CD's that Make Your B&W's Shine

[moonlightdrive21]

Hey guys:

Which CD's make your system shine the most and make you proud to own your B&W's and electronics?

Dave

[audiojunky]

Not in any particular order:

1) Erin Bohamme
2) Dave Brubeck
3) Norah Jones
4) Genesis
5) Dire Straits
6) Smooth Jazz - such as Jan Garbarek, Rick Braun and Washington Grover Jr.
7) Acoustic Alchemy
8 ) Michael Buble - though its rather soppy music, it sounds amazing on the B&W
9) Pink Floyd
10) Diana Krall

[Audiophiliac]

I would say any music I like. I dont listen to music I dont like just because it sounds good. I enjoy lots of music. And thats what I listen to. It all sounds good because its good for me.

[dknightd]

Stuff my wife and kids don't like. Because if I'm playing that it means they are not home. If they are not home I can turn it up ;-) The speakers seem to sound better when they are playing at higher than background levels

[jim777]

Well stuff like Hotel California from the Eagles, or any Norah Jones album will do the trick. The B&W's FST sounds great with voices and acoustic instruments (jazz is great!).

However, I agree with audiophiliac; any music that I love sounds great with my B&W's (McIntosh/703's). The only thing that sounds better is the good old piano at my friend's home, the real thing ya'know

[audiojunky]

I was super surprised how good rock and heavy metal sounded on these speakers. I agree that jazz and B&Ws are made for each other, but even rock and heavier stuff sounds amazing.

It gave Dream Theater a new meaning.

[jim777]

I was super surprised how good rock and heavy metal sounded on these speakers. I agree that jazz and B&Ws are made for each other, but even rock and heavier stuff sounds amazing.

It gave Dream Theater a new meaning.

:agree:

Yep, there is alot going on in DT with keyboards, 6-string bass, 6 & 7 string guitars, and a hell of a big drum kit. I think that three or four of them have PhD's.. not too much standard 4/4 tempo with them :B

[Bluespower]

Want to amaze yourself? Try Flim and the BBs "Tricycle".

[mike c]

anybody have links to the songlist of the CD's that b&w gives away (sells) to b&w owners?

[rav934]

best recordings I have are from Mapleshade.com

[audioqueso]

If you speak Chinese, Faye Wong's Fable album. Japanese, Miwa Yoshida's Beauty & Harmony album. English, any of the above listed.

[SPACEMANRICK]

The last 2 CD's I bought sound great on my 804's...ACDC Back in Black Remastered and Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack.

[jlr_1304]

Want to amaze yourself? Try Flim and the BBs "Tricycle".

And from the same label (dmprecords) try Quality of silence.

[BTB]

Here's a list of my favourite discs, that show off the best qualities of my B&W's..

Laurence Hobgood trio - "Crazy World" (Naim), To say that this album has been recorded simply is a huge understatement. The entire set (of piano led, acoustic jazz pieces) has been captured using only a pair of microphones and an analogue tape machine. As such the performers occupy VERY vivid, 3d "space" within the soundstage, it just sounds so live. Production value and musicianship are both first rate.

Damien Rice - "O" (East West), An emotionally charged set of original vocals with acoustic backing in a "folk" style. Quite an "unvarnished" recording quality which creates an ideal platform for the "raw nerve" musical performance.

Antonio Forcione - "Touch Wood" (Naim), Perhaps one of the finest tests of dynamics, timing and attack I've yet heard, and, by the way a great set of acoustic guitar pieces with fantastic percussion and cello playing underpinning some nifty finger work by Mr Forcione.

Postal Service - "Give Up" (Sub Pop), Uncompressed sounding electronic pop music. Catchy vocal melodies over layers upon layers of quircky little electronic chirps make for an engaging listen. Nice to see that some producers of this type of music still care about sound quality.

Will Ackerman - "Returning" (Universal), Stark, solo acoustic guitar. Every leading edge, finger slide and twang of a string present and accounted for. Every last ounce of reverb & resonance also, it's all here.

