A number of you had urged me to put together a list of my "recommended recordings" based on their sound quality, and for a while I did that, but I decided to scuttle it today (Nov 25, 2019), primarily because I just couldn't keep up with adding albums.

Also, the more I thought about the concept of a "recommended recordings" list based on sound quality - and while I do enjoy reading album reviews to get a flavor for a particular album if I'm interested in it - I just like to listen to whatever I want to because I enjoy it or want to explore new music regardless of its sound quality.

A lot of albums that I enjoy or want to explore don't exist on anyone's list anyways, so there's that too.

I know a lot of audiophiles want to see an "audiophile-approved" sound list for albums, and there's plenty of those out there if that's your thing, but there's so many really good albums with great musicianship - from the earliest period of recording to the present day - that "sound lists" seem kind of ridiculous to me because they ignore such a large swath of really great musicianship. 

I also like to enjoy or explore a lot of music that isn't "audiophile approved" from a sound quality standpoint, and I still want to be able to enjoy it even if it isn't a pristine recording.

I mean, do you really want to listen to crappy music because it is recorded well?

Not me. If it is great music that is recorded well, that is a bonus, but the quality of the musicianship and its artistic expression and emotional impact is my primary interest, and sound quality only matters to me if the musicianship is up to par to begin with.

I also want to be able to listen to FM sources, digital sources, as well as my vinyl records, and have it all be an enjoyable music listening experience, regardless of the recording quality.

Peter Qvortrup of Audio Note UK.

Here's a recent example: While I was visiting with the Chief Wizard of Audio Note UK, Peter Qvortrup, Peter gave me a "test" CD of music that spanned the different recording eras, one whose focus was good music, not just good recordings, although some of the recordings were remarkably good.

Sorry, this CD is not available at the moment (photo below). 

If you're having trouble making out the language on the CD, that's because most of it is in Russian, as it was produced as a test CD for Audio Magazin (The Hi-Fi Journal), the first Russian audio publication about "hi-fi, high end and the appreciation of music."

Those last three words are key to what this CD is about. The people of Audio Magazin have amazingly good taste, as this is easily the best "test CD" I have ever heard, and if you can find a copy (unlikely), buy it, you won't be disappointed. 

As an aside, while it is popular to diss Russian politics - not to mention American politics - and both with good reason for their a$$-hat behavior, Russian culture has profoundly good taste in literature, music, and the arts.

Say what you will about the politic's and policies of a country's government, but the people of a country and their culture are entirely different things than their governments, and praise is due for those who support literature, music, and the arts as a vital and important part of life wherever they might be.

Back on topic: Oh how I wish this CD was available on vinyl too, as it would get constant play on my turntable at audio gatherings at Jeff's Place, as well as just for sheer listening pleasure. I believe this test CD would sell like hotcakes if it was ever issued on vinyl too - I can at least dream! 

One of the most fascinating aspects of this CD is that many of the "tests" are exquisite musical performances,  and of course there are the obligatory and useful test tracks to help you get your system dialed in.

The test CD is arranged into three sections, the first being "The Sound of Sound" (the first five tracks), featuring purist recordings and customized recording equipment, with the intent being "These tracks are real stereo spectaculars, offering natural sound stage, precise imaging, beautiful tonal color and all the goods you can get from ANY modern recording, audiophile quality or not."

The second category is "The Sound of Music" (tracks 6 -19), which is described as "... the ultimate example of great musicianship of the artists long gone, but never forgotten. Painstakingly remastered from original recordings on custom designed equipment. The performances are, of course, stunning. But you will be absolutely amazed of the sound quality! (I was! - Jeff) This was made possible by a completely new approach to remastering, carefully preserving every emotional nuance. Simply unrivaled!"

The third category is "The Sound of Test Tones" (tracks 20 - 70), and feature a "useful selection of tones to check whether your speakers are correctly wired and properly interacting with your room. Some tones and noise signals may be used for precise measurements of your audio equipment technical specifications. (Be careful not to play the test signals on high levels, because in some cases it may damage your speakers.)"

"No digital editing, noise reduction or any time domain tampering was applied during the preparation of music of this CD."

I haven't yet mentioned the most fascinating aspect of this CD, which is its great music that includes, "... the immense treasures left to us by the artists active in the beginning of the century. Old acoustical and early electrical recordings of the artists in the test CD are, of course, monophonic. They have some surface noise and limited frequency bandwidth. What they do have, though, is the unsurpassable wealth of emotions hidden in every note, the great tension of expectation of every sound coming from the violin of Kreisler or Heifetz or the unique chiaroscuro of Gigli. No classical sensitive music listener can find the level of emotional involvement in any modern performance."

I might add that the original 78 recordings rpm records were from the collections of A. Likhnitsky and G. Mikaelian, who possessed remarkably refined taste in music.

Peter told me that he sponsored this CD way back when, and there is good news, as Peter is looking at rereleasing this test disc "as a tribute to my friend Anatoly Likhnitsky who did the fabulous 78 transfers."

