When judging hifi I think of two important characteristics:- Ability to play poorly recorded, or very old, music and let the music still come through. Ability to play at a lower volume yet the music can still flow.
Good advice, this is why you should always take your own CD's or Vynl when buying any new gear. Demo music is often chosen to show how good an item sounds without pushing it too hard, on the day it will sound impressive, then when you get it home only then will you find it's weak spots. You can mix and match for years chasing that perfect sound, only to find it exists only in your own mind, be at ease with what you have rather than constantly chasing for the holy grail of Hi-Fi.
As a right handed drummer, i always imagine the drums from my own point of view, sitting behind the kit with the hihat on my left, toms running from left to right, and the ride cymbal on my right, so when i hear them recorded the other way round it sounds a bit funny, until i remind myself that the audience/recording engineer see the kit with hihat on the right etc etc. I suppose it doesn't really matter to most people, but i bet all the drummers notice it!
Live at Hitomi Memorial Hall | Tokyo, 1986 | "When i fall in love" | Victor Young, Edward Heyman - authors | Keith Jarrett - piano | Gary Peacock - bass | Jack DeJohnette - drums | This song includes everything I need to judge a system, including applause, so difficult to render in a real way. Wonderful 3D image and ambience. My benchmark in testing.
Think a right handed drummer would go around the kit left to right as would normally end with a spash or crash cymbal on right hand side. The ride cymbal would be on left hand side and normally hit when playing hi hat / kick drum. But then this would transpire oppersite if you are sitting in front facing them so going around the kit right to left as you look at them. All this would still depend on how the sounstage is set out and how the track is mixed as well I would have thought.
I like to listen to the sound stage as if watching the band live, so right hand drummers, usually start right side going left to complete a fill. Same with a 3 piece band. And their locations on stage. Thats my preference.
Love 'To high'. The cymbals in that track especially the ride cymbals tells you a lot. LOL yes pretty much all Steely Dan tracks sound good. Babylon Sister though is a great favourite. So many good test tracks out there but if it sounds good it's probably right. Great video as always
Hey Kelvin, I think most people who have spent a long time listening to all sorts of equipment in order to find navana have there own go to tracks... loved your reference to that Classic Ian Drury song, and any song by Stevie ..... Personally, I like to hear how a track called 'RIO' by the Doobie bros fairs and then "Lowdown" by Boz Scaggs but it's just what floats your boat really, cheers Kelvin, keep em coming .
@@stereoreviewx evening Kevin, I suspect we are of a similar age and had the pleasure of being around when you could go to a record store and buy a great album every week, we'll if you could afford it which I certainly could not , I wonder if you would like to compare the original Super Tramp album :Breakfast in America .. on different formats.. Vinyl, CD, Streaming e.t.c and maybe how the New Vinyl version sounds It's just a thought you probably could choose any classic album of that era P.S. , There's a album by Yellow you really should hear it's called "Baby". I thought the Dan's albums sound good. Anyhoo have a great night and looking forward to the show tomorrow . Regards, Ian. By the way I was born in 61 .
Great show Mr K. I wonder if you should be getting royalties as I for one have certainly added your various song choices over the years to my Spotify playlist .. And funnily enough they are good material for the trained ear and it always reminds me of you when it plays 🇬🇧✨🔇🔉🔊
dr John gris gris has a real good mix of audio capabilities and worth a visit . A nice test I feel. I do hate to find that the inconsistency that I hear sometimes turns out to be the recording how can studio engineers mess that up, recently I was listening to a recent jazz album and the right channel is noticeably quiet.
Two of my favourite test albums are "Band on the Run" and "Led Zeppelin 3", both excellent recordings if your system is right but can sound horrible if you have the wrong amp/speaker combinations, these will exaggerate over brightness. Interconnects can make big differences too but if you go with quality you won't go far wrong, they just sound different.
Certainly agree with you about the song E Street Shuffle by Bruce Springsteen. Had not heard it before. Very fast track with lots going on. It sounded good through my system.I think my amp did very well to keep pace with requirements of the track !
Concerning the inverted channels, don't forget that microphones also capture height informations and reverbs, so that, if you listen to it the wrong way out, everything sounds so unreal.
I went for 2 digital high-resolution amplifiers and connected old Quart MB speakers. The MB 280 & 390. Amplifiers are running via my Pioneer DJM 500 Mixer, which my Technics SL-1200MK3D are hooked up. Love the sound now. Thanks for your posts!! Inspiring.... I am also from North London but live in Switzerland.
Hi 👋 Kalvin ... another great vid ! On the tweaking an improvements ?! ( let you be the judge of that ) 😊 im thinking of Mono blocking two 606 Quads but not too sure of myself doing it ! Any pros an cons as advice i should be aware of before I blow myself up... Lol Thanks for your time 🙏
Usually to be sure of the sound of a gear i listen 2 pieces, one very busy classical so not amplified music, (I Pini Di Roma by Respighi is a tremendous test) and a piece of Electric Jazz, H.Hancock or Weather Report or also a disc from Brand-X, other pieces very busy but the differences between are that electrical music is more Punchy, needs fast transients. If i’m happy in these 2 cases it’s impossible to me to be disappointed with other musical programs. I don’t go further to avoid too much infos in my mind and get confused. Nice your way!
