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Old 05-08-2020, 10:57 AM
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Default Audiophile recommendations

Thought it might be interesting for those of us into hi q audio to share some of our favorites.

There was an old newsgroup, rec.audio.opinion, that was a free for all. "objectivist vs. subjectivist" wars, "do cables make a difference" epic years long battles, etc. However, when I asked "what is the best sounding Frank Sinatra album?" there was something bordering on agreement ... Sinatra at The Sands. Backed by Count Basie's band, Sinatra was at his best and the band sounds fabulous on this one.

I don't believe that vinyl is in any way "superior" to CD, but a great sounding LP can be a very special listening experience. Two long time favorites, both on MFSL vinyl, are Muddy Water's Folk Singer and the Crusaders' Chain Reaction.

One more, the CD that I took to audition speakers. Greg Brown's masterpiece Further In. Kelly Joe Phelps is all over this one with his tasty licks and the recording has you sitting in the studio, similar to what I get listening to Folk Singer. Remarkable.
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Old 05-08-2020, 12:20 PM
endpin endpin is offline
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I have always admired the recording quality of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “Between Here And Gone” album.

More recently, Bettye Lavette’s “Things Have Changed” album.

Last edited by endpin; 05-08-2020 at 12:38 PM.
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Old 05-08-2020, 12:55 PM
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The Wailin' Jennys' "Firecracker!"

These days I listen via the high res streaming service Qobuz.
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Old 05-08-2020, 12:56 PM
plummer425 plummer425 is offline
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Guy Clark's, Keepers album.

If I remember correctly, it won awards for the quality of recording. It was recorded live at a Nashville club in 1997.
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Old 05-24-2020, 08:21 PM
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Dogma, what do you listen to the service with?
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Old 06-17-2020, 12:52 AM
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Sorry, just saw this! Not sure which part you are wondering about but here's the rundown:

Blue Sound Node 2i
McIntosh MC225
Rogue Magnum preamp
Dynaudio special 40 speakers
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Old 06-17-2020, 08:11 AM
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'Duets' - Rob Wasserman
'Acadie' - Daniel Lanois
'The Complete Live At The Village Vanguard 1961' - Bill Evans
'Cookin'' - Mile Davis
'Blue' - Joni Mitchell
'The Cole Porter Songbook' - Ella Fitzgerald
'Night Beat' - Sam Cooke
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Old 06-17-2020, 09:41 AM
TeleBluesMan TeleBluesMan is offline
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Steely Dan. Aja and The Royal Scam especially, to my ear.
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Old 06-17-2020, 11:37 AM
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Yes, sound quality was a high priority with Steely Dan. Those are two great ones, another is Gaucho.
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Old 06-17-2020, 03:12 PM
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Back in day Cat Stevens "Tea for the Tillerman" was an outstanding production album pressing
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Old 06-25-2020, 11:40 AM
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Both the Deutsch Grammapohone and earlier ECM recordings always seemed excellent to me... I still have many of them, and they've held up well, over time...

LOVED that era of the Crusaders with Larry Carlton on guitar... "Chain Reaction" and "Southern Comfort" are my favorites, although "Southern Knights" is very good, as well.

I don't listen to too much vinyl these days... but I love how putting a record on is more of a commitment to actually "listening" to the recording than just popping a CD in or hearing something on line...
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Old 06-25-2020, 12:05 PM
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Any Steely Dan on vinyl is a joy to my ears, particularly around the Aja/Gaucho timeframe.

Another which I listened to recently, after not playing it for many years, is Paul Simon’s One Trick Pony. That’s a lovely recording, and ‘vinyl experience’.

I’m by no means a vinyl purist, but I still have an awful lot of music in LP format, much of which dates back to my teens and early 20s. I’ll never own most of it in any other format. Life’s way too short to go through the hassle of digitizing it, so I’ll continue to listen to it in that format for as long as I desire.

At some point I’ll probably let the entire collection go, but I’m not quite there yet
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Old 06-25-2020, 12:18 PM
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My long time friend managed a record store back in the 70s and was always bring home ECM records that sounded fabulous.

Another label committed to excellence is Chesky records. I have a Cephas and Wiggins CD that is spectacular. Just checked and they are still around.

Queen also released some great sounding records.
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Old 07-09-2020, 05:28 PM
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For Steely Dan fans, I suggest finding a copy of the video of "Two Against Nature". I think Sony produced it around 2000. I was involved with high end audio for many of my years out of college and many years later heard a bit of this leaking out of a closed booth at the CES show probably around 2000. Went in, enjoyed for a long time, and bought the DVD when I got home.

The CES shows in Las Vegas have always had separate showcase of the really esoteric audio vendors. Back in that time, they were at an off-strip motel and the manufacturers would rent a suite, move out the furniture (other than a well placed couch) and spend hours setting up a perfect environment to showcase whatever component they were showcasing. Most any album by Patricia Barber was available and as a result, I now own most of those too.

Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" was the cut we used at one shop to demo the brand new Bose 901's (along with their monster amplifier), and the massive Cerwin Vega and Frazier speakers.
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Old 07-09-2020, 05:45 PM
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Coincidentally, beautiful guitar work on Patricia Barber albums by John McLean or Neal Alger.
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