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#1
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looking for a classic audiophile vinyl "benchmark" recording
Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile
equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? |
#2
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How many guesses do you want ? No suggestions as to type of music ?
I immediately thought of Rickie Lee Jones album 1979, Joan Armatrading Me Myself I 1980 but these are probably too early. Mid to late eighties you might be thinking of Suzanne Vega 1985 and the Tracy Chapman 1988. Sure there will be loads of suggestions. "Tyrone Slothrop" wrote in message ... Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? |
#3
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In article ,
"Tyrone Slothrop" wrote: Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Jennifer Warnes? Stephen |
#4
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Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some
audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Jennifer Warnes? That was in the '90's I believe (I first thought of her "The Hunter" album). How about Amanda McBroom on Sheffield Lab? -Tip |
#5
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"Tyrone Slothrop" wrote in message
... Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? One of them was: http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=2621171 |
#6
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In article ,
"Tip" wrote: Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Jennifer Warnes? That was in the '90's I believe (I first thought of her "The Hunter" album). 1986. Perfect timing for the anecdote. How about Amanda McBroom on Sheffield Lab? Sure. Recorded 1980. Stephen |
#7
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Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker, I've Got The Music In Me on
Scheffield, perhaps? Per. |
#8
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MINe 109 wrote:
In article , "Tip" wrote: Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Jennifer Warnes? That was in the '90's I believe (I first thought of her "The Hunter" album). 1986. Perfect timing for the anecdote. How about Amanda McBroom on Sheffield Lab? Sure. Recorded 1980. Stephen Another great Sheffield female vocalist recording of note, although perhaps recorded in the late 70's, would be the Thelma Houston (Whitney's aunt) & Pressure Cooker release of "I've Got The Music in Me". This LP was certainly used a lot in audio salons as a demonstration record. (For a great CD female vocalist demonstration recording, I'd recommend Jacintha's release of "Here's To Ben" (which is also available on vinyl and worth owning). |
#9
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Tyrone Slothrop wrote:
Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? Pressure Cooker Thelma Houston |
#10
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Amanda McBroom - "Ive got the Music In Me" - Sheffield Records ---
most Sheffield records - most Deutsche Grammophon - most Mercury classics using Neumann microphones with Mercury's ultra-simple mike placement. Although on an old Columbia recording played back through Bozak "symphony" speakers, you could distinctly hear Artur Rubinstein humming along as he played the music On 21 Feb 2005 14:56:51 GMT, "Tyrone Slothrop" wrote: Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? |
#11
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Tyrone Slothrop wrote:
Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? When I did my comparisons, I frequently used "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez and "I've Got The Music In Me" by Thelma Houston and the Pressure Cookers. The latter is a direct-to-disc LP. Those were very popular discs in audio stores. |
#12
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Tyrone Slothrop wrote:
Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? There are a couple of recordings which I find very useful in terms of evaluation. They aren't what you'd call exceptional audiophile, direc-to-disc recordings. But they are very, very useful for evaluating audio gear nonetheless. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - Impulse Records ================================================== === The voice of Johnny Hartman is particularly revealing of mid-range colorations. And besides, whenever you take this recording to an audio show and listen to it for evaluations, people keep asking, "Who *IS* that?" This is one of the all-time great recordings that is a *must have* for any music lover's collection. Scott Hamilton is a good wind who is blowing us no ill Concord Jazz ================================================== ==== This recording is very interesting for the 3D quality of imaging and instrument placement. You'll also find that the timbre of the tenor sax is also revealing of mid-range anamolies. I have this recording on both vinyl and CD. There is a striking difference in imaging between the two with the vinyl being far superior in both imaging and tonal balance. This could be quite useful for evaluations of various kinds. British Band Classics - Eastman Wind Ensemble Mercury Records/Mercury Golden Classics ================================================== ===== A fine recording of great concert band literature from Mercury's great 50's vintage efforts. Good imaging and tonal balance. And it's great music besides. I first heard this recording being used by Tom Norton back in the 70's when I knew him during my days in the Air Force. Tom was an Air Force pilot at the time and pubilished his own audio magazine called Stereopus. If you were to work in an audiophile shop, you'd hear people always bringing the same recordings - Amanda McBroom or some Telarc recording of The Planets. People are always playing Mars or some other loud, complex orchestral track. Go into a shop with these recordings and you'll get a great reception from the dealer who will be pleased to hear great music that is unfamiliar. Russ Button |
#13
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Sorry, Chung is right - Thelma Houston is the singer
On 21 Feb 2005 23:44:27 GMT, Stu-R wrote: Amanda McBroom - "Ive got the Music In Me" - Sheffield Records --- most Sheffield records - most Deutsche Grammophon - most Mercury classics using Neumann microphones with Mercury's ultra-simple mike placement. Although on an old Columbia recording played back through Bozak "symphony" speakers, you could distinctly hear Artur Rubinstein humming along as he played the music On 21 Feb 2005 14:56:51 GMT, "Tyrone Slothrop" wrote: Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? |
#14
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Tyrone Slothrop wrote:
Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been... ================================================== == Harry Pearson of The Abso!ute Sound always had a soft spot for Dusty Springfield in "The Look Of Love" from "Casino Royale." -GP |
#15
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On 21 Feb 2005 21:04:45 GMT, MINe 109
wrote: In article , "Tip" wrote: Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Jennifer Warnes? That was in the '90's I believe (I first thought of her "The Hunter" album). 1986. Perfect timing for the anecdote. How about Amanda McBroom on Sheffield Lab? Sure. Recorded 1980. Or the classic 'demo' album from Sheffield - Thelma Houston's "I've Got The Music In Me"? An earlier recording, but often thought to be the best ever. -- Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering |
#16
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Russ Button wrote:
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - Impulse Records ================================================== === The voice of Johnny Hartman is particularly revealing of mid-range colorations. And besides, whenever you take this recording to an audio show and listen to it for evaluations, people keep asking, "Who *IS* that?" This is one of the all-time great recordings that is a *must have* for any music lover's collection. This recording is available in new vinyl from: http://www.geocities.com/recordgroove33/Jazz_new.html Other than that, does anyone have any sources for new vinyl? Is there much to choose from anymore? Scott Hamilton is a good wind who is blowing us no ill Concord Jazz I looked on EBay and Froogle and couldn't find any used copies of this recording. It's a great one though and I recommend putting this on your list of recordings to find. British Band Classics - Eastman Wind Ensemble Mercury Records/Mercury Golden Classics There is currently a copy of this on EBay at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW The auction finishes Feb-25-05 14:21:18 EST There are no current bidders with the beginning bid at $9.95. Russ |
#17
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"Russ Button" wrote in message
... Tyrone Slothrop wrote: Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? There are a couple of recordings which I find very useful in terms of evaluation. They aren't what you'd call exceptional audiophile, direc-to-disc recordings. But they are very, very useful for evaluating audio gear nonetheless. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - Impulse Records ================================================== === The voice of Johnny Hartman is particularly revealing of mid-range colorations. And besides, whenever you take this recording to an audio show and listen to it for evaluations, people keep asking, "Who *IS* that?" This is one of the all-time great recordings that is a *must have* for any music lover's collection. Scott Hamilton is a good wind who is blowing us no ill Concord Jazz ================================================== ==== This recording is very interesting for the 3D quality of imaging and instrument placement. You'll also find that the timbre of the tenor sax is also revealing of mid-range anamolies. I have this recording on both vinyl and CD. There is a striking difference in imaging between the two with the vinyl being far superior in both imaging and tonal balance. This could be quite useful for evaluations of various kinds. British Band Classics - Eastman Wind Ensemble Mercury Records/Mercury Golden Classics ================================================== ===== A fine recording of great concert band literature from Mercury's great 50's vintage efforts. Good imaging and tonal balance. And it's great music besides. I first heard this recording being used by Tom Norton back in the 70's when I knew him during my days in the Air Force. Tom was an Air Force pilot at the time and pubilished his own audio magazine called Stereopus. If you were to work in an audiophile shop, you'd hear people always bringing the same recordings - Amanda McBroom or some Telarc recording of The Planets. People are always playing Mars or some other loud, complex orchestral track. Go into a shop with these recordings and you'll get a great reception from the dealer who will be pleased to hear great music that is unfamiliar. Russ Button Nice post, Russ. Interestingly, at least two of these (the Johnny Hartman and the Eastman) are/will soon be out in SACD. The Scott Hamilton may be as well; I'm just not sure. |