One of my top test tracks that gets most things is, Live at the Bayerischer Hof by James Blood Ulmer Track is called, Crying (live) This track starts with a kick drum and a cymbal which really shows the bass impact and weight with HF detail. It flows into the vocal which is super pure in a huge deep soundstage which shows imaging and depth capabilities. Then its full of guitar riffs with rich harmonics and transient dynamics. It then becomes really busy and energised which will test your systems composure. The whole track should sound hyper real and rich in tone, spacious and impactful with moments of delicacy. Try it out! Its great. Oh and play it loud of course 😁👍🏻
Would be opposite listening Phil Collins because he is a left handed drummer so he will always lead with his left hand and go round the kit normally right to left his hi hats will be in his right and ride cymbal to his left where with a right handed drummer his kit will be set from left to right. Ringo was a left handed drummer with a right handed kit but that’s for another day 👍
Our human brain has 2 hemispheres. The left hemisphere concerns itself with analytical functions like reading, writing and problem solving. The right hemisphere of the brain is the emotional side. Here is where it gets a bit tricky. There is a crossover. Our left ear is functionally connected to the right (or emotional side of our brain); that is why violin string sections are placed in the left channel of symphony recordings. Our right ear is functionally connnected to the left or analytical side of our brain. Some audio engineers realized this or learned this as they went along. For instance the long solo organ part of Light My Fire by The Doors, (one of rock's finest moments), is recorded in the right channel. If your preamp has stereo reverse, try listening to that with the organ in the left channel. It's a much more emotional experience. They must have realized this by the time they recorded Riders On The Storm, another classic song with a long great organ solo. There, the organ is recorded in the left channel, so it goes to the right, or emotional part of your brain. Stereo reverse on a preamp is a must have for me. Unlike The Doors for some reason, there are many recordings that are hard for a stereo to unravel. Kelvin's aforementioned The Wild The Innocent...by Springsteen is one of them. There's even a trombone playing in the song about circus life. Most people's stereos sound like there is an audio traffic jam going on, with instruments closely rear ending each other front to back, instead of a big cushion of air seperating the instruments in space. When stuff like 1960s Jefferson Airplane recordings start sounding really good; you know you have something there. Of course the more unscientific audiophiles among us, will listen to recordings like that and think because it sounds raw and limited on their system, that that's the only way it can sound. They blame the producer and the mastering engineer for the way their mediocre system makes it sound. Complaining and excuses are the devil's workshop. And speaking of the devil, their system's sound like hell... because they give up and complain instead. They give up on a lot of things in life. The wiser audiophiles among us, keep going and realize that bad recordings can be made to sound a lot better, once your system is to the point where it is not adding virtually any distortion of its own, to the playback; of said recordings. It's a real journey getting to that point. It has been worth it for me, since I know how to modify and don't have to throw big money around to get great sound quality. The song "The Bruiser" by Tim Weisberg is one of the ultimate bass demo tracks. Not just for deep bass, but the whole spectrum of bass frequencies.
Glad you liked it! His bass player was truly special, as was the other musicians he recorded with.. Another classic track from Tim Weisberg is Party Of One.Tim Weisberg has a vast album discography and I can't think of one album that isn't good. Travellin' Light is one of his albums I was recently listening to; really nice. The obscure Nautilus. audiophile lp label, let him do an original material lp for them, called Tip Of The Weisberg, back around 1980. It was one of the few early digital lps that sounded good, and the music on that one really grows on you a lot for some reason with repeated listenings.
@@sidesup8286 Ooh fabulous. I will add to the list. I've never heard of him as it goes, but the sound production on that record I was playing earlier (I should say stream really) was really great, and such a groove! I'll definitely dip into the others you recommended. Thanks
I remember the first time I ever heard the track Party Of One. The mood I was in must have been just just right for it, I don't recall many tracks that I loved so much on first listen.I think I was in a somber mood, and the sheer beauty of that tune nearly brought me to tears. It starts out with such a beautiful reflective mood and then the guitar parts come in and it just sounds like a creative masterpiece that is really letting go. The great guitarist on that track is Buzz Feiten from the Neil Larsen /Full Moon jazz fusion group. He's just wonderful. His guitar solo on Sudden Samba, track 1 from Neil Larsen's Jungle Fever album, established him in my mind as a really great guitarist. For those in America, Buzz Feiten was an irregular guest guitarist for the Paul Schaffer Band, on the late night David Letterman TV Show. You've probably heard him and seen his face before
1:25 Hey My Main Man. GEE WE Love Ya. AnyHow Great Producer Told Ne. Listen To The Music And The Tone And Quality Of The Music IS ABSOLUTELY Correct When While Listening To The Music YOU Can Pick Out And One Instrument And You Should Be Able To Hear Each Thing Clearly by it self. So Listen to the music and Pick out an instrument and you should be able to only hear it and see it being played in your mind even with all the other instruments playing And when you can do that you have a perfectly tuned stereo
Interesting concept about the drums playing left to write, and thats the way we read. However that got me thinking, what about languages that don't read left to write, like Mandarin. Would Chinese people feel the same left to right or maybe up and down lol, I know I am off to listen to some tunes now to see if I am the same as you Kelvin . I kind of do get what you mean, also panning music left to right etc... Liked this video got me thinking a bit
Agree , I got a AV amp with separate tuner & remote , it was $1550 for the two in 1987 , for $120 , and it would be hard in today's climate, to replace it with something better, without spending a fortune.
