Patrick82
Banned
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- Mar 1, 2003
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Is high-end equipment really necessary for trance music? I believe so. I have listened to 100+ trance albums. These are the highest quality albums I have found so far.
10 score = Reference = Limit of Redbook CD or human ear.
Slower trance is normally higher quality, so I list different speeds separately.
_______________________________________________
Transparency (very fast trance): Shiva Chandra - Auricular
Score: 9.0/10
Shiva Chandra makes scary music.
Transparency (fast trance): Sarah McLachlan - Remixed
Score: 7.6/10
It almost sounds like the sounds are inside the room and you can reach over and touch them.
Transparency (slow trance): Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds
Score: 8.0/10
This album is the only album that made me scared enough for my body to develop adrenaline, those sounds in track 11 were floating so close to me I was scared they would hit me...
The string instrument is very realistic and you can hear the friction of the fingers on the strings.
This 1997 album is discontinued but can be found used on eBay for $50-100. I paid $70 for one with horrible tiny scratches (excellent condition
)! So I had to buy another one that was new.
Edit: A new CD is available here.
Transparency (very slow trance): Deep Forest - Boheme
Score: 9.2/10
Deep Forest makes transparent music that is scary at times.
Transparency (variable tempo): Shpongle - Are You Shpongled?
Score: 9.6?/10
More transparent than classical albums I own. Those water sounds are very realistic, it sounds great with a fast and smooth system (Read: Maximum power conditioning and AKG K1000).
_______________________________________________
Speed (very fast trance): Compiled by Dj Dusk - Urban Awakening
Score: 10/10
A true reference album for speed. It has many different speeds for every system, slow to fast, it even has electric guitars (8 score) for those with Grados.
Track 7 is the fastest where the speed sound matches my system perfectly. The "increasing speed sound" starts blending together very late. That sound usually hovers somewhere between 9.7 and 10.1. The whole track has that sound and variations of it!
_______________________________________________
Mid-bass: Astral Projection - Another World
Score: 10/10
Completely INSANE bass, I have heard nothing close to this!
AKG K1000 + Krell KAV-500i + Nordost Valhalla power cord = Match made in heaven.
After upgrading my system the bass just kept getting better and more controlled. In track 6 "Trance Dance" at 00:42 - 00:44 the 2 second bass sequence has 17+ non-linear super-heavy beats (it sounds like a melody), and they are perfectly controlled with the Valhalla power cord. Any lesser equipment and those beats blend together and it sounds slower, it makes me wonder who they made this album for since good aftermarket power cords didn't exist back then.
There are also other 2 second bass sequence melodies like:
Track 7: 06:00 - 06:02. But only with 12 beats or so.
Track 2: 01:35 - 01:37 and 04:22 - 04:24.
There are also linear bass sequences like track 8 at 01:18 - 01:19 where the bass incrementally changes from light to heavy, pretty cool if the system is good enough.
Deep bass: Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds
Score: 10/10
There is nothing close to this, goes far lower than any of my headphones can do. In the beginning of track 4 it makes my body start vibrating. It almost makes a subwoofer a requirement for this album, but I don't want to get sick from the deep bass.
Edit: This album makes K1000 vibrate which is good massage for the sides of my head. However, a good system is required to make this happen. 'Chicane - Behind The Sun' album also makes it vibrate, but only in track 1 and 2.
Edit2: A new CD is available here.
_______________________________________________
Detail (very fast trance): Infected Mushroom - B.P. Empire
Score: 8.2/10
Surprisingly high detail for Psy Trance!
Detail (fast trance): Paul Van Dyk - Reflections (SACD)
Score: 8.7/10
Triangle sounds in beginning of track 6 benefit from high-end equipment. Decay of the subtle triangle sounds in track 12 is something I didn't notice before, needs ever better equipment for that.
I found my Hybrid SACD album on amazon.de for €30, ouch it is €70 there now (better get the Redbook CD for $14 instead!). But I don't have a SACD player and only use the redbook layer on it.
Detail (slow trance): Chicane - Behind The Sun (@768 kHz upsampling)
Score: 9.7/10
I didn't know detail was there until my last power cord upgrade for my system. This is the only album (except Psy Trance) that I need to listen without tubes!
