"Bridge Over Trouble Water" sounds artificial


During the pandemic I've been upgrading my sound system.  I used to enjoy Simon & Garfunkel, "Bridge Over Trouble Water".  With my upgraded equipment the hi resolution audio sounds very synthetic, with one track on top of another, not like real music at all.  The voices are doubled and violins just layered on top.  On my same system, I played a live concert of Andre Previn playing Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue".  It sounded real and beautiful, like a live performance.  Am I doing something wrong?
aeschwartz
With all equipment BOTW is a poor recording.  Am I wrong?


No, you're right.  BOTW is a poor recording.  That is a problem with a higher resolution system, but for me the better sound on good recordings more than makes up for it.
  I have 2 early pressings and I enjoy them . The producer mentioned earlier did an outstanding job , especially considering the “ Era “. I wish I had an MFSL pressing , but not at current collector prices . I remember watching a documentary where they discussed the drum track for BOTW, being partially done in an elevator doorway in the middle of the night . Apparently the night watchman came off the elevator unaware and was quite startled . It’s too bad that the Classic Rock era suffered from the AM car radio mix . But it’s interesting to see people like Jimmy Page using a metal lipstick tube to enhance his slide work . And Pink Floyd’s homemade tape loops to add the sounds to some early music. While my system lacks any kind of tone control or digital correction , I find tube rolling alleviates some issues , YMMV. It is a crap shoot sometimes , but It is what it is ! Happy listening .
IMO - it's always sounded over produced to me. I think it sounds best on car radios or smaller, lesser systems.  The LP might be a different story, IDK.
This could be a longshot, but I had it happen to me.  If you are using a video receiver or a multi-disk player that does its own decoding, it could be an obscure problem like this.

I recently reset the settings on my Oppo 105 universal disk player.  In so doing, I chose the stereo settings since I am only using a stereo rig, but among the other settings I used neo 6 downmix settings.  The first disk I put on was a james taylor recording that was recorded in multi-channel SACD.  Just as you described there was a second slightly delayed and very electric sound on top of the stereo sound.  I tried another strictly CD recording .... nothing, just normal.  So I went back into the Oppo and illiminated the neo 6 downmix.  That did the trick.  As I said, a pretty esoteric thing but if nothing else seems to work .......
Nothing wrong at all....
Hi Res sucks the "Secret Sauce" right out of the listening experience.  Some material sounds "impressive" but does it Jam like the way especially that song was originally recorded?
Absolutely not.
Hi Res Audio is the equivalent that Handy Cam TV eperience.

Impressive audio but no soul.

Bridge over Troubled Water sounds better on an old  AC Delco car radio than a high res system.