Count Basie Kansas City 6

[AnotherJohnson]

This is a Pablo recording from around 1981.

It is available on vinyl or CD, or by streaming. Last week they used it as one of the demo disks to show off the $300k Clearaudio set up through the ARC Ref Phono 3SE, Ref 6 preamp, Ref 160S amp, and Wilson Alexia V.

No one moved or talked during the demo. It mesmerized them all.

I listened to it on the Rose 150B with McIntosh preamp and amps, through the Wilson Chronosonic XVX this afternoon. It was flat, mid fi, hardly worth a second listen.

Tonight I’m playing it at home and last week’s magic is back.

If your system’s up to it, this one is special … either side!

[admin]

Had the opportunity to listen to this album the other night. It's very nice. The dynamics were top notch. I found that I had to turn up the volume a little higher than most listening as it was recorded at a generally lower level than most albums. Once I had the volume set properly, the sound was taken to the next level. Very nice recording indeed.

[AnotherJohnson]

Had the opportunity to listen to this album the other night. It's very nice. The dynamics were top notch. I found that I had to turn up the volume a little higher than most listening as it was recorded at a generally lower level than most albums. Once I had the volume set properly, the sound was taken to the next level. Very nice recording indeed.

It really is necessary to adjust volume to match the goals of the folks who did the mastering. This is always true.

Before I got the Sabrinas, my tendency was to match the highest recorded levels to “what I could stand.” Many speakers go nonlinear and off true at higher levels, and distorted instruments sound horrible, so my past listening levels were limited … I thought they were limited by common sense sound levels, but I was wrong.

When setting volume to keep high levels listenable, on high dynamic range recordings, the lowest levels can be difficult to properly hear. This was the remarkable thing about the Sabrinas. The Wilson drivers stay true at the highest volume levels … maybe even until you blow them up.

This allows the volume to be set to properly hear the very lowest information on the program. When high levels come along, they still sound undistorted and natural.

Jazz and classical music are meant to be played at volumes where the lowest levels can be enjoyed. And if the speakers distort the highest levels, it takes the joy out of the recording.

I know the stat panels can do VERY well with the lowest levels… but the highest levels can seem harsh, and this is often attributed to an amp problem rather than the nature of stat panels. Amp problems are real and I won’t dismiss then … but the reason the best stat panel speakers are large is that the larger the panel, the more air you can move before the membrane’s ability to move air has been exhausted.

So … ALWAYS play with volume because if you listen at a level unexpected by the mastering wizard, it probably will be pretty ho hum.

Oh yeah … even with good speakers (Chronosonic XVX in the McIntosh demo of this album I listened to the other day), albums can sound flat or uninvolving due to many other issues.

If a recording that has been great in one system isn’t great in another, look to the system differences. I’m finding that more and more recordings sound great as my system evolves.

YMMV

[AnotherJohnson]

Paul McGrath, Wilson’s legendary set up master deputy for DAW told my friend who’s been through the factory set up training “Play them loud!” It sets them apart.

It did not help with the McIntosh demo.

I noted that the Chronosonic XVXs were not spiked. They’ve been moving them around either intentionally or inadvertently. They’re back to sounding like they’re not worth the money. Yet I am 100% sure that the Chronosonics are not the problem. Could be set up. Could be McIntosh. Could be Rose. Probably it’s at least partly due to crummy wires (interconnects, speaker cables, and power cords).

[admin]

I always see wilsons with coasters installed. I understand the utility of being able to move them easily when on wheels (especially due to the size and weight of most of the models), but I always feel like once you have them in their ideal spot, you should take those off and put proper spikes on them to enjoy their full potential.

[AnotherJohnson]

Something else about the demo last week (the good one).

It was on vinyl with the $275k Clearaudio table and the Clearaudio Jubilee MC.

My great demo at home was on vinyl with my LP12 and Lyra Etna.

I played it again last night on CD via the Levinson 5101.

My ranking in order of demo would be

The vinyl copy in either system… mine or dealers. Probably differences, but stunning in either case.

The CD in my system. Still quite good, but the vinyl demos had more presence. Could be a shortcoming of the 5101. It is a much less costly front end compared to either TT.

The streaming via the Rose 150B. I think it was from Tidal, but it could have been Spotify. It was supposed to be 24/192. This could have been the source file, the Rose, the McIntosh, or just lousy set up of the Wilsons or the room.

[admin]

The streaming via the Rose 150B. I think it was from Tidal, but it could have been Spotify. It was supposed to be 24/192. This could have been the source file, the Rose, the McIntosh, or just lousy set up of the Wilsons or the room.

Most likely tidal as Spotify doesn't have 24/192 tracks. I'm not a fan of Tidal's MQA format so maybe another reason why it did not sound as good as the others.

[AnotherJohnson]

Yes, that makes sense.