Very subtle shimmering highs (track 5 02:29 for example). A solid-state system is required to hear it good. "Crystal" sounds in track 1 blend together if upsampling isn't used.
Detail (very slow trance): Enigma - MCMXC A.D
Score: 9.2/10
Highs shimmer more than in my other albums.
Detail (variable tempo): Shpongle - Are You Shpongled?
Score: 9.5?/10
_______________________________________________
Vocals (singer): Silvy De Bie (slow trance) and Linda Mertens (fast trance).
Score: 9.8/10 and 9+/10
These belgian vocalists have a lot of information and emotion in their voices. Too bad most trance pop albums have some distortion...
Vocals (album) (fast trance): Milk Inc. - Closer
Score: 8.6/10
Vocals by Linda Mertens.
Vocals (album) (slow trance): Sylver - Chances
Score: 8.9/10
The most emotional vocals by Silvy De Bie. May sound too bright and harsh without tubes. Would get a much higher score otherwise!
Vocals (album) (very slow trance): Lesiem - Auracle
Score: 9.25/10
Similar to Enigma but slower. Every track is full of vocals and they are realistic, especially chorus. Became my favorite album after only 2-3 listens, never happened to me before!
Edit: Still is my favorite after 30+ listens.
_______________________________________________
Soundstage (very fast trance): Infected Mushroom - B.P. Empire
Score: 6.3/10
Big soundstage with lot of air which is immediately apparent from the beginning. I have 2 CDs for sale.
Soundstage (fast trance): Paul Van Dyk - Reflections
Score: 7.5/10
Soundstage (slow trance): Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds
Score: 7.5/10
Edit: A new CD is available here.
Soundstage (very slow trance): Enigma - Trilogy (3CD box)
Score: 9/10
CD1
Wide, deep and accurate. Lot of space, especially when monks are singing in 'MCMXC a.D.'. Feels like you are someplace else!!
CD2
Moaning female in beginning of track 2 of 'The Cross Of Changes' sounds like she is 50+ meters on the left. 3 times as wide soundstage than in LOTR in this case.
CD3
In track 9 of 'Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!' the soundstage is very large. Based on the echo it sounds like the room is 200 meters deep!
Soundstage (variable tempo): Shpongle - Are You Shpongled?
Score: 8.5?/10
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Overall (very fast trance): Shiva Chandra - Change Of Air
Score: 7.6/10
High quality and good music too! More complex and subtle than the others.
Overall (fast trance): Paul Van Dyk - Reflections (SACD)
Score: 7.50/10
This album is on SACD for a reason! For example track 6 has triangle sounds in the beginning, and then it shows the good soundstage width, and then birds (very realistic), vocals, thunder, deep bass... All good!
Overall (slow trance): Chicane - Behind The Sun (@768 kHz upsampling)
Score: 8.24/10
This album has everything but too little of it, that's why my previous review got such a low score.
Best deep bass and detail. Triangle, piano, strings, bell and cymbal sounding instruments. Many speed instruments.
Good female vocals with emotion. Male vocals (not so good). Heavy mid-bass in some tracks. Subtle soundstage. Low noise floor. Trance sound effects. Nature sounds...
I can't think of anything this album doesn't have. This is now my new reference album!
Overall (very slow trance): Enigma - MCMXC A.D
Score: 8.44/10
Everything is good with this album. It is slightly better than 'The Cross Of Changes' (8.30/10).
Overall (variable tempo): Shpongle - Are You Shpongled?
Score: 9.4?/10
Shpongle makes the highest quality trance, there is nobody even close!
_______________________________________________
My classical reference album: Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
Transparency: 7.5/10
Speed (trombone): 9.7/10
Speed (trumpet): 10+/10 (too fast for my system, perhaps Valhalla speaker cable for K1000 solves it.)
Bass (drums): 9.5/10
Detail: 9.5/10
Vocals: 8+/10
Soundstage: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.8
If you like trance you may like this classical album too, especially track 11 that has very fast violins (02:35). Track 4 is also similar to uplifting trance melodies (02:25). This album is worth it for those two tracks alone.
