patrick.net

How do you guys listen to your music? Been wanting to ask this. Speakers? Headphones? Brands?

I have a pair of JBL powered studio monitors coming off my rack mount gear. Headphones when mowing.

I'm all digital. I might get into the vinyl game. We'll see. Have about 200 records, but it seems like more work than enjoyment.

WookieMan says

How do you guys listen to your music? Been wanting to ask this. Speakers? Headphones? Brands?

I'm not audiophile but I like these. I use them for music and audio books. Use them every time I fly since my airpods sometime bother my ears when cabin pressure changes.

RC2006 says

WookieMan says

How do you guys listen to your music? Been wanting to ask this. Speakers? Headphones? Brands?

I'm not audiophile but I like these. I use them for music and audio books. Use them every time I fly since my airpods sometime bother my ears when cabin pressure changes.

I have that exact headphone. It is one of the very few that would fit over my big ears.

Outrageous lyrics for the time.

Feed me from your cup!
Debra Freely

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhXa0h6O9ns

RC2006 says

I'm not audiophile but I like these. I use them for music and audio books. Use them every time I fly since my airpods sometime bother my ears when cabin pressure changes.

I do Raycon for headphones. I don't know the model. Solid, not the best of course. Average studio monitors speaker wise, $500 or so will blow your mind though once that hits your ears. You get to hear the music the way the engineers mixed it. On our first album I was like WTF, we played that? Regular speakers like KLH are trash even though they're marketed as high end.

With the studio monitors I do some processing on the rack mount, not much. Most people haven't been in a studio. Your car or headphones don't cut it. Good, mine aren't good. But hearing what the musicians and engineers mixed is mind blowing. Everyone seems to have shitty ear buds at this point. I'm over the ear or bust with even average headphones.

Studio monitors though... man, it's a game changer for listening. They're not super expensive. An above average setup is $800-1k. First time I listened to my JBL's (average) I may have cum a little bit. You HAVE to go the the music stores, not Best Buy or the likes. Avoid Amazon as it might not be legit.

Sorry for the rant. Not an audiophile, but know good speakers and sound when I hear it. Live audio is getting amazing. At least if the band cares. Too much live auto tuning and other shit though for pop music. Basically no singing or playing instruments to an extent. It's all backing tracks with an auto tuned live mix that is only 20% if that. Most pop musicians literally do noting besides move around in skank outfits at live shows. We live in the Milli Vanilli era of music. They were mocked. Now modern bands, groups, artists do the exact same thing. And it's okay? I call bull shit.

HeadSet says

I have that exact headphone. It is one of the very few that would fit over my big ears.

Username checks out for good advice.

AmericanKulak says

HeadSet says

I have that exact headphone. It is one of the very few that would fit over my big ears.

Username checks out for good advice.

Good one. But I believe that's for aviation. He can let me know if I'm wrong. Though good aviation headphones are a thing. The audio quality on any small plane I've been on is trash either way. So not sure if it's worth it in that realm.

WookieMan says

How do you guys listen to your music? Been wanting to ask this. Speakers? Headphones? Brands?

7.1 channel surround (usually Dolby PLIIx for original stereo; otherwise native multichannel) on an AVR using the auto calibrate EQ. Bass is 4000 watts of servo goodness, optimized with MSO (Multi Sub Optimizer): https://www.andyc.diy-audio-engineering.org/mso/html/index.html

I just got what I could get during the fire sales following the housing/finance bust of 2009. If you're looking for recent/new gear try Rythmik or JTR for God-level bass. If you have the coin for fronts, do these guys: https://www.danleysoundlabs.com/products/sh50/

MSO works great with servo subs - no one-note boom whatsoever. When the bass hits, though, it's like Atlantis sinking into the sea level shit - from out of nowhere. I have a Telarc DSD classical recording (Vivaldi - the Four Seasons) that has a defect - my subs reproduced the sound of a heavy truck driving through the neighborhood of the recording studio. I guess my gear is better than the mastering engineers on that album.

stereotomy says

my subs reproduced the sound of a heavy truck driving through the neighborhood of the recording studio.

It's almost impossible to stop exterior noise is the problem. Even at the best studio. I'm going to make an attempt in my drum room. Beside the drum carpet, all hard surfaces for natural reverb. It's going to be in a basement, so no vents or ducts are needed.

Doubling up the walls with an air gap and double insulation and I think double drywall. For sure on the ceiling. I'd like to be able to play at night and not bother everyone. Door will be the biggest issue. Drywall and insulation are relatively cheap. Sound proofing a door could get expensive. Might do a double door setup. That's $2k on the cheap end.

