Good Sounding CDs
- Thread starter drillher
- Start date
Drumolator
Super Member
What kind of music do you like? I could suggest something that sounds good, but if you do not care for it, it may be a waste of money. Peace and goodwill.
Sean Custer
New Member
All the original first pressings sound good. For example my original press Led Zeppelin CD'S sound better than the newer released re masters. I listen to mostly classic rock and i hate all the older recordings that have been re mastered. Back in the day they just tried to make the CD'S sound as close to the master recordings they could. Today the re masters make them sound way different and not in a good way. Also don't by CD'S that are greatest hits that have like 20 songs on one disc they are compressed and have absolutely no dynamic range or sound stage at all. When CD'S first come out it seems all sounded pretty good now it is hit or miss more than likely miss.
How about the CDs that sound sharp and clean on some tracks, and dull and muted on others? Sarah McLachlan's Shine On is a good example. Some tracks sound like she had a sinus cold.
Another CD with problems is Aimee Mann's Charmer. On one track especially ("Living A Lie") you can actually hear the treble response on the main vocal mike being lowered to the point of dullness when it should have been left alone.
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jking3002
Member
One thing that helps my CDs sound more natural is to EQ them a little bit. Forget that silly smile EQ curve that everyone likes to use. To me, that makes things sound even worse (highs too high, lows to low).
I usually find my CDs to be too bright (no matter if I'm in the car, or in either of my home setups). Obviously, I turn the treble down a little bit (say 15-20%) and I boost the lows some (about 15-30%), but the secret to natural sound is in the mids I think. Vinyl especially seems to use lots of mids. I think that's a big part of that "natural" or "warm" sound. Instead of scoping them out using the smile EQ, try to boost the mids just a tiny bit (5-10%). See how much better CDs sound if you try this these settings and fine tune to taste.
I usually find my CDs to be too bright (no matter if I'm in the car, or in either of my home setups). Obviously, I turn the treble down a little bit (say 15-20%) and I boost the lows some (about 15-30%), but the secret to natural sound is in the mids I think. Vinyl especially seems to use lots of mids. I think that's a big part of that "natural" or "warm" sound. Instead of scoping them out using the smile EQ, try to boost the mids just a tiny bit (5-10%). See how much better CDs sound if you try this these settings and fine tune to taste.
I got turned on to a truly awsome singer/guitarist named Eva Cassidy Live at Blues Alley! Her voice is so effotless and her guitar playing is the same. She died way to young, but, what She gave while She was here is a Gift! I plan on getting all of her music soon. Well worth checking her out on Wikipedia!!!
Opus
Opus
Condorsat
Audio Enthusiast
Same as it ever was ... same as it ever was.
Same thing could be said for Vinyl, Cassettes, 8 Tracks, Reel to Reel, SACD .... etc etc ... any format really.
Good "sounding" recordings are good regardless of format. I"ve found that many of my good sounding classic rock records also sound good on Redbook CD ...
provided they were not poorly remastered (my perspective) to a "modern" sounding "loud, compressed" standard.
I go by customer audio reviews (if I can find good ones) ... and also pay attention to any releases from MFSL ... IMHO, they choose great recordings to start with mostly. The originals of the albums they choose often sound good in my experience.
Playing some CDs from the local Library has also been a good method for me ... if I like it ... often will end up purchasing a copy from the web.
Same thing could be said for Vinyl, Cassettes, 8 Tracks, Reel to Reel, SACD .... etc etc ... any format really.
Good "sounding" recordings are good regardless of format. I"ve found that many of my good sounding classic rock records also sound good on Redbook CD ...
provided they were not poorly remastered (my perspective) to a "modern" sounding "loud, compressed" standard.
I go by customer audio reviews (if I can find good ones) ... and also pay attention to any releases from MFSL ... IMHO, they choose great recordings to start with mostly. The originals of the albums they choose often sound good in my experience.
Playing some CDs from the local Library has also been a good method for me ... if I like it ... often will end up purchasing a copy from the web.
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It also indicates whether codec is lossless or not.
Drumolator
Super Member
All of the suggestions I could make would be blues, jazz, or Christian rock. Peace and goodwill.
prighello
not all who wander are lost
I find that a lot of new age, Celtic, and word music is well recorded and sounds great on CD, but you have to like those genres. Here's some picks:
Andean Nation
Anne Roos
Chris Spheeris
Mark Knopfler
George Winston
Howard Baer
Jim Brickman
Oregon
Ottmar Liebert
Paco De Lucia
Ravi Shankar
Richard Searles
Thomas Bergersen
Tool
Yo-Yo Ma
Andean Nation
Anne Roos
Chris Spheeris
Mark Knopfler
George Winston
Howard Baer
Jim Brickman
Oregon
Ottmar Liebert
Paco De Lucia
Ravi Shankar
Richard Searles
Thomas Bergersen
Tool
Yo-Yo Ma
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dodog
Addicted Member
Your ears will always be the best bet but a good place to start is over at Steve Hoffman's forum. For nearly any modern or rock CD, google search something like "best are you experienced cd, hoffman" and look at the results. Usually the top hit will be a thread that is way out of control by pages and pages but there tends to be a quick consensus (not always though) on what is thought to be the "best" master or a title. I don't do much DVD-A or SACD so tend to ignore those titles and look for the best consensus redbook title. Be prepared to get West German Targets, Japanese swirls, Toshiba black triangles, etc. and then be prepared to be shocked by how much many of those go for on the bay.
Stereophile recommends audio recordings that are both musically beautiful and well recorded. Look up their "to die for" lists.
SACD disks are generally very well recorded, almost always better than their CD counterparts. Even if you don't use the SACD layer the CD layer is generally better.
Sometimes though, it's all about the music.
SACD disks are generally very well recorded, almost always better than their CD counterparts. Even if you don't use the SACD layer the CD layer is generally better.
Sometimes though, it's all about the music.