#18
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"Per Stromgren" wrote in
message ... Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker, I've Got The Music In Me on Scheffield, perhaps? Yes - that's it, I bet! Speaking of direct-to-disc vinyl, my favorite is "Big Band Jazz" with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass on the Umbrella label (it's sitting on my Sondek right now). I now wish I had bought a couple of them - it's the best Big Band jazz performance/recording I've ever heard. Tip |
#19
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Tip wrote:
Yes - that's it, I bet! Speaking of direct-to-disc vinyl, my favorite is "Big Band Jazz" with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass on the Umbrella label (it's sitting on my Sondek right now). I now wish I had bought a couple of them - it's the best Big Band jazz performance/recording I've ever heard. The Boss Brass had great players, but I always preferred the Basie and Ellington bands, as well as the Woody Herman bands of the 50's. It's too bad none of them had access to the recording technology Rob McConnell did. What I think is one of the all-time great big band recordings is one titled "Such Sweet Thunder", which was Ellington's Shakespearean Suite. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=music It's in mono because it was recorded in 1956, but it was done pretty well all things considered. The music on that recording is extraordinary. In particular the track titled, "The Star-Crossed Lovers" is one of the most excrutiatingly beautiful ballads ever recorded. It featured Johnny Hodges and I can't think of anything ever performed that better spoke of the wistfulness of lost love. I've got an mp3 of it on-line at: http://www.button.com/Russ/fave_tunes/ Coolness guys. Russ |
#20
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One recording that was outstanding was "The King James Version". This
had Harry James and his band on a Direct to Disk recording (Sheffield?). I doubt if you could find a clean copy now. ---MIKE--- |
#21
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That's the one I was thinking about.............that Thelma Houston had a
good low end............very clean response. Pete wrote in message ... MINe 109 wrote: In article , "Tip" wrote: Back in the late mid-80's, I was shopping for some audiophile equipment, including some Apogee speakers and went to a specialty salon. There the owner demonstrated the various qualities of the his equipment using a vinyl recording of a female singer. He mentioned that this recording was one of several standard benchmarks used in the audiophile community for demonstrating various qualities, such as "sound stage", imaging, etc. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the artist and album title. Does anyone know what this recording might have been, or failing that, might be able to give me a point to a list of audiophile benchmark recordings? "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Jennifer Warnes? That was in the '90's I believe (I first thought of her "The Hunter" album). 1986. Perfect timing for the anecdote. How about Amanda McBroom on Sheffield Lab? Sure. Recorded 1980. Stephen Another great Sheffield female vocalist recording of note, although perhaps recorded in the late 70's, would be the Thelma Houston (Whitney's aunt) & Pressure Cooker release of "I've Got The Music in Me". This LP was certainly used a lot in audio salons as a demonstration record. (For a great CD female vocalist demonstration recording, I'd recommend Jacintha's release of "Here's To Ben" (which is also available on vinyl and worth owning). |
#22
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On 11 Mar 2005 20:38:40 GMT, "Pete KE9OA"
wrote: That's the one I was thinking about.............that Thelma Houston had a good low end. Ummmm, never mind. Kal |
#23
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"Kalman Rubinson" wrote in message
... On 11 Mar 2005 20:38:40 GMT, "Pete KE9OA" wrote: That's the one I was thinking about.............that Thelma Houston had a good low end. Ummmm, never mind. Kal Not even a smiley face, Kal? Harry |
#24
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On 12 Mar 2005 15:39:29 GMT, "Harry Lavo" wrote:
"Kalman Rubinson" wrote in message ... On 11 Mar 2005 20:38:40 GMT, "Pete KE9OA" wrote: That's the one I was thinking about.............that Thelma Houston had a good low end. Ummmm, never mind. Kal Not even a smiley face, Kal? Was one needed? Kal |
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