_______________________________________________
Astral Projection and Chicane are discontinued! Reflections SACD is hard to find. The rest should be easily available.
Okay, so any recommendations? I would love to hear them...
10 score = Reference = Limit of Redbook CD or human ear.
Slower trance is normally higher quality, so I list different speeds separately.
_______________________________________________
Transparency (very fast trance): Shiva Chandra - Auricular
Score: 9.0/10
Shiva Chandra makes scary music.
Transparency (fast trance): Sarah McLachlan - Remixed
Score: 7.6/10
It almost sounds like the sounds are inside the room and you can reach over and touch them.
Transparency (slow trance): Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds
Score: 8.0/10
This album is the only album that made me scared enough for my body to develop adrenaline, those sounds in track 11 were floating so close to me I was scared they would hit me...
The string instrument is very realistic and you can hear the friction of the fingers on the strings.
This 1997 album is discontinued but can be found used on eBay for $50-100. I paid $70 for one with horrible tiny scratches (excellent condition
Edit: A new CD is available here.
Transparency (very slow trance): Deep Forest - Boheme
Score: 9.2/10
Deep Forest makes transparent music that is scary at times.
Transparency (variable tempo): Shpongle - Are You Shpongled?
Score: 9.6?/10
More transparent than classical albums I own. Those water sounds are very realistic, it sounds great with a fast and smooth system (Read: Maximum power conditioning and AKG K1000).
_______________________________________________
Speed (very fast trance): Compiled by Dj Dusk - Urban Awakening
Score: 10/10
A true reference album for speed. It has many different speeds for every system, slow to fast, it even has electric guitars (8 score) for those with Grados.
Track 7 is the fastest where the speed sound matches my system perfectly. The "increasing speed sound" starts blending together very late. That sound usually hovers somewhere between 9.7 and 10.1. The whole track has that sound and variations of it!
_______________________________________________
Mid-bass: Astral Projection - Another World
Score: 10/10
Completely INSANE bass, I have heard nothing close to this!
AKG K1000 + Krell KAV-500i + Nordost Valhalla power cord = Match made in heaven.
After upgrading my system the bass just kept getting better and more controlled. In track 6 "Trance Dance" at 00:42 - 00:44 the 2 second bass sequence has 17+ non-linear super-heavy beats (it sounds like a melody), and they are perfectly controlled with the Valhalla power cord. Any lesser equipment and those beats blend together and it sounds slower, it makes me wonder who they made this album for since good aftermarket power cords didn't exist back then.
There are also other 2 second bass sequence melodies like:
Track 7: 06:00 - 06:02. But only with 12 beats or so.
Track 2: 01:35 - 01:37 and 04:22 - 04:24.
There are also linear bass sequences like track 8 at 01:18 - 01:19 where the bass incrementally changes from light to heavy, pretty cool if the system is good enough.
Deep bass: Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds
Score: 10/10
There is nothing close to this, goes far lower than any of my headphones can do. In the beginning of track 4 it makes my body start vibrating. It almost makes a subwoofer a requirement for this album, but I don't want to get sick from the deep bass.
Edit: This album makes K1000 vibrate which is good massage for the sides of my head. However, a good system is required to make this happen. 'Chicane - Behind The Sun' album also makes it vibrate, but only in track 1 and 2.
Edit2: A new CD is available here.
_______________________________________________
Detail (very fast trance): Infected Mushroom - B.P. Empire
Score: 8.2/10
Surprisingly high detail for Psy Trance!
Detail (fast trance): Paul Van Dyk - Reflections (SACD)
Score: 8.7/10
Triangle sounds in beginning of track 6 benefit from high-end equipment. Decay of the subtle triangle sounds in track 12 is something I didn't notice before, needs ever better equipment for that.
I found my Hybrid SACD album on amazon.de for €30, ouch it is €70 there now (better get the Redbook CD for $14 instead!). But I don't have a SACD player and only use the redbook layer on it.
Detail (slow trance): Chicane - Behind The Sun (@768 kHz upsampling)
Score: 9.7/10
I didn't know detail was there until my last power cord upgrade for my system. This is the only album (except Psy Trance) that I need to listen without tubes!
