[mix4fix]

I don't get it. We have threads discussing Heavy Metal. There is a recent thread on Trance Music. I'm sure if someone started a thread on a different form of Electronic Dance Music, people will join in. HOWEVER....

....you buttheads show up to these "Audio Fests" or someone's local get-together with the Maple Shade Top 10 and you don't veer of from that.

A vendor said it best: if these other products can't handle all kinds of music then they suck. And I agree.

There was an "mini Audio Fest" at an real Audio Fest's owner's house, and some people where getting tired of the "approved Audiophile music" and went to another part of the house because they heard Alternative music.

The Revolution WILL be heard!!!!

Anarchy In The A.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOe9PJrbo0s

[JLM]

While Maple Shade is well recorded, I struggle to find any of it I can enjoy.

Yes, my system will always help me enjoy the music I like.

[Tyson]

When Jason (Pez) and I do coverage of RMAF, we have a disc with 60 second excerpts from a wide variety of musical genre's.  Mahler, Tom Waits, Ani Difranco, and Tool are some of the artists that have been used.  I find that I also use the CD to test out other people's system or do "shootouts".  Really useful (and short!)

I agree, if a system cannot do well with a wide variety of music, then it's an overall poor system.  I had to unsubscribe to the Bryston forum because of all the idiots that would post "I got a Bryston, which is SO REVEALING that I can hear how BAD most of the recordings in my collection are".  Hahahahahahahahahahaha.

[pbui44]

As much as I like high-quality, or audiophile, recordings, they make me feel like I am at work and makes listening tiring and not enjoyable.  At that point, listening enjoyment is defeated.  If anyone is interested, there is "low-fi' dedicated music.   

[mix4fix]

I had to unsubscribe to the Bryston forum because of all the idiots that would post "I got a Bryston, which is SO REVEALING that I can hear how BAD most of the recordings in my collection are".  Hahahahahahahahahahaha.

This is more about the enjoying the particular music vs. how good or bad a system or media is.

I played a vinyl record at another vendor's system, and he complained that about the quality of my media. Well guess what: I didn't play it because it was Maple Shade quality - I played it because I WANTED TO HEAR IT.

[Funnehaha]

I have a bag of albums and CDs that I keep a little separated from the others in my collection. The bag is there because I like to be able to grab it quickly when I go out to hear music on an unfamiliar system, like a bricks-and-mortat Hi Fi store. The denizens of that bag are recordings that I know intimately. They are either recordings I've made myself or where I was present when they were recorded. NO mass market stuff, where I don't know personally how it sounded when they recorded it.

[Tyson]

My point is that people tend to use only audiophile approved music because they took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and now that is the only music that sounds good on their systems.

[FullRangeMan]

I don't get it. We have threads discussing Heavy Metal. There is a recent thread on Trance Music. I'm sure if someone started a thread on a different form of Electronic Dance Music, people will join in. HOWEVER....

....you buttheads show up to these "Audio Fests" or someone's local get-together with the Maple Shade Top 10 and you don't veer of from that.

A vendor said it best: if these other products can't handle all kinds of music then they suck. And I agree.

There was an "mini Audio Fest" at an real Audio Fest's owner's house, and people some people where getting tired of the "approved Audiophile music" and went to another part of the house because they heard Alternative music.

The Revolution WILL be heard!!!!

Anarchy In The A.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOe9PJrbo0s

Bro, if you start a thread against Heavy Metal and others satanic music styles I will support you, but audiophile music!!

[RDavidson]

I say to each their own......and with that said, perhaps people should stop playing what audiophiles EXPECT to hear at get togethers and whatnot, and start playing stuff they truly enjoy listening to the most. It's as though the host and/or maybe the guests are too worried they'll lose their audiophile merit badges and be publicly embarrassed if they don't (gasp) play Maple Shade Top 10 or whatever.

So let's grab our favorite albums regardless of what they are and go streaking through the quad!

[geowak]

I get your point. For me, I've always wondered what audiophile music really was..?? I always thought of this music as the stuff I heard on state of the art systems, that was well recorded and sounded fantastic, and usually it was music I had not heard before, or sounded so good (I had heard the artist before) but not heard all the detail and nuance before.

