Whats playing on your system today?

Gordon Lightfoot, Carly Simon, and a variety of other singer/songwriters

Kundan  ---  K. L. Saigal  (Early Indian Film Music)

I recently got the re-mastered Feelings of the Piano of Jerome Etnom from First Impression Music.  I had the original (FIMCD016) mastered by Paul Stubblebine which was issued as a 24K Gold HDCD disc.  The new one (FIM UHD 094) is mastered by Michael Bishop and used the proprietary "UHD 32-Bit Pureflection" process.  The new version also included an extra track, A Song for You.

When I first threw on the new disc, it started playing while I was still fussing with some loose stuff on the rack.  Standing near one speaker, I was struck by the realism of the piano and the artistry of the music. I was compelled to stop and sit down in the listening chair, enthralled by the beauty of the sound.  Etnom played masterfully, striking the ivories forcefully and cleanly.  His jazz interpretations of popular american classics and asian songs were fanciful and melodic.  My favorites were the title cut Feelings and the bonus track A Song for You which had bass and drum accompaniment.

Comparing the two versions, the HDCD seemed to have more upper frequency energy such that the treble notes were well-etched with excellent detail and without robbing the rest of the spectrum of any clarity.  The UHD sound was fuller and rounder, more balanced in frequencies.  I appreciated the fullness but noticed a slight loss of air around the upper registers versus the HDCD.  In the end, I thought the UHD was more musical -- this is the one I will be playing for my audiophile guests.

I love it when that happens James

The Lemonheads / Come on feel 

Nick Cave / B-Sides