Patricia Barber - "Live: A fortnight in France" (Blue Note) & "Nightclub" (Premonition), "Live..." is a storming live (as the name would imply!) set of originals & standards that retains so much of the "acoustic" of the recording venues and interplay of musicians. While the version of "Autumn Leaves" on the "Nightclub" disc is worth the price of admission alone.

Helge Lien trio - "Spiral Circle" (DIW), A fairly obscure Scandanavian jazz trio on an equally obscure (and harder to find) Japanese label. Quite downtempo with an improvised feel and stellar recording quality.

Stan Getz - "Stan Getz plays Jobim" (Verve), A fine collection of some of the best loved collaborations between these giants of the Bossa Nova scene. Despite being a good few decades old, these recordings do "in the room" in ways that would put a number of newer recordings to shame.

[jim777]

And from the same label (dmprecords) try Quality of silence.

I borrowed that (SACD version) from a friend once - it is great! each song is different and there is a lot of dynamic range :T

[dknightd]

BTB, thanks for the list. They all sound like things I'd like to listen to.

another classic in the same vein is jazz at the pawn shop

I really like simply mic'ed live music. Listening now to some Bella Fleck
downloaded (legally) from archive.org. Two mic's, two speakers, somehow it just makes so much sense. . .

My usual music preference is reggae, but, I'm appreciating more and more
acoustic and jazz stuff.

[BTB]

Hi dknightd

No problem, I'm always on the lookout for good quality music myself, so it's nice to have a chance to introduce people to music they may not have heard of before.

I've heard some "Jazz at the pawn shop". Wasn't that a series of releases? Whatever I heard was really well produced and recorded.

Nice to hear you're checking out some jazz, if you can dig the soulful reggae vibe I'm sure you'll fit right in. Cheers.

[tboooe]

I think B&W's sound fantastic reproducing vocals (particularly female), guitar (particularly flamenco) and piano. Given that, here are my fav cds for listening pleasure:

Willie Nelson (Stardust): I am normally not a fan but this was the cd that first showed me what was possible with a well set up system...Holographic, palpable, 3 dimensionsal, emotional...

George Winstons (Summer): does it get any better than George tickiling the ivory?

Wes Montogomery (any): great jazz guitarist, this really showcases B&W's fantastic highs...

Various (The Flamenco Chill Album): interesting fusion of flamenco and chill/down beat/lounge, the entire sound spectrum is covered here

I have a strong preference for female vocalists so here are my picks:
Oleta Adams (any)
Bic Runga (Live)
Vienna Teng (Warm Strangers)
Hayley Westrena (any)
Eva Cassidy (any)
Madeleine Peyroux (Dreamland)
Norah Jones (New York City: The Chill Album)

I could go on and on...its all about the music....

[jlr_1304]

Try some Opus3 recording : very natural (SACD)


OT:
Jim777, we could do some SACD exchange if you have a list to submit. I live in the montreal region.

[shep]

Miles Davis Kind of Blue, Working with/Playing with/etc with Miles Davis all sound good.

Dave Holland (trio, big band) albums all sound good, and the production quality is great. I have seen him perform a few times live, and the albums put me right back in the concert hall. One album in particular: Points of View, is phenomenal.

[mikej]

Opera!! Phantom of the Opera, Madam De tiki, sailor of deville, don juan
Classical Beethovan 9th, violin !! Mozart!! Bach Concertros
Rock Pink Floyd(most), Bob Seger(all), Nirvana unplugged, Ray Charles(most), Elvis (deep bass-gospel), Led Zepplin(all), U2, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Yes,
Country, Johnny Cash
Punk Green Day
Other: Emimem oppurtunity
Celtic

Just a few

[boxer82003]

The last 2 CD's I bought sound great on my 804's...ACDC Back in Black Remastered and Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack.

i second the jack johnson couple albums sound great

[Audiophiliac]

DVD & Hjemmekino SACD

[james_dmi]

Two more for those who like a bit of electronica mixed with their live instruments.

Cinematic Orchestra - Every Day

Air - 10,000Hz Legend (the best recorded air album and the most interesting although all their stuff sounds pretty good)

[texasbwfan]

Talking Heads - Sand In the Vaseline
'This Must Be The Place' sounds absolutely amazing.

