Soundstage challenge

[insider9]

Try Led Zeppelin "No Quarter" or just about anything by Pink Floyd. I'm sure you probably at least have "The Dark Side of the Moon".

Got Dark Side on CD & have a couple of Led Zep albums somewhere, if not they're probably on Spotify

With Spotify try these
"Tin Pan Alley" Stevie Ray Vaughan
"Morning" Beck
"Caribbean Blue" Enya
"Export Import" Tosca

 

[Vladimir]

Then put on Tom Jones 'Praise and Blame' - wow what a difference! Tom was in my room belting out the tracks, with the drums behind him slightly right, and a guitar over on the left-hand side. The band clearly removed my speakers when they came on - as they disappeared. On some tracks the drums and guitar changed positions, but each track gave a consistent presentation as a band. Some height too from Tom's voice and the sensation that the bass drum notes were coming at me low down from behind Tom.

Sounds horrendous in my room. Everything booms uncontrollably and it's loud. Had to check the loudness compression. http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/5625

 

[Vladimir]

I do wish that equipment reviews would present the sort of information given above. Knowing the frequency response and square wave reproduction does tell you something very useful albeit not the complete picture e.g. is there an enhanced bass, and high resolution, or a sudden treble drop off and a muddiness. So much of this audio world is flim flam, and smoke and mirrors with claims and counter claims rife.

This is how UK hifi reviews were done back in the 70's. Download PDF scans from my Google Drive* You can see the graphs are included, no subjective reviewer talk at all.

*Courtesy of Hyperion, member at Audiokarma.

 

[SemiChronic]

Ok, so after a couple of minutes im gonna go for bottom left, if that makes sense lol. My listening postion is hampered by the end of a sofa and a cat, so thats the best i can do for now.

Great thread, i like it.

 

[nopiano]

I do wish that equipment reviews would present the sort of information given above. Knowing the frequency response and square wave reproduction does tell you something very useful albeit not the complete picture e.g. is there an enhanced bass, and high resolution, or a sudden treble drop off and a muddiness. So much of this audio world is flim flam, and smoke and mirrors with claims and counter claims rife.

This is how UK hifi reviews were done back in the 70's. Download PDF scans from my Google Drive* You can see the graphs are included, no subjective reviewer talk at all.

*Courtesy of Hyperion, member at Audiokarma.

Crumbs, that takes me back, Vlad. I had all those HiFi Choice books, when they reviewed a huge number of products and published about quarterly. Martin Colloms did many reviews. The square wave performance was one highlight of the Harman/kardon amps I used to favour, and owned. It shows a lot, if you use the 10kHz you showed and, say, 40Hz. Most Bristish amp were very weedy!

 

[Vladimir]

Crumbs, that takes me back, Vlad. I had all those HiFi Choice books, when they reviewed a huge number of products and published about quarterly. Martin Colloms did many reviews. The square wave performance was one highlight of the Harman/kardon amps I used to favour, and owned. It shows a lot, if you use the 10kHz you showed and, say, 40Hz. Most Bristish amp were very weedy!

HK had extremely wide power bandwidth (150-200kHz), high current, very fast rise times and slew rates, much lower TIM and global negative feedback compared to oriental competitors. You could hear the difference especially with AR speakers.

 

[Gaz37]

Ok, so after a couple of minutes im gonna go for bottom left, if that makes sense lol. My listening postion is hampered by the end of a sofa and a cat, so thats the best i can do for now. 

Great thread, i like it.

 

Which track?

At last somebody prepared to bite the bullet & answer the question.

Well done

 

[SemiChronic]

I was replying to original post, Dire straits, money for nothing. I was getting the "Put something better on" looks from the Mrs. Like i say only listened for a couple of minutes including intro.

 

[Electro]

Some tracks for you to listen to *smile*

All these tracks should sound huge and your room should dissapear just leaving a 3d acoustic .

All the tracks exept the last two are recording engineer constructed soundscapes.

The last two tracks were played in a natural acoustic large building.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3swelwex8dBiaNX4MasKUx

https://open.spotify.com/track/3n7zZXCuHyeghHCnkfa9Is

https://open.spotify.com/track/35mFcXjE5eTYkyLFncuR6m

https://open.spotify.com/track/4j9aY7bc0tJiLOwf3LyCzb

https://open.spotify.com/track/69ybbsjPAnPWwskhOLDBm4

https://open.spotify.com/track/5Fdmrx66RVnchcBFhfTImt

 

[grimharry]

To my ears bass left of centre and low possibly further back. Can I turn it off now, my stereo feels dirty and needs a shower.

 

[SemiChronic]

Alright, ive just heard the entire track.(She's out)

I'm not changing my mind, just adding some detail. . So, im saying it sounds like the bass is coming from a 7 o clock-ish position, sometimes moving towards 6. Slightly forward of centre.

Absolutely no idea if its AM or PM, or even a Tuesday.

 

[grimharry]

Agree with 7 o'clock to 6 o'clock

 

[SemiChronic]

Ok, heard most of this one,

And im gonna say the rhythm guitarist is mooching around 7-8 o clock with in few feet of the drummer for the most part.

Again, no idea if its a bank holiday or Central European Time.

 

[Vladimir]

Sounds delicious. I played it at 4:40 pm.

 

[insider9]

Agree  with  7 o'clock to 6 o'clock 

Can I just say that bass placement will be highly dependent on room acoustics.

If one of the speakers is pushed in the corner more and excite the room more it'll shift the image to one side.

What about the depth guys?

Can you place instruments (vocal being an instrument) from front to back? And does anything crosses over the speaker line? As in appears to emanate from in front of speakers.

 

[grimharry]

Oh come on you just want me to play dire straits again! I'll give it another go today or tomorrow

 

[Vladimir]

Oh come on you just want me to play dire straits again!

*ROFL*

 

[SemiChronic]

Echo and the Bunnymen: Lips like sugar

wheres the keyboards?

 

[grimharry]

As best I can get drums mid to high centre, vocals in front of drums, backing vocals behind possibly to the right slightly. Ryrhm guitar left lead right. But saying that my set up is far from perfect. also am I trying too hard to place them

 

[grimharry]

Can that be the end of dire straits please

 

[insider9]

Can that be the end of dire straits please 

Yep, your pick next

 

[grimharry]

how about somebody else try the doors crawling king snake from la woman

 

[Vladimir]

Truth - Shape of things (2005 remastered)

 

[Gaz37]

As best I can get drums mid to high centre, vocals in front of drums, backing vocals behind possibly to the right slightly. Ryrhm guitar left lead right. But saying that my set up is far from perfect. also am I trying too hard to place them

I'm not disagreeing but as Mark Knopfler does vocals & lead guitar shouldn't they both be in the same place?

Something to do with the mixing possibly?

 

[insider9]

Ok, I've got.

Synths in intro in line with speakers. Vocals in background and slightly higher than the rest with the guitar picked in front of it though lower.

When toms come in on both sides they're most forward of all instruments. Snare drum is central and back. These give a rather nice contour to soundstage. Main guitar riff is in left channel quite forward but behind were the toms were. Reverb from the guitar is stretching through the centre all the way to the right. Bass is behind the guitar and lower than both the guitar and vocals. Backing vocals are furthest into the mix off centre to the right. Main vocal is the highest and bass drum the lowest with bass guitar nicely filling in above that.

What did you get Gaz?