What were your top musical discoveries of 2024?

@allenf1963

Yes that was me, and you did do a good deed indeed :)

Incidentally, that started me thinking about musical discoveries later in life and I just posted a new thread about that. I’m looking forward to hear what folks say

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/can-we-make-major-musical-discoveries-at-age-50-65-or-80

I love Sunset Mission, Patchouli Blue and Beileid. I have not listened to Bohren’s entire catalog though. My favorite song so far might be Dead End Angels. Also, I had no idea the Faith No More guy was singing on Catch My Heart. I was a fan back in the day!

I think the way Bohren’s music is experienced is very system-sensitive. Despite the often extreme sparseness and slow tempo, I think it’s best appreciated on fast, authoritative speakers driven by high-current amps. Sometimes I kind of wish mine extended a bit deeper into octave 0

@alan60 

Esbjorn Svensson is now on my 2025 list.

Thanks!

@devinplombier --

I usually listen to Bohren on these two systems in my house:

1) New KLH Model 5 speakers connected to an Audio Research SP17 preamp and a McIntosh 225 amp

2) Klipsch Forte II speakers connected to a Dennis Had LP3.1 tube preamp and a Dennis Had Inspire 45 "Fire Bottle" tube amp

I listen both streaming and by a turntable, and I find both systems sound great.  Bohren is not music that I play very loud to begin with, so the McIntosh provides plenty of power for me.  Heck, even the Dennis Had amp at a mere 2 watts makes my Forte II's sing.  What is your current setup?

Heilung

Forndom

Wardruna

and a host of other “Viking” music. I had no idea the Norse Sagas and Eddas were being worked into modern-day music releases or that there’s a virtual army of online techno-geek linguists commenting on the translations of Runic lore. 

My undergraduate advisor, Herr Professor Doktor Martin Wierschin would have had a thing or three to say about it, God rest his soul.

@allenf1963  

Right now I have Infinity RS-II speakers driven by a pair of Classé monoblocks. I just rebuilt the crossovers and they sound fantastic. They are very underrated speakers imo. They do dip to 2 ohms across the HF range and they need high current amplifiers if they are to really wake up and sing.

They are a 5-way, 7-driver design with open-baffle mids and highs, and two 10" woofers in separate sealed cabinets. I think the airiness of the midrange, the precision of the EMIT ribbons and the respectable bass slam makes them a great fit for music like Bohren, especially if played at higher volumes.