Kreshna
...but I have to know.
Yes, I knew, an ideal system should have no sound of its own, thus, reproducing any kind of song with "equal opportunity". But it seems there is no such system; it seems sonic difference between systems is a fact of life. After all, Fostex FE206en driven by SET 300B sounds different than Monitor Audio Silver 500 driven by Emotiva XPA 200, doesn't it?
So, which song(s) sound best on your system? Which song(s) do you love the most when played on your system, in regard to your system's sonic characteristics?
Decades ago, when I was using the first amplifier I had, songs that sounded best on it was actually something like this one. The Standard SR-157SU didn't seem to have enough punch for rock music, but it sounded really warm and sweet for such song.
When I was using JBL 120Tis driven by Sansui AU-7900, my favorite songs were easily those with heavy top ends, especially cymbals. I always have the impression that AU-7900 sounds bright when paired with JBL 120Tis, but it's airy-bright instead of analytical-bright. Thus, cymbals become audio nirvana. Scatman (Game Over Jazz) by John Larkin was easily one of my most favorite songs when playing on that system. Singing Birds, Crying Beasts by Santana, The Vamp by Jiro Inagaki, Ring Bell, Ring Bell by Miriam Makeba, and Lugar Comum by Herbie Mann sounded like Nirvana due to the system's airy highs. I also had another system in the garage, which consisted of JBL L20Ts driven by Sansui A40, that sounds similar to the 120Tis/AU-7900 system. Thus, my favorite songs remain the same.
Now, my current (garage) system consists of a pair of Bowers & Wilkins DM302, driven by Rotel RB-985, and controlled by Yamaha RX-V663 (Pure Direct stereo mode). Basically, the Yamaha AVR is nothing but a glorified stereo volume control, since I have yet to build the required mini home theater room for my retro gaming computer systems. As such, all those components are used as stereo, with three other B&W DM302s remain unused.
The B&W DM302s, driven by Rotel RB-985 and controlled by Yamaha RX-V663.
The most recent system sounds noticeably different than my previous JBL-titaniums-driven-by-Sansui systems. The B&Ws sound warm, sweet, and organic, although they probably sound "fake" --in a sense that they made everything sound organic, including songs produced by DJs from synthesized samples. Especially when driven by the Yamaha RX-V663's own internal amps: everything sounds sweet and chocolatey --not enough punch, which makes the warmth and sweetness sound out of place with songs like Mick Jagger's Throwaway. Using Rotel RB-985 improved the punchiness quite a lot, but the warmth and sweetness are still there.
That's not saying it's not a good thing, though.
Since using the system above, my most favorite song is Flyin' Away by Mo' Horizons. Yes, the band is actually a duo of DJs from Hanover, Germany, who made their music using synthesized samples. But when played on B&W DM302s, Flyin' Away sounds very sweet, very organic, especially the percussion despite they're all digital samples. The hand claps that start from the minute 2:48? They too, sound really sweet, organic.
How about songs that are fully acoustics to begin with? Take Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata for example; not only the titular song, but the entire album sounds sweeter and more organic than when played on the JBL L20Ts/Sansui A-40 combo. Songs that sound really nice on the said system also include Siempre Di Domenica by Daniele Silvestri, Jitterbug by Angelo Badalamenti, La Isla Bonita by Madonna, Streets of New York (Unplugged) by Alicia Keys, and Snake Eater by Cynthia Harrell. The DM302s' LF bump also help to enhance punchiness, but still sound organic nonetheless.
So, how about yours?
So, which song(s) sound best on your system? Which song(s) do you love the most when played on your system, in regard to your system's sonic characteristics?
Decades ago, when I was using the first amplifier I had, songs that sounded best on it was actually something like this one. The Standard SR-157SU didn't seem to have enough punch for rock music, but it sounded really warm and sweet for such song.
When I was using JBL 120Tis driven by Sansui AU-7900, my favorite songs were easily those with heavy top ends, especially cymbals. I always have the impression that AU-7900 sounds bright when paired with JBL 120Tis, but it's airy-bright instead of analytical-bright. Thus, cymbals become audio nirvana. Scatman (Game Over Jazz) by John Larkin was easily one of my most favorite songs when playing on that system. Singing Birds, Crying Beasts by Santana, The Vamp by Jiro Inagaki, Ring Bell, Ring Bell by Miriam Makeba, and Lugar Comum by Herbie Mann sounded like Nirvana due to the system's airy highs. I also had another system in the garage, which consisted of JBL L20Ts driven by Sansui A40, that sounds similar to the 120Tis/AU-7900 system. Thus, my favorite songs remain the same.
Now, my current (garage) system consists of a pair of Bowers & Wilkins DM302, driven by Rotel RB-985, and controlled by Yamaha RX-V663 (Pure Direct stereo mode). Basically, the Yamaha AVR is nothing but a glorified stereo volume control, since I have yet to build the required mini home theater room for my retro gaming computer systems. As such, all those components are used as stereo, with three other B&W DM302s remain unused.
The B&W DM302s, driven by Rotel RB-985 and controlled by Yamaha RX-V663.
The most recent system sounds noticeably different than my previous JBL-titaniums-driven-by-Sansui systems. The B&Ws sound warm, sweet, and organic, although they probably sound "fake" --in a sense that they made everything sound organic, including songs produced by DJs from synthesized samples. Especially when driven by the Yamaha RX-V663's own internal amps: everything sounds sweet and chocolatey --not enough punch, which makes the warmth and sweetness sound out of place with songs like Mick Jagger's Throwaway. Using Rotel RB-985 improved the punchiness quite a lot, but the warmth and sweetness are still there.
That's not saying it's not a good thing, though.
Since using the system above, my most favorite song is Flyin' Away by Mo' Horizons. Yes, the band is actually a duo of DJs from Hanover, Germany, who made their music using synthesized samples. But when played on B&W DM302s, Flyin' Away sounds very sweet, very organic, especially the percussion despite they're all digital samples. The hand claps that start from the minute 2:48? They too, sound really sweet, organic.
How about songs that are fully acoustics to begin with? Take Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata for example; not only the titular song, but the entire album sounds sweeter and more organic than when played on the JBL L20Ts/Sansui A-40 combo. Songs that sound really nice on the said system also include Siempre Di Domenica by Daniele Silvestri, Jitterbug by Angelo Badalamenti, La Isla Bonita by Madonna, Streets of New York (Unplugged) by Alicia Keys, and Snake Eater by Cynthia Harrell. The DM302s' LF bump also help to enhance punchiness, but still sound organic nonetheless.
So, how about yours?
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