top notch sq disc

dianna krall

love scenes

great jazzz sq cd for easy listening and on special @ jb hifi for $10

the problem with these sorts of threads is that people inevitably end up listing their 'flavour of the month' cds, rather than accurately addressing the topic, but here are mine.


tori amos - boys for pele & little earthquakes
wilco - a ghost is born
dianna krall - the girl in the other room
rodrigo y gabriella - dont know title, album cover is brown in colour, image of large reptillian eye
bjork - medulla

all of these except r-y-d were found in the bargain "bins" at jb stores over the last 12months

will head into work early and have a look at these

Would have picked it up if i'd seen it in their yesterday. Don't own any of her stuff yet.

Another lady worth checking out is Eva Cassidy. One of the most amazing voices i've ever heard. Terrible that she died so young. Checkout the Songbird album.

10,000 Maniacs - Campfire songs

Bit different but is recorded really well and there stuff is a really good test of your systems overall balance, and for midbass to subbass blending.

went to JB today....got the best of crowded house for $8

was going to buy diana krall and the best of the prodigy but decided against it for now

A great CD

Wasn't quite as well recorded as I expected, but a great listen non the less.

What are we using as the description of SQ ? I find that there are a lot of CD's out there that are produced to within an inch of their life and sound great but just come across really artificial.

I know this is going to lead to a lot of comments... hahah but please take this as an example only and not a reflection of my musical tastes...

An example that comes to mind would be the difference between Def Leppards 'Hysteria' album and ACDC 'Live'. The producer for Def Leppard (Mutt Lang?) must have spent 1000 times longer than the guy who made the ACDC album but the whole thing comes across as fake. It's as if it was all made on a synthsiser, whereas the ACDC album has its obvious flaws being a live album but is a lot more dynamic.

Just my 2 cents worth anyway. PS. My dad likes Eva Cassidy too... so by default I cant buy that album or show any interest !! hahah

I'd consider a good SQ track one which is clearly recorded, in which every sound source (whether it be vocals or instruments) are clearly defined from one another. Likewise, I think in a truly well recorded track a good system should allow you to clearly identify the location and position of each and every sound source in the recording.

There are other recordings (such as Evanescence) which sound extremely dynamic, however in the heavier parts of the tracks the heavy instruments sound as if they mix in with the vocals, making it difficult to clearly identify the difference sound sources individually.

I also think a well recorded track should do a great job of accurately presenting fine details, such as the subtle voice of a background singer, the vibrations in a guitar string, and the soft breath of a vocalist in between each line.

I think that if a track can encapsulate all of this, then it has potential to provide one hell of a listening experience, even if the music itself isn't quite to your taste.

Is it just me or does anyone else get annoyed when the drums are panned across the entire stage? Sure it sounds cool to have toms and cymbals all in different places, but isn't the point to have it sound like it was live; a.k.a. central and backwards?

I agree though that JB HiFi has some bargains.

That sort of annoys me sometimes as well gordo. Not all bands can afford to spend thousands on recording though and a crap song isnt going to suddenly be good because they've spent a fortune in production.

Bought Diana Krall - Love Scenes and The Shins - Oh, Inverted World yesterday. Complete opposite ends of the SQ spectrum as far as recording goes. But i enjoy The Shins cd more even though it really does sound like it was recorded in a shed for a few hundred dollars. In the end its all about the music and what you enjoy.