I decided to do some A/B testing of different digital file-versions of Stevie Wonders' "Too High". I used the following digital files: MP3 (320kbps); FLAC 16Bit/44kHz; FLAC 24Bit/96kHz (reissued and remastered in the year 2000); SACD-DFF file; I used my Fiio X5 Digital Audio Player with my B&W P7 wired-headphones - this method makes it easier to really listen in to the sound-quality of each digital file and then pick out the differences between them quickly and also to switch between the digital files quickly and maintain a good memory of what has just been listened to. It also removes any room-effects that may colour my listening and my conclusions. THE RESULT...the reissued & remastered file (FLAC 24Bit/96kHz) was the best sounding...it had a wider dynamic range, sounded just 'bigger' and more involving - had more 'meat on the bone'. It's this FLAC file that I will keep and which get's added to my main music library to be played on my main HiFi system. I didn't listen to any Streaming versions (i.e., Spotify etc.,) as in my experiance all the streaming platforms are all lower-quality when compared to playing a high-res FLAC file that you have stored locally on Digital Audio Player. "Spotify Premium" for example only delivers MP3's at 320kbps which is a very thin, very lossy and a very compressed digital format which ultimately reduces the dynamic-range of the music and makes it sound a bit 'thin' on a main Hifi set-up).
Hi Kevin! Mike from Stockholm here. I also take some bad recorded records. Like "Born to run" Springsteen. It was always flat sounding. But one time it wasn't! I tried phonopres and then I knowed this is it.
If you reverse left and right channels, the song will definitely sound wrong, particularly if it is a recording you are familiar with. All the spatial cues are different from what you remember! The position of the drummer and saxophonist is imprinted on your brain.
Slightly off topic, is there any chance that we can have more turntable reviews, please, Kelvin? We have lots of amps and speakers, but very few turntable reviews. I have a few turntables, including the Thorens TD 150 you own... that legendary little turntable deserves one of your in-depth reviews. It's a Sondek destroyer, when set up correctly.
Norwegian wood by the Beatles is my L/R channel checking song. Because it was mixed dual mono and not stereo. That 331 you have there (you need some lights for the radio dial) actually swaps left and right channel (although I think it is just the markings on the rear that are confusing. Right is the rca closest to the box, but if you follow the markings it is the one furthest away from the box, unless you choose the read them upside down. I find the stomping in 'We will Rock You' by Queen is useful for determining how tight or sloppy bass is.
great video kelvin i don't mind left to right or right to left however i find that music of today you don't get too much stereo separation what's your thoughts? 😁
For drums, some mixers do it from the audience perspective or from the band’s perspective. They are opposite of one another. Don’t think there’s a rule for audio engineers, just a matter of preference. I prefer the audience perspective when I do my mixes.
for fun I just listened to in the air tonight Phil collins and the big drum fill goes from left to right and he's left handed. not that that means a lot. K
Drums suffer and sound out of phase when Left and Right are incorrect because of the way that they're mic'd up. If you believe that drum fills should flow from left to right, then listen to Phil Collins, as he is a left handed drummer and his kit is set up for left handed playing. It is also mic'd that way, too. Best listening tracks: Dominique Fills - Birds. The Reddings - Awakening. Sting - Shape of My Heart. Mötorhead - The Ace of Spades. Kelvin is right: yes some albums will always sound amazing ( Brothers in Arms and Diamond Life were staples of hifi shows in the mid 80s). Try a track you know exceptionally well, that way you'll know how well the gear is doing by how engaging and detailed it sounds. All the very best to you Kelvin. Thanks for a super, entertaining channel, mate.
This was strange but true my sister is left handed and forced to right with her right hand in the 50s she wrote right to left but normally now but she has a preference for right to left I'm the opposite very bizarre there is something going on here we definitely don't understand we just thought it was us
I have around half a dozen songs that I've been listening to since the 80s that I use for testing, and I'm sure I know them better than the groups that recorded them 😂
It absolutely matters if the left and right speakers are backwards. With the exception of mono recordings. Especially if you are watching a music video of a band playing on stage. You would see the drummer going one way and hear the drums go the opposite way across your room. If the backup vocals are on the right, you will hear them to the left. Even if you are playing familiar songs (without video) which are ingrained in your brain, will sound weird with the stereo image backwards. The best recordings with three dimensional sounds moving (naturally) all over a huge soundstage in your room, are created by very talented sound engineers, who knows how to strategically place several microphones to build a realistic stereo illusion. Sadly, this art is a thing of the past, because new recordings are (dynamically) compressed waaaaay too much. The "loudness wars" have destroyed the dynamic range in modern music. It's getting down to 3-6 dB of dynamic range. Dynamic range is the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds in a recording. When I am testing I like to include a highly compressed and busy song, because that is the ultimate torture test for audio gear to play fairly loud without sounding annoying AF. Shouty vocals, muddy when things get busy, lack of dynamics, harsh.....
