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Is it the speakers, or am I just getting old?

4-2-7 said:
I'm with mkane going more blues but like to rock at times. I'm also listening to more variety mellow top 40s from the 60s and 70s, Motown, female vocalist.

As the quality of my system moved up I started reaching for music that shows it's clarety and sound stage. Kind of hard to get that listening to Rust Never Sleeps.
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I constantly refer to my system as the concert in my living room, the clarity and soundstage has most certaily opened up new listening horizons.
 
Obscure Jazz & Opera....

For two choices that few on here have ever heard in the jazz and opera.........

Gino Vannelli - Yonder Tree
Gino Vannelli - Canto

These two discs show what a tremendous natural talent he is with that larger than life voice that lends itself better for the jazz offering in Joshua Tree or in Canto where he sings in 4 different languages and this is the perfect choice for someone that has absolutely no interest in opera or classical vocals. Both are fabulously recorded and give goose bumps often with their realism.

Gregory Hines' tap dance solo on Yonder Tree is a must listen to track at huge volume levels. It will send your head spinnin'........
 
RSsteve you should also try some big band if you have good recordings. Some Glenn Miller or Dorsey stuff recorded in the 60's. With your speakers I guarantee your foot won't stop tappin'.
 
I did just the opposite. I leaned more toward rock when grunge put big hair metal to rest, but nothing demos the audio system like jazz.
 
RS Steve said:
I didn't think the day would come, I now enjoy smooth jazz, fusion jazz, and acid jazz more than classic rock. Since getting these Fraziers, I can't get enough horns, piano, and jazz guitar. Trust me, this is a big deal in my house.
I have a classic rock collection to envy, but I am just drawn to these jazz tracks that are so soothing, but upbeat. Is it the speakers or am I just old!:yes:

:D :dunno::rolleyes:
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You might want to try some blues, it is where rock got it's start after all. I like you began my drift away from a mainly rock and roll only house hold to smooth jazz, then jazz, and now a full on blues man. I still listen to all genres of music but I've found blues and jazz just get me "there".

Try some Jonny Lang and get ready to be blown away. His first album independently released I believe he was only 14yrs old, his second "Lie to Me" went platinum and he was 15, this kid can sing.
 
JoeESP9 said:
Steve:
Jazz=Better recording (usually).

Sometimes an appreciation for music that requires more than the "nads" comes with age.

Gee!! If you keep getting older you may start listening to Classical or, God forbid, Opera.
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So, I have been old since about 13. I enjoy opera bjt not into who single what when and where, just the performance.

I found it is not a matter of getting old or better equipment but, like equipment, the desire to experiment and enjoyment of finding something new. Jazz was actually one of my later joyous discoveries, about 1. Only now have I noticed I am listening to more classical rock but, still very little.
 
RS Steve said:
You are correct there, most of the classic rock collection I have do not sound great on this combination.
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That's okay though... That's what your Wharfies are for... They're great with jazz and jazz-fusion, but as I've said to people in the past, they are true masters of the mundane. Classic-rock and pop, psychedelic-rock, folk-rock, early punk, Motown, Stax, etc. Even that god-awful King label stuff from the early days of rock & roll and R&B/funk/soul. I think James Brown AND Fats Domino both recorded for King back in the day, but those are the kind of guys I'm talking about... Their early mono stuff).

That said, it may just be that the Braziers you have are real good at reproducing horns and jazz guitar, but who knows. How are the Fraziers at reproducing classic-rock with lots of horns and jazzy guitar? Stuff like the Chicago Transit Authority album, Blood Sweat & Tears, Tower Of Power, Isaac Hayes, the Meters, JB's/James Brown, Sly Stone, Al Green, etc. How are the 11's with that stuff? I've always been a big fan of that sort if thing in particular, and my gear preferences reflect that. If a certain piece of hi-fi gear can't take the bands/artists I named above and knock it out of the park and over the green monster, then it's just not for me. I have a pair of Grado RSII headphones that I like a lot. Excellent with modern stuff from the past 30 years because they handle low-bass frequencies well. Flat, yet smooth and vibey enough to satisfy me. But when it comes to the old stuff I mentioned in the above paragraphs, they just don't compare to the main speakers in my home setup, which do a better job with horns, strings, and guitars, not to mention any type of old-school distortion (mic' distortion, power-tube distortion, overdriven studio monitors/guitar amp speakers, feedback, etc.). I'd actually love to find a pair of headphones that are more-like my main speakers. I need that full-on "breath of life" sound. My main speakers have it, as I imagine so do your Fraziers as well, but my headphones? Mmm.. not as much.

