Does Every Track Sound Great on Your System?


How do you know if it is the recording or your system?

By way of example with a focus on bass, for some songs I like the amount of bass, then another song I feel like it needs more bass to hit harder, and then another song I feel like there is too much bass and it is boomy. Does that ever happen to you? I feel like I am getting the treble sorted out, but going back and forth on the bass.

Can anyone listen to the first 20 second of the song Temptation by Diana Krall from the Girl In The Other Room album and let me know if there is a bass component that is a bit much? The vocals sound good so no issue there.

Thanks.

12many

My system with 2 REL subs rarely need adjustment, but I can easily turn the bass level up or down on the RELs (easily accessible using the infamous "chicken head" knobs) or use my Schiit Loki Max to EQ an out of balance recording (seriously, everybody should have one if these). Another option is to shut it all down, put my face in my hands, and start sobbing.

IF one listens to a variety of music, from different types of producers and companies:

Recording quality varies.

Mastering quality varies.

There are different purposes for different mixes.

There are so many variables.

How *could* they all sound good on one's system?

 

Great question! The more you go up in electronics, the more revealing your system becomes. Sometimes there are differences in SQ within songs on a side of a vinyl record but more frequently the differences in SQ occur on different sides of an album. 

Less expensive gear doesn't pick up these SQ differences. That's why rock, for example, is very hard to get right with vinyl on high end systems but generally sounds good on less expensive systems.

It takes a lot of work to get a high end rig to sound amazing both in gear symmetry and software. Just throwing expensive gear together and expecting great results is a recipe for SQ frustration and disaster. "Ignorance is bliss" applies to rigs that don't detect subtle differences of SQ information in the grooves and there's nothing wrong with that because it's all about enjoying the music...

The bass is full but defines in these songs from Diana.

there will be recordings in any audio system that won’t sound like master recordings . For example in the 60s many rock bands just starting out could not afford the best mastering equipment ,or mixing artist. Some may have too much top end, some endemic in Bass. Some mono recordings and older single miked mixes were masterpieces. More then 1/2 recordings out there are far from ideal.

I play music from all different types, which is far more challenging . Even when I owned my Audio store and $100k audio  systems not  everything sounded like it was being played live in the room ,that would be optimum , but almost impossible 

unless you cherry pick the records,and artist.