For me I concluded that my right and left ears hear differently, one is 3db louder.. 😂 but generally when you flip channels it sounds wrong cause you are already used to it the proper way
Regarding right and left with speakers. With some music it may not seem important. Orchestral music though has definite locations and the right and left need to be correct.
Too High is a good demo song. I have used that too to test equipment. If I really want to hear what the bass sounds like I'll put on edm. But any bass heavy song is good where the bass is the star.
R and L being reversed only sounds wrong IF you are familiar with the song. if youve never heard it before, you wont know the difference. as far as rums , I dont notice any preference. I HAVE been taking advantage of Poor mans 4 channel, swapping channels o the rear speakers. Works best withspeaker pairs that accentuate dffrent instruments/ frequencies - EX big VS 120s front, Edirol 2 way 4 inch powered computer monitors with separate bass and treble in the rear. I DO hear different instruments in the back because if them being accentuated by the speakers - true 4 channell fro a stereo set up.
What do you think of the idea of me trying a You tube channel? You have really inspired me, and I would give you credit if I do. It would be an " american" version . I would compare my different amps and receivers giving my opinion. I currently have 4 60s and 70s Sansuis , a 77 Pioneer and a 90s denon to compare. I have also done comparisons of technics and HK in the past. I respect your opinion, especially if you dont want to dillute the market for your show.
Good afternoon, Kevin The most difficult thing, however, to reproduce is full scale orchestral work. Why give it the easy program 'songs' which will arguably sound pleasant at least on most systems? Hi-fi shops will give it the easy program, but then they are trying to sell you something, well anything in their shop!.:)
I live a couple of hundred meters from a park that has live bands. So I can do an A, B test , live vs hifi. Nothing comes close to live. Should have kept my AM pocket radio.
@stereoreviewx if you don't like my comments, don't put videos up. Not everyone is going to agree with some of the nonsense you spout, like demonstrating how to turn a screw, really? just because you collect hifi doesn't make you an expert. I have hifi equipment stored all over the place, but I don't claim to be an expert and wouldn't presume to advise people on hifi, unlike you. I'm just waiting for you to block me now.
I can tell you how not to. Well, definitely not by making those ridiculous turntables 6" high and claiming they improved the sound. Unfortunately for them we have ears too.......
When judging hifi I think of two important characteristics:-
Ability to play poorly recorded, or very old, music and let the music still come through.
Ability to play at a lower volume yet the music can still flow.
yes agree make a poor recording sound interesting is the best sign
@@stereoreviewx it can also be the sign of a colored or too veiled system if it hides sibilance. A matter of trade-offs I guess.
Good advice, this is why you should always take your own CD's or Vynl when
buying any new gear.
Demo music is often chosen to show how good an item sounds without pushing it
too hard, on the day it will sound impressive, then when you get it home only then will you
find it's weak spots.
You can mix and match for years chasing that perfect sound, only to find it exists
only in your own mind, be at ease with what you have rather than constantly chasing
for the holy grail of Hi-Fi.
yes I tend to agree
@@Barbarapape spot on ! Provided it is decent, enjoy your system instead of pointing out its weaknesses.
I think it can pay off to try and find inexpensive ways to improve the sound of your system but perfect sound is not a realistic objective.
As a right handed drummer, i always imagine the drums from my own point of view, sitting behind the kit with the hihat on my left, toms running from left to right, and the ride cymbal on my right, so when i hear them recorded the other way round it sounds a bit funny, until i remind myself that the audience/recording engineer see the kit with hihat on the right etc etc. I suppose it doesn't really matter to most people, but i bet all the drummers notice it!
Yes, I actually forgot I do play the drums also certainly could be a point
Live at Hitomi Memorial Hall |
Tokyo, 1986 |
"When i fall in love" |
Victor Young, Edward Heyman - authors |
Keith Jarrett - piano |
Gary Peacock - bass |
Jack DeJohnette - drums |
This song includes everything I need to judge a system, including applause, so difficult to render in a real way.
Wonderful 3D image and ambience. My benchmark in testing.
You are banging it out Kelvin. Well done.
He's not too old to still bang one out 😂
Hello just tweaking my speakers position tonight and finally hit the sweet spot amazing suddenly you can relax and get lost in music
Think a right handed drummer would go around the kit left to right as would normally end with a spash or crash cymbal on right hand side. The ride cymbal would be on left hand side and normally hit when playing hi hat / kick drum. But then this would transpire oppersite if you are sitting in front facing them so going around the kit right to left as you look at them. All this would still depend on how the sounstage is set out and how the track is mixed as well I would have thought.
HI Michael yes this is another bigger rabbit hole than first thought 😉
Jason Bonham switches the speakers when listening to his dad’s recordings.
I like to listen to the sound stage as if watching the band live, so right hand drummers, usually start right side going left to complete a fill. Same with a 3 piece band. And their locations on stage. Thats my preference.
