2. misc-audio
  3. 1220247599

poor source material

Hello friends,

Before I begin, let me make a quick disclaimer. I am VERY new to this hobby and just started putting together a budget system the other day, so if this sounds like a stupid question please go easy on me!

Anyways, I currently have a pair of Dynaudio Focus 140s, Rotel CD player and a receiver rated at 100x2. I quickly discovered that I am going to have to invest in a good amp but, I also noticed that a lot of albums (that I used to think sounded ok) sounds terrible on my new system. Of course, room acoustics and gear are partly to blame but, am I wrong in putting the blame largely on the album itself?

Is there anything that can be done to make these poorly recorded albums sound 'better'? Like I mentioned, I will be investing in a nice affordable amp, like a Halo A21 but, I'm not sure how much difference it is going to make. How about adding an equalizer?

I've tinkered with the tone controls and it is a quick fix but, a few albums are still unbearable.

I have also toyed with the idea of setting up a separate budget system on the side, strictly for use with lower quality recordings. I'm thinking of using very affordable gear with 'forgiving' speakers. Is this a stupid idea? Or do I just have to accept the fact that some albums simply will never sound good no matter what you do to them?

Any advice, thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you all so much!!!
ucsb21

Showing 2 responses by ucsb21

ucsb21 OP
9 posts
 
Thanks for the replies people!

Let's see. To Musicnoise and Racamuti: I have a Rotel RCD 1072 connected to a Rotel RX 1050 via some basic Mogami cables. My speakers are Dynaudio Focus 140s and my speaker wires are Tara Lab Prisms.

The major issue I have with some of my albums is that the mids and highs appear to be hidden behind the music. The crash of cymbals, the snap of the snare, vocals etc. sound muted or veiled. If I adjust the treble and turn the volume up it makes it a little better but, not always.

The speakers are new and are nowhere close to the 100+ hours of break in but, I do have a lot of albums that sound fantastic with this current set up. Some examples include, Demolition by Ryan Adams, New Amsterdam Live at Heineken Music Hall by Counting Crows, Graceland Paul Simon, James Taylor greatest hits, Confrontation Bob Marley etc.

Albums that sound ok but, wish could be better include The gentle side of Coltrane and Subtitulo and Home by Josh Rouse.

Albums that were disappointments: Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins and Let's talk about feelings by Lagwagon (HDCD), Futures by Jimmy eat World and Till the sun turns black by Ray Lamontagne and Lifted by John Legend.

Like, Shadorne mentioned, the recordings by the pop/punk labels sound the worst. With that being said I have plenty of pop/punk/hip hop albums that sound fantastic like, Lagwagon's Hoss and Wyclef Jeans' Carnival so again it is very hit and miss.

Again, the major issue for me was the missing mids and highs. Bass is not usually a problem. Sometimes it is a little boomy and loose but, that is most likely because of speaker positioning and the shortcomings from my receiver.

I am definitely going to have to start looking at higher quality recordings from now on! I'm very interested in seeing how much of a difference a dedicated amplifier and pre amp makes. Since I don't have enough money to upgrade both I'm thinking of using the receiver as a pre amp for now.

Thanks again for the replies!!!
ucsb21 OP
9 posts
 
Hey Pac Islands,

'You aren't happy with the sound of any recording, yes?'

actually I own a ton of albums that sound fantastic on my system. I gave some examples on my last post of a few that sounded fantastic, a few that were disappointments and some that just didn't do it for me.

I guess my fundamental question is whether some albums will sound bad no matter what kind of system (regardless of price) it is played on. From the responses I've seen on other threads and also from messages I have received it looks like the answer would be a yes.

I think the next step for me would be to bring the albums that I consider less than stellar with me to some shops around town and play them on various set ups and see if they sound better or worse. Hopefully I can then see where the shortcomings are coming from.
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