[mahkook]

I have a question for others with the Norah Jones CD "come away with me" When I listen to it, there is some pretty bad distortion at the upper frequencies (when her voice hits a high note) that I am hoping is just a bad copy of the CD and not a fault with all of these. I know it isn't my system as I have gone through several different amps, DACs, and other changes since getting this CD and it has always been there. Plus I have other CD's with higher frequency sounds and there is no distortion there!

Does anyone else have this problem with the CD???? I love her music and would love to be able to listen to it on my headphones without being killed by this noise... painful to listen to....

 

[tom hankins]

I'm glad I dont like the CD because I cant take the hissing type sound on alot of the songs.

 

[NightWoundsTime]

yes it is in every pressing, including SACD.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahkook When I listen to it, there is some pretty bad distortion at the upper frequencies (when her voice hits a high note) that I am hoping is just a bad copy of the CD and not a fault with all of these.

Yupp, it distorts pretty badly. At first I thought my Senns were broken. They were not. I find this album unbearable with headphones, highly disappointing as her voice truely deserves non-deaf staff in recording & mastering. AFAIK (just do a search) the SACD is just as bad. Actually I do wonder how something as bad as this can even be released in the first place, and how such obvious flaws cannot be taken care of when released *later* on SACD. It's beyond me.

 

[mahkook]

depressing news.....

Maybe there will be a live version of her recordings that will come out some day and not have this problem.

One can always dream....

 

[jmzzz01]

Isn't it funny how with the purchase of almost any other product, the company would stand behind it and refund your money if you bought a defective one? Not with music it seems. Also, how many people do you think listened to that recording before it's release? How could someone not notice?

 

[Zanth]

AWFUL recording. I heard it once and wanted to toss it. Now, I don't like the music that much either so it would have been fine...yet my wife loves it and could stand the distortion so it stuck around. Oh well whatever...I try to listen to each cd I buy before my money exists my wallet. If it's mailorder I listen to mp3s first then determine the music is what I like, then I will hesitate only if the music was just good enough to warrant a purchase. If so, then I will comb various boards to make sure the sound is good. If I love the music, then I don't care how bad the recording is, as long as I have the goods.

 

[Jasper994]

This is the strangest thing... I remember very clearly this being mentioned quite a bit in the past. I also remember very clearly hearing the distortion. Since I got the 1212m I haven't ever heard it again. I mean there are very minor flaws, but not the prevelent distortion I recall. Something else quite strange is that most other music will set off my clipping meter in a minimum +4 session with all volume meters at 0 and the trim pot turned off. This recording does not. It hits the top of the meter constantly but never actually sets of the clipping meter. Again, I've tried this with several different headphones (just now with E5's and 280 pros) and don't hear all the distortion I recall... I'm really not sure of what to make of it.

 

[tattoou2]

Didn't like it all...less than mediocre.

 

[NightWoundsTime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper994 This is the strangest thing... I remember very clearly this being mentioned quite a bit in the past. I also remember very clearly hearing the distortion. Since I got the 1212m I haven't ever heard it again. I mean there are very minor flaws, but not the prevelent distortion I recall. Something else quite strange is that most other music will set off my clipping meter in a minimum +4 session with all volume meters at 0 and the trim pot turned off. This recording does not. It hits the top of the meter constantly but never actually sets of the clipping meter. Again, I've tried this with several different headphones (just now with E5's and 280 pros) and don't hear all the distortion I recall... I'm really not sure of what to make of it.

This is very odd indeed. I was under the impression that the clipping was way back on the master, just way too hot. It didn't seem like any of that sound could have been coming from the various players I've heard it in. Check again on Come Away With Me, first track. Really the first peak she hits (I waited...). That A is really distorted.

Is it possible for the cd to be recorded loudly enough to clip in most standalone players?

BTW I'm in the camp of still enjoying her music very much even with recording flaws. But one of my favorite recordings is The Microphones - The Glow Pt 2. It's an exercise in bad recording, but the music and atmosphere are brilliant. I once met Phil Evrum (the whole of the Microphones) and talked to him a lot about his recording techniques. Seems he'll try anything once, like mic'ing the drums from the hall outside the studio

 

[Jasper994]

I was over at Iron_Dreamer's apt today and we both listened to it and heard no major flaws. We were using the DAC1 and E5's