Though I have said dCS shouldn’t allow the Rossini to be sold without the Clock I also understand why they don’t take that approach.
Honestly, if you’re not sensitive to it or perhaps if you don’t have my track that shows it, it may not be a big deal to you but it was to me as I’m sensitive to it.
Do what you like, I’m not trying to “force” anyone to get a clock, but today I had my impressions reinforced all over again when comparing a Rossini APEX with and without the clock.
The piano thing is something I am sensitive to; the sound stage and depth and sense of space thing is immediately noticeable to anyone, the question being whether it matters to you.
Note it has to be the 1988 version; the later EMI remaster available on iTunes and streaming services completely destroys the sound profile as most remasters do.
Granted this is YouTube, but you can hear it (not as strongly but it’s there) here:
I can’t get dCS or my local dealer to respond to my not fully working Bartok never mind upgrading to a Apex series unit.
I am having to dispose of the dCS and have purchased a Linn LP12 Klimax instead…
I agree, your comment is on the quality of the recording only. It should not be flagged.
Having said that, I heard worse recordings, it is not that bad…here the point was on the way the piano is heard…lacking deep impact but not agressive…on my system…
Why have I been flagged? Is it deemed offensive now to point out that a so-called reference recording is just a bad recording and, in my opinion, an utterly forgettable piece of music? Is it too impolite to point out the obvious truth that certain kinds of music neither warrant nor benefit from a highly resolving hifi system? Are we now meant to hold all music in equally high regards? Lady Gaga equals Bach?!
I don’t feel it’s a bad recording at all, in fact it’s one of the better engineered recordings particularly of that era.
Having seen Amy in person innumerable times and having spoken to her several times, it captures her voice well and it also is wonderful for other reasons, both in content and musically.
Further, it has been a test track for me because the piano, whether you call it poorly recorded or not, has instantly revealed the character of the DAC under test for the twenty-eight or so years I’ve used it for that. I’ve used it at home, at RMAF and myriad dealers.
When I played the track for PS Audio’s Ted Smith at RMAF, upon hearing the metallic sound of the piano hammers he instantly said “Oooh, I know what I did wrong” and started thinking of a fix. He suggested we try going back a firmware level, and there the metallic sound of the piano hammers was gone but soundstaging was off, proving it’s always something.
The late Charles Hansen of Ayre and I also had a good discussion of it comparing the QX-5 Twenty to one of their older DACs when I stopped in Ayre one day. I miss him, great guy.
If you want to say you don’t hear a difference, that’s fine, or if you have a better demo track, that’s cool, I have no issue with that.
If you want to say you feel it’s a bad recording that’s also fine, and perhaps it should be unflagged.
However with your desire to flag the flagger (yes, me) this might as well be Twitter in terms of attacks on those with whom you disagree.
almost all the music I listen to on my system is for my own enjoyment
occasionally, I’ll listen to something that I don’t find enjoyable, but that helps me highlight a difference between a couple of upgrade options
if an upgrade option makes the music I enjoy sound worse, the upgrade doesn’t happen
I’ll do my utmost not to disparage someone else’s tastes or opinions — it seems unproductive at best and unkind at worst
If we think someone’s choice of music for comparisons is terrible — either musically and technically, in terms of how much it’ll help comparisons — then sure, why not suggest a few tracks that could be “better” in some way.
For me, though, it’s presumptuous to think that our “better” applies to either the music or technical aspect. And I’m not sure what the forum gains when we disparage someone else’s taste.
A system that reproduces music I don’t like really, really well isn’t a good system for me.
For a minute there I thought “dCS Apex is here” must have been a new album that was very good for system comparisons.
Would love to get back on topic — waiting for my Rossini to arrive so that I can send it off for some Apexing! Hope not to be without it for too long. Perhaps I sell the Bartok a week later than I thought…
Just as an aside, they said they are due to receive 500 APEX boards from dCS in May, which is more that current APEX preorders in the queue, so if you decide anytime soon you want the upgrade you should still get processed in the first batch.
The tricky thing is part of the upgrade is a new back panel, which dCS has to print with your serial number, which is why they need advance notice.
Yeah, I know everyone has moved on, but this really troubled me. The arrogance here is unnecessary, and some might find it offensive. I do. I don’t see any “obvious truth” here. I love The Beatles on my system, but whether they require or merit a Vivaldi stack is entirely my choice to make, not yours to adjudge. Anyone can hold any music in high regard here; you don’t get to decide what is and is not valuable for anyone else other than yourself. Amy Grant is not my cup of tea, but I’ve secured the recording so that I can hear for myself what our colleague @BillK finds about it that sets his ear on edge when not reproduced well. Whether you like the music or not, what you think of 80s style recording, what your preferences are, are all your opinions to which you are entitled. But you don’t get to impose those value judgments on others, and how you express it matters. For BillK, it is a reference recording, and that’s all that really matters.
An even simpler way of articulating your point could be that the claim of “obvious truth” was neither obvious to everyone nor a universal truth. Yes, some things can be obvious truths (even in this age!) but NEVER when it comes to a wholly subjective taste in music.
