...The selection of albums is perfect. All the Terry Kath albums and nothing else...
This.
...The selection of albums is perfect. All the Terry Kath albums and nothing else...
About that mono side two of Chicago (II)...anyone know if it simple a fold down or possibly a prepared mono mix (for mono radio stations, maybe) ? By 1970 when this album was released, labels had stopped putting out mono versions of albums, but I have promo singles of songs from this album with the song in stereo on one side and mono on the other for AM and mono FM stations.
OMG - Perfect doesn't even seem good enough for this set. The selection of albums is perfect. All the Terry Kath albums and nothing else. The packaging is a gift from God. The fidelity is amazing. The surround is immersive. There is no way to improve this set. How in the hell did someone give this a nine?
11 had Kath.
About that mono side two of Chicago (II)...anyone know if it simple a fold down or possibly a prepared mono mix (for mono radio stations, maybe) ? By 1970 when this album was released, labels had stopped putting out mono versions of albums, but I have promo singles of songs from this album with the song in stereo on one side and mono on the other for AM and mono FM stations.
OK then! I don't know Chicago's music at all, having been turned off all those years ago by the horns and the jazz inflections - reinforced later by the saccharine singles. BUT I bought Quadio on the strength of the amazingly positive reviews above. And am enjoying what I've heard so far enormously. Isn't it great to have your earlier tastes challenged - with an entirely new musical vista opening up? And in wonderfully discrete quad! I've had the first two albums on heavy rotation over the weekend - and am having a great time immersing myself in this (to me) new music. Of course, now I love the horns - especially on things like 25 or 6 to 4...
It is much too early for me to vote, of course, but it seems likely that a 9 or 10 is on the way. One question - in quad the vocals seem a bit recessed in the overall sound stage, while everything else sounds right. The vocals are definitely clearer on stereo. I'm double-checked other quad discs and they sound OK to me. With the Yes 5.1s,. I can always increase the center channel if I need to boost the vocals a little - which I can't do (of course!) on the Chicago quads. Is it just my set up - or are others also finding the vocals on the quads to be bit low in the mix? Any advice welcome...
Anyhow, I'm having a bucket of fun, and appreciate the strong recommendations from the splendid earlier reviews. Cheers!
I have yet to vote, but I also have listened quite a bit...and have been hesitant to comment. I find the vocals nearly lost in many of the tracks. Not sure why. It's as if the horns, etc drown out the vocals. Just my opinion of course. I know it's not popular to comment any hint of negativity, which is unfortunate I guess. Otherwise, I find the box outstanding.
Honest negativity should always be welcome. When you experience an issue like part of a mix missing or being buried though, particularly if it's an unorthodox format, like 4.0 on a 5.1 system, and nobody else is reporting the issue, I think the first thing to consider is that the problem could be your settings.
I have yet to vote, but I also have listened quite a bit...and have been hesitant to comment. I find the vocals nearly lost in many of the tracks. Not sure why. It's as if the horns, etc drown out the vocals. Just my opinion of course. I know it's not popular to comment any hint of negativity, which is unfortunate I guess. Otherwise, I find the box outstanding.
Random speculation that may or may not help - 1) If you have a receiver set to 5.1-channel output but don't have a center spealer, that would produce what you are hearing. 2) Having the rear channels' level set too high might do it but you should still hear the vocals just lower 3) A player decoding the 4.0 as 5.1 channel might cause the problem.
Can you take one of the songs from Chicago IX and describe what you hear? Maybe narrowing it down to one song might help.
Andy
Absolutely, I agree. But, as you can imagine that I would say is "I've never found dozens of other titles with this issue". I dunno.
Yes, yes, no doubt there are differences in how 4.0 is mixed, so some albums are going to work better on certain setups than others. E.g. The Chicago Quadio Box sounds great on my setup at the moment, but I just put on DotM 4.0 and found the bass very lacking today, even when turning the sub up quite a bit. I recall it sounding better before, so I assume it has something to do with my current settings and the differences between the mixes.
When you think about it... it's pretty remarkable that more people don't have major differences in various recordings...there are quite a few variables that govern sound quality...one major aspect that seldom is discussed is room acoustics..the shape and materials in your listening area can have dramatic influences on sound quality...and of course our amps and speakers all vary...and there is the human element..our hearing....and when you consider those technical people who work on the production of the music...their environment is also much different in a studio...so getting all these differences to end up in one cohesive sound is impressive...and then factor in sources from 40 years ago...pretty amazing..
There are 2 philosophies in dealing with systems...one school of thought is that you properly setup(or calibrate)your system and leave it that way...this method advances the theory that your system should remain "neutral" and not "color" the music.....the other method involves constant tweaking...sometimes for an album...some do it as frequently as each song...some argue that this constant tweaking destroys your baseline with constant tweaking..
When it comes to exceptional sets like the Chicago Quad...if someone is having MAJOR problems...it's probably their system..right now it's 39 out of 40 10's...considering the caliber of members we have on these polls...I'd bet on a system problem...
This is actually an excellent post. It may be true that tweaking by disc and or song has deteriorated the general neutralness of the average of all discs listened to....
This is possible. I never want to be the one to say things that are contrary to overall opinion. I will gladly run Audessey again, and then see what's up. Damn, can't spell that word for some reason...and too lazy to look it up. I realize this is way off topic and apologize for that. Delete as needed Mods. I know I would....
....... I know it's not popular to comment any hint of negativity, which is unfortunate I guess........
Absolutely, I agree. But, as you can imagine that I would say is "I've never found dozens of other titles with this issue". I dunno.