a bit of hi'er fi discontent

[atomicAdam]

So, it appears that the better my system is getting the worse some of my favorite CDs are sounding.

My jazz and some of my rock (pink flyod and such) CDs are starting to sound great. So are some of my IDM CDs, but others like some of my Cure and Flaming Lips are starting to sound more hollow. Anyone one else ever have that problem?

[Auricauricle]

I'm not one hundred percent on this, aA, but I would say that you are suffering from what some poor, afflicted souls who have taken up this horrible hobby call The Great Sickness. Increasingly better equipment will, correspondingly, increasingly reveal the limitations of your source material. If, for example, you own a CD that was recorded and remastered with certain limitations, etc. in place, a mediocre CD player will resolve the material in a fairly benign way. On the other hand, if you play that disc on a machine that is capable of great resolution, the machine will pull out the quirks of the old medium.

Frankly, my dear friend, you're screwed.

Welcome to the sanatarium!

[RoadRunner6]

So, it appears that the better my system is getting the worse some of my favorite CDs are sounding.

My jazz and some of my rock (pink flyod and such) CDs are starting to sound great. So are some of my IDM CDs, but others like some of my Cure and Flaming Lips are starting to sound more hollow. Anyone one else ever have that problem?

aA, only a person with my maturity, advanced age and way, way over a half of a century on this planet would be able to immediately recognize your very classic symptoms and diagnose your condition.

It's old age creeping up on you my son! Usually a combination of decling hearing and the inability to put up with that youthful nonsense you once considered music.

Glad I could help,
RR6

[JohnMichael]

aA I do not remember what components you have in your system. Knowing that may help us help you. I am also a believer in choosing the right cables for your system. Some cables can emphasize a certain frequency range that becomes fatiguing after a while.

[Kevio]

So, it appears that the better my system is getting the worse some of my favorite CDs are sounding.

Apparently your system is only getting selectively better. What "improvements" have you made recently?

[atomicAdam]

no no guys - i am no too worried about it - some CDs just aren't mixed well - it happens all the time.

it is just sad to hear some fave not sound so good on better stuff. besides, it is interesting to notice how good stuff like Mile Davis and Monk sound and Pink Floyd's The Wall and such where stuff like the Cure's Wish sounds compressed and a bit hollow in the details.

just an interesting observation but it isn't something i didn't know happens, just wanted to see if what CDs do that to you?

But currently the system is

PS1 cd player
Van Alstine Omega III pre-amp
Onkyo M-282 amp
Monoprice 3ft interconnect cables
Monoprice 12AWG speaker cable
Monitor Audio RS6 speakers

Looking to replace the CD player at some point but the PS1 does really nice job with the mids and take the harsh out of the highs on some CDs.

Soon to add a Golden Tube SE-40.

[RoadRunner6]

Hey, this site is way screwed up again. My post is out of order and I just got this message:

".....This forum requires that you wait 15 seconds between searches. Please try again in 2975 seconds....."

[atomicAdam]

Yep. When a system possesses the ability to produce a dimensional image that extends beyond the physical confines of the speakers, one is more acutely aware of overly processed recordings whose image stays stuck to the speakers. You become more aware of the "painted-ships-on-a-painted-sky" phenomenon. Very irritating at times.

rw

'painted-ships-on-a-painted-sky' damnit! are u telling me i'm going to have to rekindle my high school antics of psychodelic experimentation to enjoy my favorite albums again?!?!

oh well, now if i just knew some cool kids i'd know where to score.

[atomicAdam]

Hey, this site is way screwed up again. My post is out of order and I just got this message:

".....This forum requires that you wait 15 seconds between searches. Please try again in 2975 seconds....."

your post look in order from my vantage point, but i'll send an email to IT.

[E-Stat]

Anyone one else ever have that problem?

Yep. When a system possesses the ability to produce a dimensional image that extends beyond the physical confines of the speakers, one is more acutely aware of overly processed recordings whose image stays stuck to the speakers. You become more aware of the "painted-ships-on-a-painted-sky" phenomenon. Very irritating at times.

rw

[elapsed]

But currently the system is

PS1 cd player
Van Alstine Omega III pre-amp
Onkyo M-282 amp
Monoprice 3ft interconnect cables
Monoprice 12AWG speaker cable
Monitor Audio RS6 speakers

Looking to replace the CD player at some point but the PS1 does really nice job with the mids and take the harsh out of the highs on some CDs.

By PS1, I assume you have a Sony Playstation 1 as your source CD Player? I've heard this is a quality audiophile source, however you may really want to consider auditioning another CD player (just for kicks even!). In my own system, time and time again upgrading my CD Player has proven to be the most significant improvement. Going from Naim CD5i -> CD5x -> CD5x with FC2x power supply -> CD5x/FC2x with Hi-Line interconnect has consistantly proven to me how much the entire system will benefit from a source upgrade, this has had more impact even than upgrading from an integrated amp to separates.

