is there an instrument you listen for in particular when evaluating a system?

[dsavitsk]

Quote:

Originally posted by fewtch Hmmm... I'm a huge fan of analog synth music (in fact I collect those Moog records from the late 60's and love the sound of early synths), but... how the heck does this help evaluate a system?

On the last track of Emmylou Harris's Roses in the Snow (a bonus track called Rot Like a Rose) there is an electric synth (the credits are for Rhodes Piano) that is really hard to get right. When it is right, however, it is something special.

Reproducing the melody out of one of these may not be difficult, but getting that analog sound right (see my comments on electric guitar above) is.

-d

 

[john_jcb]

I like the piano if I had to pick one followed by acoustic guitar and drums. When listening to drums I like to hear pieces that use brushes or rakes. Some systems it sounds like static but in the better setups you can hear the brush on the drum.

 

[dparrish]

1. Piano
2. Strings


Piano is, IMO, the most telling of a system's neutrality. It has the widest range of the instruments listed (except organ). It requires a system that can reproduce the very quick transient of the attack, plus the airy decay of sustained sounds complete with overtones. One can quickly get a sense of bass, midrange, and treble production by listening to this one instrument's reproduction.

Strings get my vote for #2. IMO, they are the one instrument most often reproduced incorrectly by most systems. This is often due to poor recording technique (miking too close, dead acoustics, etc.), but also because of poor reproduction of high frequencies by the sound equipment as well. I believe that to sound correct, frequency response must be as flat as possible and extend way beyond 20,000 khz. I believe this to be one reason that high-rez formats (SACD, DVD-A) reproduce string sound (properly recorded) so much better.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

All the above! There is no single instrument I can think of to properly test a system. Each brings its own challenges and parameters for testing how good they are reproduced on my system. I have a track or two of each instrument to see how it sounds to my ears.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by dparrish Piano is, IMO, the most telling of a system's neutrality. It has the widest range of the instruments listed (except organ). It requires a system that can reproduce the very quick transient of the attack, plus the airy decay of sustained sounds complete with overtones. One can quickly get a sense of bass, midrange, and treble production by listening to this one instrument's reproduction.

IMO, it's also very difficult to record well (so that it sounds realistic). Better listen to a wide range of piano recordings if you're gonna use this to evaluate a system, because imho many of them sound so fake and unrealistic compared to actually standing next to a piano. Some of the piano recordings I've heard sound so bad that you could barely tell it's supposed to be piano except for the "piano solos" label on the CD.

 

[guzzler]

drums (since I play them), but i put piano as to make a piano sound natural is very hard to do (and don't forget, piano is technically a percussion instrument also!)

g

 

[Sovkiller]

Guitar for me, acoustic, my brothr used to play it, so I know how it have to sound more or less, also piano, or drums...

 

[Hajime]

The voice.

 

[MD1032]

No multiple selection.

I like to listen for the bass guitar, but they're often very inconsistent, and sometimes the recordings aren't all that great, so I'll switch on some bass-heavy rap or techno for that part, or some Rolling Stones song where they must stick the microphone INSIDE the bass drum or something

For critical listening, I must always choose a recording with a good acoustic guitar. I really don't listen for specific things, I just want it to sound good as a whole, and slam me into the wall. I try many things, all the way from bluegrass to rap.

Believe it or not, the drum set is pretty good for treble and bass at the same time, from the low drums to the hi-hat. The hi-hat is a good judge of how much distortion you're getting in the highs, and the bass drums give you an idea of the slam and extension.

 

[D-EJ915]

When I like to test systems, I just plunk my "The Transformers" soundtrack into the cd player, and load up the theme song, jack up the level, and wait till I can feel the kick drum, if the speakers can hold it well and still provide the kick in the pants, then I've got a good set of speakers (or subwoofer)...I mean, you can actually feel it in your body...it's awesome, but most people hate it when I do it

because it's really really loud, like PUH, tih, PUH, tih, etc. ...

 

[MusicLover]

Acoustic guitar, baby! One of the two most beautiful instrument there is (violin being the other). There's nothing like listening to a live acoustic performance, and I want the recording of the guitar to sound as close to live as possible. I know many people don't want the recordings to sound like live, as said in another thread, and I don't either, except for the acoustic guitar, because it sounds so damn beautiful!

I am also extremely picky with drums and percussion in general. Since my brother is a drummer, I know exactly what they sound like, and about 99% of recordings don't get it right. But for those that do, I want to take as much advantage of the recording as possible.

 

[dparrish]

Quote:

IMO, it's also very difficult to record well (so that it sounds realistic). Better listen to a wide range of piano recordings if you're gonna use this to evaluate a system, because imho many of them sound so fake and unrealistic compared to actually standing next to a piano. Some of the piano recordings I've heard sound so bad that you could barely tell it's supposed to be piano except for the "piano solos" label on the CD.

I don't think recordings of piano are any better or worse overall than that of other instruments---just that piano, being HARDER to both record and playback well, is a good gauge of one's system, thus proving my point.

My pick of piano as #1 assumes that you've chosen a good recording to begin with (many classical and jazz recordings are good examples).

 

[SteeleBlayde]

I try to listen to it all.

But on a speaker setup I'll give a bit more attention to woodwinds and brass. On headphones, I'll pay more attention to percussion and piano.

 

[Ctn]

Vocals, sax, piano, drums, flute, all sounds awesome on my system.

I love listening to those.

 

[jefemeister]

I vote piano. A piano has a very wide frequency range (basically everything but treble ~50 to 4000 Hz) and is capable of a very wide dynamic range. You can have some notes barely being played while others are being banged forcefully at the same time. Also, since a piano is a rather large instrument it can provide a lot of insight into the soundstage--so not only where is the piano in space, but where is the 88th key versus the 1st?