Audiophile music was really appealing to me because it sounded so good!!! Pink Floyd, CSNY, James Taylor, Allman Brothers, Diana Krall, Natalie Mechant, the Beatles and many, many others sounded like I had never heard before on top notch audio systems, not the audio system I had. So it was like rediscovering music and hearing eclectic new music that was just like a ....drug for me.

BTW I have not gone to audio shows, so i don't know what they select to play. I would think they play music that will make their audio equipment sound the best, and therefore win awards and...sell.

[barrows]

There is no such thing as "audiophile music" to rebel against.  I guarantee that no musician ever writes and records music with the intent of making "audiophile music".
That said, there is a very wide range of recording quality amongst all music genres; while certainly I would not like to have a system which only sounds good with the best recordings, OTOH, a system which prettifies really bad recordings is going to have a lot of coloration of its own, and will not do justice to good recordings at all.
While I aggree that one should listen to the music they love (for pleasure listening) it makes a lot of sense to have a set of reference recordings (and these need not be "perfect") used to consistently evaluate equipment.  The reference tracks should be wide ranging enough that as a set they can show the full range of qualities of a system.  It would be pointless to use recordings with no dynamics, no highs, no lows, no soundstage, and no low level details, to evaluate a system.
I do dislike hearing the exact same tracks all the time at shows, but even worse is when someone comes in the room and asks the vendor to play a track, and said track is utterly unlistenable because of poor recording quality-there are some recordings which will never sound good and it is not the job of a high end system to cover up egregious recording flaws.

[FireGuy]

"BTW I have not gone to audio shows, so i don't know what they select to play. I would think they play music that will make their audio equipment sound the best, and therefore win awards and...sell."


Unless a handful of equipment/speaker vendors are millionaires and hang around the industry just to "keep busy" why would they not choose the best recordings to make their presentations shine and make it as stunning as possible...to sell.   Kudos to those company reps/owners that take it personally and listen to their customers to provide the best product or advice to fit their needs and budget.  Whether they buy or not.

[oskar]

I don't know what 'audiophile' music is either. So I'm not sure if I have any in my library.
Maybe it's music that's known more for demonstration than content.
I have a decent rig to listen to what I like. I like mainstream and indie.
So if I was selling gear at a showroom or a show I think I'd just let people play want they want.

[charmerci]

I think it's a matter of - as funnehaha also said - of going to these shows with our great sounding recordings to show the others some alternatives.

I haven't been - yet - but one of mine would be Dave Grusin's Discovered Again.

[GT Audio Works]

I would like to clarify the term audiophile music...Audiophile labels like Chesky or Mapleshade are bona fide audiophile music, recorded with playback quality in mind first , as far as artistic merit, let the listener be the judge....Then there is music adopted by audiophiles which becomes audiophile music. This music sounds good on a good system, achieves cult status and becomes reissues on Mofi and the like.  Though it may never have crossed the producer and engineers mind that it would end up that way.
Eagles Hotel California and Patricia Barbers Café Blue come to mind.  Yes...Please stop bringing these discs to shows !! 
Don't forget Diana makes my skin Krall as well.  (yes I listen to her, but not in public)

The truth of the matter is labeling a particular genre is futile, individual taste rules...Heavy metal makes me run screaming from the room, but hey if you want to hear Megadeath on a $50k system rock on dude !!!

Here is a good (in my opinion) non audiophile album...Killer bass...Track 2 is a good un.   

 http://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Sun-Rusted-Root/dp/B0011XSKNY/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_7       Greg

[GT Audio Works]

I propose to hijack this thread and rename it "Non Audiophile music that sounds good"
Yes some audiophiles are afraid to broaden their horizons with different music in a public setting.

Here is my suggestion.... Track 5 is a good place to start
 http://www.amazon.com/The-World-From-Natchez-York/dp/B000002JF9/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1

[Mag]

I don't get it. We have threads discussing Heavy Metal. There is a recent thread on Trance Music. I'm sure if someone started a thread on a different form of Electronic Dance Music, people will join in. HOWEVER....