Ian Dury’s « Wake up !» is the perfect track for testing … every isolated register and the whole too 😉
agree
Such an amazing video. I feel the same as you on pretty much everything you pointed. Great job mate. All the best.
Love 'To high'. The cymbals in that track especially the ride cymbals tells you a lot. LOL yes pretty much all Steely Dan tracks sound good. Babylon Sister though is a great favourite. So many good test tracks out there but if it sounds good it's probably right.
Great video as always
Hey Kelvin, I think most people who have spent a long time listening to all sorts of equipment in order to find navana have there own go to tracks... loved your reference to that Classic Ian Drury song, and any song by Stevie .....
Personally, I like to hear how a track called 'RIO' by the Doobie bros fairs and then "Lowdown" by Boz Scaggs but it's just what floats your boat really, cheers Kelvin, keep em coming .
I like lowdown a lot
@@stereoreviewx evening Kevin, I suspect we are of a similar age and had the pleasure of being around when you could go to a record store and buy a great album every week, we'll if you could afford it which I certainly could not , I wonder if you would like to compare the original Super Tramp album :Breakfast in America .. on different formats..
Vinyl, CD, Streaming e.t.c and maybe how the New Vinyl version sounds
It's just a thought you probably could choose any classic album of that era
P.S. , There's a album by Yellow you really should hear it's called "Baby". I thought the Dan's albums sound good.
Anyhoo have a great night and looking forward to the show tomorrow . Regards, Ian.
By the way I was born in 61 .
Cheers , great to have Stereo X back
Great show Mr K. I wonder if you should be getting royalties as I for one have certainly added your various song choices over the years to my Spotify playlist .. And funnily enough they are good material for the trained ear and it always reminds me of you when it plays 🇬🇧✨🔇🔉🔊
dr John gris gris has a real good mix of audio capabilities and worth a visit .
A nice test I feel.
I do hate to find that the inconsistency that I hear sometimes turns out to be the recording how can studio engineers mess that up, recently I was listening to a recent jazz album and the right channel is noticeably quiet.
they proberbly think that's cool🤣
Two of my favourite test albums are "Band on the Run" and "Led Zeppelin 3", both excellent recordings if your system is right but can sound horrible if you have the wrong amp/speaker combinations, these will exaggerate over brightness. Interconnects can make big differences too but if you go with quality you won't go far wrong, they just sound different.
Certainly agree with you about the song E Street Shuffle by Bruce Springsteen. Had not heard it before. Very fast track with lots going on. It sounded good through my system.I think my amp did very well to keep pace with requirements of the track !
Concerning the inverted channels, don't forget that microphones also capture height informations and reverbs, so that, if you listen to it the wrong way out, everything sounds so unreal.
that sounds important
I went for 2 digital high-resolution amplifiers and connected old Quart MB speakers. The MB 280 & 390. Amplifiers are running via my Pioneer DJM 500 Mixer, which my Technics SL-1200MK3D are hooked up. Love the sound now. Thanks for your posts!! Inspiring.... I am also from North London but live in Switzerland.
Very nice!
My old system was Yamaha M2 & C4 Amp and preamp with Electro Voice Interface ɣ Gamma speakers.
The microphone worked really well in the video
Hi 👋 Kalvin ... another great vid ! On the tweaking an improvements ?! ( let you be the judge of that ) 😊 im thinking of Mono blocking two 606 Quads but not too sure of myself doing it ! Any pros an cons as advice i should be aware of before I blow myself up... Lol
Thanks for your time 🙏
Yet a another fantastic vid !
Usually to be sure of the sound of a gear i listen 2 pieces, one very busy classical so not amplified music, (I Pini Di Roma by Respighi is a tremendous test) and a piece of Electric Jazz, H.Hancock or Weather Report or also a disc from Brand-X, other pieces very busy but the differences between are that electrical music is more Punchy, needs fast transients. If i’m happy in these 2 cases it’s impossible to me to be disappointed with other musical programs. I don’t go further to avoid too much infos in my mind and get confused. Nice your way!
One of my top test tracks that gets most things is,
Live at the Bayerischer Hof by James Blood Ulmer
Track is called,
Crying (live)
This track starts with a kick drum and a cymbal which really shows the bass impact and weight with HF detail. It flows into the vocal which is super pure in a huge deep soundstage which shows imaging and depth capabilities. Then its full of guitar riffs with rich harmonics and transient dynamics. It then becomes really busy and energised which will test your systems composure. The whole track should sound hyper real and rich in tone, spacious and impactful with moments of delicacy. Try it out! Its great. Oh and play it loud of course 😁👍🏻
Great content from you. I have just subscribed.
You have a nice wrist watch collection Kelvin,I've noticed a lot of audiophile guys are watch guys.Must be the collecting mindset😊
Right. For me too in all this years. But then I listen to a Ortofon mc and Graham Slee phonopre and there it was: A room!
Lol I like that speaker driver just randomly sat in the background, I wonder where that's going.
Decoration 😊
It's a chip bowl
You brought back memories with Ian Dury's Sex and Drugs and Rock'n Roll! 👍👍👍
Is all my brain and body need?