Ween - The Mollusk
'Mutilated Lips' and 'Cold Blows the Wind', this is not a band for everyone...very different...wonderful.

Jerry Garcia & John Kahn - Live at Oregon State Penn
Absolutely amazing recording if you can find it...'Friend of the Devil' gives me chills.

Galactic - Coolin' Off
Fantastic jazz/funk band, you can't go wrong with this CD.

Son Volt - Trace
Classic album! 'Mystifies me' is one of my all time favorites.

Japancakes - Waking Hours
This is the perfect morning CD...I find myself listening to this CD while brewing a pot of coffee each Saturday morning.

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot & Being There
Incredibly talented band, both CD's you can easily listen to from beginning to end.

Bob Marley - Exodus
You've gotta have some Marley!

Jimmy Smith - Root Down
Unbelievable...funky.

Herbie Hancock - Headhunters
I could listen to this CD over and over again...and I have! ;-)

The above mentioned CD's are just a sample of what makes my B&W's sing. I have a significant collection of music so my tastes fluctuate often. I'm glad this thread was started...I'm anxious to see what everyone else listens to while enjoying their B&W's.

[jlr_1304]

Oh yeah, headhunters. Single layer. The bass is incredible.

Try also The police, (the one with dont stand so close to me) Track #5 is very good also.

[misterdoggy]

I would say any music I like. I dont listen to music I dont like just because it sounds good. I enjoy lots of music. And thats what I listen to. It all sounds good because its good for me.

Audiophiliac

You've got the point !!!!

How many people are going to pick things they like anyhow. Am I going to listen to music I don't particularluy care for because it sounds outstanding on my system.

I listen to all types of Music, Classical Piano, Reggae, Blues and Rock and Roll mostly. I'd rather listen to a poor recording of a great pianist who lived before recording capabilites, than to something just because its HDCD

[Chris10]

I just got a 703 system, and thought I would get some new music to make it shine, so this thread is a good place to start looking!

I listen to many different genres, and when I shopped around for a new system, I tried e.g. musicals, Mahler and rock. But the decisive test was not any of those. When I asked the wife to come along and listen (after all, she was going to cough up some hard earned cash... :P ) she brought some favorite CDs - one of them was Metallica! Boy, did the B&W outperform the other system we compared with! So, she is happy as well with the 703s!

Nirvana (both unplugged and Nevermind) does shine too...

[jim777]

I just got a 703 system, and thought I would get some new music to make it shine, so this thread is a good place to start looking!

I listen to many different genres, and when I shopped around for a new system, I tried e.g. musicals, Mahler and rock. But the decisive test was not any of those. When I asked the wife to come along and listen (after all, she was going to cough up some hard earned cash... :P ) she brought some favorite CDs - one of them was Metallica! Boy, did the B&W outperform the other system we compared with! So, she is happy as well with the 703s!

Nirvana (both unplugged and Nevermind) does shine too...

Haha! Me too I brought like some of my favorite jazz cd's and stuff. But when I put on some metal, the solid bass of the 703's showed itself! These speakers are great with all music styles and thats why I like them.

Now the 703's need tons of break-in time so be patient
The bass is the longest to kick in, after the harshness goes away. You should also consider a nice little carpet on the floor if you have a hard floor. You will also need good electronics so don't stop checking this forum!! My 703's are sweet now and have plenty of bass..

[dknightd]

Here are a few more:
Grateful dead - Estimated Prophet - From Terrapin Station (or many bootlegs).
Steel Pulse - Back To My Roots - Living Legacy
Alpha Blondy - Jah Houphouet - Apartheid Is Nazism
Cash, Johnny - American III: Solitary Man - One
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Flint Hill Special - Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Cockburn, Bruce - Wondering Where The Lions Are - Dancing In the Dragon's Jaws
Beck, Jeff, - Come Dancing - Wired
Mahlathini And The Mahotella Queens - Thuntshwane Basadi - Paris - Soweto
Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil - Beggars Banquet

Basically whatever you like ;-) If you are trying to show off your speakers, play what the listener likes And play it loud! (better - put to it on at medium volume and show them where the volume knob is)

I bought b&w 703 because it seemed to do the best job on acoustical instruments and voice in my price bracket. But they play everything pretty well (sometimes they sound pretty sharp, but, the more I compare them to real intruments the more I realise alot of that sharpness is real. Or I could be fooling myself . . . As mentioned above the 703 do take more time
to break in than most speakers.

