Don't know about electrets in particular. However, using my good hi-fi system my ears tell me there is more than FR involved with condenser versus dynamic mics. Listening on NS-10s is another matter entirely. Doesn't matter if I EQ NS-10s flat or even boost HF (or if I do the same with JBL M2s). Its not the same kind of low level detail, say, of dynamics in the midrange and or the bass is rubbery or tight. IOW, I trust my ears more than I trust simplified models that say the only things there are that affect sound are FR, PSS distortion, PSS noise, SINAD, and maybe 20KHz crosstalk. IMHO if someone really believes its that simple, or close to that simple, then that sets up its own expectation bias, and people only hear what they expect.
That song, that symphony, that opera, that backwoods Arkansas hoedown is ingrained in each and every one of us. It is the most beloved. I realize I am being a bit simplistic here but listen to that.
In terms of studio engineering I suggest Steely Dan and Pink Floyd. For voice I suggest Maria Callas and Eva Cassidy. Damn, that's a tough one because I love me some women, but no male singer, ever, approaches the female voice. Yo Yo Ma for strings. For guitar I lean towards the Spaniards. Again, a tough choice. If we could play guitar we wouldn't be on this forum. Symphonic music is recorded in the field because it doesn't fit in the studio. It requires a bit of imagination to fill in the spaces but if you have ever heard it live that comes easily. For piano-Monk. Just because he could twist a piano into something it was never meant to be. I could go on but I will revert to my former post. Find the best recording you can of your most beloved music. You have already heard it a thousand times. This gives you a basis for comparison. When you hear something you have never heard before you are on the right track. (pun intended)
The problem with Steely Dan is that the recording quality is usually not that good. Even noticeable on vinyl. OTOH, the musicianship includes some of the very best session players in LA, although that's not the point here.
Dire Straits is much better in terms of recording quality, and so is Janis Ian. Again this isn't about what is enjoyable, its about what factors can be well discriminated about a reproduction system from a recording. If recording quality is wanting then a recording can mask problems with the system.
If this were about studio engineering then, sure, Steely Dan "Aja" is a well known reference some people like to use.
Dire Straits is much better in terms of recording quality, and so is Janis Ian. Again this isn't about what is enjoyable, its about what factors can be well discriminated about a reproduction system from a recording. If recording quality is wanting then a recording can mask problems with the system.
If this were about studio engineering then, sure, Steely Dan "Aja" is a well known reference some people like to use.
I would not argue with any of the above but for one. SD recording quality. SD is comprised of two persons. The music is engineered in every respect. Knoppfler and company-oh hell yes. I especially like his work with Chet Atkins. A real sleeper is Glenn Campbell on guitar. He left a room full of world-class guitarists bewildered but made his living climbing telephone poles. I am here because I like the electronic aspect of reproducing music, but let us be clear-the music comes first.
I agree with Pink Floyd !!! Any of the Alan Parson studio work is EXTREME ! Wonderful detail and acoustics.
AP mastered "Dark side of the moon" BTW.
AP mastered "Dark side of the moon" BTW.
Thanks ostripper. I respect your electronics prowess but it's nice to know you listen to it. I worked with a fellow that had that very PF recording in his cell phone and played it through the shop system. I was floored.
Now I am going to have to dig out some Alan Parsons Project. In terms of engineering I would choose Gaucho over Aja any day, but hey, listen to what you love.
IIUC, the first post of this thread was asking about reference recordings as though they were test signals such as test tones, frequency sweeps, pink noise, etc. Those kinds of test signals are not all about the music at all. They are used to test system performance only. So the question was to the effect of, "which recordings are most useful to evaluate system performance?" It wasn't a question about which music is best, which recording is has the best studio mixing, etc.
Regarding Alan Parsons, on the hi-res version of the "I Robot" album there is a song called, "The Voice." It can be useful for evaluating system performance. Regarding Janis Ian, "Breaking Silence" is a useful test signal too. Personally, neither one is something I would prefer to have on my music enjoyment playlist. But that's not what I use them for. They are test signals, is all.
Regarding Alan Parsons, on the hi-res version of the "I Robot" album there is a song called, "The Voice." It can be useful for evaluating system performance. Regarding Janis Ian, "Breaking Silence" is a useful test signal too. Personally, neither one is something I would prefer to have on my music enjoyment playlist. But that's not what I use them for. They are test signals, is all.
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"theres someone watching me" by Rockwell is a vvg loud listen. The Talking heads, Speaking in Tongues.
Yeah , I'm a poorer audiophile. Dayton 12" subs powered by Badger's and for now ...Thonet and vander's with a LM3886. My other system is 8" 2-ways (Mission) with Dayton rs225-8 woofers. 1" soft domes on all four of my monitors.
My 2.1 system is quite nice to listen to with this (below). "A valid path" has such nice tight powerful bass !!!
PS- don't have to dig anything out - 26 Alan Parson recordings in either MP3 or FLAC.
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Talking Heads? You guys gotta stop. I have to work every now and then! My grown daughter came to visit sometime back and we were listening. I asked her about Talking Heads and she didn't even know what I was talking heads about. I don't have 'em all but I have most and we spun them. We are worlds apart but she was wiggin'! I have learned much musically from her as well. In some ways she dragged me into the present, kicking and screaming all the way. Gorillaz, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, Modest Mouse, etc. etc. I cannot even begin to express the music she introduced me to. Then, she would voluntarily pull out a Chet Baker or a Miles or a Cannonball and we would drift off to sleep. Oddly enough she has a soft spot for Bela Fleck. Go figger.
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@stripper. Believe me, I have thought many times about digitizing my collection. I stopped counting at 10k split equally between LP and CD. I am old and set in my ways. I like the act of digging through and spinning them but then I cannot get off my lazy bum and put them up. About three years ago I discovered this web place called Pandora. Look at me! Playing Pandora on my cell phone at work! Living in a Aldous Huxley novel!
OT: Those days as an aging guys I more and more like the performance of such quirky grups and in their clips too :
That was fun! I always had the hots for Kate Pierson. Back the the day I knew this girl. At just that time she would throw back her head and scream "Tin Roof!-rusted." Probably should have married that one. Shaque D'Amour!
Sorry to hijack this thread-I can get a bit giddy when talking about music. I could say a mouthful about listening to test signals. Perhaps another day.
Why not? If a system is "high fidelity" and able to reproduce at least all freqencies that can be heard by humans with enough slew rate and little enough distortion it should play anything anybody considers to be music. If a system only plays one gengre properly it is defective.