Would be opposite listening Phil Collins because he is a left handed drummer so he will always lead with his left hand and go round the kit normally right to left his hi hats will be in his right and ride cymbal to his left where with a right handed drummer his kit will be set from left to right. Ringo was a left handed drummer with a right handed kit but that’s for another day 👍
Beat me with your rhythm stick 😋a great fun tune 🎵
superb
Hit me with your Ryhthm Stick.
Our human brain has 2 hemispheres. The left hemisphere concerns itself with analytical functions like reading, writing and problem solving. The right hemisphere of the brain is the emotional side. Here is where it gets a bit tricky. There is a crossover. Our left ear is functionally connected to the right (or emotional side of our brain); that is why violin string sections are placed in the left channel of symphony recordings. Our right ear is functionally connnected to the left or analytical side of our brain. Some audio engineers realized this or learned this as they went along. For instance the long solo organ part of Light My Fire by The Doors, (one of rock's finest moments), is recorded in the right channel. If your preamp has stereo reverse, try listening to that with the organ in the left channel. It's a much more emotional experience. They must have realized this by the time they recorded Riders On The Storm, another classic song with a long great organ solo. There, the organ is recorded in the left channel, so it goes to the right, or emotional part of your brain. Stereo reverse on a preamp is a must have for me.
Unlike The Doors for some reason, there are many recordings that are hard for a stereo to unravel. Kelvin's aforementioned The Wild The Innocent...by Springsteen is one of them. There's even a trombone playing in the song about circus life. Most people's stereos sound like there is an audio traffic jam going on, with instruments closely rear ending each other front to back, instead of a big cushion of air seperating the instruments in space. When stuff like 1960s Jefferson Airplane recordings start sounding really good; you know you have something there. Of course the more unscientific audiophiles among us, will listen to recordings like that and think because it sounds raw and limited on their system, that that's the only way it can sound. They blame the producer and the mastering engineer for the way their mediocre system makes it sound. Complaining and excuses are the devil's workshop. And speaking of the devil, their system's sound like hell... because they give up and complain instead. They give up on a lot of things in life. The wiser audiophiles among us, keep going and realize that bad recordings can be made to sound a lot better, once your system is to the point where it is not adding virtually any distortion of its own, to the playback; of said recordings. It's a real journey getting to that point. It has been worth it for me, since I know how to modify and don't have to throw big money around to get great sound quality.
The song "The Bruiser" by Tim Weisberg is one of the ultimate bass demo tracks. Not just for deep bass, but the whole spectrum of bass frequencies.
Just listened to "The Bruiser" - and now hooked on the entire record! It's ACE!!! My system sounds alive :) great stuff. Cheers
Glad you liked it! His bass player was truly special, as was the other musicians he recorded with.. Another classic track from Tim Weisberg is Party Of One.Tim Weisberg has a vast album discography and I can't think of one album that isn't good. Travellin' Light is one of his albums I was recently listening to; really nice. The obscure Nautilus. audiophile lp label, let him do an original material lp for them, called Tip Of The Weisberg, back around 1980. It was one of the few early digital lps that sounded good, and the music on that one really grows on you a lot for some reason with repeated listenings.
@@sidesup8286 Ooh fabulous. I will add to the list. I've never heard of him as it goes, but the sound production on that record I was playing earlier (I should say stream really) was really great, and such a groove! I'll definitely dip into the others you recommended. Thanks
I remember the first time I ever heard the track Party Of One. The mood I was in must have been just just right for it, I don't recall many tracks that I loved so much on first listen.I think I was in a somber mood, and the sheer beauty of that tune nearly brought me to tears. It starts out with such a beautiful reflective mood and then the guitar parts come in and it just sounds like a creative masterpiece that is really letting go. The great guitarist on that track is Buzz Feiten from the Neil Larsen /Full Moon jazz fusion group. He's just wonderful. His guitar solo on Sudden Samba, track 1 from Neil Larsen's Jungle Fever album, established him in my mind as a really great guitarist. For those in America, Buzz Feiten was an irregular guest guitarist for the Paul Schaffer Band, on the late night David Letterman TV Show. You've probably heard him and seen his face before
Iv always thought it's about getting the so called poor recordings to sound better leave the good ones to themselves they will sound good on anything.
Ian Drury yes, I have the Do It Yourself album... not totally loving it, probably need to listen to it again it's been a while.
there a man called Chaz jankel (proberbly misspelt ) who I believe was musicaly important on first album but then left band
1:25 Hey My Main Man. GEE WE Love Ya. AnyHow
Great Producer Told Ne. Listen To The Music And The Tone And Quality Of The Music IS ABSOLUTELY Correct When While Listening To The Music YOU Can Pick Out And One Instrument And You Should Be Able To Hear Each Thing Clearly by it self. So Listen to the music and Pick out an instrument and you should be able to only hear it and see it being played in your mind even with all the other instruments playing And when you can do that you have a perfectly tuned stereo
Interesting concept about the drums playing left to write, and thats the way we read. However that got me thinking, what about languages that don't read left to write, like Mandarin. Would Chinese people feel the same left to right or maybe up and down lol, I know I am off to listen to some tunes now to see if I am the same as you Kelvin . I kind of do get what you mean, also panning music left to right etc... Liked this video got me thinking a bit
AV stuff offers very good value, I recently got a piece that was £3000 for £70
Agree , I got a AV amp with separate tuner & remote , it was $1550 for the two in 1987 , for $120 , and it would be hard in today's climate, to replace it with something better, without spending a fortune.
