Lionel wrote:


dansteel - - vendredi 30
Avril 2004 08:57 wrote:

Ok...for wierdness the (same company that made the cartrides and a
couple of turntables)Empire speakers that were shaped like end tables
with a big round marble top and had a six-sided cylindrical body. It
had an 8" down firing woofer, and a mid/tweet combo behind a small
grille section on one of the sides...also came in a bigger model with
larger drivers...truly strange but fun..

For sound quality, while there are many faves I remember in each
category, I'll go with the JBL Paragon (tri-amped and with a Crown EQ
correctly utilized, if anyone remembers that piece), the Rogers LS/35A
speakers...I know that's like saying your two fave dates were Pamela
Anderson & Alannis Morrisette...and for electronics, ARC's SP3-A with
the mods that followed...and to not go on forever...the first
Electrocompaniet 25 watt class A amp (can't remmember the model #)

OK..now for records...and I'm going to leave out classical recordings
cuz there's too many...The Casino Royale Jame Bond double disc on
London Phase Four (I know)...Ry Cooder's "Jazz"...Sheffield's "King
James" (absolutley mindblowing on the Paragon system even after
decades of "evolution" with high-end gear and still playing the
redord/cd)...Pete Townsend & Ronnie Lane's "Rough Mix"...Mac's
"Rumours" (sorry) and Bing Crosby's...dammit I can't remember the
title, but it was later in his life and had "There's Nothing That I
Haven't Sung About" and "As Time Goes By" on it. It was stolen from my
collection awhile back so maybe someone will help me with the title.

One of my fave older CD's was that Telarc disc "Roundup" with all the
cowboy movie/tv themes..it was so damn fun and dynamic with great
arrangements. Oh, well, once again...hopefully this isn't too boring.
God knows I could on about this stuff.

There are only few recordings that I prefer on vinyl rather than on CD,
don't worry it's not an other flame... ;-)
*But* I must recognize that I have been very desapointed hearing "modern"
recording (mixing ?) of some of my favourite 60s & 70s LPs.
My worst experiences / typical cases are :
- Hendrix : "Electric Ladyland"
- Stooges : "Fun house"
- Dr Feelgood : "Down by the jetty" - "Stupidity"
- Eddie Cochran & Gene Vincent "BBC sessions" (mono recording)
- Fela : "Black president"
- Serge Gainsbourg : "Melody Nelson"

Nostalgy..................................... ;-)








Despite my general preference for vinyl, I'll be the first to admit that I've
encountered, as I guess, you have, many examples of poorly done vinyl
productions. Ironically, many, IME, of the *older* vinyl recordings, often
done with analogue recorders and/or tubed electronics, often sound better to my
ears at least than some of the more *modern* vinyl productions. Here's a
glaring example of what I mean. I have a 6 LP set of Eric Clapton's earlier
recordings entitled "Crossroads". According to the box set information, the
recordings were digitally remastered. I also have a 4-CD set of Clapton's live
concert performances entitled "Crossroads 2". For perhaps a number of reasons,
the CD set sounds significantly better than the LP set. Note that I'm not
saying that the digital remasterin is responsible, but it could certainly be
one of the variables involved. I also have a number of CDs made from original
analogue recordings (according to the SPARS code at least) that sound quite
nice. For example, and I recommend this one, a CD called 'Neck and Neck",
featuring Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler.

Since you like jazz, let me second Mr. Steel's recommendation of the "King
James" album on Sheffield - a direct-to-disc frecording. Harry James actually
made 3 Sheffield Labs direct-to-disc recordings for Sheffield (the other 2 are
"Comin' From A Good Place" and "Still Harry After All These Years". All 3 are
well worth hearing and owning. Also, copies can be found frequently on eBay
for reasonable cost. Unless you've heard some of the Sheffield, or Crystal
Clear direct-to-disc jazz recordings, you haven't really heard the ultimate
vinyl recordings! The King James Version album is really quite staggering, as
Mr. Steel mentions, in its dynamic impact. I have a large collection of
Sheffields, and they are great for demoing one's system. The famous Thelma
Houston album (Whitney's aunt) - "I Got the Music In Me" is their most popular
title. Note that most of the Sheffield albums are also available on CD, if you
need to go that route.

Many of the older classic jazz titles, such as Dave Brubeck's Time Out (one of
my favorites), have also been reissued on 180 gram vinyl by Classic Records and
others, usually with excellent results.

One of the best popular vinyl recordings I've heard, if you can find a copy, is
Eric Clapton's "Unplugged". This was originally issued on German vinyl and
sounds great.


Bruce J. Richman