Node 2/Vault 2/Cambridge Azur/ND5/LinnDS/etc. Streamers

[ChemMan]

I like this set up better. There is a decorative metal cover over the fireplace and it was between the speakers. I think it might have been acting as a wave guide because when I would stand up from my listening chair it sounded fuller, bassier I keep the sub set at 110 the Kefs are supposed to cut out at 85. The volume on the sub is minimum.
Got some great recordings though from my demo / listening sessions. Just well engineered, produced and recorded. Dylan's Oh Mercy... He can't sing but the album is great. That Hadouk Trio and Ane Brun are the latest I found. I am also starting see a lot of it has so much to do with the recording. Led Zeppelin probably sounds not great at low volumes on most people's system. I have to get some demo speakers in here and play them next to these or I am never going to really know. Testing at the stereo store is not the same because I didn't drag along my sub. Of course Floorstanders are going to sound fuller. There are four woofers plus the two mids and two tweets. I still have to change the source. I also think the sand has settled nicely into the stands. For this paricular house, this is probably as good as it gets for playing the space. I put the speakers 65cm in front of a glass wall. They are 2.9m apart. (Apparently glass has a reflective sound index of .31 meaning 69% refecitve of sound waves. Obviously, it varies; double pane glass is less reflective and more abosrptive than standard concrete.) The sound then opens into the room at large which is 6m wide and 10m deep, with large alcoves on the left. Walking around the room now reveals no real "sonic anomalies" or "resonance pools." Much happier with the arrangement.

 

[CnoEvil]

That all sounds good.

A bit of messing around and experimentation can save you a lot of money.

Are you getting to the point where you are now happy with the sound you are getting.

I love "Oh Mercy"...and the "Man in the Long Black Coat" is one of my favorite Dylan songs...turn it up and enjoy the atmospheric picture it conjures up. *dance4*

 

[ChemMan]

I feel I am getting at least 90% of what the equipment can do. Low volumes is still an issue: The White Album is on right now, and it is not full enough. I want it to wrap it arms around me. It is very directional. Those B&W 703 Floor Standers set the instruments around in space very well. And some of it is recording quality, I am consistently amazed at how well produced/engineered/recorded albums sound. When I get a streamer, I will buy the best recording of some Beatles Album and see what's what. With that said, their remastered catalouge is still at the mercy of the original equipment. Tidal/CD is my current.

 

[CnoEvil]

I feel I am getting at least 90% of what the equipment can do. Low volumes is still an issue: The White Album is on right now, and it is not full enough. I want it to wrap it arms around me. It is very directional. Those B&W 703 Floor Standers set the instruments around in space very well. And some of it is recording quality, I am consistently amazed at how well produced/engineered/recorded albums sound. When I get a streamer, I will buy the best recording of some Beatles Album and see what's what. With that said, their remastered catalouge is still at the mercy of the original equipment. Tidal/CD is my current.

I have never found Beatles recordings to sound full, at any volume...it sounds as if it was recorded in a tiled cloakroom.

Try some Jacques Loussier, for wonderful, warm encompassing sound.

 

[ChemMan]

Cno thanks, the music is great. I need a bit more at low volumes. 35/40 I am killing it. 25/30 not as much. Do you know some forums/sites for advice on these nicely recorded pieces like the previous ones and this fellow? Yes, it is unforunate about old "the age of classic rock" recordings. I spent so much of my life listening to that.

 

[insider9]

Excellent idea, Cno.

 

[CnoEvil]

The price is not bad. But the part I don't undersatnd is, if it has 20 watts in an amplifier, how am I supposed to plug this into my integrated amp?

Then again this goes against everything related to: "hearing is believing."

What do both of you think about what happened this weekend? In my mind, there is just no way the sekrit ds could be outperformed by the bluesound node2. Plus, why would the owner of the store want to sell me something for half the price of something else. There has to be some sort of setup that must occur from the app. He just ran upstairs, came back with it and plugged it in to the back of the A39.

The Amp can be bypassed.

I know someone who has Sneaky DSM (version that has inputs) -> LS50s (on Filled Stands). It sounds full and rich in quite a big room. Your A39 is a better amp than in the Sneaky DSM (which itself is better than the amp in the DS). I was there when he demoed and made the decision...and then helped set it up for him.

 

[ChemMan]

Do you think it should go here in hifi or in "what I have been mostly listening to this week." Probably not since you got nothing from your other one there. And, Tidal is just nice to have. A big catalogue, some gaps to be sure, but hard to complain. It's either 240 euros a year for Tidal or ten good recordings, if you can find them. This URL below is from the guy who runs iTrax. It is his summation on the hi-res "debate" Definitely worth reading.

I've started working my way through your list. Jason Mraz was a pleasant surprise. I had dismissed him and his radio pop songs years ago, but the recordings are quite good I find. Sure he is cliche poppy, but his stuff is easy to listen to. That Nils Lofgren I got from the stereo store guy.

