[deadman_uk]

I'm not sure if this is a suitable place to post this thread so sorry if it's not.

I have a pair of Audio-Technica ART Monitor ATH-700 headphones and a set of Altec Lansing MX5021 speakers. I also have a Creative Soundblaster X-fi XtremeMusic soundcard.

I want to hear very realistic sounds and high quality audio but so far, I have been unable to find many examples.

I came across something called holophonic, which so far has been the most impressive for me with my headphones. If you don't know what holophonic is, here are some samples...

http://www.holophonic.ch/intro.php

http://media.putfile.com/Virtual-Barbershop

http://www.unoriginal.co.uk/holophonics.html

It only sounds good on headphones so I heard but it's very impressive. I want to hear more realistic audio, does anyone have any links?

 

[TheVinylRipper]

There is a link on this page to download a binaurally recorded performance of the Milwaukee Symphony.

http://www.milwaukeesymphony.org/sym...erchandise.asp

 

[audioengr]

No content is going to deliver what you want until you upgrade your components. IMO, these are simply not capable of delivering "live" sounds.

If you are on a beer budget, I would recommend a Benchmark DAC-1 USB.

 

[jbloudg20]

go outside

 

[EnOYiN]

Check the music forum for the "binaural thread"

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbloudg20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif go outside

Haha, that got me laughing good.

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audioengr /img/forum/go_quote.gif No content is going to deliver what you want until you upgrade your components. IMO, these are simply not capable of delivering "live" sounds. If you are on a beer budget, I would recommend a Benchmark DAC-1 USB.

I'm not going to but out of interest, what would I need to upgrade? What can't my hardware do that's required. I don't want live sounds, I understand I need to spend in the thousands for that, but close to that would be good.

A few suggestions for binaurally here but isn't holophonic suppose to be superior to this?

 

[poo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audioengr /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are on a beer budget, I would recommend a Benchmark DAC-1 USB.

Not really a beer budget product... but nice nonetheless.

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbloudg20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif go outside

Exactly what I was going to say when I entered this thread.

x2 FTW!!!

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorander /img/forum/go_quote.gif Exactly what I was going to say when I entered this thread. x2 FTW!!!

I didn't post on an audio forum where most of you obviously care about great sounding audio to get replies like that.... completely unhelpful

What exactly does a Benchmark DAC-1 USB do?

 

[bigshot]

There are two keys to realistic sound... one that you can't control, and one you can. The one you can't control is how the album was recorded and mixed. Microphone placement is an important part of a natural soundstage. But since the Beatles, overdubbing and close miking has muddled all that up. The best you can do is make sure your speakers are about eight feet apart and listen to music that is recorded naturally.

The part you can help with is frequency response. Too much bass or too much treble can make the sound imbalanced and can make natural acoustic instruments sound like synthesizers. Listen carefully to well-recorded acoustic music and try to adjust your tone controls or equalization so the instruments sound real to you. This can be quite a trick, but it makes a big difference. Better speakers will give you better results.

Hope this helps
Steve

 

[deadman_uk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are two keys to realistic sound... one that you can't control, and one you can. The one you can't control is how the album was recorded and mixed. Microphone placement is an important part of a natural soundstage. But since the Beatles, overdubbing and close miking has muddled all that up. The best you can do is make sure your speakers are about eight feet apart and listen to music that is recorded naturally. The part you can help with is frequency response. Too much bass or too much treble can make the sound imbalanced and can make natural acoustic instruments sound like synthesizers. Listen carefully to well-recorded acoustic music and try to adjust your tone controls or equalization so the instruments sound real to you. This can be quite a trick, but it makes a big difference. Better speakers will give you better results. Hope this helps Steve

I understand what you are saying and thanks. I have a large collection of MP3's ranging from 128kbps to 320kbps and they are of different genres. Some are dance, some pop, some rock, some classical etc. I use winamp as my media player. How do I ensure my music is sounding the best it can?

I think the equalizer on winamp plays an important role in the sounding of my music but having so many different genres of music and having the equalizer remaining in the same static position can't be doing my music much good can it?

About realistic sounds, am I right in saying holoponic is the best type of audio I can download at the moment?

 

[bigshot]

Equalization has very little to do with genre. The setting for a good classical recording should be the same setting for a good rock recording. The problem comes in with poorly recorded or mixed material. There are two types of EQing... the first type is calibrating your system so you correct for imbalances in your speakers or room acoustics. The second is correcting for individual recordings.

If you want good sounding music, look for well recorded and mastered albums. Ask for recommendations in whatever genre you are looking for. But remember, the music is what matters, not the recording technique.

See ya
Steve

 

[poo]

I think it is worth noting that you have a variety of lossy file types. That in itself is not going to provide the 'realistic' sound you are chasing. The audio has been altered and is not the same as an original recording. How much influence this has on 'realisim' is up to you I guess, and depends on how you define realistic sound. I personally think that the sound of an album can be quite varied from one system to another, without any of those systems sounding 'unrealistic'.

I guess what I am driving at is that there seems to be a number of things you can achieve with your audio that won't cost you anything, and give you as much of a quality increase as an expensive component.

Try lossless audio formats, try ASIO output, and look at other simple things in your system that could be changed for the better, that won't cost much.

I would also advise that you reconsider what you are trying to achieve via your equalizer settings. I originally used EQs quite alot, but now prefer to steer well clear of them altogether, instead combining components whose sound is pleasing to me.

Holophonic sound is really just a marketing term. It doesn't really do anything different than any other sound recording. If you listen to the audio files you posted through a good 2 channel system, you get the same effect as headphones. I wouldn't invest too much time in it from a musical audio point of view.

 

[bigshot]

It's impossible to achieve balanced frequency response through component matching.

See ya
Steve