninety-five percent of rock and metal music I hear has merely decent recording quality or worse.  It is very rare that I am wowed by the quality of any recording in those genres (there are a few notable exceptions, like Dire Straits).  The recording quality of the average jazz or classical track is still significantly higher than that of the average rock or metal recording IMO.
 
Quote:

Stay away from hip-hop unless you like beats and No-Fidelity.

 
I hear you.  I avoid hip-hop like the plague, more for reasons of musical taste, although general lack of fidelity is also a compelling reason to stay away.

 

[aphex27]

Quote:

 
I still have to disagree.  I look plenty, and ninety-five percent of rock and metal music I hear has merely decent recording quality or worse.  It is very rare that I am wowed by the quality of any recording in those genres (there are a few notable exceptions, like Dire Straits).  The recording quality of the average jazz or classical track is still significantly higher than that of the average rock or metal recording IMO.
 
 
I hear you.  I avoid hip-hop like the plague, more for reasons of musical taste, although general lack of fidelity is also a compelling reason to stay away.

One of the reasons is that on average, people who listen to hip-hop have far, far lower income than people who listen to classical.
Which means that, on average, they have far worse systems for reproduction of music.
 
One other reason is that, on average, classical people understand musical nuances far, far, far better than hip-hop people.

 

[nehcrow]

Why would you avoid music due to low-fidelity recordings... some of the best music ever created is lo-fi.

 

[reeltime]

Quote:

One of the reasons is that on average, people who listen to hip-hop have far, far lower income than people who listen to classical.
Which means that, on average, they have far worse systems for reproduction of music.
 
One other reason is that, on average, classical people understand musical nuances far, far, far better than hip-hop people.

 
I have to disagree here.  You're making a musical assessment, hip hop and classical are cultural arts.  They exist in the cultures which create and support them.  It's a subjective assessment as to who gets it and who doesn't.  We enjoy and appreciate what we like.
 
Hip hop and jazz have a lot in common.  Both are, for the most part, spontaneous conversations.  That's where the excitement and artistry lies in both genres.  The rhythm section lays out the scene for this conversation, and the artist lays his thought over it.  Now I doubt all hip hoppers, and mixologists understand it on that level, but it's the basis of jazz.  
 
Jazz, blues, and rock themselves have roots going back to the cotton fields of the slave-ridden south.  Call and response music and chanting between slave workers evolved into these conversations between instruments-- and in the case of rap-- cutting competitions between artists.  Ragtime and dueling pianos -- much the same thing.  Show me what you've got to say-- oh-- but stay in key and keep time!  There's a thread which unites all modern music, and its roots aren't pretty.  
 
Classical compositions share some of these characteristics as well.  Stay with me here.  The difference being the conversations were between the composers rather than the musicians.  Listen to Bartok's Music for Strings and tell me it's not a deconstructed 2nd movement from Beethoven's 9th.  It's Bartok reaching out across two generations and advancing an emotion Beethoven introduced a century earlier.  
 
Beethoven couldn't have composed his masterpieces had Mozart not preceded him.  Beethoven took Mozart's palette and painted his own works with it.  It's cutting on a higher plane.  Compare passages between Beethoven's 5th and Mozart's 40th symphonies and you begin to see what I'm talking about.
 
I guess what I'm saying is open up your minds a little.  You don't have to enjoy something to appreciate its value.  I don't have much hip hop in my collection, but I understand from where it comes, and why so many appreciate the genre.  Who am I to tell someone they don't have taste?  They just don't share my taste.

 

[aphex27]

That's a very well thought out a post but was it in response to someone else?
It has no relation to what I said.
Anyway, as I said, good post except one part: there were actually piano duels in the days of Beethoven.
 
 
Quote:

 
I have to disagree here.  You're making a musical assessment, hip hop and classical are cultural arts.  They exist in the cultures which create and support them.  It's a subjective assessment as to who gets it and who doesn't.  We enjoy and appreciate what we like.
 
Hip hop and jazz have a lot in common.  Both are, for the most part, spontaneous conversations.  That's where the excitement and artistry lies in both genres.  The rhythm section lays out the scene for this conversation, and the artist lays his thought over it.  Now I doubt all hip hoppers, and mixologists understand it on that level, but it's the basis of jazz.  
 
Jazz, blues, and rock themselves have roots going back to the cotton fields of the slave-ridden south.  Call and response music and chanting between slave workers evolved into these conversations between instruments-- and in the case of rap-- cutting competitions between artists.  Ragtime and dueling pianos -- much the same thing.  Show me what you've got to say-- oh-- but stay in key and keep time!  There's a thread which unites all modern music, and its roots aren't pretty.  
 
Classical compositions share some of these characteristics as well.  Stay with me here.  The difference being the conversations were between the composers rather than the musicians.  Listen to Bartok's Music for Strings and tell me it's not a deconstructed 2nd movement from Beethoven's 9th.  It's Bartok reaching out across two generations and advancing an emotion Beethoven introduced a century earlier.  
 
