[hembergler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cerbie I fairly recently got Takk... and (), and, well, I can't say I really love it, but I keep wanting to hear it. Quite odd, to be honest. My attraction to it is very different from most of the rest of what I listen to.

That's what happened to me, and eventually I grew to love it.

 

[J-Pak]

Sigur Ros is beautifully composed and recorded music. So nice to relax to.

 

[Eisenhower]

this whole time I thought sigur ros was a movie. thanks for clearing that up.

 

[breadcrumbs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by asmox Maybe I just don't get it.. but as it stands, Sigur Ros is close to the top of my 'Why in the world do people like this band so much..?' list.

Mine too. I own AB, ( ) and Takk, and all three send me to sleep. I don't think they're very epic at all to tell the truth. Still, I haven't heard them live, and they're meant to be good there.

 

[Scotty757]

I didnt like sigur at all until I gave Untitled 8 (The Pop Song) a listen at considerable volume.

Its....sublime.

 

[xantus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scotty757 I didnt like sigur at all until I gave Untitled 8 (The Pop Song) a listen at considerable volume. Its....sublime.

indeed. if anyone thinks this peice is 'boring and sleepy' and doesn't feel the wild epic surges...then they just don't have the attention span and emotion for this kind of music.

 

[mbd]

Try and see Sigur Ros live if you haven't - I'm pretty fussy when it comes to seeing live bands (easily bored), and after seeing them in Melbourne this year I can easily say it was one of the best shows I've seen in my life. I'm not a massive fan of their CDs, though I do like them, but their show was an experience.

There's a great documentary about the Icelandic music scene called Screaming Masterpiece which is well worth the time. I found out about another great Icelandic Band, Bang Gang from seeing it. Not a big fan of their name, but they also make beautiful music and will probably will appeal to fans of Sigur Ros.

 

[Doc Sarvis]

So...help me get into them. What album should I start with?

Has anyone heard them on vinyl?

 

[Xakepa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis So...help me get into them. What album should I start with? Has anyone heard them on vinyl?

Start with Agaetis Byrjun or Takk. And SQ is VERY important, don't settle for anything less than CD - I'm the biggest MP3 proponent, but not for SR. Bright/analytical setup will fit AB well. Get louder to pick details and soundstage.

Again, IMO their studio recordings are subpar, too dense. Their live performance could blow you away.

I never tried vinyl.

 

[Aman]

I have the vinyl releases for () and Takk. Takk, on vinyl, actually sounds quite nice. Much better than the CD. It was recorded on a totally analog rig, so this is not surprise to me.

() is still better than the CD, but not as much because of the sound quality increases, but because the experience makes more sense. The album is divided evenly and the listening experience becomes heightened in meaning due to the apparent differences between the first half and second half of the album.

Simply put, Sigur Ros is a band made for vinyl. And since they're so artistic about everything they do, not just for their music but also for their cover artwork and packing designs, the experienced is heightened that much more. The Takk vinyl release has a beautiful 'etch' picture on the very last side of the last LP instead of actual music. It's just wonderful to look at.

 

[tjkurita]

I am auditioning some Omega single driver speakers. They are monitors with full range fostex drivers.

When I listen to the first track on Takk, where the music gets more complicated, I can hear a good bit of compression. Instruments get difficult to delineate and it loses dynamic range. There is a general distancing/wall of sound (in a bad way). Basically it sounds like compression... I'm just wondering if the coherence of the driver is breaking down or if the recording is just really bad.

I am just looking for some confirmation of this. Is it the recording or the drivers? It is a rather noticable change/shortcoming in the sound.

It could be a compounding of the driver's faults and the bad recording.

I am using a Meridian G08 cd player and a custom 300B amp.

Can I get some comments on that recording as well as examples of Sigur Ros tracks (on any of their cds, I have them all) that don't demonstrate this compression in a complicated passage?

 

[Aman]

Sigur Ros tracks ARE slightly compressed, but it sounds like these problems are simply the speakers. Single-driver full-range speakers have a tough time imaging properly at times, especially as the music becomes more and more complex.

You may also be just simply experiencing the very lush, rich sound that Sigur Ros recordings have - they aren't supposed to be "accurate" but "heavenly", id est floating around in every which way direction. But more than likely, it's your speakers.

I listen to the Sigur Ros LPs on a system with a pair of Ohm MicroWalsh Tall speakers, which are omni-directional. The imaging is not the best, but the soundstage is so wide and heavenly! It's truly as if I'm surrounded by this endless orb of pure beauty. The slight compression hardly ever bothers me. Listening to Sigur Ros on a good pair of speakers is an EXPERIENCE!

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjkurita I am auditioning some Omega single driver speakers. They are monitors with full range fostex drivers.

Which model? And how do they sound? It would be interesting to read your impressions and then go back and listen to the albums and I can compare/contrast what I hear with what you hear for a better feel for those speakers, which I have been interested in in the past.

 

[tjkurita]

These Omega speakers have their limitations. It is a combination of the full range driver and the monitor configuration. I think some of the "compression" I am hearing has to do with the lack of bass extension. I can't imagine that these monitors go below 100 hz. So the "distant" "thin" or "compressed" sound I am hearing is due to the speakers inability to fill out the low and even lower-mid bass sounds. They can handle bass drums and percussive bass spikes. But they cannot maintain a prolonged assault. As a result, those parts of the second track on Takk, when the sound gets big becomes somewhat tipped up in the upper mids and trebles (there isn't much high end extension either) and loses mid bass warmth. So the sound gets crowded and unbalanced with some "transistor radio" effect. In a large enclosure, I think a good number of these problems are solved.

At the same time, they don't have the boxy or boomy bass that many monitors that claim bass down to 40 hz exhibit.

I paid $450 for these on the used market and I will probably sell them for that much when my Cain double horns arrive. These are a stop-gap. They are limited, but with a sub I think these things would sound great. They need a good, well integrated sub woofer, though. They sound really, really great with small jazz ensembles and even orchestral music that isn't crazy big. They can even handle My Bloody Valentine. Sigur Ros has extended frequencies that I hadn't noticed until now.

The CD is most definitely compressed, though.

I am comparing the speakers in frequency response to my HD 600. Obviously there are very, very few speakers that are going to have the frequency extension of headphones. The differences are obvious in this case.

But HP don't offer the soundstage and imaging that the Omegas have. Which is very far beyond the multi-way speakers I have heard.

Omegas are good speakers, but there is a big compromise in the small monitor size. It makes some of the shortcomings of the fostex 167 driver come through pretty clearly. But they destroy other speakers in the $450 dollar range. $450!!! that's crazy. It's crazy good sound for that kind of $.

 

[minimus]

I am a big Sigur Ros fan, saw them twice this year in New York. Personally, I think () is their best album to date. I thought Takk was a tad bit boring in spots, although I think "Saeglopur" from that album is the best single piece of music they have written.

If you are looking for a similar style of musical experience, I can recommend two albums:

Explosions in the Sky -- "The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place"
Godspeed you! black emperor -- "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven"

Less well known than Sigur Ros, but just as good (IMO...)