....you buttheads show up to these "Audio Fests" or someone's local get-together with the Maple Shade Top 10 and you don't veer of from that.

A vendor said it best: if these other products can't handle all kinds of music then they suck. And I agree.

There was an "mini Audio Fest" at an real Audio Fest's owner's house, and people some people where getting tired of the "approved Audiophile music" and went to another part of the house because they heard Alternative music.

The Revolution WILL be heard!!!!

Anarchy In The A.C.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOe9PJrbo0s

You must be a youngen.

You obviously don't know how offensive music can be. Now I've never been to an audiofest, but I can understand that a dealer has to try and play neutral music. Secondly after doing some reading, not all mixes are stereo.

So a dealer is going to play something mixed in stereo if they are trying to promote a stereo speaker. And appeals or at least listenable to a large percentage of consumers. Which just happens to be audiophile music that you're referring to.

Privately however a dealer should be able to stomach varied tastes in music for a little while, with the exception of rap.

[thunderbrick]

I have a lot of CDs and LPs, and a few R-T-R tapes.

I tend to gravitate toward a small percentage of them for repeated listening, many of which are particularly well recorded, but the SQ is only part of the reason I listen.  The main thing is the emotional connection or the flat-out, balls-to-the-wall explosiveness, depending on the mood.

I have a lot of Sheffields and Direct-to-Disc LPs from the 70s and 80s.  The Sheffields sound fantastic but have a reputation for very conservative/and or dated performances and I'm sure they bored some people to death after a while.

OTOH, the "audiophile" tracks that some dealers play have introduced me to some amazing music, Eva Cassidy among them.  I've also been to some audiophiles' homes for listening sessions and heard wonderful recordings that I wouldn't bother to cue up at home.  Usually it's a genre that I have very little interest in.  I'm sure others would leave my room screaming after hearing some bagpipe* music (yes, some of it is audiophile SQ). 

*Did you know the bagpipes were originally a gift from the Irish to the Scots?  100% true!

But the Scots still haven't caught on to the joke.   

[HAL]

Well I am not a young one and listen to music from classical, to some jazz, to rock, hard rock and heavy metal.  Not afraid to ask for it to be played, and leave if they chose not to. 

Have Megadeth on MoFi reissue since I like the music.  Black Sabbath in HiRez from HDTracks.  And most of the Reference Recordings HRx Classical recordings.  Lots of well recorded music in the genres.

Would take someone playing Pink Floyd or ELP over waif women any day.  And if I demo in a room, will play music like that to prove a system can do it, and did just that last year at RMAF.   

Interestingly, when I do start playing music like that, the room seems to fill up quickly.     

[Diamond Dog]

I agree, if a system cannot do well with a wide variety of music, then it's an overall poor system.

Agree with this as far as my personal taste is concerned. But then we go down the rabbit-hole of defining "doing well". One man's "warm and seductive" is another man's "murky and distorted" and so on. If a guy likes his Snappers set on "triode", is he any less discerning than the guy who would prefer them set to "ultra-linear"? Or, God forbid, the guy who owns Brystons? Seriously. I've heard systems incorporating Bryston sound absolutely monstrous in some situations. I've heard other systems which had some Bryston sound very,very appealing. It comes down to savoir faire, I guess...
Fan-boys, on the other hand, never sound appealing...

But I digress... If someone finds that Diana Krall or Patricia Barber floats their boat, then sail on, sail on sailor. The thing about "audiophile music" that I've always found curious is when it becomes the only music someone will listen to because at that point, you're not listening to music anymore. You're listening to your rig. And that's when you've lost the plot... I remember being in a car dealership once and while I was negotiating a purchase, I noticed that the salesman had a Toblerone-shaped- oops, Pono-shaped ( Sorry, forgot where I was there for a second  ) sign on his desk. It said:
 " Remember Why You Are Here " on both sides. That sign left an indelible impression on me for some reason. They should sell those signs here.

Words to live by, I figure. But that's just my opinion... and I could be wrong.

D.D.