Great CD to test B&Ws soundstage

[tboooe]

Sting "The Soul Cages"

Wow! Almost every track has significant portions where the soundstage is cast very wide! On my 804S, there were times when the soundstage was at least 5" to the sides of the speakers! Amazing CD..honetly, I dont even like Sting that much but the 804S makes we want to listen to him just to hear the incredible music. Actually, I find myself buying lots of CDs now of people who I dont necessarily enjoy from my entertainment perspective. The 804S are just so much fun to listen to!!!!

[Briz vegas]

You have raised an interesting issue there. B&W speakers are all about accurate reproduction of recorded music (as are all good speakers), but as you get to the high end stuff - how much does this end up changing what we listen to and is that a good thing. Maybe it is just a phase when you first get your new B&W 80#s which reveal every nuance in the recording.

I really enjoyed going through my collection from A to Z after my last ungrade, listening for changes such as a bigger sound stage or more detail.
Today I bought the new Kate Bush CD Aerial which sounds pretty good on the 705s. A few months back I would have been focusing on things like sound stage, today it was just Kate's quirky take on music..............but I bet she would sound even better on a pair of 804s.

[Eliav]

Sting "The Soul Cages"

Wow! Almost every track has significant portions where the soundstage is cast very wide! On my 804S, there were times when the soundstage was at least 5" to the sides of the speakers! Amazing CD..honetly, I dont even like Sting that much but the 804S makes we want to listen to him just to hear the incredible music. Actually, I find myself buying lots of CDs now of people who I dont necessarily enjoy from my entertainment perspective. The 804S are just so much fun to listen to!!!!

HI
I absolutely agree, I have been doing the same ever since I purchased my 803s. I found my self enjoying the reproduction, the vocals and everything else Other than the theme per se.
The Fleetwood Mac recordings are great for soundstaging, especially
" Rumours" - lots of strings and vocals that sound coming from my neghibour's backyard...
Dont forget to add some acoustic traps around your room, you'll be amazed of what your 804s can really do !
Cheers
Eliav

[Gump]

I have to admit I'm guilty of this too. I bought the Michael McDonald "Motown" DVD-Audio the other day just because I was curious how it might sound on my 803D's. I'm not a big fan of his, (I prefer the pre-mcdonald Doobies) and my wife saw the CD and was grilling me on why I bought it. She says, "You dont even like his music!", and I said, "I bought it for you, Dear.". Well, she didnt buy that for a second either.

The point is that having this nice equipment makes you curious how it performs and can take you away from just enjoying the music that you like. I guess the good news is that it can broaden your musical horizons and when people ask you what kind of music you like you can use big words like "electic".

....and buy the way; the Motown CD sounded great!

[Gump]

ops: "eclectic"...that is---

[bigburner]

Little Feat - "Waiting for Columbus"

For a 1978 live recording it shouldn't be this good, but I cannot think of a CD that sounds better on my system.

[miner]

I have to add 'Double Troble's' (SRV's bandmates) 'It's Been A Long Time'.

[grit]

I have to say my 703s have completely changed what I listen to and how much I listen. I'm amazed, and happy for it.

[DrJRapp]

Probably the most incredible soundstageing I have heard on the 803Ds was the Holly Cole Trio album titled Don't smoke in Bed. There is a double bass riff in the opening cut that makes the bass seem 10' tall folowwed by some piano that anchors the center in a way that is uncanny.

[JKalman]

Sting "The Soul Cages"

Wow! Almost every track has significant portions where the soundstage is cast very wide! On my 804S, there were times when the soundstage was at least 5" to the sides of the speakers! Amazing CD..honetly, I dont even like Sting that much but the 804S makes we want to listen to him just to hear the incredible music. Actually, I find myself buying lots of CDs now of people who I dont necessarily enjoy from my entertainment perspective. The 804S are just so much fun to listen to!!!!

I find Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare to be one of the best albums for me to test equipment my with. Especially songs number 7 and 13. Between those two songs you cover the entire spectrum of sounds. You get electric distortion on the first while getting really detailed accoustic on the second with some amazing bass licks. Song number 13 has some really good acoustic bass moments too, so you can really get a sense of how well your amp is working with your speakers at different sound levels.

I like to use fast moving music to test also, to see if a lot of tracks playing all at once very fast lose any of their dynamics, which song number 7 is incredible for; there is one point in the song where he is picking licks so fast that I had never heard it clearly until I upgraded to my 802D speakers.

Oh, you will have to use something else for vocals though. I usually use Nora Jones' Come Away with Me song number 1, which also has some great acoustic sounds in the background.

[Mark_C.]

Probably the most incredible soundstageing I have heard on the 803Ds was the Holly Cole Trio album titled Don't smoke in Bed.

