What music lights up your Omegas?

Canada Rob · « **on:** 6 Feb 2016, 02:34 am »

Thought it was time to concentrate on the reason we have our stereo systems. Music.

What music lights up your Omegas?

rar1 · « **Reply #1 on:** 6 Feb 2016, 10:45 am »

I have 3 stereo systems in my apartment, so there is usually some type of music playing. On the system that sees the most use, not coincidentally the system with the Omegas speakers, I play both CDs and vinyl. In the week before I took holiday:

vinyl:
Paul Simon, 'Live Rhymin'
Procol Harum, 'Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra'
Rolling Stones, 'Let It Bleed'

CD:
Marshall Crenshaw, 'I've Suffered for my Art'
Whitney Rose, 'Whitney Rose'
Dylan, 'Blood on the Tracks'

Omega system: Rega Brio R integrated, XTZ CD 100 cd player, SONY PS X5 turntable, Omega Super 7 mk2

vinagunner · « **Reply #2 on:** 6 Feb 2016, 11:20 am »

seikosha · « **Reply #3 on:** 6 Feb 2016, 01:31 pm »

Looking at the pile of CD's by my player, this is what I've been through this week.

Mark Kozelek/Sun Kil Moon
Tracey Thorn
Joe Jackson
Uakti
First Aid Kit
Halo soundtrack

SSM · « **Reply #4 on:** 6 Feb 2016, 04:27 pm »

Nice thread.

Now that I have two Omega models, I split my favorite music between them, giving the smaller-scale genres to the 3i and large-scale classical to the Alnico.

Super 3i (w. audiolab M-DAC & Icon Audio LA4 Mk3 preamp > D.Had EL84 single-ended power amp)

Sade, Amy Winehouse, Enya, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Clare Teal
Seal, Sting, Rod Stewart, Pet Shop Boys

Rick Braun

, Cindy Bradley

, Chris Botti

, Brian Simpson & Dave Koz

Super Alnico Monitor (w.Primare DAC30 & conrad-johnson ET3SE preamp > customized Sun Audio 25th Anniversary SV-2A3 single-ended power amp)

The symphonies and concertos of Elgar, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak & Mahler
The operas of Wagner, Strauss, Verdi, Puccini, and bel canto masters Bellini and Donizetti

Both Omegas shine with their allocated repertoire. The communicative-ness and purity of the Alnico drivers are devastating when playing symphonic adagios and other emotionally-charged orchestral music.

SS

ihor · « **Reply #5 on:** 6 Feb 2016, 06:30 pm »

System: Super Alnico Monitor, Unison Unico integrated amp, Teac PD-H600 cd, Teac T-H500 tuner

last few days:

Melody Gardot - Currency of Man
Putumayo Presents Acoustic Cafe
The Very Best - Makes a King
Fatoumata Diawara - fatou
Glen Hansard - Didn't He Ramble
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Grateful Dead - Reckoning

Ravel Concerto In G mqjor, Michelangeli on piano
Pictures at an Exhibition, Leopold Stokowski transcription
Dvorak Sym No. 9 - Slatkin/Telarc - best version out there!
Recomposed by Max Richter - Vivaldi Four Seasons

Plus NPR and WFMT (Chicago classical station)

Ihor

Holygeezer · « **Reply #6 on:** 6 Feb 2016, 06:47 pm »

Although I have some 1800+ CDs in my ever growing collection, thanks to a great local library bookshop and assorted thrift stores I have to mention one artist that stands out for me. Her name is Eva Cassidy and she is the greatest female vocalist I have had the pleasure to hear. Unfortunately she died in 1996 at the age of 33. If I had to choose one artist to take with me to the metaphorical desert island she would win hands down. Any of her albums would suffice, but I am partial to her Live At Blues Alley one. But you can't go wrong with any of them really.

MarkR7 · « **Reply #7 on:** 6 Feb 2016, 08:36 pm »

Quote from: Holygeezer on 6 Feb 2016, 06:47 pm

Although I have some 1800+ CDs in my ever growing collection, thanks to a great local library bookshop and assorted thrift stores I have to mention one artist that stands out for me. Her name is Eva Cassidy and she is the greatest female vocalist I have had the pleasure to hear. .

