User Details - audiofreak

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Name:
  audiofreak
Details:
  My main interest is in the areas of jazz and classical music.
Lately I have experimented with SACD multichannel on an audiophile level.
Conclusion is that three EQUAL front speakers really give a major improvement in soundstaging and detailing (provided that recordings are done properly). As a contrast, rear speakers are rather annoying and I prefer to mute them on 9 out of 10 recordings. The subwoofer channel is IMO conceptionally wrong in the case of high end audio, where speakers are perfectly capable of reproducing low frequency sound. So, all in all: Multichannel IS a great achievement in audio reproduction - if only recording engineers would ensure that mixing to 3.0 is the main target (just like Mercury and RCA did in the 1950'es). So, now we just need some more brilliant music to justify the extra investment...
Location:
  Scandinavia
HiFi:
  EMM Labs CDSD/DAC6e Signature Edition - may be the best available, especially the SE upgrade is remarkable. Used with Archos Hi-Q carbon fibre damper feet the sound quality reaches towards Heaven...
Aural Symphonics Optimism EMM optical cables - a clear improvement over EMM Labs standard cables, but should be used without the supplied IOGel.
Archos Audio Black Mirror 2ch preamp (to be replaced by Archos 5.1ch preamp soon)
Archos Audio Black Mirror Monoblocks (4 pcs. since biamping is mandatory with my speakers)
Infinity IRS 1B - heavily modified in cross-over and internal wiring

Multichannel upgrade is on the way, even if it means that my 1B's will have to go...
Email:
  audiofreak@jubii.dk
Web:
 
Posts:
  3

 
 
Reviews
Found: 31 show all

Basie is Back - Count Basie Orchestra          (5 of 8 found this review helpful)
  September 15, 2006

As mentioned above the recording is very dynamic. The multichannel mix does as usual sound better than the stereo mix, but I have noticed that the orchestra is actually mixed in stereo while soloists are placed alone in the centre channel. Somehow this causes the centre channel not to blend in ... more
Leslie Pintchik: So Glad to Be Here          (5 of 5 found this review helpful)
  September 13, 2006

This disc is a great positive surprise. I had never heard of this trio before, but found some audioclips on the net to check-out the music before buying. Leslie Pintchik is a very competent composer and jazz-pianist. The trio plays with depth and variation. Definitely one of my favorite discs from a ... more
Lady Kim: Left Alone        (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
  August 28, 2006

Just wanted to add a comment regarding the multichannel mix: It is the same as the stereo mix except for Kim's voice being in the center and some attenuated stereo mix in the rear. MCH sound is much better when instruments are spread over the 3 front speakers. Message to Eighty-Eights Records: ... more
Sara K.: Hell or High Water        (4 of 11 found this review helpful)
  August 28, 2006

My comments to this disc will concern how bad the multichannel mix is. On some tracks Sara's voice is completely diffuse and on almost all tracks some of the instruments are placed in the rear speakers. I don't like this way of "exploring" the posibilities of MCH, since it sounds childish in my ... more
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Ella and Louis        (0 of 1 found this review helpful)
  August 21, 2006

One of the best jazz vocal recordings ever. This Japanese SACD-remaster has a sound quality that can melt anyones heart. Please note that it is a mono recording - but don't exclude the disc for this. Microdynamics and plasticity is so good, that the vocals sound like they are in 3D.

 
 
Latest Posts

Discussion: Rebecca Pidgeon: Retrospective
September 2, 2006
Has anyone listened to this disc in multichannel? If so, I would be very interested in a description on how the front center and rear-left/right are used. Thanks in advance. ... more
Discussion: Ravi Coltrane: Mad 6
September 1, 2006
I have purchased Eighty-Eight SACD's from Amazon.jp and Ejazzlines.com. I don't have the CD version for comparison, but the SACD version sounds very good indeed. ... more
Discussion: Bert van den Brink Trio: Between Us
August 31, 2006
Does anyone know if the MC track on this disc is 4.0 or 5.0? ... more