[JKalman]

Here are some of my current favorites:

1. Bob Marley Remasters - Pretty much any of the remastered albums, even the greatest hits, the dynamics are insane.
2. The Grateful Dead - Reckoning and The Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack - Both excellent recordings from mixing boards, the soundtrack is from the Wall of Sound years.
3. The Talking Heads (DualDisc) - In particular I enjoy Speaking in Tongues and Little Creatures, in Advanced Resolution DVD.
4. The Police - Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity (SACD)
5. Steve Vai - Passion and Warfare - Especially songs number 13 and 7, which I use when I go out to demo equipment.
6. Radiohead - OK Computer - I use songs number 2, 5 and 10 when I go out and demo. In particular song number 5 with the vocal harmonies near the end of the song coming from both speakers gives me the chills.
7. Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin and At War with The Mystics - What is the Light, and Waitin' for a Superman give me the chills at certain points in the song, especially with the background vocals softly supporting the main vocals in Waitin' For a Superman.
8. The Doors - L.A. Woman (DVD-A) - The whispered vocals behind the main vocals in Riders on the Storm...
9. James Taylor - Greatest Hits - I'm not huge into male or female vocalists, but the clarity of his recordings are incredible.
10. Living Stereo - (SACD) - Pretty much all of the Living Stereo classical music recordings are incredible. I especially hate it when you hear coughing in some of the recordings during the cold season, like on the SACD of Van Cliburn performing Rachmaninoff Piano concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30, but it is still interesting.
11. Bela Fleck - Drive (SACD) - What can I say, this guy is a virtuoso with the banjo, what a great sounding album...
12. Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach - Painted from Memory - I couldn't believe this was a CD at first.
13. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (SACD) - A classic...
14. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (DVD-A) - A classic...
15. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (SACD) and Wish You Were Here

Almost anything I put in sounds great.

The list goes on and on....

[photoman]

Just picked up Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium: On my B&W 803D's with a Rotel 1072 in 2Ch mode is incredible. The breath of sounds, styles of music on this two CD set is nothing short of awesome. You'll love it on your B&W's

[JKalman]

Just picked up Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium: On my B&W 803D's with a Rotel 1072 in 2Ch mode is incredible. The breath of sounds, styles of music on this two CD set is nothing short of awesome. You'll love it on your B&W's

Good, I picked it up a few days ago, but I haven't made time to listen to it yet.

[JKalman]

I should add one more:

• The Allman Brother Band - Eat a Peach (SACD) - Melissa and Blue Sky (when the backup vocals come in at the chorus) especially. At the end of Blue Sky you can hear one of the band members say what sounds like the words "very good" as they finish the song. :W

[joetama]

Tom Petty - Wildflowers
Steely Dan - Two Against Nature
War - Why Can't We Be Friends
Jude Cole - Start The Car
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia

Top Five Favorite Albums on the 703's....

[tboooe]

Any flamenco cd...the mids and highs sound stunning on my new 802d!

[Chris10]

More stuff to look into!

Some CDs haven't sounded good on the new 703s, but yesterday I thought I noticed a/ better bass, and b/ even more openness. So, I put on a CD (Chris Cornell) that prevously had sounded very muddy, both when reviewing speakers and when I got the 703s. Sure enough, now it sounded definitly better! So the 703s keeps growing as some of you have pointed out!

A few CDs that shines already now includes:

Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring etc (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Gram). Very airy indeed!
Kevin Parent - Pigeon d'Argile (Canadian rock)
Notre-Dame de Paris. Musical (English version) - especially the first number Live for the One I Love
Robert Mirabal - Taos Tales (Native American)