My hope is that Peter will be able to release a whole bunch of CDs - and maybe some day some LPs - of the fabulous 78 transfers that his friend Anatoly Likhnitsky did, and I'll be standing first in line to buy them if he does.

Doc Leo (left), Paul (right).

Another recent example was a visit from Paul James from Australia, which was illuminating for me. Paul spent weeks traveling from the East Coast of the USA across to the West Coast, and he emphasized stopping in cities and places of musical importance, listening to many live music performances, all the while searching out and buying albums that expressed the history of American music since the inception of recording here. 

Paul played a number of treasured albums he had found, all of great music, and of varying recording quality - some great, and some not so great, but all of superb choices of musicianship.  

It was really interesting to hear Paul describe his impressions of American musical culture and history, and it was illuminating for me to hear what Paul had to say, and to listen to the records he had chosen.

Paul James

It made me think about the importance of recorded music from the very beginning of recorded music to the present day, and I loved hearing about it through Paul's eyes and ears.

In fact, Paul's discussion of his travels through the USA made me think about doing something similar, as I have been taking for granted what the USA has to offer in both musical and cultural terms.

Along these same Americana lines I encourage you to get the Blue-ray set of The American Epic Sessions that were done by T Bone Burnett, Robert Redford, and Jack White, which were recorded on some of the only surviving and well restored examples of Western Electric recording equipment from the early days of recording in America (1925).

If you haven't yet watched the award winning The American Epic Sessions I really encourage you to get a copy of the Blu-ray discs and check it out, as I think the Blu-ray discs are actually much more enjoyable than the vinyl set that was issued, which I have as well. Ironic isn't it, that the Blu-ray discs are actually better than the vinyl LPs? Well, that's the way it goes sometimes.

There is an all-star cast on the The American Epic Sessions, and lots of cool Western Electric gear to learn about, plus great music all around - guaranteed to blow your mind! 

When I was visiting Audio Note UK, Peter's son, Daniel, told me he was interested in learning more about American music in history, and The American Epic Sessions were my first recommendation.

While in Brighton, I had actually tried to find a copy The American Epic Sessions with the correct country codes for England as a gift to Daniel, but there were none to be found. Sigh.

Daniel Qvortrup of Audio Note UK, Peter's son.

The other collection I recommended to Daniel was the legendary Anthology of American Folk Music by Harry Smith that was released on vinyl in 1952 by the Smithsonian.

Anthology of American Folk Music by Harry Smith.

The Anthology of American Folk Music was curated by Harry Smith from 78 rpm albums that were issued between 1927 and 1935, so in that regard the Anthology is similar in concept to what Peter Qvortrup's friend Anatoly Likhnitsky did with his 78 transfers on the test CD, and on the other CDs that Anatoly did.  The CDs of Anatoly Likhnitsky's 78 transfers are really hard to find, but are well worth the price if you can manage to find any.

Personally, I want to be able to listen to 78 transfers, or recordings from any musical source, analog or digital, and enjoy the musicianship of the recording, but it does take a system with certain qualities and careful setup to be able to do that across a vast span of recording quality.

Now, you might be forced to listen to a small subset of music that is hyper-focused on the audiophile-style "sound paradigm" if your hifi rig is one of those audiophile-style systems that makes all but the best recorded music sound like crap, which means you are really limited to the kind of music you can listen to, explore, and enjoy. I've had systems like that in the past, and I found it to be very frustrating from a musical experience perspective.

So, I think you - and certainly me - should just listen to whatever music you enjoy - or want to explore - regardless of its "audiophile pedigree" from a sound quality standpoint.

My goal is to build hifi systems that emphasizes the quality of the musicianship of the music I enjoy listening to the most, or want to explore, while still sounding amazing on amazing recordings of good music. 

Mine is probably a minority view with a lot of audiophiles whose primary focus is the recorded sound quality, but I truly believe systems that can make albums of all levels of recording quality - from below average to superb - be an immersive and enjoyable listening experience are more rewarding in the long run. 

I might add that this "music first" perspective is gaining traction among a certain segment of the audiophile community - it has always been there with music lovers - and I know there are industry people who are working right now to make this more of a reality for everyone interested in hifi. 

Do you know that there are certain performance characteristics to focus on in a hifi system in order to make a "music first" sort of presentation possible? My 2 cents worth at the link.

And do you know that there are certain setup and voicing methods that will help almost any hifi system become more of a "music first" system?

Jim Smith is dedicated to bringing this "music first" setup knowledge to you in his new Through the Sound Barrier, which includes "a two-book set, a DVD, and three very special CDs". Through the Sound Barrier hasn't been released yet, but knowing Jim it will be a tremendous resource!

That's my focus here at Jeff's Place, to tell you how to bring the music that you love the most or want to explore to you in a fashion that is rewarding musically, sonically, and emotionally.

I plan to add to this page with more examples in the future that will aid you in exploring all kinds of music, so check back in from time to time.

Thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!