Check out Ralph Towner "solstice"

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=6193

 

[jimmy1]

Also try pastel blues by nina simone, the hd tracks version is one of the best recordings ive heard.

 

[CnoEvil]

Do you think it should go here in hifi or in "what I have been mostly listening to this week." Probably not since you got nothing from your other one there. And, Tidal is just nice to have. A big catalogue, some gaps to be sure, but hard to complain. It's either 240 euros a year for Tidal or ten good recordings, if you can find them. This URL below is from the guy who runs iTrax. It is his summation on the hi-res "debate" Definitely worth reading.

I've started working my way through your list. Jason Mraz was a pleasant surprise. I had dismissed him and his radio pop songs years ago, but the recordings are quite good I find. Sure he is cliche poppy, but his stuff is easy to listen to. That Nils Lofgren I got from the stereo store guy.

Check out Ralph Towner "solstice"

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=6193

You can put the thread in either...but it may get more takers in HiFi....it is decent Hi-Fidelity that you are after.

If you have a diet of Heavy Metal, Rock and Beatles etc. it is very easy to think your system is a bit thin and anaemic sounding.....especially at low volume.

To renew your faith in the quality of your system, it's crucial you can then put on well recorded stuff....to remind yourself why you chose it in the first place.

Can you turn your Sub up a bit when listening at low volume, like a sort of loudness button.

A lot of it is to do with this: https://ehomerecordingstudio.com/fletcher-munson-curve/

I have been adding to that list of music that I gave, as I think of stuff. You should find it fairly eclectic and well recorded.

It is always worth re-trying stuff that you had previously discarded, as a good Hifi can bring a new dimension that you hadn't noticed before.

 

[CnoEvil]

Check out Ralph Towner "solstice"

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=6193

Thx for the tip....gently relaxing

 

[CnoEvil]

Also try pastel blues by nina simone, the hd tracks version is one of the best recordings ive heard.

That's so good (not HD tracks), that I will make the return suggestion of Roberta Flack "First Take"....which is worth it for "The first time ever I saw your face".

 

[CnoEvil]

Cno thanks, the music is great. I need a bit more at low volumes. 35/40 I am killing it. 25/30 not as much. Do you know some forums/sites for advice on these nicely recorded pieces like the previous ones and this fellow? Yes, it is unforunate about old "the age of classic rock" recordings. I spent so much of my life listening to that.

Why not start a thread asking for really well recorded music.

For a start, try:

- Essential Yello

- Hans Zimmer "Live in Prague"

- The Blue Man Group "The Complex" (especially "Sing Along") and "Audio"

- Nils Lofgren "Acoustic Live"

- Keb Mo "Keb Mo"

- ES Postumus "Unearthed"

- Time Out "Take Five"

- Thievery Corporation "Treasures from the Temple"

- Beth Hart/Joe Bonamassa "Don't Explain"

- Joe Bonamassa "Live from the Royal Albert Hall" and "Dust Bowl"

- Alt-J "An Awesome Wave"

- Jason Mraz "We Sing, We Dance, We Steel Things"

- Norah Jones "Come Away with Me"

- Jack Johnson "Sleep through the Static" / "In between Dreams"

- Getz/Gilberto

- Shpongle "Museum of Conciouness"

- Mathew Halsall "On the Go"

 

[CnoEvil]

For a very well recorded Album, which you can file under "Weird Sh!t", try BBC Late Junction Sessions: Unpopular Music:

"The sessions on this double album were collaborations organised by the show and largely recorded on analogue tape at BBC s Maida Vale studios. It s a bit like the ECM model of putting unfamiliar artists together and seeing what the chemistry produces. The acts combined here include Eska with Jesse and Louis Hackett of the Kenyan Owiny Sigoma Band, a great voice and percussion combination. You also get rapper poet Kate Tempest with the Elysian String Quartet, hip hop it ain t but good it is, another inspired pairing is Brit alt folkies Tunng and desert blues rockers Tinariwen, different styles and languages which combine to great effect. The alliance of church organ and electronics created by Simon Fisher Turner and Martin Baker is also rather good. With Gearbox s vintage analogue mastering, these pieces sound fabulous; deep rich tonality with great dynamics and minimal compression is hard to beat. JK --Hifi Choice Audiofile Vinyl Hot Pick"

 

[CnoEvil]

You can wake up your speakers with this:

 

[ChemMan]

and picked up the BlueSound Node 2 today. I am on album number four right now and could not be happier. Right out of the box, set up took 30 minutes and was I listening to Tidal. It is an instant upgrade from the computer and dragonfly black. Ick. I just did a quick comparison from CD to Tidal Hifi and it's at least as good. Even my wife said, "ok, that's not THIN," My favorite complaint.

This is better sound even with the nonsense cables they supply. Which was a nice surprise btw. After a week of burn-in, I imgaine it should sound better. Hard to complain for 456 euros, and I haven't bothered to use any of the other functions yet. App for Tidal is child's play.

 

[CnoEvil]

Excellent news.

