I have to say that Steely Dan has always sounded somewhat "digital" and a bit "processed" to me on either CD or Qobuz streaming. (This may be somewhat different on vinyl, of course.) Although the tracks on the CD of "A Decade of Steely Dan" sound very clear and detailed to me, they do not sound as full and natural as do some other well-recorded CDs from the same time period, such as Rickie Lee Jone's first CD. I often used Rickie's CD to evaluate audio gear in the 1980s and 90s, but Steely Dan was never a demo choice for me. YMMV.
Does Steely Dan sound bright to you?
This is going to sound like a somewhat random question but I’m wondering how many of you find Steely Dan’s recordings to sound a bit bright. I’m particularly thinking of Gaucho, and Aja but some other recent recordings, too, such as Fagen’s Nightfly.
My typical media include streaming (CD and HD quality) and CD’s. I have not played my old vinyl because I’m presently without a turntable.
At first I thought it was my system and it was driving me a little bit mental; eventually, I decided it wasn't my stuff, it was their stuff. Because most other recordings on the same system with no other changes don’t typically have the brightness of Steely Dan.
Whether or not you’re a fan (I am) Steely Dan has often been a go-to for testing out equipment, so I imagine there will be experiences people have had about this.
P.S. Any other recordings which, for you are unnaturally bright?
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Big fan back when but had been a while to sit critically. Added TT a few years ago to revisit many of that era vinyl that I'd been toting since the CD took over. Compared last night after this thread. So to me, I sort of agree with OP but it's not a brightness thing. I'd submit that much of the "processed" and over-engineered sound noted here by many, to my ear, falls on the snare drum (and hi-hat). It seems compressed with the snare having little to no lower timbre. Sounds like a drum track machine (I know it's not). Not a natural, acoustic sound IMHO. I think it was an 80s thing. For example, 2 Against Nature seems more natural to me, fuller range in all instruments in fact. Otherwise the SQ of SD is overall well done. But yeah, many tracks do seem to be an exercise in producing sonic ear candy! I guess my blues listening has changed my preferences some. |
hilde45, if your system measures flat at the listening position then it has to be you who are bright because Aja and Goucho certainly are not. Maybe you need to tune your hearing aids? Maybe you did to many gummies? Or perhaps the system yo are using to measure your system is defective? Something is amiss and it is not Steely Dan's recordings. The early recordings if anything are a bit dull. |
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What an interesting timing of this thread as I have been wondering when the entire Steely Dan catalog will be remastered and reissued on vinyl. I know that "Two Against Nature" is up next. Like many I just picked up the reissued version of " The Nightfly". Someone mentioned it was mastered from digital source and not the original analog masters...bummer. It is a very nice pressing and sounds excellent, for me this was always little bright but that might be more of by-product of the early 1980's influences on recording production. I do have an original copy of " Aja" and it is not bright as at. I have owned many versions of Steely Dan & Fagen solo on DVD Audio and SACD, and vinyl back in the day, and they have never sounded bright IMHO. If you have the chance to hear the boxed set "Citizen Dan" it is quite good. Sometime back I did a review of that on the music thread. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/citizen-dan-boxed-set?highlight=Citizen%2BDan%2Bboxed%2Bset |
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