Beethoven couldn't have composed his masterpieces had Mozart not preceded him.  Beethoven took Mozart's palette and painted his own works with it.  It's cutting on a higher plane.  Compare passages between Beethoven's 5th and Mozart's 40th symphonies and you begin to see what I'm talking about.
 
I guess what I'm saying is open up your minds a little.  You don't have to enjoy something to appreciate its value.  I don't have much hip hop in my collection, but I understand from where it comes, and why so many appreciate the genre.  Who am I to tell someone they don't have taste?  They just don't share my taste.

 

[Sophonax]

Why would you avoid music due to low-fidelity recordings... some of the best music ever created is lo-fi.

Not going to argue there -- there's definitely some fantastic music with poor fidelity. I don't avoid music for poor fidelity, I'm just saying that I wish the recording quality was better in some of these genres.

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

I started my Head-Fi journey with a K701 and went all the way up to an R10, before settling back down to mid-fi.  I'm currently perfectly content with my 65th Anniversary K702, Asgard 2, and Bifrost -- but unfortunately it took a lot of money to reach that conclusion... 

 
I feel like the really expensive stuff just isn't practical, no matter how good it sounds -- R10, HE90, SR-009, etc.  One accident, some cosmetic damage, and congratulations, you just lost $1000 in value -- ouch!  

 
I think I'll continue to buy and try new headphones as they come out, just because I find it fun and entertaining as a hobby.  But at the end of the day, I'm pretty sure my mid-fi gear will be the only thing I end up keeping.

I've recently took a step back to the K701's. Very pleased I did, its the best purchase I've made in a very long time. They replaced my HE500's and I wouldn't swap back no chance. Still got the LCD2's but they're aren't getting much head time at the mo.

 

[tmarshl]

I have gone through a whole series of headphone/amp rigs, including K1000/First Watt F1; Sennheiser HD 650/Leben CS600; LCD2s, etc.  and now have been listening to the Stax SR009/Stax SRM 727II for a while. 
 
Is it Nirvana?  As close as one can get today.  But I would never predict what new technologies will develop in the future.
 
Do I love it? Yes.
 
tmarshl
Quote:

Just curious... or are you guys only going to satisfied until you've gotten the Stax SR009?
...Because I've pretty much reached my pinnacle, the Alessandro MS-Pro's. They are definitely end-game for me!
Heaps of clarity and detail yet doesn't render My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless' unlistenable.
All I need is a decent closed back headphone for when's it's way too noisy in the household (Probably going with the Beyerdynamic DT250)

 

[bareyb]

Not yet... 

 

[deafanddumb]

Quote:

 
It's always been very frustrating to me that the jazz and classical genres are the only ones that seem to care about making quality recordings.  I can appreciate jazz and classical for their fidelity, but musically speaking they tend to bore me in general.
 
I love when I can find good recordings in other genres, but in my experience they're few and far between.  It would be awesome if artists / engineers in these other genres would take note and step up their game, but given the rise of mp3 and the online retailing model for music, I don't see it happening any time soon.

Guys,
Feel sorry for the UK peeps like me....we can't even use HDTracks, due to copyright....i tried and they told me so!
I'm a huge Indie and alternative fan also...Elliot Smith, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, etc and it seems to be a 24bit desert out there......I'm more often reduced to ripping my own cd's at 16bit and just getting on with it  

So....any other 24bit download source recommendations, gratefully received!

 

[reddragon]

Quote:

Guys,
Feel sorry for the UK peeps like me....we can't even use HDTracks, due to copyright....i tried and they told me so!
I'm a huge Indie and alternative fan also...Elliot Smith, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, etc and it seems to be a 24bit desert out there......I'm more often reduced to ripping my own cd's at 16bit and just getting on with it  

So....any other 24bit download source recommendations, gratefully received!

 
 
cd quality should be pretty good already right? it probably depends on the recording more...

 

[Sweden]

I see the big next step in audio performance coming from tailoring advanced DSP software for specific headphones and sources, and it's already here.
For example there is a company here in Sweden called Dirac who corrects some of the flaws in impulse and frequency response of the EarBuds and EarPods as well as compensating for the DAC and head out of the iPhone and iPad and the result is pretty damn impressive.  It takes a pretty powerful processor to do this so it hasn't been a possibility with portable sources till the recently.
I'm confident this will be the big next thing with lower and mid priced headphones as these benefit more from the corrections. Not sure the SR-009 can benefit that much from impulse or frequency correction but you will be able to customize the sound much better than with DACs and amps. Like going from 95% to 99% of personally optimal sound compared to going from 20% to 70% with lower sets.
 
I can also see future software creating a perfectly natural binaural experience out of average stereo recordings.
I'm experimenting myself with different DSPs combining crossfeeds and soundstage and imaging enhancers, and they do a pretty decent job but are always in some way degrading the sound or not being fully realistic. It's still worth it with as some recording really go from in your head to fully out of your head, but there is big room for improvement for sure.