Hoping for a 32 channel setup for when the old bandmates are in town to record. I'm going to be doing an ungodly amount of low voltage and XLR runs. 70V set up for whole home sound. 30-40 speakers with a separate outdoor setup. We already have 11 TV's. I'm shooting for a 220" movie screen. Looking at 13.2 Atmos receivers. Speakers are another question. I also don't need to get divorced. Gonna leave my theater stuff in the old house for my mom. If I can get a $10-15k budget, I think I could do pretty good.

Jam room is probably more expensive. I miss playing my drums though so that's the priority. I guess I'm an audiophile? I'm building this forever house once and not screwing it up. Plus my oldest is a band nerd playing saxophone. Youngest was doing guitar/ukulele for a while. Liked it. I'm not the type to force things though. If he wants it he'll get after it.

Wowzer. I went on a rant there.

I got to 80-90% of awesome and stopped there. Ultimately, it depends on 1) how old you are, and 2) how much money you have to drop on the 0.001% shit.

I've always done music, even if it was a primary hobby and not my "career." I'm handy with skills, so I can build stuff, program things, etc. If I had to pay someone to do what I did, it would be nearly 6 figures - I did it for barely 5 figures, not paying myself for brain or brawn.

I think the best way to approach things is to have relatively concrete goals going into it. These can be modified if you determine that they're ultimately infeasible. Case in point - the bigger the room, the better everything sounds. Everything in most homes is nearfield sound reproduction. Look up stuff about room modes (Geddes, some JBL papers) and the difference between diffusion and absorption. Sound is a lot like water - completely filtered, zero trace minerals water tastes like shit, but the proper inclusion of minerals makes water taste "sweet." A dead room is a creepy room, but a little diffusion lightens things up. Figure out whether you need "tactile" bass, and if so, look into shakers, vibration platforms (like the AVS "hooverbass") and the like.

"Arnold Corns"(Bowie) songs that were recorded then re-done for "Ziggy Stardust".

These first versions are much more 60s rock/psychedlic than the Ziggy album.:

Hang on To Yourself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi5R0ulokHE

Moonage Daydream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsH95qmmr9g

From Poland, Tulia - "Nothing Else Matters" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09NqLjHJtGQ -
One of the best renditions...

https://youtu.be/4VDS8uArR0A?si=C_lgHs2t7_CEyeMZ

The days of Pearly Spencer

Vennu Mallesh - It's My Life What Ever I Wanna Do (Very Good Bad Boy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJa2kwoZ2a4

Lee Greenwood - Some Velvet Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=670YMraVnyk

Meat Puppets - Lake of Fire (Original version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XI98pbS7TA

It changed the face of American music and thus music worldwide. It has touched grunge, nu-metal, punk, art-punk, pop, Radiohead and a thousand other genres where white men play guitars. Listen to the radio–Marquee Moon is everywhere.
— John Aizlewood (Q, 2003)[62]

The whole album is brilliant.

Marquee Moon title track
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4myghLPLZc&list=PLyIhNZsfiY8T1VQnCGwCtb7bZ0fJ1hsCy&index=4

Elevation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke0e0IyvMXc&list=PLyIhNZsfiY8T1VQnCGwCtb7bZ0fJ1hsCy&index=6

Holy Shit: "My Way" and a Hippie Freak

This blew my mind.

The original, a tune from 60s France, typical croony French Love Song about having a losing a woman ... "Even a Fool Learns to Love"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnbqMKs4QN0

EMI had the music rights, and in 1967 bid out for English lyrics.

Two people answered. Paul Anka, and a little known Mystery Hippie who had yet to chart and needed a few bucks to live.

You can of course guess which one was chosen:
Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, to few to mention...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQzdAsjWGPg

The other one ended up rejected, but appeared heavily modified to avoid lawsuits, on Mystery Hippie's third album that sold disappointingly before his breakthrough as "Ziggy".

It's a godawful small affair, to the Girl with the Mousey Hair...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft3b1-Cm-0M

Metallica: I Wanna Be Adored (Manchester, 2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW11nrX2WxE

https://youtu.be/FKFHHS4RQW0?si=S4oC57awUrTIuSwr

All night long

What Pearl Jam sounds like to the people who don't like it (including myself):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ZX4O-Efao

Also: "Heckame broken, broooo-ken, Heckame broken crockerayyyyy" is the other one I hear.

And "Eskimoooo, Eskimooooo make iglooouuuuu"

I used to call it the Foghorn Front Man band.

AmericanKulak says

What Pearl Jam sounds like to the people who don't like it (including myself):

I've always liked the instrumentation from the band. Vedder's vocals are trash though. Totally incoherent. Voice isn't bad, but he's speaking a different language.

I haven't seen them live but I guess he is an ass hole on politics as well at shows. Get elected buddy. A majority of your fan base is 50% plus conservative with money. Live shows are probably how they make money now and maybe get shitty residuals from old record deals. Obviously a millionaire, but just play music. I don't talk politics at work.

I hate it when musicians, athletes and actors get out of their element. Stick to what you know and not what you're told.