I knew I never had a great system, but the combination I had, there wasn't really any music that didn't sound pretty good.

Why change a good thing, well in hopes to get something that sounds exceptional. So I upgraded just about everything. The new Axiom M80 speakers running of an Anthem MCA 5 amp.

Yes there are some albums that simply just shine.

But I put in my Rolling Stones Hot Rocks 1964-1971 and queued up track 6 to get off my cloud. It sounded simply empty and lacking the emotion that I remember. The bass was really thin, without any depth. there was no emersive sound stage.

What is there something wrong with my speakers. So I called up the Ramones and track 9 Blitzkrieg Bop. Again, it was as if something was missing.

OK. Lets try Queen, track 6 Fat Bottomed Girls. Boom, the room jumped back to life with depth and feeling. The drums sounded like they were in the corner and if you reached out you could touch them. The guitar gave off the re-verb feeling as it filled in around me.

I remember a conversation with a friend about old recordings and his take was quite a bit of the older vintage recordings were never done to the same standard as the late 70's onwards as the hifi's of the era just could not reproduce it so it didn't make it to the master tape in the same quality.

Is it just me, or are there other albums that seem to under whelm when played back on a higher end system?

I agree. Lots of recordings from the 70s and 80s are bass light next to others. Tom Petty stuff is really bad, like American Girl. Terrible.

I find some albums I used to really like by electronic acts like Groove Armada or Fatboy Slim or RJD2 or The Avalanches just sound like crap once you can really hear into the music further.

Every sample layered up becomes disjointed and doesn't blend into the others. Worse is if the sample was recorded poorly from the original source and mixed into modern high quality production.

The rain shower on Air's Debut Album-Moon Safari in the track La Femme D'Argent sounds incredibly fake on a good setup. But as a teen in a car, it was sublime.

Good equipment will faithfully & unmercifully reproduce the source material. As they say 'Garbage in - Garbage out'.

Many of my older CDs from the 80s & 90s are flat & lifeless. They really are not enjoyable to listen to anymore. On the other hand, there are some gems that are really well recorded although their titles escape me at the moment...

TAM

Records are especially susceptible to this condition. The grooves can only carry so much information. I found that after I upgraded my TT and phono preamp I was able to extract much more of the information locked in the vinyl. I also use a sub in my 2 channel system since I have become accustomed to exaggerated bass from listen to subs in my car.

My last CD purchase was a Greatest Hits album of Eric Burdon and the Animals. Almost no bass at all. Sigh.

Ya, but did it come with a black jean jacket with over-sized pockets?

Sorry. Besides House of the Rising Sun, that's all I know about those guys.

"Skyyyyyy Pilot. How high can you fly. You'll neverrr, neverrr, neverrr reach the sky."

San Franciscan Nights.