50 of the best hi-fi albums for audiophiles

I had expected the usual list of audiophile warhorses, many with good sonics, but so-so music, or material so well-trod that it is hardly a revelation. The inclusion of The Congos, Heart of the Congo, is cool. It isn't a sonic masterpiece in the audiophile sense, but it is a trip to listen to; Lee Perry cobbled it together using some of the top players in Jamaica, using a TEAC 4 track deck - 2340 o4 3340?-- bouncing tracks to get more space to overdub. The whole thing is a marvel of sound, but it isn't purist stuff- if anything, it is a wacky, wonderful exploration of the art of dubbing and Jamaican roots reggae.  (PS: if you want to buy this record, there is only one I've heard that sounds decent- it is the OOP Blood & Fire copy. The short-lived Simply Vinyl reissue of same sounds flat and dead).  

I am NOT associated with the article. I merely cut and pasted the introduction to the article as it appeared on-line - ncluding "definitive" in italics. The introduction (or premise) to this or any similar article is important in order to put the list in context. It is much more informative than the title.

Good info, whart. I have used the Teac 2340 (just like the 3340, but with 7" reel capacity to the 3340’s 10-1/2") in a small studio I built and engineered in, and it is a good sounding recorder, almost as good as my Revox A-77, believe it or not. Nicely transparent, low noise, and full bandwidth.

Should have been called “A random list of 50 albums we like, that weren’t brickwalled into oblivion”

If it ain’t all about sonics and it seems within this list it ain’t, it must be about something else as significant.

Perhaps ‘audiophile’ means more in different cultural settings. What Hi Fi is to my understanding an ‘off shore’ magazine, isn’t it? Maybe they feel ‘eclectic’ is as congruent to audiophile as is excellence is to sonics.

Did anyone look into the actual choices as to each prominence or uniqueness or even influence, or in other words an albums entymology, its musicians recording venues, and or producers?

  Not digging at anyone, just wondering aloud.

Could be too, as with so many top 10 or top 100 lists on various tV shows, the list is aimed primarily at crating controversy. I see this occur on Nat Geo, Hist. AHC, etc., all the time.

Beats me. If only a few items on the list appear audiophile by definition which have not been known before, then you are ahead of the game for not much effort at all, right? I saw they said something about just that thing too, “finding new stuff”. Broadening your musical horizons.

Could be just that simple.