I decided to do some A/B testing of different digital file-versions of Stevie Wonders' "Too High".
I used the following digital files:
MP3 (320kbps);
FLAC 16Bit/44kHz;
FLAC 24Bit/96kHz (reissued and remastered in the year 2000);
SACD-DFF file;
I used my Fiio X5 Digital Audio Player with my B&W P7 wired-headphones - this method makes it easier to really listen in to the sound-quality of each digital file and then pick out the differences between them quickly and also to switch between the digital files quickly and maintain a good memory of what has just been listened to. It also removes any room-effects that may colour my listening and my conclusions.
THE RESULT...the reissued & remastered file (FLAC 24Bit/96kHz) was the best sounding...it had a wider dynamic range, sounded just 'bigger' and more involving - had more 'meat on the bone'. It's this FLAC file that I will keep and which get's added to my main music library to be played on my main HiFi system.
I didn't listen to any Streaming versions (i.e., Spotify etc.,) as in my experiance all the streaming platforms are all lower-quality when compared to playing a high-res FLAC file that you have stored locally on Digital Audio Player. "Spotify Premium" for example only delivers MP3's at 320kbps which is a very thin, very lossy and a very compressed digital format which ultimately reduces the dynamic-range of the music and makes it sound a bit 'thin' on a main Hifi set-up).
Great stuff, thanks for sharing
Haha you don't look so lonely, Kelvin! :-)
😇
Hi Kevin! Mike from Stockholm here. I also take some bad recorded records. Like "Born to run" Springsteen. It was always flat sounding. But one time it wasn't! I tried phonopres and then I knowed this is it.
born to run to me is like Phil Spector stuff kind of a mess sonically but that works somehow
If you reverse left and right channels, the song will definitely sound wrong, particularly if it is a recording you are familiar with. All the spatial cues are different from what you remember! The position of the drummer and saxophonist is imprinted on your brain.
Slightly off topic, is there any chance that we can have more turntable reviews, please, Kelvin? We have lots of amps and speakers, but very few turntable reviews. I have a few turntables, including the Thorens TD 150 you own... that legendary little turntable deserves one of your in-depth reviews. It's a Sondek destroyer, when set up correctly.
Norwegian wood by the Beatles is my L/R channel checking song. Because it was mixed dual mono and not stereo. That 331 you have there (you need some lights for the radio dial) actually swaps left and right channel (although I think it is just the markings on the rear that are confusing. Right is the rca closest to the box, but if you follow the markings it is the one furthest away from the box, unless you choose the read them upside down. I find the stomping in 'We will Rock You' by Queen is useful for determining how tight or sloppy bass is.
here is a trivia question for you
what drums are on we will rock you ??
answer ....... none apparently its stomping on the floor and handclaps.!!!
@@stereoreviewx yeah, that's what makes it so iconic.
great video kelvin i don't mind left to right or right to left however i find that music of today you don't get too much stereo separation what's your thoughts? 😁
For drums, some mixers do it from the audience perspective or from the band’s perspective. They are opposite of one another. Don’t think there’s a rule for audio engineers, just a matter of preference. I prefer the audience perspective when I do my mixes.
for fun I just listened to in the air tonight Phil collins and the big drum fill goes from left to right
and he's left handed. not that that means a lot. K
Drums suffer and sound out of phase when Left and Right are incorrect because of the way that they're mic'd up. If you believe that drum fills should flow from left to right, then listen to Phil Collins, as he is a left handed drummer and his kit is set up for left handed playing. It is also mic'd that way, too.
Best listening tracks: Dominique Fills - Birds. The Reddings - Awakening. Sting - Shape of My Heart. Mötorhead - The Ace of Spades.
Kelvin is right: yes some albums will always sound amazing ( Brothers in Arms and Diamond Life were staples of hifi shows in the mid 80s). Try a track you know exceptionally well, that way you'll know how well the gear is doing by how engaging and detailed it sounds.
All the very best to you Kelvin. Thanks for a super, entertaining channel, mate.
This was strange but true my sister is left handed and forced to right with her right hand in the 50s she wrote right to left but normally now but she has a preference for right to left I'm the opposite very bizarre there is something going on here we definitely don't understand we just thought it was us
Good advice
I have around half a dozen songs that I've been listening to since the 80s that I use for testing, and I'm sure I know them better than the groups that recorded them 😂
Another good vid Kelvin 😊
It absolutely matters if the left and right speakers are backwards. With the exception of mono recordings. Especially if you are watching a music video of a band playing on stage. You would see the drummer going one way and hear the drums go the opposite way across your room. If the backup vocals are on the right, you will hear them to the left. Even if you are playing familiar songs (without video) which are ingrained in your brain, will sound weird with the stereo image backwards.
