Hi guys. I'm curious as to how many of you listen to such genres as Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Black Meatal, Power Metal? You get the idea. Anything from Alter Bridge to Cannibal Corpse, from Delain to Dimmu Borgir.
I've been listening to Metal since 1992. I've done plenty of catching up regarding the older bands and am myself a musician.
I challenged What Hi-Fi to find me a system that would bring out all the detail and strip away the fake sounding nature most new heavy albums have. While I'm waiting for the guys at the Magazine to come up with their answer I have been finding out for myself some things that have unlocked the kind of detail and musicality I know the CDs contain
An example: Iron Maidens Seventh SOn of a Seventh Son album on most systems has that 80s polished sound to it. The follow up album No Prayer For The Dying is a bit more raw and clean sounding. The fact is they were both recorded in the same studio and with the same producer. Nicko even used the same drum kit, cymbals and heads. The guitar sound and bass sound are relitively the same to with the he one new edition of new Guitarist Janick who I'm sure brought a slightly different sound to the band. The rest sounds basically the same.
Of course slightly different techneques may have been used, the air different and the band would have played slightly differently but if you listen through the 80s polished mix of 7th Son the source sounds are basically the same that you hear very easily on No Prayer.
I have an original pressing of both albums on CD. I imagine the Mastering process was different for both albums. I wanted to know if there was a Hi-Fi that would alow them to sound much closer together.
I have found that as I've upgraded my cables certain elements of the sound have gone to reveal what is actually there on 7th Son and that the polished glossy sound is no way near as much as I first heard on older systems and earlier versions of my current set up.
Basically changing one cable will opened the sound stage of Seventh Son Of A Seventhand alowing the instruments to sing thus it now sounds much more like No Prayer For The Dying does"
This however can't be said for even more modern CD albums like "One Day Remains" by Alter Bridge which only half opened up. Until I got to add a Chord Company Anthem Reference cable between my DACmagic 1 and C500 control amp. Now that album has really started to sing. There is still a long way to go.
I have started a thread in Hi-Fi called "Death Metal HiFi getting the most out of your CD players and Streamers". So head on over there and I'll be happy to share what I have unlocked in the albums I listen to. Tell me what you listen to and what your system is and maybe together we can realise the overly compressed CDs don't sound as bad as first though.
My research is on going and I would love to get involved with What Hi-Fi to help them not only help me but you guys too.
Cheers :cheers:
The Cable Madman (Glacialpath) :rockout:
I've been listening to Metal since 1992. I've done plenty of catching up regarding the older bands and am myself a musician.
I challenged What Hi-Fi to find me a system that would bring out all the detail and strip away the fake sounding nature most new heavy albums have. While I'm waiting for the guys at the Magazine to come up with their answer I have been finding out for myself some things that have unlocked the kind of detail and musicality I know the CDs contain
An example: Iron Maidens Seventh SOn of a Seventh Son album on most systems has that 80s polished sound to it. The follow up album No Prayer For The Dying is a bit more raw and clean sounding. The fact is they were both recorded in the same studio and with the same producer. Nicko even used the same drum kit, cymbals and heads. The guitar sound and bass sound are relitively the same to with the he one new edition of new Guitarist Janick who I'm sure brought a slightly different sound to the band. The rest sounds basically the same.
Of course slightly different techneques may have been used, the air different and the band would have played slightly differently but if you listen through the 80s polished mix of 7th Son the source sounds are basically the same that you hear very easily on No Prayer.
I have an original pressing of both albums on CD. I imagine the Mastering process was different for both albums. I wanted to know if there was a Hi-Fi that would alow them to sound much closer together.
I have found that as I've upgraded my cables certain elements of the sound have gone to reveal what is actually there on 7th Son and that the polished glossy sound is no way near as much as I first heard on older systems and earlier versions of my current set up.
Basically changing one cable will opened the sound stage of Seventh Son Of A Seventhand alowing the instruments to sing thus it now sounds much more like No Prayer For The Dying does"
This however can't be said for even more modern CD albums like "One Day Remains" by Alter Bridge which only half opened up. Until I got to add a Chord Company Anthem Reference cable between my DACmagic 1 and C500 control amp. Now that album has really started to sing. There is still a long way to go.
I have started a thread in Hi-Fi called "Death Metal HiFi getting the most out of your CD players and Streamers". So head on over there and I'll be happy to share what I have unlocked in the albums I listen to. Tell me what you listen to and what your system is and maybe together we can realise the overly compressed CDs don't sound as bad as first though.
My research is on going and I would love to get involved with What Hi-Fi to help them not only help me but you guys too.
Cheers :cheers:
The Cable Madman (Glacialpath) :rockout: