Which Record makes your system shine?


Hey All, 

Been a while since I posted anything and I hope I am posting in the correct category.

So, just curious, which Vinyl Record, do you feel makes your system shine and display it's full potential?

OR, put another way, which record or records would you put on if you wanted to show off your system to someone who has not heard or seen it before?

Of course we know, not all records sound the same but for me I feel (at least on my system), it's the record: "Temptation" by Chantal Chamberland - Evosound Records

Carpenters: The Singles (forgot to check the record label).

On the other hand, I have James Taylor Greatest Hits on Vinyl and that record just sounds a bit veiled to me.

It's funny how one record can sound great and another, not that it sounds bad but just doesn't seem to have that crispness or openness to it.

System at the moment if you're wondering:

- Vincent SV-500
- Mofi Studio Desk w/Hana SL MC
- Martin Logan Motion 40 Speakers
- Sim Audio Moon 110lp V2 Phono
- Cardas Cabling

jay73

@jay73 Can you please check the pressing info on The Carpenters Singles? My wife loves their music, but weve only found fair at best recordings streamed. If I can find a great vinyl version, that'd be great. Thanks!

I recently listened to Paul Simon's Graceland album.  Was impressed with the soundstage and dynamic range.  I keep going back to it especially the "Graceland" and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" tracks.  Close your eyes and take it all in!

@jhnnrrs 

"Telarc never made D2D records - they were the first to market digital recordings made on the Soundstream digital recorder.  But it was not necessarily their recording technology that made them a standout, although it was groundbreaking at the time, it was their use of minimal miking, often using just 3 microphones to record an entire orchestra.  The result was a recording of massive depth, air and imaging, far surpassing the compressed and over-miked recordings of Deutsche Grammophon and others."

RCA was doing this in 1954 when they introduced Living Stereo which at the time were only available as R2R and didn't make it to vinyl until 1958. Soon after all the major labels followed suit with their own take on how to record the perfect symphonic recordings.

@parkergetdean 

"But strangely NONE of ELO's are great quality, same with the Who."

You just haven't heard good mastering's. ELO did have some very good originals. Their first No Answer is exceptional, at least the early copy I have. The 33n a 3rd Mofi Super Vinyl of Eldorado and the sound quality of the original I used to listen to in high school was one of the aspects that attracted me to them with Jeff Lynn's outstanding compositions, arrangements and his futuristic engineering techniques show on all of these albums. The Legacy Out of the Blue and New World Record are among the best recordings on vinyl I've ever heard. 

Regarding the Who, the MOV remaster of Who's Next which was supervised by John Astley is outstanding which says the original engineering and production had to be good because you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Following that up with all of the Abbey Road Half Speed Masters also supervised by Astley that became available in 2022 with My Generation and A Quick One of which Generation was cobbled together with whatever pieces of masters they could find were followed up by exceptional versions of Sell Out, Tommy, Quadrophenia etc., again the sow's ear thing I mentioned.