Very subtle shimmering highs (track 5 02:29 for example). A solid-state system is required to hear it good. "Crystal" sounds in track 1 blend together if upsampling isn't used.
Detail (very slow trance): Enigma - MCMXC A.D
Score: 9.2/10
Highs shimmer more than in my other albums.
Detail (variable tempo): Shpongle - Are You Shpongled?
Score: 9.5?/10
_______________________________________________
Vocals (singer): Silvy De Bie (slow trance) and Linda Mertens (fast trance).
Score: 9.8/10 and 9+/10
These belgian vocalists have a lot of information and emotion in their voices. Too bad most trance pop albums have some distortion...
Vocals (album) (fast trance): Milk Inc. - Closer
Score: 8.6/10
Vocals by Linda Mertens.
Vocals (album) (slow trance): Sylver - Chances
Score: 8.9/10
The most emotional vocals by Silvy De Bie. May sound too bright and harsh without tubes. Would get a much higher score otherwise!
Vocals (album) (very slow trance): Lesiem - Auracle
Score: 9.25/10
Similar to Enigma but slower. Every track is full of vocals and they are realistic, especially chorus. Became my favorite album after only 2-3 listens, never happened to me before!
Edit: Still is my favorite after 30+ listens.
_______________________________________________
Soundstage (very fast trance): Infected Mushroom - B.P. Empire
Score: 6.3/10
Big soundstage with lot of air which is immediately apparent from the beginning. I have 2 CDs for sale.
Soundstage (fast trance): Paul Van Dyk - Reflections
Score: 7.5/10
Soundstage (slow trance): Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds
Score: 7.5/10
Edit: A new CD is available here.
Soundstage (very slow trance): Enigma - Trilogy (3CD box)
Score: 9/10
CD1
Wide, deep and accurate. Lot of space, especially when monks are singing in 'MCMXC a.D.'. Feels like you are someplace else!!
CD2
Moaning female in beginning of track 2 of 'The Cross Of Changes' sounds like she is 50+ meters on the left. 3 times as wide soundstage than in LOTR in this case.
CD3
In track 9 of 'Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!' the soundstage is very large. Based on the echo it sounds like the room is 200 meters deep!
Soundstage (variable tempo): Shpongle - Are You Shpongled?
Score: 8.5?/10
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Overall (very fast trance): Shiva Chandra - Change Of Air
Score: 7.6/10
High quality and good music too! More complex and subtle than the others.
Overall (fast trance): Paul Van Dyk - Reflections (SACD)
Score: 7.50/10
This album is on SACD for a reason! For example track 6 has triangle sounds in the beginning, and then it shows the good soundstage width, and then birds (very realistic), vocals, thunder, deep bass... All good!
Overall (slow trance): Chicane - Behind The Sun (@768 kHz upsampling)
Score: 8.24/10
This album has everything but too little of it, that's why my previous review got such a low score.
Best deep bass and detail. Triangle, piano, strings, bell and cymbal sounding instruments. Many speed instruments.
Good female vocals with emotion. Male vocals (not so good). Heavy mid-bass in some tracks. Subtle soundstage. Low noise floor. Trance sound effects. Nature sounds...
I can't think of anything this album doesn't have. This is now my new reference album!
Overall (very slow trance): Enigma - MCMXC A.D
Score: 8.44/10
Everything is good with this album. It is slightly better than 'The Cross Of Changes' (8.30/10).
Overall (variable tempo): Shpongle - Are You Shpongled?
Score: 9.4?/10
Shpongle makes the highest quality trance, there is nobody even close!
_______________________________________________
My classical reference album: Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
Transparency: 7.5/10
Speed (trombone): 9.7/10
Speed (trumpet): 10+/10 (too fast for my system, perhaps Valhalla speaker cable for K1000 solves it.)
Bass (drums): 9.5/10
Detail: 9.5/10
Vocals: 8+/10
Soundstage: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.8
If you like trance you may like this classical album too, especially track 11 that has very fast violins (02:35). Track 4 is also similar to uplifting trance melodies (02:25). This album is worth it for those two tracks alone.
_______________________________________________
Astral Projection and Chicane are discontinued! Reflections SACD is hard to find. The rest should be easily available.
Okay, so any recommendations? I would love to hear them...
