The WORST Components for Rock and Pop Music


Like many of you, I enjoy a wide variety of music.

Although there have been a few threads on topics like: "what speakers can really ROCK" etc, I have not found them to be very useful, as many of the recommendations would not suit my other preferences in music.

So here is an interesting and hopefully thought provoking way to look at this dilemma from a different perspective:

What components or systems, have you owned and loved, UNTIL you tried to play your favorite rock and roll or pop music?

What audiophile components would you recommend for everything BUT rock and pop?

For me, this brings back a memory of the CES show, circa 2004 when I was really excited to hear a gigantic pair of Sound Lab speakers.

They probably would have sent shivers down my spine with Patricia Barber, but with Jim Morrison and the Doors playing Peace Frog, I stood up and left the room.

Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.
cwlondon
That makes a lot of sense to me as I usually listen to rock in the car where fidelity is not an issue. Good point mitch.
Something along the lines of "Pink Floyd The Wall" or any other of the hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of well recorded rock albums... do sound good on any hi-end system that can playback at fairly high Spl's...most e-stats and planers can not do this except in small rooms.... all though their are a few exceptions.

I don't listen to a lot of rock music at this stage of my life but I do own lots of it...from "those" days.

I think Pink Floyd sounds as good as I've ever heard it "when I do play it" on my Apogee speakers/VMPS sub based system.

The problem is:

Most of the rock albums I own are from the 60's-80's...most, are not well recorded. They do sound ok in my truck and on my boom box because those two playback systems have a very limited freq range, ie....I don't expect much, so I just enjoy the music.

With our "big rigs" it can be somewhat hard to "just enjoy the music" when we.... "expect so much"

I will add that my 35 year old stepson is "very heavy" into rock. I have played back some of his music for him on my system...he was, as we like to say...BLOWN AWAY!

Most of the rock he listens to are bands that I know nothing about....tons of heavy bass and lots of screaming! I guess if I did enjoy his music (a good amount of beer did help)...I would enjoy it "more" on my system than his.

Dave
>>Most of the rock albums I own are from the 60's-80's...most, are not well recorded<<

Interesting. My collection covers the same period although mine begin about 1957 and most are recorded very well. Almost every one is a first release which may or may not be a factor and all are in mint or near mint condition. There are a handful of compressed recordings but the majority sound superb.
Go figure.
Audiofeil

My bad, I have a bad habit of saying albums...I should have said cd's.

I do have many old albums (Linn Axis Turntable)...I re-bought many albums "cd replacements" from those years because I thought at the time it was the way to go... (better sound forever) and all that. I still own many of those old cd transfers and this is mostly what I was talking about.

I do not own most of my old vinyl...gave it away?

I have all of the Supertramp and Alan Parsons stuff on both album and cd for instance...the albums are worlds better.

Note: In this case I re-bought the albums...I never play the cd's

I find the bass MIA, and the highs distorted on most of these old transfers to cd....not all.

In the end....it's all about recording quality regardless of format...a turd is, a turd... be it Classical, Rock, Country, Blues, ect.

Dave
Well put Audiofeil, but I would date it even further back that, there are some incredible 'mono' recordings. Shellac, 78rpm, and a dog sitting besides a wind up stereo with a horn (not the dog, the player) comes to mind.