Does Every Track Sound Great on Your System?

@12many   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.

As requested, I’m listening to track 3 “Temptation” right now. The upright base is in perfect balance with the rest of the music. Very taunt with no overhang. If you’re running full range speaker, you may consider pulling them out from your walls as others had suggested. If it’s subwoofer/satellite combo, you need to dial down your subs. But if your speakers have a one note problem, then you need better speakers. But try above suggestions first.

Just my humble suggestions.

@danager & @tablejockey   "Optimize the bass for each song or shoot for an average that sounds best for most and live with it."  I identify with this.  I listen to music that ranges from electronic dance or club music to solo vocals and it is hard to get it all right.  

@knotscott I can adjust the bass by plugging a port or there are jumpers on the back of my speakers that can bump the bass up or down a db.  I am wearing out the carpet though by adjusting it for one song, and then the next it is not right so I adjust it again.  

@jastralfu Thanks.  Glad you get the bass in that portion of the song.  It is a bit much on my system for my ears and I like bass.  Maybe it is my room or a node or something.  

@ghdprentice   You know what I am doing and you are spot on with my mind set.  I am hyper analyzing the sound because I am evaluating a new amp.  You know how it is when testing out new gear - I am in that mode and trying to decide whether to keep it or box it up.   I love the mids and treble, but it is more bassy.   I am getting lost in the  mids and treble for songs so I am understanding what you are saying - I just have to play another song.   I find myself lost emotionally in a higher percentage of songs then before but then on some songs, but not all, the bass is too much.   Might just be the song or I don't like songs with too much bass or particular frequency or maybe a room node.  Yet on other songs I love the extra richness and power in the low frequencies so I don't want to tone down the bass on those songs.    

We are all chasing perfection on a budget.

Early Beatles and Stones CDs always seemed thin to me.

@ghdprentice +1.  I find myself almost always being drawn into the music rather than listening to my system. I often find myself tapping my feet in time.  I never really thought about it the way you expressed it.

This is a good question. Over time folks struggle with their system and different recordings.

My first reaction is that you are listening to your system and not the music. You are focused on a couple parameters. I think this is probably because of your system, not be cause you are focusing on the wrong thing. When I sit down and listen to my system, I am instantly drawn to the music… I have to force myself to listen to the system. In a couple of earlier iterations my system stuck out and I was drawn to listen to it (and would get bored pretty quickly).

I have continually learned about what makes a system sound good. After fifty years, I am now of the mind that the real keys are overall tonal balance, midrange bloom (high resolution in the midrange), as well as rhythm and pace. Your observations strike me as those one would make with a system that is shy on midrange as well as rhythm and pace. Because instead of drawing you in to the intimacy and emotional content of the music you are drawn to the ends of the spectrum and their balance.

Typically if your system highlights the details you are drawn to the mastering techniques and venue instead of the content. This will make many recording sound off. My system emphasizes the midrange without overemphasizing the detail (it’s there, just not too obvious) and the rhythm and pace draws me in. Almost all albums sound great. There are some simple terrible recording, like early Yardbirds that sound terrible, well, because they sound like tin.

Best to just enjoy the actual music.

SQ can vary listening  to different genre recording and media.

Hard to say since it’s relative to what you like and how your system sounds but it sounds good on mine.  Definitely bass presence but not too much.  There are a few songs that sound anemic on my system but that’s just the recording since others sound full.  I was just listening to an album that sounds “thin”, Van Halen 1984.  Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours sounds fantastic and is the sweet spot for how I like songs recorded.

Do you have a sub, or a method to adjust bass? Every room and setup is unique, so finding "0" is always a bit of a compromise unless you adjust on the fly. Once in a while I adjust for flyers, but usually just let them play out. If that’s a song you listen to often, you can try some bass reduction, move your listening position a bit, or even pull the speakers out from the walls some.

Yes a consistent frequency response across different songs is a challenge.  You have two choices.  Optimize the bass for each song or shoot for an average that sounds best for most and live with it.  

Diana Krall's Temptation sounded OK acoustically) without any adjustments on my system.  While playing Almost Blue the bass wasn't as prominent but still withing my limits of enjoyment. 

What helped me was lowering the crossover frequency of my subs and moving them away from the wall.

Everything sound great on my system...

I know why and how it is such...

And i listen the acoustics trade-off choices of the recording engineer...

it is enough for me to enjoy music in ALL my albums..

I listen classical ,jazz, Indian and Persian ... No pop nor rock...

I listen in near listening field now in my acoustic corner with heavily modified speakers with holographic imaging  a soundstage encompassing out of the speakers plane and with TOP headphones with out of the head sound ...