Speaking personally, I am very interested in how you are getting on....as I was sure you had the basis for a system that was hard to beat for the money...and should be got to work in a way you'd be happy with.

Getting the fundementals right, like filling the stands and speaker positioning are crucial (and cheap)...and the Source plays an important role as well.

You put in the work and are now harvesting the fruits of your labour.....so sit back and enjoy the result - which hopefully involves checking out some of those well recorded suggestions. *music2*

 

[ChemMan]

Yes, Cno it has been a lot of work. And, as I mentioned, I am not an Audiophile. I like music and good sound.

I am really starting to believe that the speakers/amp/recording makes more of a difference than any DAC. These computer audio people are interesting cats, but I just don't see how spending 5k on a DAC is going to be 10x better sound than what I got today. Diminishing returns one might say. (cooking is a bit like that: 90% more work for 10% more flavor)

The good recordings make it like night and day. That Hadouk album and the Dragon track is superlative. I've got Omar Sosa for you as well as Stacey Kent. Bobo Stenson trio and an ECM suite for sampler selected signs II. I found all this on Tidal. Mind you with recommendations from everybody. https://tidal.com/album/37705853 and finally Pat Metheny's "Upojenie"

I am thinking about going to look at these bad boys: http://boenicke-audio.ch/w5_c/

My wife had a ball this evening. With this Bluesound, you can have the app open on as many devices as you would like so we played rotating Dj and decided which songs were "thin" and which were "rich."

Have you read any of Archimago's Blog? Fascinating.

 

[CnoEvil]

The good recordings make it like night and day. That Hadouk album and the Dragon track is superlative.

Is this the album you are talking about?

 

[ChemMan]

No, it's a live recording "Baldamore" And if you like Classical vivaldi https://tidal.com/album/16944099 Dutch violin prodigy/virtuoso: Shockingly good. But nothing, at the moment, do I want to hear other than the man in a long black coat. Why is no one making recordings like this? 29 years old that recording is. No once cares about old time rock and roll. Heart breaking.

 

[CnoEvil]

No, it's a live recording "Baldamore" And if you like Classical vivaldi https://tidal.com/album/16944099 Dutch violin prodigy/virtuoso: Shockingly good. But nothing, at the moment, do I want to hear other than the man in a long black coat. Why is no one making recordings like this? 29 years old that recording is. No once cares about old time rock and roll. Heart breaking.

Thx for the reccomendation - I love classical - and Vivaldi......and "The Man in the Long Black Coat" (Bob Dylan'version).

 

[CnoEvil]

I am thinking about going to look at these bad boys: http://boenicke-audio.ch/w5_c/

They look very interesting.....and as always, I have a few thoughts, which you are more than free to ignore.

- If you are looking to spend a large sum of money, where should it go in the context of your system?

- The LS50s are so capable, they would sound considerably better, with a more competent amp eg. A49 (now at reduced cost)

- At half that sort of money, a Linn Magic is available

- The W5s could well sound better than the LS50s, but you should ideally be looking at an Amp in the same ballpark as the speakers, to drive them...imo

- Then as the whole system gets more revealing, it puts pressure on the Source.

- There is some good competition around that price which should be checked out...eg Harbeth

So my advice (FWIW) is enjoy what you have for at least a year. Do your research. Ask your questions here and we will do out best to answer them. Listen to as many alternatives as you can before coming to any conclusions.

I am a believer in system synergy...which is not always easy to find and very easily lost.

IME A Source cannot be too good for a system, only too expensive to justify its price. An Amp cannot be too good for the speakers, but again, too expensive to justify.

Whereas, working backward along the system is the opposide ie. Speakers that are too revealing for the system will show up any weaknesses. An Amp that cannot drive the speakers properly, can make them actually sound worse than if you used a cheaper model. A Source that is not of good enough quality for the rest of the system, will undermine the quality of that system, with its weaknesses laid bare. All this is worth bearing in mind when putting together a system imo

 

[CnoEvil]

Re Beonike W5 in particular....I love the fact that you are looking "Outside the Box", which is always something that I try to promote on here. Amoungst all the praise that is being thrown at this speaker - there were a couple of things that worried me, although it was in the review of the SE version by AV Hub. http://i.nextmedia.com.au/avhub/australian-hifi_reviews_2014_2014-01_kef_ls50_anniversary_speakers_review_and_test_lores.pdf

Here is Christopher 3393 describing exactly how I believe the W5s would compare with Harbeth - his first post on 2 Mar 2014, 16 posts down.

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/18486-has-anyone-heard-the-boenicke-w5/

I also believe that the LS50s would fall sonically between Harbeth and W5s.

 

[insider9]

One of posters here recently upgraded to Boenicke W5 have a look here

 

[CnoEvil]

One of posters here recently upgraded to Boenicke W5 have a look here

I'd forgotten that. He has them paired with Pathos....which imo would work really well, where they would play to each other's strengths and mitigate each other's weaknesses - the sign of good system matching.