+1 on this one! I listen to a lot of great stuff, and with a Tidal / Roon setup, there is a lot to choose from, not to mention my own collection of 1000+ CDs. For comfort, I always come back to Eva, and I really love "Simply Eva".

Great idea for a thread CRob!

sunnydaze · « **Reply #8 on:** 6 Feb 2016, 09:14 pm »

Quote from: ihor on 6 Feb 2016, 06:30 pm

The National - Trouble Will Find Me

Ihor

Tremendous album, start to finish. Not a single skip through. Listen to it almost daily for several months now, never tire of it. VG sonically as well.

HiFiJeff · « **Reply #9 on:** 7 Feb 2016, 01:51 am »

Quote from: Holygeezer on 6 Feb 2016, 06:47 pm

Although I have some 1800+ CDs in my ever growing collection, thanks to a great local library bookshop and assorted thrift stores I have to mention one artist that stands out for me. Her name is Eva Cassidy and she is the greatest female vocalist I have had the pleasure to hear. Unfortunately she died in 1996 at the age of 33. If I had to choose one artist to take with me to the metaphorical desert island she would win hands down. Any of her albums would suffice, but I am partial to her Live At Blues Alley one. But you can't go wrong with any of them really.

I am in complete agreement. I was first introduced to her music at an RMAF show a few years ago. I ran right out after and bought that exact same cd I heard at the show. It was Songbird. Simply amazing. It puts goosebumps on my arms every time I play it and man does she light up my Super 3 XRS's!

The first cd I ever played on my new Omega's was Stevie Ray Vaughn, Couldn't Stand the Weather. Superb!

Some of my other stuff.

Gary Clark Jr
John Mayer
Norah Jones
Queen Latifah
Chris Botti
Metallica
Primus
NIN
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tom Morello
Oddisee
Kid Cudi
2Pac
Lorde

As you can see, my music tastes vary and anything I throw at my Omega's sound spectacular. But those are my go to artists to really show off my system.

rajacat · « **Reply #10 on:** 7 Feb 2016, 02:15 am »

This is like what kind of food do you prefer when listening to your Omegas.

Do they go better with steak or fish?

ozoid · « **Reply #11 on:** 7 Feb 2016, 09:01 am »

Great thread idea, Rob.
Just today, I've been digging a couple of post-bop classics, Sonny Rollins's "Saxophone Colossus," and Monk's "Brilliant Corners" (Max Roach augments his trap kit with timpani for Bemsha Swing!) Then there's Kamasi Washington's "Epic," and finally got around to Maria Schneider's "The Thompson Fields."

For reasons that passeth understanding, I'd mislaid the complete, 22-show box set of the Dead's '72 European tour and I'm working my way through them with great pleasure. Much of the repertoire is duplicated from concert to concert, but it's never the same and the sonics are magnificent. Lesh's bass has almost as much tonal depth as an double bass, sort of a proof of concept of how amplifiers and speakers can create music, not just something that resembles music.

Through some magical phenomenon my iPhone refused to allow me to resume reading an article on the Middle East and instead directed me to an appreciation of Radu Lupu; I've found his rendition of late Schubert piano sonatas to be reason enough to acquire fine audio equipment, like the Alnico monitors, Decware SE84UFO, Meridian Explorer & Audirvana.

I've also lately developed a taste for 20th century French chamber music for winds, by the Melos Ensemble, among others. And the Alnicos are really magical with the harp arpeggios in Ravel's Introduction & Allegro.

My Linn-Sondek & Koetsu Black are being re-built; the Audio Research SP-6c is getting refreshed. There's about 14 linear feet of LPs that are dying to reveal the beauty they hold. Soon!

jorgen · « **Reply #12 on:** 7 Feb 2016, 12:30 pm »

Borderline schizofrenic compilation going on over here:

Beglomeg: Eurokrjem

Brian Eno: Music for airport

Morphine: The Night

Mercury Rev: All is dream

Pink Floyd: *Meddle

Puscifer: Condition of my parole

Filter: Short Bus

Beatles: Revolver

Beth Gibbons: Out of Season

This is yesterday's variety of vinyl and streaming, hopefully next Saturday will be different and probably will contain some new stuff from this thread

Capt. Yossarian · « **Reply #13 on:** 8 Feb 2016, 07:52 am »

Not sure if the question is phrased properly - I think that my Omega Super 3S speakers light up my music - bringing it to life in a truly beautiful way.

