Reference Quality Music

[boludaso]

Gents:

I have been hunting for reference quality music for a while. i have a growing list, but most are jazz, which would make my dad really happy. do any of you have anything you could contribute to my list. I dont have a sacd player, but please add to the list since it will be my next purchase.

i also want to get more since i will be "babysitting" my friends Onix Reference 3 speakers for about 2 weeks.

heres a start for anyone else.

http://www.simaudio.com/recordings.htm

and Dave, what do you use when testing your speakers?

[BradJudy]

Here's Linkwitz's list of his reference music: http://www.linkwitzlab.com/music.htm

There are some entire labels like Telarc, Chesky, Mapleshade, Mobile Fidelity, etc that specialize in high quality recordings.

[Quinn]

i also want to get more since i will be "babysitting" my friends Onix Reference 3 speakers for about 2 weeks.



Will we get a 340SE v Ref 3 comparision from you?

Audiocircle.com and Audiogon.com have a number of threads on reference music.

[boludaso]

if i only had 340s. i'm in socal, so maybe a little audio party could be arrainged? i'd love to try.

[curtis]

if i only had 340s. i'm in socal, so maybe a little audio party could be arrainged? i'd love to try.
Me and my 340SE's are game....and I have compared them before too. I say we do it.

[boludaso]

Do you think Dave would up for having a get together at his shop for an informal test and get together? Dave?? Dave??

[curtis]

I don't think there is a good listening area at the shop.

[boludaso]

I'd swear Dave said he built a quasi-anochaic chamber. even if not, love to see the shop and breath near some SEs.

[curtis]

I'd swear Dave said he built a quasi-anochaic chamber. even if not, love to see the shop and breath near some SEs.
yeah....good place to measure, but not to listen.

Hey...what's wrong with my place? :)

[BradJudy]

Hey...what's wrong with my place? :)

Your place? The SE's are much more portable than the Ref3's. :)

[curtis]

Your place? The SE's are much more portable than the Ref3's. :)
hehehe....but he was willing to cart them over to Ascend, I'm not that far from there.

But I'm not proud, I will cart the Ascends his way too. :)

[davef]

I'd swear Dave said he built a quasi-anochaic chamber. even if not, love to see the shop and breath near some SEs.

Hi boludaso,

Yes -- I do have a chamber at the office which is accurately tuned down to about 150Hz. You would definitely NOT want to listen to any loudspeaker in there.... While it is good for hearing differences between speakers, it is not an accurate representation of what the speaker would sound like in a listening environment. I don't even like standing in there -- annoyingly quiet.

Curtis is right, we don't have a listening room at the factory (at least not yet). I do most of my listening at my home when the kids and the wife are fast asleep in what I consider a real world environment.

For music, I listen to many styles with each trying to focus on a different instrument (Male / Female vocals, guitar (acoustic/electric), piano, drums, wind instruments etc.)

Off the top of my head, some of my favs include: Nils Logren, Diana Krall, Jesse Cook, TLC, Norah Jones, Santana (Supernatural is a wonderful CD), Dave Matthews, For Duke (Duke Ellington), Seal, Herbie Hancock, Shaggy (wife turned me on to him) and many, many more... Lately I have been really into Ray LaMontagne, RHCP (new CD) and Black Eyed Peas.

[stimuli]

An absolutely stellar audio quality is the (remastered) Miles Davis - Live At Newport Jazz Fest 1956. It's an early stereo recording, has astounding clarity, and you can hear the crowd, the sound engineers cracking jokes, Miles tapping his foot, the bassist humming, etc. Check it.

Listening to it is the closest to time travel I've experienced...