DEMON DEMOS
Obviously, Audio is a specialized journal, and the people who read it are often graced with the designation "audiophile/music lover." For these people, audio is not so much a hobby as a way of life. The dedicated audiophile yields to no one in his zealous pursuit of music reproduced with ever-increasing faithfulness to the live experience. Some people like to denigrate audiophiles, claiming they have no real sensitivity to music and are bedazzled by the technology, performance, and appearance of their audio components. No doubt, there is a certain amount of truth in this-we all know the guy who has a half-dozen demo discs that he plays endlessly, to compare components.
Audiophiles know that music is the cornerstone, the raison d'étre, of their endeavors. Moreover, it is quite natural that audiophiles have an avid interest in obtaining recordings of the highest quality for demonstrating the performance of their system and for maximum enjoyment of a particular piece of music. This is why I receive quite a lot of mail asking me how I evaluate recordings and which recordings I use to demonstrate my audio system.
Of the prodigious number of CDs issued every month, I receive only a modest amount, which nonetheless represents quite a few recordings. I freely admit that I cull quite a few CDs purely on the basis of musical content, along with the standing and reputation of the artists and performing groups and the track record of the recording company with respect to sonic quality.
Even after this preliminary swing, there usually are still quite a number of CDs to audition. With CDs averaging 50 to 70 minutes of playing time these days, that's a lot of listening! So much, in fact, that it is necessary to ration time. Listening for a few minutes usually provides enough information as to balance, dynamic expression, and acoustic perspective to judge the basic fidelity of the recording. If everything makes a good sonic impression, I may skip to other passages to reinforce my views. Of course, there are those recordings which have such glorious music, along with a compelling performance and outstandingly realistic sound, that I get mesmerized and play every note from start to finish! The factor that carries the most weight in my decision to fully review a CD is usually the sonic quality of the recording. If the playing is of high caliber and the performance gratifying, that is icing on the cake. I believe most readers of Audio who prefer classical music enjoy their Beethoven Fifth, Dvorak " New World," and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto, but they may not have the abilities required for musicological evaluations of recordings. Even if these readers never hear their favorite works in the concert hall, they have the aural acuity to differentiate the sonic attributes of a recording. Needless to say, people have widely varying tastes in music, and perhaps some of this is reflected in their choice of audio components. Someone who is fond of chamber music might prefer the openness and smoothness of an electrostatic speaker, while pipe organ buffs would probably opt for a subwoofer to reproduce the pedal fundamentals.
Those who like large-scale orchestral works want a system that will handle the great dynamic peaks of the music and will have the power-handling capability to reproduce the music in all its awesome grandeur.
Once a person has established that a certain recording is of very high quality, an opinion bolstered by favorable reviews from several critics, he can feel confident that it is a reliable music source for component evaluation.
When an audiophile has acquired a modest library of high-quality recordings in various music categories--string quartets; piano, violin, and cello concertos; organ pieces, and large-scale symphonies--he can use them to test specific sonic parameters in his system. If this demo library is on CD, there is the added advantage that no matter how often the music is played, the sonic quality will remain the same.
I have been accumulating a library of demonstration CDs for some time. These discs cover a very wide range of music, and I must say that in addition to choosing them for their sonic veracity, I have, whenever possible, chosen them for emotional impact as well.
As you might expect, I am visited by many people in the audio business: Recording engineers want me to hear their latest triumph, while equipment manufacturers want me to check out a prototype of a new product-as do marketing and PR people, and "visiting firemen" of all stripes. Depending on their interests and affiliations, I usually manage to present a music demonstration that blows them away. I am a great believer in establishing a mood, an emotional climate, at the beginning of a music demonstration.
