Music choices at Bristol show
Posted by: blythe on 20 February 2004
Having just returned from the Bristol Hi Fi Show where I'd visited with a friend, he commented (I feel inclined to agree) that it seemed that every demo was being conducted using very much "Minimalist" music.
You know, drums, sparse instruments, or maybe just vocals and bass or whatever. No one (except Naim) appeared to play anything remotely mainstream or musical to mine or my friends ears.
No one played classical music while we were there. (that we heard).
At least on the Naim demo, there was some degree of orhestration, keyboards etc. with vocals to give an insight into the full range of the sound.
Most of the other demos gave no insight at all into how a "full" sound might come over.
Why all the sparseness? Or is it a ploy to "show off" a system with bare single instruments?
OK, I realise that a show is not the place to seriously listen to a set-up but really, the music choice seemed at best, odd.
The Rega stand was interesting but their use of Queen Live at Wembley, which isn't the best quality album IMHO was at least a step in the right direction - I left wanting to hear their equipment playing a good quality Vinyl or CD recording.........
Just my thoughts (and Stuart who was with me)
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 21 February 2004 by NB
Thats tipical of a hi-fi show. They only play music that shows their sistem at its best. The manufacturer that dissapointed me most was the Living Voice room. They only played classical music.
I would have loved to hear them playing something much heavier. I wonder how they would have copped with some AC/DC?
Regards
NB
Posted on: 21 February 2004 by blythe
quote:
Originally posted by NB:
Thats tipical of a hi-fi show. They only play music that shows their sistem at its best. The manufacturer that dissapointed me most was the Living Voice room. They only played classical music.
I would have loved to hear them playing something much heavier. I wonder how they would have copped with some AC/DC?
Regards
NB
Ah, a head-banger!
The other thing I noticed was the extreme volume levels being played in all of the AV demos.
Now, I like my music loud and enjoy my films with a loud soundtrack, however, all of the AV demos (except Naim) were so loud it hurt!
The bass was RIDICULOUSLY loud and over blown too.
OK, I like to feel an explosion but with most of the systems, even a door slamming shook the whole of the hotel!
I do wish the exhibitors would use more varied music - something that covers the whole sound spectrum.
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 21 February 2004 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly
quote:
Originally posted by blythe:
I do wish the exhibitors would use more varied music - something that covers the whole sound spectrum.
Just take along your fave tracks and ask for them to be played. saw it done today, at the seventh veil dem. ( darn good speakers and very nice blokes, by the way. )
Regards
Mike
On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy
Posted on: 23 February 2004 by blythe
quote:
Originally posted by mike lacey:
quote:
Originally posted by blythe:
I do wish the exhibitors would use more varied music - something that covers the whole sound spectrum.
Just take along your fave tracks and ask for them to be played. saw it done today, at the seventh veil dem. ( darn good speakers and very nice blokes, by the way. )
Regards
Mike
On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy
I know that makes sense, however, I could be faced with waiting for a considerable time at each manufacturers dem room while the people in front of me have their music played.
Then I'd run out of time and not get to listen to everything I wanted to........
I'd rather hear a "full range" music (I mean a fully produced rather than minimalist) played by default, maybe alternating between Pop, Classical, Alternative whatever......
That way I get to hear what they can do, to then help me to decide what I really want to demo at a dealer.
Martin.
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 24 February 2004 by Sundance
Blythe,
Give me a few classical pieces that you would recommend I listen to. I want to expand my classical collection.
Kid
Posted on: 24 February 2004 by blythe
quote:
Originally posted by Sundance:
Blythe,
Give me a few classical pieces that you would recommend I listen to. I want to expand my classical collection.
Kid
Hi Sundance,
It really depends on where you're coming from...... I first listened to a few "popular" pieces such as Dvorjak symphony #9 and progreesed into Wagner at a later date.
I love Wagner but many people find it a bit heavy going......
Should this be a new thread perhaps?
Are you starting from scratch with classical or do you already have some; if so, what do you like so far?
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 24 February 2004 by NB
Quote:-
The other thing I noticed was the extreme volume levels being played in all of the AV demos.
Now, I like my music loud and enjoy my films with a loud soundtrack, however, all of the AV demos (except Naim) were so loud it hurt!
The bass was RIDICULOUSLY loud and over blown too.
OK, I like to feel an explosion but with most of the systems, even a door slamming shook the whole of the hotel!
_____________________________________________________________
I was in the living voice room when the demo opposite was so loud it drowned out the Living Voice demo. To the complete dissatisfaction of the guy from Living Voice. Like you I wonder why some of it had to be so loud.
BTW I am not a headbanger, I would have loved to have heard some music that really rocked!
Far far far too much clasical and simple music.
Regards
NB
Posted on: 24 February 2004 by blythe
I love rock music too BTW.
Yes, there were a lot of demos which drowned out demos in near-by rooms......
I am however surprised that you say there was too much classical music as I don't really remember any aprt from the 10th floor room..... (Not Naim)
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 25 February 2004 by Rick Weldon
most manufactures would not dare play anything demanding because most of the gear is shit and if they playd anything other than tinkly rubbish at a show people would realise just how poor most stuff is!
Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Not For Me
All of this sounds like a good reason not to go to the shows!
Noodly inoffensive small scale lite jazz muzak mostly.
It used to be Dire Straits several years ago?
SD
OTD - Television - Prove It (green vinyl version)
Posted on: 29 February 2004 by long-time-dead
Just to change tack slighty but do you not think that the music choices are more governed by the lack of set-up time that the manufacturers have ?
We have spent many many hours getting the set-up "just right" and know exactly just how bad a system can sound in the wrong environment. Everything is still there - it just comes out all wrong......
Going for simpler music is a safer option on a percentage basis and allows them to get to the crux of the matter - getting you into a dealer to listen to their kit !
Posted on: 29 February 2004 by blythe
Surely the manufacturers are all in the same boat at a show - the mains is sub-standard, rooms not acoustically "right", the room size might be a bit small etc.
However, if JVC set up a midi system, I would be gobsmacked if Naim, Rega, Royd, Living Voice, Meridian, Krell, Dynaudio, Castle, Kef, Mission etc. Cyrus, Quad, etc. didn't sound better.
I still maintain that a Naim system sitting on the floor will sound better than many other "high end" systems sitting on exotic stands with dedicated mains etc..
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 01 March 2004 by Pete
quote:
Originally posted by NB:
They only played classical music.
I would have loved to hear them playing something much heavier.
This implies you think classical music can't be heavy. Which suggests to me you might like to listen to a rather greater range of it! A full orchestra playing one of Shostakovich's "kithchen sink and all" symphonies is heavier, both in terms of plain noise and thematic content, than you'll hear from most rock bands, and in terms of simple intensity even a string quartet can be
amazingly heavy if they're playing the right piece.
There's a lot more to heaviness than a pounding beat, too much bass and amps turned up to 11, and that goes within rock music as well as beyond it. Robert Fripp can do more weight with 1 guitar and a pile of delay units than most heavy metal outfits can do with enough raw electrical power to run a small town (but add in the rest of King Crimson alongside him and you might not know what's hit you...)
Pete.