The best recordings with three dimensional sounds moving (naturally) all over a huge soundstage in your room, are created by very talented sound engineers, who knows how to strategically place several microphones to build a realistic stereo illusion. Sadly, this art is a thing of the past, because new recordings are (dynamically) compressed waaaaay too much. The "loudness wars" have destroyed the dynamic range in modern music. It's getting down to 3-6 dB of dynamic range. Dynamic range is the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds in a recording.
When I am testing I like to include a highly compressed and busy song, because that is the ultimate torture test for audio gear to play fairly loud without sounding annoying AF. Shouty vocals, muddy when things get busy, lack of dynamics, harsh.....
For me I concluded that my right and left ears hear differently, one is 3db louder.. 😂 but generally when you flip channels it sounds wrong cause you are already used to it the proper way
Regarding right and left with speakers. With some music it may not seem important. Orchestral music though has definite locations and the right and left need to be correct.
Keep it up.. love your content
Appreciate it!
That’s an interesting point about the drums , I wonder if it’s reversed for Japanese people who read right to left.
what about the Chinese there going up and down 😕
Too High is a good demo song. I have used that too to test equipment. If I really want to hear what the bass sounds like I'll put on edm. But any bass heavy song is good where the bass is the star.
Want to see how well your system handles bass?
Silverchair - Israel's son
and on a more trivial note stevies voice on too high I think fluctuates between autotune on and off
Bass? Two songs from Massive Attack: 1) Angel 2)Teardrop
R and L being reversed only sounds wrong IF you are familiar with the song. if youve never heard it before, you wont know the difference. as far as rums , I dont notice any preference. I HAVE been taking advantage of Poor mans 4 channel, swapping channels o the rear speakers. Works best withspeaker pairs that accentuate dffrent instruments/ frequencies - EX big VS 120s front, Edirol 2 way 4 inch powered computer monitors with separate bass and treble in the rear. I DO hear different instruments in the back because if them being accentuated by the speakers - true 4 channell fro a stereo set up.
What do you think of the idea of me trying a You tube channel? You have really inspired me, and I would give you credit if I do. It would be an " american" version . I would compare my different amps and receivers giving my opinion. I currently have 4 60s and 70s Sansuis , a 77 Pioneer and a 90s denon to compare. I have also done comparisons of technics and HK in the past. I respect your opinion, especially if you dont want to dillute the market for your show.
Well it’s a lot more work than people realise .
I would always encourage people to have a go at UA-cam or anything really
K
I don’t know much but I do know that oxidation is the kryptonite of all audiophiles 😂
🤯
Good afternoon, Kevin The most difficult thing, however, to reproduce is full scale orchestral work. Why give it the easy program 'songs' which will arguably sound pleasant at least on most systems? Hi-fi shops will give it the easy program, but then they are trying to sell you something, well anything in their shop!.:)
yes people in shops have ages to work out the best song to play
Id recommend Kenny Rankin-Because of You from Chesky records. It is beautifully well recorded album
I live a couple of hundred meters from a park that has live bands.
So I can do an A, B test , live vs hifi.
Nothing comes close to live.
Should have kept my AM pocket radio.
🤣
One "Steely Dan"- album, does not cut the mustard when it comes to quality.
"A Decade of Steely Dan" is sub par. Sorry to say.
So don't play The Chipmunks whilst testing treble?? Hahaha
as a drummer, most kits are set up with the high pitched toms on the left descending to the right..un less you are phil collins,,
just for fun listened to in the air tonight and the famous drum fill goes from left to right
Kelvin will you ask Joyce and Vicky
If candy-floss is sticky please?😛
I never take the Mickey
Good video - though I should mention that millions of people read from right to left and they are humans too.
are you sure 🤣
No if you are listening to a video then left to right makes a difference
The best way to make definite improvements is to spend 12K on cables ☺️
Not enough 😝
Instead of all this crap why don’t you all just sit down, listen to the music and enjoy it?.
and you too stop writing comments on you tube as well when you should be relaxed listening to music 🤣
@stereoreviewx if you don't like my comments, don't put videos up.
Not everyone is going to agree with some of the nonsense you spout, like demonstrating how to turn a screw, really? just because you collect hifi doesn't make you an expert. I have hifi equipment stored all over the place, but I don't claim to be an expert and wouldn't presume to advise people on hifi, unlike you.
I'm just waiting for you to block me now.
Pls don’t cough on mic
Bass songs name please
Blue on the latest Billie Eilish album has got some very strange bass... sounds great on a big sub
Isn't repetitive, but the bass is predictable. Nice sound stages, too..
ua-cam.com/video/83Wv3I5pLt8/v-deo.htmlsi=uRCFgvU81TTUe-hW
The bass isn't repetitive, but it is predictable. Has a nice sound Stage, too..
ua-cam.com/video/83Wv3I5pLt8/v-deo.htmlsi=uRCFgvU81TTUe-hW
Deep breath (Azimov)
The bass isn't repetitive, but it is predictable. Has a nice open airy sound Stage, too
I can tell you how not to. Well, definitely not by making those ridiculous turntables 6" high and claiming they improved the sound. Unfortunately for them we have ears too.......