You've greeted your guests, exchanged pleasantries, and indulged in small talk, aided by a stimulating libation; you've seated them comfortably in the listening room, and then you let fly, full-bore, with the electrifying brass fanfares and gut-thumping bass drum, the bright, upbeat ebullience of John Williams' "Olympic Fanfare" on Telarc's Pomp & Pizazz (CD-80122). Believe me, this gets the juices flowing! The follow-up selections are equally important in sustaining a mood. After the "Olympic Fanfare," I might play Ravel's "Piano Concerto for the Left Hand" ( London 410230-2-LH). This starts off with an extremely low-level passage for contrabassoon and gradually builds up to tremendous fortissimo piano chords, abetted by full orchestra. There is much brilliant pianism, with ultra-fast, clean transient response, lovely melodies, and a rousing finale. Guests are usually wowed by the low-level resolution and huge dynamic impact-to say nothing of the fact that they love the piece.
If your guests are of a more intellectual type and are more deeply involved with music, you can rivet them to their seats by playing passages from the Shostakovich 13th Symphony (" Babi Yar") on London (417261-2). In the Fourth Movement largo, they'll hear the huge subterranean rumbles of the Concertgebouw Orchestra's bass drum, with muted brass, followed by great, menacing sounds from the contrabasses. Next is a terrifying ascent of the dynamic scale, with massive chords from full orchestra, punctuated by the chilling tolling of bells. This has, quite probably, one of the widest dynamic ranges of any CD, and it usually raises the hair on listeners' arms! After the terror of " Babi Yar," the group becomes more relaxed when I play the wonderful Ashkenazy recording of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" ( London 417-301-2). They are impressed with the smoothness of the strings and woodwinds, and they like the forward thrust and brilliance of the brass; the pulse-pounding excitement of the finale leaves them breathless.
When my guests are organ buffs, I start them off with Bach's famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, which I recorded with Virgil Fox (Bainbridge BCD-8104). They are always impressed by the weight and clarity of the 32-foot pedals. I follow with the Saint-Satins Third Symphony (Philips 412-619-2-PH). It is exceptionally well recorded, and the great, shuddery pedal tones in the Second Movement are difficult to reproduce on most systems. I follow this with Mendelssohn's Organ Sonata No. 6, as played on the Rieger organ in Ratzeburg Cathedral in West Germany (London 414420-2). It has huge sonorities in a fine reverb that doesn't cloud the sound, and there is a gargantuan 19-Hz pedal tone that will shake your innards if you can reproduce it.
For more pop-oriented guests, I see their startled reaction when I play Tom Jung's razor-sharp recording of the Thom Rotella Band (dmp CD-460), especially tracks one, three, and 10, where percussion transients are virtually explosive! Another dmp recording, The Pugh-Taylor Project (dmp CD 448), provides avant-garde scoring with ultra-sonorous bass trombone and super-sharp percussion on track seven. In stark contrast, I next play the creamy voice of Barbra Streisand from One Voice (Columbia CK-40788). Her miraculous phrasing and almost palpable presence are especially notable in "Send in the Clowns." Guests who want grand-scale orchestral music are awed by the huge brass fanfares and visceral bass drum, with awesome organ-pedal counterpoint, of John Eargle's Delos recording of Respighi's "Feste Romane" (Delos D/CD-3070). Following this is London's monumental recording of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," with Chailly and the Cleveland Symphony ( London 4173252-LH). This incredible recording, which probes the stratosphere and plumbs the depths of extravagant dynamics, is one of the most severe tests for the best high-powered systems.
For guests who want to hear voice, I play the wonderful Handel "Messiah" highlights on Oiseau (400086-2-OH). Recorded in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, the familiar music manages to combine an extreme sense of depth perception with good articulation.
If, after some orchestral blockbuster, a guest says, "It sure is impressive, but how does it handle chamber music?" I put on a Denon recording (C37-7830) of Ravel and Debussy string quartets. They are exquisitely recorded, with realistic balances and ultra-clean sound. The immediacy and presence of the pizzicati in the Second Movement of the Ravel must be heard to be believed.
On a practical note, remember that it is important to place self-adhesive labels on your CD boxes. By indicating track numbers or the timing of passages, as well as volume settings, you'll save time when guests next gather for a sonic demo.
(adapted from Audio magazine, Nov. 1989; Bert Whyte)
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