Another option altogether would be to rip your music collection to FLAC, and replace your CD Player with a Squeezebox and a quality outboard DAC (Transporter, Benchmark DAC-1, Behringer DAC, etc).

cheers,
elapsed

[JohnMichael]

Upgrade you cables to AudioQuest. I think you would like the solidcore cables much better than the stranded cables offered by Monoprice.

[atomicAdam]

It's old age creeping up on you my son! Usually a combination of decling hearing and the inability to put up with that youthful nonsense you once considered music.

Glad I could help,
RR6

i'm gonna be a hell of an old man! i was rockin slayer earlier today at work.

i guess though, what i mean to say, or to add more depth to the issue.

back in the day when playing some music on my girlfriend junkyard record player and speakers and on our craptastic boomboxes some music just seemed more filled in and together. now on the system i have now i can hear how poorly mastered the album is. base loud in one song and gone in the next. base good in another song mids are sucked out and only highs and lows remain.

maybe a better start to this thread would have been to say, 'doesnt it suck to hear an album of tunes you really like but to hear how bad the mastering / mixing is'

[blackraven]

aA, thats a common problem with upgrading. I have a lot of music that sounds better on my cheap system because it was poorly recorded. Upgrading your cables or CDP will only make things worse.

[Feanor]

So, it appears that the better my system is getting the worse some of my favorite CDs are sounding.

My jazz and some of my rock (pink flyod and such) CDs are starting to sound great. So are some of my IDM CDs, but others like some of my Cure and Flaming Lips are starting to sound more hollow. Anyone one else ever have that problem?

Improving your equipment will reveal the limitations and defects of your recordings. It will also reveal the limitations your equipment, particularly the upstream equipment such as your CDP, (not that I'm specifically blaming your PS unit).

The great news is that equipment improvements will often raise your appreciation of some recordings even while lower it for others. I have CDs that sounded unbearably bright, sharp, and grainy with the Phase Linear 400 amp I had years ago, that are now detailed and airy. But also CDs that then sound gloriously smooth that now sound opaque and one-dimensional.

I'm not sufficiently familiar with your specific components to make specific recommendations. However, contary to JohnMichael's advice, I doubt that spending several hundred dollars on cable upgrades is the most cost effective place to start. When on a limited budget, (something I know about very well), it is tempting hope that the cheapest components will make a big difference, but when it comes to, e.g. cables, you'll be wiser to just save your money towards more critical components.

[JohnMichael]

However, contary to JohnMichael's advice, I doubt that spending several hundred dollars on cable upgrades is the most cost effective place to start. When on a limited budget, (something I know about very well), it is tempting hope that the cheapest components will make a big difference, but when it comes to, e.g. cables, you'll be wiser to just save your money towards more critical components.

Some of us view cables as a critical component. I also think some of us are more sensitive to changes in cables in our systems. I have cables from several manufacturers and I am not happy with the sound of my system using stranded cables. I find the AudioQuest Slates to give a clean full bodied sound with good imaging. To my ears stranded cables give a more diffuse sound stage and are irritating in the long run. My experience is with cables in the lower end of the price range so that opinion might change with a top of the line cable.

[Rich-n-Texas]

When purchasing CD's these days, I look for the "Remastered" versions. Sometimes these add a lot of filler (previously unreleased tracks... whatever) and I don't really know whether or not a remastered CD is an improvement from a sound quality standpoint, but I guess ignorance is bliss.

[JoeE SP9]

aA, what you are experiencing is what a lot of us have already gone through. When your gear and listening skills get past a certain point you start hearing how bad a lot of modern recordings really are. When I first played Sugar Ray 14:59 It sounded so bad I thought my CD player was dying. After exchanging the CD twice I realized what I was hearing was how it was supposed to sound. Needless to say I can't listen to more than one selection at a time from CD's that sound like 14:59. There are lots of them out there. Rock Pop and Hezavy Metal being the worst offenders.
A lot of older CD's that were released had truly awful mastering. My CD of Sticky Fingers sounds so bad compared to the LP I'm tempted to throw it away. I won't do that but I certainly won't play it. A lot of the newer releases with 20 bit mastering and such sound really good. A new release of Miles Davis Porgy And Bess on Columbia Jazz Masterpieces is a good example.

[Auricauricle]

Hello, My Puppies!

[atomicAdam]

Hello, My Puppies!

Puppy is hungry, where is my puppy chow?

[Auricauricle]

Your choice!

[atomicAdam]

there is a blog from CNet's audiophiliac blog from Steve Guttenberg on a similar subject at the moment.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-10...?tag=mncol;txt

Didn't Matallica's '08 release win for this type of loud and ****ty mastering?

[atomicAdam]

Your choice!

I prefer my dog on a stick thanks...

[Auricauricle]

Time to eat!

[Ajani]

I prefer my dog on a stick thanks...