Amen! I have used the Holly Cole Trio to demo numerous speakers, and the disc sounds great on my Nautilus 804s. Also, Erykah Badu live is really something else. Some incredible bass on the first two tracks.

[MFox]

I have a b&w surround setup (803s/804s/htm3s) and the new depeche mode album (the 5.1 dts) sounds great on them.

also worth to listen to are dire straits - brother in arms (sacd) and the jean michel jarre aero dvd.

I also experience that I start to buy cd's that I wouldn't have bought in first place. To me the speakers are worth every cent!

[aphexist]

The original version of Nine Inch Nails "The Perfect Drug" to be found on the Lost Highway soundtrack has some incredible rear soundstaging (from just 2 channels) on the whole track. Listen during the drum breakdown towards the end of the song (before the quiet part) and the loud breakbeats actually shoot out from the speakers on both sides and attack the back of your head! Incredible!

[Angioguy]

B&W Soundstage

Hi,

I, too, have been scouring the internet trying to find the best-sounding cd recordings ever since I upgraded to 803's. Some that immediately come to mind include EL&P's, "From The Beginning," "Nirvana Unplugged," and Al Dimeola's Friday Night in San Francisco." Lately, like some of you, I find I'm looking for anything that simply sounds great and that has a big soundstage-- even if it's something I might ordinarily not listen to. It's like watching HD TV channels purely for the image quality if for no other reason. I, however, want to enjoy my music too....
Anyone know of any truly great rock/classical CD recordings with incredibly tight bass percussion, crisp strings, wide dynamic range and very little noise that no audiophile library could do without??

[perato]

Safri Duo Episode II has varied percussion instruments. Some bass percussion instruments but also lots of other percussion like vibraphone and tom-toms. Some tracks have string instruments. There is some three dimensional soundstage and as far as I can little to no distortion. It is not rock or classical; it is dance/club performed with real instruments instead of synthesizers.

[JKalman]

Hi,

I, too, have been scouring the internet trying to find the best-sounding cd recordings ever since I upgraded to 803's. Some that immediately come to mind include EL&P's, "From The Beginning," "Nirvana Unplugged," and Al Dimeola's Friday Night in San Francisco." Lately, like some of you, I find I'm looking for anything that simply sounds great and that has a big soundstage-- even if it's something I might ordinarily not listen to. It's like watching HD TV channels purely for the image quality if for no other reason. I, however, want to enjoy my music too....
Anyone know of any truly great rock/classical CD recordings with incredibly tight bass percussion, crisp strings, wide dynamic range and very little noise that no audiophile library could do without??

The first two tracks on Rusted Roots first album, first one is a percussion solo, which leads into the second song.

[Mitchell]

Hi,


Anyone know of any truly great rock/classical CD recordings with incredibly tight bass percussion, crisp strings, wide dynamic range and very little noise that no audiophile library could do without??

Neil Youngs greatest hits is an amazing remix that is an HDCD and it sounds amazing on my RCD1072 and B&W 703's.

[moonlightdrive21]

Alicia Keys "Unplugged" CD is excellent for testing it all (vocals, piano, strings, horns, guitar and amazing bass).

There are very melodic songs and a number of great/heavy jams with multiple instruments oozing with dynamics!! Really amazing sound/mix!

I always use this CD to show off my 802D's.

Dave

[aphexist]

The original version of Nine Inch Nails "The Perfect Drug" to be found on the Lost Highway soundtrack has some incredible rear soundstaging (from just 2 channels) on the whole track. Listen during the drum breakdown towards the end of the song (before the quiet part) and the loud breakbeats actually shoot out from the speakers on both sides and attack the back of your head! Incredible!

You are such an idiot!

[Ryx]

You are such an idiot!

ok you have me well confused! why would you call yourself an idiot??????

[JKalman]

The original version of Nine Inch Nails "The Perfect Drug" to be found on the Lost Highway soundtrack has some incredible rear soundstaging (from just 2 channels) on the whole track. Listen during the drum breakdown towards the end of the song (before the quiet part) and the loud breakbeats actually shoot out from the speakers on both sides and attack the back of your head! Incredible!

I had this happen to me with one of the tracks on David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust last night. I almost had a heart attack, I thought someone snuck into my damn office in my basement and had come up behind me. All of a sudden I heard David Bowie say something directly behind me. I almost jumped out of my seating position to defend myself. :E

[JKalman]

Anyone know of any truly great rock/classical CD recordings with incredibly tight bass percussion, crisp strings, wide dynamic range and very little noise that no audiophile library could do without??

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' "Outbound" also has some great percussions and bass, wide dynamics and crisp strings. Also Bela Fleck's early album, "Drive".

[aphexist]

ok you have me well confused! why would you call yourself an idiot??????

Sorry. It just slipped out. Won't happen again.