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Re: What do you listen for?

Jim,

I believe you're asking this question earnestly and so even though I'll probably be mocked for what I'm about to say, I'm going to answer you honestly. I MAINLY listen for a particular point in a particular recording where I can usually hear the difference. That's "IF" I'm trying prove I can hear differences in components to others. However to really know a component's true characteristics I'd like 30-90 days with it.

My favorite song for hearing differences in audio components is Aja, by Steely Dan. Towards the end of the song when the drummer is banging away he stops and clicks his drumsticks together twice. Once I've listened to an audio component's replication of that event and get familiar with it I can almost always differentiate between what component being used. For the sake of this post I consider wires a component as well, ok?

I also use Mark Johnson's CD entitled Deep Focus and the song I use is I Told You So. There's a part where he blows the sax and the music just resonates from deep within the sax, you can almost hear the air coming out of the horn, it seems difficult for most components as they tend to sound different on this.

I also like to use a CD called Jump In The Water by Jump In The Water. The song I use is It's Not for You. This is a great song for vocals. These guys can harmonize plus they're a a few feet behind the man singer who has a great voice himself. So I hear vocals and soundstaging. If you like stringed instruments you'd love these guys they play everything from lute, to mandolin, to guitar & everything in between. Everyone who's heard it loves it and believe it or not there's many of them used, like new on Amazon for $.01 I honestly don't know how to classify their music.

Of course I use some of my jazz ladies for vocals and piano and to listen to soundstage width, depth and height. I don't remember the song now but I used to own a CD by Dean Peer called Ucross. It was only him on a bass, but in one song he must have been sitting and then stood up while playing because you heard the music shift up about 2ft all at once! It was an incredible experience and proved a soundstage had height as well as depth & width.

I've listened to only a few amps and preamps as opposed to a reviewer like yourself. So I'm afraid most of my real testing has been done with things I and my friends can afford --- wires and tubes. Hopefully this answers your questions, if not I'll try to expound.

Thetubeguy1954
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