This is really the most useful of the two and should be had by anyone who wants a balanced system.
I do have one tip for final tuning - after setting up your home theatre system the way you want it. Put a pair of head phones on and adjust the volume until the level of the headphones is equal to the volume of the system and one doesn't seem louder or softer, than the other.
By doing this you can gain a uniform sound when wearing headphones results in you hearing some of the sounds that are lost by the echo of the room.
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We all know that music speaks to our emotions. This guide sets out to demonstrate the difference superior sound can make. Purely in terms of quality, once you become aware of various sonic and spatial distinctions, be they ever so subtle, you will all the more relish the music you love.
Music tracks that highlight clarity, dynamics, resolution, soundstage and timbre
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Good stereo creates an illusion. The better the stereo, the better the illusion, specifically a perception of harmonically rich, lifelike sounds occurring a real-life space. The guidelines and questions accompanying these tracks will help you appreciate the rewards superior sound delivers.
Recordings are 24/96
Drum Dynamics, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz.
This track demonstrates a largely misunderstood term: dynamics. Any boombox can play loud. A good stereo’s dynamics range from feather-soft to thunder-clap loud. The metal and drums (skins and rims) reveal a system’s ability to convey lightning-swift transients.
Cello Tonality, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz.
Good stereo allows you to appreciate this 300-year-old cello’s unique timbre and rich resonance.
Piano Tonality, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
This intimate yet remarkably powerful recording is especially revealing of the Fazioli piano’s percussive attacks, overtones and decays, and most especially, of its soul-stirring middle and lower range.
Jazz Plucked Bass, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
Classical Plucked Bass, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
Apart from both instruments’ rich fundamentals and warm overtones, can you detect differences with respect to their individual character?
Vocal Tonality, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
Her sibilants should have a natural rather than “spitty” character. You should also have a sense of the singer’s physical body – lips, tongue, throat, lungs and chest. The human voice via good stereo can be very seductive.
Asian Flute, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
A brilliant yet distant, soulful and spacious sound, the result perhaps of applied reverberation?
Binaural Tonality, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
You should experience a strong sense of left-right separation in an intimate setting yet with no sense of a hole in the middle of the soundstage.
Complex Tonal Resolution, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
. In contrast to the above, the flute and guitar appear to occupy the space between the speakers in yet another intimate setting.
Outdoor Ambience, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
Does the band seem to be playing in an acoustically ideal space? – a well designed performance shell perhaps? Pay particular attention to location within the soundfield.
Outdoor spaciousness, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
Have you a sense of the trumpets’ knife-edged brilliance playing into the open air?
Harmonic Group Unity, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
Here we have an excellent example of a fully occupied, harmonically luxuriant soundfield. Our table in this jazz club isn’t very far from the band.
Tonal Delicacy, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
Note the swift attacks and the harmonics they produce. Our proximity to the guitarist permits us to hear this beautiful instrument’s every intricate aspect.
Complex Tonal Purity, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
Do you hear this performance as entirely natural or artificially enhanced? You should be getting better at this.
E
nsemble Power, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
A hard-driving performance you can almost feel in your chest. Does the band seem to be indoors or outdoors?
Exotic Percussion, 4608 Kbps / 96KHz
A perfect demonstration of sharp attacks, rich overtones, authoritative bass, and long, elegant fades into space.
These tracks may be freely distributed in its entiretyonly with attribution to Nuforce. The album art file must be included with the distribution.
Download this Free Test CD which is in Two Parts
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