Hopkins' System

[hopkins]

Listening to the Peggy Lee video on my phone and comparing it to the sound of the same track played on the Qobuz app of my phone, it is obvious that there is some lower bass missing - but the vocals sound pretty good, and oddly enough the bass is not really missed that much when listening to the speakers. Even with modern tracks - I was playing "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk this afternoon - the sound is really engaging and easy to "get into" (I attribute that to the high transparency). But I am sure that properly implemented sub-woofers (perhaps even in the corners behind the listening point) could sound really good. Maybe someday...

 

[hopkins]

I received the panels that will be hung on my back wall next week. They look nice (IMO), and the build quality is very good.



The wood panel behind will be moved to the side wall.

The 3 panels have PET felt. They are available in either 5 or 10cm depth. I chose the 5 cm depth for esthetic considerations, and I don't expect them to "transform" the sound in my room, but they should definitely help.

They are made in the Czech Republic:

Ekustik Premium Acoustics

Don’t settle for anything less than the extraordinary. Our acoustic products are handmade in the Czech Republic to the highest craftsmanship standards. Only sustainable and safe materials are used. Request a free acoustic consultation and visualization today.

www.ekustik.eu

The company answered all my questions promptly. The panels were well packaged and arrived safely. So I can recommend them!

 

[hopkins]

In terms of sound quality, I expect that it should give a little more focus to the sound of my open baffle speakers, but I'll see. My room is over 11 meters long, so it makes sense to have the largest (well, longest) space possible behind the open baffle speakers, and have some form or room treatment on the back wall. On one of the side walls, I have my TV in front of a large window with an acoustic curtain. By rotating the TV, the sound from the speakers can be reflected away from the listening position.

On the other side wall, there is a couch and I plan to test redirecting first reflections as well. It is interesting to experiment.

I have bass traps in each back corner. I'm not terribly happy with the way they look, and may just replace them with something more discreet.

Work in progress...

 

[hopkins]

Low-fi (budget-wise) but fun!

 

[hopkins]

I was listening to some B.B. King last night and remembered an LP I used to play a lot when I was around 15:

https://www.discogs.com/release/2245812-BB-King-On-Stage-Live

It is a live recording (EDIT - it is actually an audience overdub! see below). It has an excellent version of "Sweet Sixteen", in which a spectator is screaming her head off throughout the performance. I found that version on YouTube:

I ordered the LP on discogs.

Since my early teens (late 70s) I was lucky to have a small cheap record player in my room, with two small speakers. I do not remember what model it was. I still have vivid memories of some of the music I played at the time (like those screams on Sweet Sixteen). I would be curious to listen to that same record player today and see what it sounded like!

 

[hopkins]

As it turns out, the LP is made of early studio recordings with overdubbed audience noise!

Strange choice to have those wild screams in there, but it works, and his early sound is so good!

LIVE! B.B. KING ON STAGE

LIVE! B.B. KING ON STAGE is meant to take us back the late 50's chitlin circuit. Released in 1965, the album compiles his early 50’s RPM recordings with an overdubbed MC and audience. Somehow the...

www.bluesneoba.org

I believe this is the original track which was overdubbed:

It was recorded in 1959. Great song and performance.

He sings about his love for a woman who wants to leave him.

"You can treat me mean baby
But I'll keep on loving you just the same
But one of these days, baby
You're gonna give a lot of money
To hear someone call my name
Yeah, Sweet Sixteen..."

This compilation by Fremeaux is nice:

Listen to the release B.B. King 1949-1962 The Indispensable (The Indispensable) by B.B. King on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/album/3561302541426

 

[hopkins]

Here's a cool video of Charles Brown performing live that song I recorded above:

Here's an artist who remained at the top of his game until he passed away.

The original album is really enjoyable and is well recorded:

 

[hopkins]

Really enjoyed listening (again) to this tonight, so I recorded it to share it

Ellington with a South American touch.

He was quite the world traveller. This blog post about his State Department sponsored "Far Easy" tour is interesting:

Far of the Middle: Ellington's 1963 State Department Tour

The third State Department tour of the Middle East which sent Duke Ellington and His Orchestra on the bumpy roads of the troubled regi...

ehsankhoshbakht.blogspot.com

Different times... Obviously the political landscape has completely changed since 1963. Today, in Iran, they jail and kill musicians!