Please excuse the Brazier rip... That name always makes me think of Dairy Queen... Hey, at least they never made a Lilleth or Niles model. ;)


I imagine the Fraziers do well with stereo Sinatra. I've always been a big fan of his, so I like hi-fi gear that handles it proper. I have a 2CD set of his from the late '90's called "My Way/The Very Best Of Frank Sinatra". Seems to be all Reprise-era material, which is very-well-recorded anyway, but this collection was clearly-done using the master tapes, and it also soundsblike they used a very-lush, vibey-sounding tube playback deck. Sounds AMAZING through horn-friendly speakers.

I'm 44 (Ughh... First time I ever had to say that... Yeesh), and I'm actually listening to electro/techno right now (Headphones... Not in front of my system at the moment... The band is EOTO... Two guys from the Disco Biscuits). I listen to a little bit of everything nowadays. Depends on my mood. Sometimes I get the urge to listen to Clyde McCoy stuff from the 1930's or some Robert Johnson. Smoothness, timbral accuracy, and musicality. If that isn't there, I'm walkin',,,
 
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sKiZo said:
Yall get bored with jazz, time to move on to orchestral.

FYI ... There's a re-issue of the first Mercury Living Presence box set out. That's also selling fast, but it hasn't hit the ridiculous prices the first release was getting ...

Great way to start a collection, as it includes some of the very best recordings of all time. Mastered by Robert Fine, engineer extraordinaire :ntwrthy: ... much of it on 35mm tape.
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You mean engineered by Robert Fine.

There's no way this was mastered by him because he died in 1982 (unless these are being pressed from the original stampers). :thmbsp:
 
Gang-Twanger said:
Even that god-awful King label stuff from the early days of rock & roll and R&B/funk/soul. I think James Brown AND Fats Domino both recorded for King back in the day
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Fats never recorded for King. His classic hits were recorded in New Orleans at Cosimo Matassa's studio, and released on Imperial.

A lot of the King stuff from the '50s sounds pretty good, ie: the stuff by Hank Ballard, the Dominoes, etc. The problem is much of it has not been reissued with decent mastering - but the original 78s and 45s sound fine.
 
Gang-Twanger said:
That's okay though... That's what your Wharfies are for... They're great with jazz and jazz-fusion, but as I've said to people in the past, they are true masters of the mundane. Classic-rock and pop, psychedelic-rock, folk-rock, early punk, Motown, Stax, etc. Even that god-awful King label stuff from the early days of rock & roll and R&B/funk/soul. I think James Brown AND Fats Domino both recorded for King back in the day, but those are the kind of guys I'm talking about... Their early mono stuff).

That said, it may just be that the Braziers you have are real good at reproducing horns and jazz guitar (as are the Wharfies), but who knows. How are the Fraziers at reproducing classic-rock with lots of horns and jazzy guitar? Stuff like the Chicago Transit Authority album, Blood Sweat & Tears, Tower Of Power, Isaac Hayes, the Meters, JB's/James Brown, etc. How are the 11's with that stuff?

I imagine the Fraziers do well with stereo Sinatra. I've always been a big fan of his, so I like hi-fi gear that handles it proper. I have a 2CD set of his from the late '90's called "My Way/The Very Best Of Frank Sinatra". Seems to be all Reprise-era material, which is very-well-recorded anyway, but this collection was clearly-done using the master tapes, and it also sounds like they used a very-lush, vibey-sounding tube playback deck. Sounds AMAZING through horn-friendly speakers.
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My W-70's do extremely well, some of the best midrange paired with my Fisher TA-800. I also can't complain about my ADS L1590's, JBL L-220's, or my Klipsch collection. I just wish everyone could get a listen to the Model Elevens, they take it to another level for realism.
 
