Question is in the heading Bruce. Do you have a specific set of tracks you find more useful to evaluating digital products?
What music do you use to evaluate DACs?
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Is the question for more than Bruce? If so, anything that has strong high frequency content, say crash cymbals, string quartets, etc
Frank
Yes, cymbals are good... but quiet cymbals. Things like brushes on a snare, ride cymbal, triangle. I like things that you can hear the decay all the way out to blackness.
I'll list some of my "go to" music tomorrow.
I'll list some of my "go to" music tomorrow.
That would be great Bruce. We sorely need better "test vectors" here.
You general description very much matches my experience but I have long lost my reference tracks and hence my question.
You general description very much matches my experience but I have long lost my reference tracks and hence my question.
One of my all-time references:
http://www.amazon.com/Kroumata-Perc...=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1302523791&sr=1-2
Wide ranging selections that include all-out single drum smashes that decay into a huge soundstage, coupled with small gongs, wood blocks, thunder sheets, and everything else that you can hit and produce sound.
Lee
http://www.amazon.com/Kroumata-Perc...=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1302523791&sr=1-2
Wide ranging selections that include all-out single drum smashes that decay into a huge soundstage, coupled with small gongs, wood blocks, thunder sheets, and everything else that you can hit and produce sound.
Lee
I think the music I listen to the most is probably good evaluation material -- small ensemble jazz, acoustic rock with light percussion, music with a lot of natural instruments and quite a bit of "space" in it. But maybe I'm wrong. Tell me this: If I wanted to hear jitter in my systems, what would I listen for? Most of what I've heard described as jitter are harsh, fatiguing trebles. That could be anything. I've heard it at home. I changed recordings and heard it go away. I've heard it at the store. I changed speakers and it went away. I've listened for ragged reverb tails and pre-echo. Nothing. Is there something that is very specifically jitteresque to listen for?
Tim
Tim
Tim-Jitter is the digital boogeyman that is always hiding in the closet and waiting to jump out and scare you and ruin your audiophile day. Even when you don’t hear the digital boogeyman, he’s always in the back of your mind taunting you. He will make you change recordings and speakers in order to make him go away.
Seriously, I think Bruce pretty much explained what you have to listen for, but you have to know what is on the recording in the first place. It doesn’t help to listen for a cymbal being softly struck and decaying into blackness if you don’t know what it should sound like based on experience.
Seriously, I think Bruce pretty much explained what you have to listen for, but you have to know what is on the recording in the first place. It doesn’t help to listen for a cymbal being softly struck and decaying into blackness if you don’t know what it should sound like based on experience.
I have a pretty good idea what a cymbal should sound like. I've logged hundreds of hours in rehearsal rooms and on stage with them, and quite a few in studios. I probably have a better idea of what they're supposed to sound like than most audiophiles. What they're supposed to sound like when they are jittered is what evades me. I have a really clean headphone system ending in really good transducers. If it's there, I should be able to pick it out.
Tim
Tim-I need to clairify my remark. When I said you need to know what the cymbal sounds like when it is softly struck and decays into blackness, I was referring to knowing what it sounds like on a recording that you are very familiar with so you can use that recording as a reference. I know you know what cymbals sound like in real life Tim. And we both know that the pure energy, tone, shimmer, and harmonics of cymbals is not really captured on our recordings anywhere close to what they sound like in the flesh. Or at least I don't think so.
Here is one I especially like. It's the Sheffield Drum and Track that I remastered for the FIM label. The label wanted more punch and felt the original was too dry. We did some ambience recovery and made it sound more "live". You can definitely hear the decay of the cymbals and drum transients all the way into the blackness.
Attachments
-
Sheffield..jpg
I have the original D2D LP. I always like the side with Keltner playing the best. This really is a torture test for systems.
One cool piece that I just finished up a couple months ago is a solo piano album by Jovino Santos-Neto. This was recorded over 2 days at the Fazioli Salon in NY. The last track is solo piano with the sustain pedal on all the other pianos in the studio engaged.
The album is on the Adventure music label.
The album is on the Adventure music label.
Hi Bruce,
Which version do you suggest? Do you recommend the 2004 XRCD24 disc or the 2010 as shown in the photo?
Rich
The one shown in the photo. The decay is too quick and dry for the XRCD version.
I just finished this a month or so ago so they're not out yet. I'll let you know when they're available. The title of the discs will be "Adventure Music Piano Masters" I think this was Vol. 2
There will be a Vol. 3 that we did with Weber Iago.
In a thread somewhere else, I recommended the Yamamoto Trio "What A Wonderful Trio". The 1st and 3rd tracks are best. The first track has a quet cymbal strike and the 3rd track has multiple, harder cymbal strikes. The 3rd track, you'll notice the texture of the transient and body more than the decay.
Attachments
-
fimdx079..jpg
Another track I like is the 1st track on Oscar Peterson's "We Get Requests". You can hear the brushes hit and slide across the snare. All throughout the piece you can hear the musicians talk and hum along with the music.
Attachments
-
Oscar..jpg
I've already mentioned this one before in another thread:
If your system can do this one cleanly and sweetly, without harshness, then you're well on your way ...
Frank
If your system can do this one cleanly and sweetly, without harshness, then you're well on your way ...
Frank
Similar threads
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Co-Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |