"Bridge Over Trouble Water" sounds artificial

Not wrong, IMO, but this is what I've talked about before.  Trends and fads in what is considered a normal or good speaker system have changed over time.

You can't make a perfect speaker system for today and expect it to sound fabulous for all past decades of recorded music, so, I have argued, the best you can do is pick speakers that are equally good for all your styles of music and use tone controls as necessary.

Would be interested in knowing what this sounds like via homage speakers, like BBC mini monitors.

Best,

E

Yup if a release sounds bad and your system is good and the track bothers you, its up to YOU to fix it. Break out the tone controls, DBX, DSP, equalizer what have you. This is war!!!!!!

On BOTW, the strings are absolutely dripping with electronic or spring reverb. I think it was meant to sound chintzy, far away. Same with the solo snare sound. When that got transferred to CD, the charm of that processing turned grating and, for some unlistenable, same with the horns on "Keep the Customer Satisfied." It sounds lovely on lp, but wasn't even supposed to be particularly hi-fi sounding. Still, that lp is a quality recording: So Long, Frank Lloyd Wrigh, Song for the Asking, etc. FWIW,  S&G wasn't just for the "hippie generation," which they actually mocked in their songs; they were heavily marketed to the audiophile set, alongside classical and jazz.  

I'm trying not to beat a dead horse.  I listened to the LP, the CD, Hi Res on Qobuz and on my two systems with KEF LS50 or Klipsch R8000, Marantz amp or Parasound Halo A21+, Denafrips ares ii, Parasound P6, Marantz CD, Cambridge CD transport. With all equipment BOTW is a poor recording.  I then listened to Simon & Garfunkel Live in Central Park, 1982.  The same songs sounded like real music with real musical instruments!  The improved sound was unmistakable.  Am I wrong?

Everything is best on vinyl. Everything.