[John Casler]

As I mentioned recently in another post, I have been sampling some of my older CD's as I load them onto my OLIVE Opus.

While I remember listening to SEAL's title album, for hours on end, back in the early 1990's I pulled it out maybe 6 months ago and couldn't get into it.

In fact, I thought it sounded so bad that I was hoping no one visiting or auditioning, wanted to hear it when they looked through my CD's.

Well I burned it to HD (imported it) a few days ago and it is now converted to FLAC.

So I wanted to hear if it sounded any better than when I could hardly listen to it back then.  So I played the first cut.  That was it.....

I listened to to the whole album.

There is a lot of production there.

KILLER

Whirlpool

Future Love Paradise

WILD

Man, I couldn't get out of my seat.

Some of the bass lines are something I haven't heard before.

I could even tell that he was singing most of the time into a mike with one of those "p-t-guards" (looks like women's nylons stretched over a circular framework) to soften P's , S's and T's.

I'll be visiting that one again

[95bcwh]

What CD player did you use to have? Does it makes THAT much of a difference now when you play thru hard drive??

[John Casler]

What CD player did you use to have? Does it makes THAT much of a difference now when you play thru hard drive??

At the time I listened to it and didn't like it too well I had the ONIX CD-1 which is an excellent player/transport.

I think the thing most interesting about the current set up is the precision of detail.  If it is a "studio" recording, there is no mistaking all the details, that most players and systems would "forgive", by softening, smoothing, homogenizing.

This doesn't happen here.  It is very close to what I have heard in mix downs over studio monitors.

On the first cut, I thought it might be a little lean at the begining, then later in the cut it spreads out and "fills" the soundstage.  You can certainly hear all the engineering and production that goes into it.

It also has synthesized depth and image placement (because obviously they weren't in that postition in the studio)

But I can picture Seal with the phones on rockin and singin into one of those sheilds, with the mike on the other side, because that is "exactly" what it sounds like.

[Woodsea]

I wanna know how you can even hear the bass line in your anemic set-up


 

[PhilNYC]

Crazy and Whirlpool are my favorite tracks on this album, and Whirlpool used to be a mainstay in my audio gear auditioning library...

[John Casler]

I wanna know how you can even hear the bass line in your anemic set-up


 

I find a good imagination helpful


(and a sub or FOUR)

[John Casler]

Crazy and Whirlpool are my favorite tracks on this album, and Whirlpool used to be a mainstay in my audio gear auditioning library...

I can only imagine how good it would sound on your Adagio's.  One of the most dynamic speakers I have heard recently.

[Joules]

"SEAL's title album"
That is an amazing album - It's only problem is over play, on my part
The entire album is good -a rarity!
Track No. 2, Jade i think, Stands out for me.
Seal's next album is not bad eather but it does suffer from over play by the media.

[mr_bill]

What CD player did you use to have? Does it makes THAT much of a difference now when you play thru hard drive??

At the time I listened to it and didn't like it too well I had the ONIX CD-1 which is an excellent player/transport.

I think the thing most interesting about the current set up is the precision of detail.  If it is a "studio" recording, there is no mistaking all the details, that most players and systems would "forgive", by softening, smoothing, homogenizing.

This doesn't happen here.  It is very close to what I have heard in mix downs over studio monitors.

On the first cut, I thought it might be a little lean at the begining, then later in the cut it spreads out and "fills" the soundstage.  You can certainly hear all the engineering and production that goes into it.

It also has synthesized depth and image placement (because obviously they weren't in that postition in the studio)

But I can picture Seal with the phones on rockin and singin into one of those sheilds, with the mike on the other side, because that is "exactly" what it sounds like.

John,
Are you using the Bryston 26DA dacs with Opus digital out or are you using the Opus' internal dac for such stellar sound.

[John Casler]

What CD player did you use to have? Does it makes THAT much of a difference now when you play thru hard drive??

At the time I listened to it and didn't like it too well I had the ONIX CD-1 which is an excellent player/transport.

I think the thing most interesting about the current set up is the precision of detail.  If it is a "studio" recording, there is no mistaking all the details, that most players and systems would "forgive", by softening, smoothing, homogenizing.

This doesn't happen here.  It is very close to what I have heard in mix downs over studio monitors.

On the first cut, I thought it might be a little lean at the begining, then later in the cut it spreads out and "fills" the soundstage.  You can certainly hear all the engineering and production that goes into it.

It also has synthesized depth and image placement (because obviously they weren't in that postition in the studio)

But I can picture Seal with the phones on rockin and singin into one of those sheilds, with the mike on the other side, because that is "exactly" what it sounds like.

John,
Are you using the Bryston 26DA dacs with Opus digital out or are you using the Opus' internal dac for such stellar sound.

Actually I'm using both, and switching back and forth to see what differences I can hear.

This particular session/observation was with the DAC in the Bryston, using an AudioQuest Eagle Eye digital cable.