[toddrhodes]

   
"Putting down"?
 
Chill out guys, I'm just having a laugh. It was just a dig at my own age, that's all. For the record, the vast majority of music I listen to these days is from just the last few years. I do have The Miseducation too, and it's good. It's not my taste to be honest but I can recognise real talent when I hear it.
 
I also have everything with Norah Jones in it, of course. I think she's wonderful. Have you heard Puss 'n' Boots? You all should give it a listen.
 
As for the previously mentioned Bon Iver, well, what can I say? I am a fan of his genre but not him in particular. The voice does my nut in.
 
If you want to hear the HD 650 at what I consider it's very best you could do a lot worse than listen to Beck's Sea Change..
 

 
Relax man, "I'm picking up what you're putting down" is just a colloquialism, kind of a play on words I suppose, to suggest "I get what you're saying" or in my case "maybe I don't get what you're saying." I didn't mean to infer you were putting anything down. Although, your words were clear and didn't really leave much room for interpretation.

 

[Solrighal]

  Hi res of course  And Morning Phase is hard to overlook. 

 
I don't have the hi-res version. Is it much better? Most hi-res music I've heard is little better than the original.
 
I haven't gotten around to Morning Phase yet but I'll get it eventually. I have everything else though.

 

[Solrighal]

   
Relax man, "I'm picking up what you're putting down" is just a colloquialism, kind of a play on words I suppose, to suggest "I get what you're saying" or in my case "maybe I don't get what you're saying." I didn't mean to infer you were putting anything down. Although, your words were clear and didn't really leave much room for interpretation.

 
There's always room for interpretation

 

[toddrhodes]

Going to check out Sea Change now, except my 650's are at work so the home system it is!

 

[MattTCG]

   
I don't have the hi-res version. Is it much better? Most hi-res music I've heard is little better than the original.
 
I haven't gotten around to Morning Phase yet but I'll get it eventually. I have everything else though.

 
Very well mastered music is still excellent regardless IMO. I liked Sea Change so much that when Morning Phase came out that I went ahead and paid for the hi-res. If you don't have it, get it. It's great music and incredibly well recorded. 

 

[Solrighal]

   
Very well mastered music is still excellent regardless IMO. I liked Sea Change so much that when Morning Phase came out that I went ahead and paid for the hi-res. If you don't have it, get it. It's great music and incredibly well recorded. 

 
I've just added it to my Amazon wish list as you typed that. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Solrighal]

I should say that while I've owned this Beck stuff & loved it all for years it only really started to sing once I got the valve amp. I think Sea Change in particular really suits the glow that a valve amp adds to the show. On my O2 it sounded good but on the Project Ember it's almost a religious experience. It's that good, in my opinion.

 

[mikoss]

Matt, is the hi-res you have the original master, or the MFSL?
 
This album was released in pretty much every format. Very nice guitar and one of my faves... although I really like the 90's upbeat Beck albums as well.

 

[MattTCG]

Mine is an original master. I did not know that there was an MFSL version. 

 

[Solrighal]

I have the MFSL version too. It's 16-bit though. I've never really understood all the different versions to be honest.

 

[mikoss]

  Mine is an original master. I did not know that there was an MFSL version. 

Gain2... I think Gain was teh gooder, but it's worth checking out... they released it on MFSL on vinyl as well. Very pricey pink vinyl.

 

[toddrhodes]

Anything MFSL is going to be good, IMO. As the Yggy has shown, even Redbook can be out of this world, or so I've heard. While I will say I have a certain affinity for many of the albums released in 1973, our options for playback these days absolutely dwarf what was available back then. It truly is a great time to love music
 
Zorro, were you helping me out in the Project Ember thread? Mine gets here Thursday

 

[Solrighal]

  Anything MFSL is going to be good, IMO. As the Yggy has shown, even Redbook can be out of this world, or so I've heard. While I will say I have a certain affinity for many of the albums released in 1973, our options for playback these days absolutely dwarf what was available back then. It truly is a great time to love music
 
Zorro, were you helping me out in the Project Ember thread? Mine gets here Thursday

 
 
Absolutely mate! Although I'm getting on a bit I'm not one of those oldies who harks back to the good old days. I truly believe music is better today than it's ever been. It's possibly a bit harder to find because, as well as the good stuff, there's a helluva lot of trash out there too.
 
And yes, that's me on the Project Ember thread. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. As many have said, the HD 650 is particularly suited to a good valve amp.

 

[toddrhodes]

Well you were a big help, and I appreciate it. I'm actually looking to put tubes in my home setup, but that'll have to wait since I'm building out the headphone rig now.
 
I completely agree with you that today's music is fine for the most part - I'm sure there were a ton of "duds" back in the 70's and 80's too. So I don't put on the wrong impression, I'm only 35, so I wasn't even alive when most of that stuff was recorded. I just find that vintage or rock to be so well-recorded, and it just feels different but given the genre I usually stick to, it is certainly hardest-hit by the massive compression we see in recordings today. Even Metallica recordings from 1987 have more musicality to them than the recent stuff (Death Magnetic is an awful, awful recording). That's just an isolated example.
 
Can't wait to fire up the Beck albums after the game finishes up. I've been stepping out of my usual comfort zones and I honestly find it so much easier to do when the sound one receives through their headphones or home systems are as pure as they can be on today's digital hardware. For instance, I was just listening to some of Fleetwood Mac - Rumours earlier. Same with Van Morrison - Moondance. Neither are bands/performers I really find myself to be a big fan of, but damnit if their music doesn't sound amazing.

 

[Solrighal]

You make a good point there. I've found that the better the reproduction quality of your equipment the more varied is the music you find acceptable. I can now put on just about anything & get a kick out of it. Stuff I'd have never dreamed of listening to previously gets a good listen.
 
That's got to be a good thing. Music should broaden our horizons, not limit them.