Boto said:
Classic Rock is fine. Just not the stuff they play incessantly on the radio.
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I know what you mean, I have no use for music radio here. That's why I have 3000 + songs on my I-pod, I take it to work, plug it into my stereo, and never hear the same song twice in quite a few days. The best part is no commercials.

But plugging the I-pod into my main stereo shows every fault there is in the digital tracks. :thumbsdn:
 
beatcomber said:
Fats never recorded for King. His classic hits were recorded in New Orleans at Cosimo Matassa's studio, and released on Imperial.

A lot of the King stuff from the '50s sounds pretty good, ie: the stuff by Hank Ballard, the Dominoes, etc. The problem is much of it has not been reissued with decent mastering - but the original 78s and 45s sound fine.
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Oh, that's right... I get Imperial and King confused with each other.
 
RS Steve said:
My W-70's do extremely well, some of the best midrange paired with my Fisher TA-800. I also can't complain about my ADS L1590's, JBL L-220's, or my Klipsch collection. I just wish everyone could get a listen to the Model Elevens, they take it to another level for realism.
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Yeah, I bet that TA-800 is amazing with those. Someday I'll get one, perhaps to pair with the big Wharfie corner cabs once I finally get those up and running. The lower wattage should suit them better than my 800C would.

The W90's I have, which are from the same early, all-alnico era as your W70's (dual front ports and dual sand-filled rear panels) are beyond description when paired with my Dual 1019 and the Fisher, especially when I put on an old tube-cut LP. That's the breath of life I'm talking about, where it sounds ALIVE. The Fraziers must have that too. I live for that stuff. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time with the '90's this week. Been headphoning it mostly (My efforts with the crazy neighbor problem are finally starting to bear some fruit, so I figure I should lay low right now, just to be on the safe side while certain local agencies do their thing).
 
I was so not into jazz when the classic rock era hit. With that said I've seen Mcoy Tyner and Tony Williams live and it was different in every way possible. Coltrane,Monk way to outhere for me. I have mellowed w/ my lp buys in getting Glen Campell, John Denver and Carly Simon all quite not jazz at all.
 
Gang-Twanger said:
Yeah, I bet that TA-800 is amazing with those. Someday I'll get one, perhaps to pair with the big Wharfie corner cabs once I finally get those up and running. The lower wattage should suit them better than my 800C would.

The W90's I have, which are from the same early, all-alnico era as your W70's (dual front ports and dual sand-filled rear panels) are beyond description when paired with my Dual 1019 and the Fisher, especially when I put on an old tube-cut LP. That's the breath of life I'm talking about, where it sounds ALIVE. The Fraziers must have that too. I live for that stuff. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time with the '90's this week. Been headphoning it mostly (My efforts with the crazy neighbor problem are finally starting to bear some fruit, so I figure I should lay low right now, just to be on the safe side while certain local agencies do their thing).
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Like I said before, since these speakers are so rare, there just are not many people that can relate to what I'm experiencing. I keep trying to understand how they came to this design knowing that they were built to compete against the Klipschorn model. The crossover has stumped most people, the layout of the drivers doesn't seem like it would work for imaging, yet it does.
The height of the mids and tweeters gives you a room filling soundstage, then the big 15" woofer carries enough midrange to blend in the lower drivers to the top ones. There is no way to explain the bass output on these and do it justice other than saying it is as bass should be. It just has me all turned upside down, I'm one of those need to know guys that love the details.

I have the mind set that speakers this size should work well for cranking it up and rocking the joint, not so much for lower audiophile type enjoyment. I was shocked to find that it is just the opposite, they get loud with efficiency and imaging. At a moderate listening level, they fill the entire house with sound that seems like they are in the same room with you. As you crank them to a much higher level, reflection starts to take over the imaging, and what I call the magic, seems to go away.

After hearing that most Jazz tracks will be better quality over classic rock ones, it starts to make sense to why I'm getting such a thrill listening to it on this set up. I didn't expect to have a pair of speakers fall my way that would help change my preferences in genre. I will still listen to my classic rock, blues, and some pop, but man am I enjoying the jazz now.
 
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