Picking out speakers

[Holmz]

Back in the day….
{picture mid to early 80s]
I stumbled into a bunch of stereo shops with a handful of LPs.
One of the LPs I used was “Burning Sensations”, “Belly of whale”.

 

…. and some Blancmange, and few others (Probably Oingo Bingo), and I surely included a Mozart piece as Amadeus was just out.

Now I wonder… How did other choose their speakers?

 

Today I would likely choose a totally different set of music... But likely the same speakers??
(A good example would be Doug Mac Leod.)

[GdnrBob]

My 80's recordings were mostly Telarc. The Ormandy Saint Saens  3rd symphony and Firebird.

Today, I would probably use Norah Jones, Donald Fagan, and Sob and the Czyks. 

[TomicTime]

anything Sheffield, then Water Lilly, and then……

[Holmz]

3 hours ago, GdnrBob said:

My 80's recordings were mostly Telarc. The Ormandy Saint Saens  3rd symphony and Firebird.

Today, I would probably use Norah Jones, Donald Fagan, and Sob and the Czyks. 

^that^… and Doug MacLeod.

 

3 hours ago, TomicTime said:

anything Sheffield, then Water Lilly, and then……

Yeah I remember that I also had a Sheffield pressing (Wagner), and something called “Blues for the BBQ” (or close to that I think).

[ctsooner]

13 hours ago, TomicTime said:

anything Sheffield, then Water Lilly, and then……

I've used many of these.  I always wished that I knew classical better.  I love it most of the time, but don't know a thing about it other than some popular names.  I often will stream what you guys talk about.  I miss my Sheffield collection.  The Drum Record is a favorite of mine (I was a drummer back in the day).  I still use it as I ripped it to my HD.  I turned a bunch of IEM friends onto the Sheffield collection to audition their IEM's with and all love them.  Even in digital, they are well recorded.  I also use a ton of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as well as just Young.  

[Moose]

It was a long time ago, but I remember bringing these records with me: Genesis Selling England by the Pound; Frank Zappa Apostrophe; Grateful Dead Bear's Choice; and Saxology, which was a group of Eastman students playing SuperSax charts.  Fun stuff. 

[TomicTime]

In more recent times I would add:

Krall - Live in Paris

Brown - Soular Energy

Brubeck - Time Out ( 45 rpm )

Hunter - Amtrak Blues

Stevens - Tillerman ( 45 rpm )

Cassidy - Nightbird

Lloyd and the Marvels - Vanished Gardens

Junkies - Trinity ( AAP reissue )

Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name ( only the new 50 th reissue by Clearmountain )

Doors - LA Woman 45 rpm ( Riders is fantastic )

Welch - Harrow and the Harvest

Green - Matador

Dead - Workingman’s Dead - AAP ( Box of Rain )

Hancock - River ; The Joni Letters

Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat ( anything from her actually )

Lady Blackbird - Black Acid Soul

Jackson - Night and Day ( only the Intervention reissue, not Intervention CEO is a 7 owner ! )

….and the list goes on…

[Steve Edwards]

and on ....... and on ...... and on Jim; great choices

[Holmz]

On 5/15/2022 at 1:00 AM, TomicTime said:

Jackson - Night and Day ( only the Intervention reissue, not Intervention CEO is a 7 owner ! )

I noted in an earlier post that that triangle sections, like between 00:35-00:40 and later in the song, have some strange imaging problems on my system.
Up early in Perth flying back to the center.
But on IEMs is it inside of the LHS channel, whereas with the speaker sometimes the triangle jumps out to the left of the LHS speaker.

I might be related to a window close to the LHS speaker, as the IEMs don’t show it on YouTube.
But it is a good example of music from the era when I was in search of a speaker, and harkens back to youthful times in PB and the general San Diego area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51R_LaRCr44

Edited May 15, 2022 by Holmz

[ldejong]

When it comes to saint-seans, I like this recording and perfromance a lot: 
Product Family | SAINT-SAËNS Orgel-Symphonie Barenboim (deutschegrammophon.com)

Great test of the speakers capabilities. There is some great low frequency grunt in the recording, but it shouldn't dominate. 
The string instruments are nice and airy, it's just a great interplay of instruments. Soundstage is also good, the organ should be in the back of the recording and the strings are nicely spread out. 
Plus it's, in my opinion, one of the best performances of this piece. Enjoy!