My musical interests are pretty broad: jazz (Jarrett, Garbarek, Brubeck, Haden, Horn, Gismonti, etc.); world music - my term (Kater, Nakai, Glass, etc.); classical - everything from symphonies to string quartets and in between - )Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Elgar, Gorecki, Handel, Mahler, Mozart, Part, Respighi, Sibelius, Tabakova, Vivaldi, etc.); vocals - (Gregorian Chant, Part, Rasa, Silvestrov, etc.); rock (Beatles, Stones, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Dire Straits, CSNY, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane/Starship; Zeppelin, Cream, Dylan, McKennitt, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Santana, U2, etc.).

The Super 3S - while no longer being made - produce a great sound in my 13 x 18 x 8 foot room. I have yet to throw anything at them that they could not handle to my complete satisfaction and musical pleasure. True, I've read about the Super Alnico XRS - and would love to afford them (they're 3 times as expensive as my Super 3S were 2 1/3 years ago) - but I'm more than happy right now.

By the way - the system: Omega Super 3S, Dared 2A3C integrated amplifier, Nakamichi OMS-7 CD player (love it - I bought it new in 1986 - and recently re-belted it so that it works perfectly), KimberKable speaker cable and a high-end interconnect whose label I no longer remember.

Canada Rob · « **Reply #14 on:** 8 Feb 2016, 04:46 pm »

These are really great responses. Thank you. Keep it up.

Please be sure to describe the system you're playing your music on.

sledge · « **Reply #15 on:** 13 Feb 2016, 11:17 pm »

Hi guys.

-Speakers Omega sticks
-Amp Unison Research-Simply italy
-CD-player Cambridge Audio CD3
-Cables some very basic Supra.

What worked as music and with the omegas today where:
-Vangelis
-Fleetwood mac
-Leonard Cohen
-David Gilmour
-Chris Rea
-Roxy Music
-Dire Straits
-Mr Mister
And some I cant remember.

Had a very nice and sunny winters day here in Finland today and I was very happy to listen to some tunes for a good 10 hours.

OmahawkSCM · « **Reply #16 on:** 14 Feb 2016, 03:29 am »

Jill Hall and Charlie Haden
Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile - ST
Getz/Gilberto
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Tord Gustafson - Being There
Wes Montgomery - Groove Brothers
Wilco - Being There
Xela - For Frosty Morning and Summer Nights
Jackie McLean - Let Freedom Ring

guillaume bougard · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 Feb 2016, 08:40 am »

At the office I have a

Decware SE84 (their small one) + Super 3 desktop speakers which I increasingly use as monitors for stuff I produce. this combo is perfect to check out the soundstage, the three dimensionality of mixes, and all the little details. Low volume

At home I have

Decware TORII MK4 + 7XRS

I have been playing lots of

Sly & Robbie, (A LOT!)
Dr Dre,
Earth Wind & Fire,
Scientist dub albums,
George Benson's Give me the night,
Augustus Pablo
stuff produced at Channel One
reissues by Pressure Sounds and Blood & Fire
Chic
Fela

squirrelman · « **Reply #18 on:** 14 Feb 2016, 04:48 pm »

I just picked up a new pair of Omegas yesterday, I got some Custom Shop Super 6 floor standers with Alnico drivers to replace my Super 3 monitors. Right now I'm playing Ryan Adams Live at Carnegie Hall and they should absolutely heavenly, they are so much better than the Super 3 monitors which are amazing speakers also!

ozoid · « **Reply #19 on:** 15 Feb 2016, 05:43 am »

Quote from: OmahawkSCM on 14 Feb 2016, 03:29 am

Jill Hall and Charlie Haden
Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile - ST
Getz/Gilberto
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Tord Gustafson - Being There
Wes Montgomery - Groove Brothers
Wilco - Being There
Xela - For Frosty Morning and Summer Nights
Jackie McLean - Let Freedom Ring

Thanks for the reminder to give the Meyer & Thile another listen and to pull out Let Freedom Ring when the TT returns. Another great McLean Blue Note is One Step Beyond, with Bobby Hutcherson & Grachan Moncur III.

What's the title of the Hall & Haden album? I have an album called Jim Hall & Basses, with Haden on some tunes, and some other lords of the lower frequencies such as Dave Holland and George Mraz sitting in on the others.