[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lornecherry /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...running DVD-A or XRCD into a good DAC will give you excellent resolution

??? DVD-A into a DAC would give you nice down-rez'd 48khz... Most DVD-A discs are 96k (some are 48k, some are 88.2k, there is the occasionall 192k, and the random 44.1k (24bit but still why'd they bother))... If you're really trying to hear the resolution of a DVD-A you should use a good DVD-A player.

That said, good recording and mastering on a CD is as good as any DVD-A I've ever heard. For example, DCC CD of Hotel California spanks the DVD-A of Hotel California.

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tpc41 /img/forum/go_quote.gif steely dan: aja and gaucho donald fagen: the nightfly and morph the cat im not sure if they fall into any of your desired categories, but they all sound fantastic

Agreed. All Steely Dan CDs are well mastered.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrederikS|TPU /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed. All Steely Dan CDs are well mastered.

But so boring...

 

[milkweg]

I like the song Kid Charlemagne but agree with your comment in general. Their music is just too middle of the road for me. But then I think that about a lot of soft rock bands. Doobie Brothers, Chicago etc.

 

[intoart]

The absolute best-sounding CD I have ever heard, in any genre, is Seven Veils by Robert Rich (it is also great music.) That is my go-to CD when I want to test any new system.

 

[Zenja]

Something by Dire Straits has to be in the list. All the albums I've heard from them sound fantastic.

 

[KevinR70]

Quote:

Originally Posted by s1rrah /img/forum/go_quote.gif I highly recommend anything produced by Chesky records. Their quite meticulous in so far as producing material fit for the most resolving systems imaginable. If you haven't heard Rebecca Pidgeon sing, "Spanish Harlem" ... then your missing one hell of a nugget demo track. Check HDTracks.com ... they sell lossless .flacs of a bunch of Chesky Records stuff. BTW: If you sign up at HDTracks.com ... you get a five song demo download that is quite outstanding in my book. No money, no credit card ... just sign up and download the demo. Spanish Harlem is the first track on Chesky's audiophile vocal recordings demo SACD. Must have SACD for sound quality. ... But GAWD!! You have to find a copy of Rebecca Pidgeon's rendition of "Spanish Harlem," ... really ... it's *THAT* good. Should be required material in any demo arsenal, IMHO.

Second this. Spanish Harlem is the first track on Chesky's Audiophile Vocal Recordings SACD. Must have SACD for sound quality.

 

[SiriuslyCold]

Porcupine Tree Arriving Somewhere is probably the best sounding concert DVD I have (that includes Pink Floyd's Pulse)

 

[Brandon B]

DVDs with great sound:

Steely Dan - Two Against Nature
Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Beacon
Rush - Snakes & Arrows Live
Doobie Brothers - Live at the Wolftrap
Dave Matthews Band - Live in Central Park

CDs:
Anything by Steely Dan or Donald Fagan..
Any of the Norah Jones albums
Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus..

I have so many albums and yet that's all I can think of for the moment..

 

[fatcat28037]

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

@Jo-Vo

I have to completely disagree with calling Blood Sugar sex magik loud and not well recorded. It has long been one of the best mastered and recorded funk/rock albums, and its not loud by any stretch of imagination.

I hope you arent confusing Californication with BSSM. I have to turn up the volume when a song from BSSM plays in shuffle mode, cos its way lower than most of the other albums.

There is absolutely no clipping whatsoever and everything comes out clean and crisp. I'm not sure what you heard.

And the reason Liquid tension experiment is loud is because its meant to be, its mostly metal. Metal HAS to be loud. At the same time, its extremely hard to keep everything under control when all of them are going completely crazy. Listen to Three Minute Warning (Especially starting from part 3), the bass drum has a punch few others manage, and the keyboards stand out without merging with the guitars, and you can always hear what Tony Levin is upto without much difficulty. I agree most of the other albums on the list are probably better recorded, but for the genre and style of music, its an incredible recording.

 

[Jo-Vo]

Hello!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have to completely disagree with calling Blood Sugar sex magik loud and not well recorded. It has long been one of the best mastered and recorded funk/rock albums, and its not loud by any stretch of imagination. I hope you arent confusing Californication with BSSM. I have to turn up the volume when a song from BSSM plays in shuffle mode, cos its way lower than most of the other albums.

Well, I wasn't confusing it with Californication but it's been a while that I listened to BSSM for the last time. I'll check it again, if I'm wrong -> sorry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif And the reason Liquid tension experiment is loud is because its meant to be, its mostly metal. Metal HAS to be loud.

Now, I have to completely disagree because compromising dynamics and introducing (usually unwanted overall) distortion is nothing I need in Metal (at least in progressive metal/rock).
"Loud" is just a matter of which setting of my volume pot I choose. "Loud" becomes uninteresting if everything is loud.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jilgiljongiljing /img/forum/go_quote.gif Listen to Three Minute Warning (Especially starting from part 3), the bass drum has a punch few others manage, and the keyboards stand out without merging with the guitars, and you can always hear what Tony Levin is upto without much difficulty.

By the way I heard people say that they don't like the unnatural heavy (low-end) punch of Portnoy's BD. For me it's ok... anyway...

I agree that it isn't muddy yet but I still feel that the sound could be much cleaner. When I first listened to it on a friend's copy I just thought that he got it from a bad set of MP3s. He didn't. There is just some slight distortion so I really enjoy this record in the car but not so much with my home rig.

I would say that we both haven't heard the "unmastered" version so it's really hard to say but from my own experience listening to "properly" (not loud) mastered older records and also doing my own experiments with own recordings, compressors and limiters I would say, that something like 6dB less could have helped this CD. It's just hard to do a blind test because the unmastered versions aren't available.

Regards,
Jonas

 

[buddhashenglong]

Kiss My Axe, by Al Di Meola.