Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater First CD with Axiom

Hello again everybody!
I'm waiting for my system...and I am asking myself what CD /DVD Audio should I listen to first?And in what mode?
Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Octavian

That's a REALLY good question, Octavian. I know you're a classical aficionado, and being a tyro when it comes to classical music, I wouldn't venture a recommendation in that genre. JohnK, and Alan, are our resident classical "experts." JohnK is on the West coast and usually doesn't stop by until late in the day. However, as it's the day after Thanksgiving, maybe he has the day off and will come by earlier. Alan likely has the day off and won't be by at all, but you never know.

If you're a classic rock fan, in addition to a classical fan, there is a lot of talk about Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon SACD being something special. I believe I've heard The Eagles, Hell Freezes Over DTS 5.1 disk ($20) mentioned as being excellent. If you really like the Eagles, you might try the Hell Freezes Over DTS DVD ($19) and you can watch them while you listen.

In the Jazz vein, I'm a big Diana Krall fan, and I love her Live in Paris DVD with DTS 5.1 ($11), or her Love Scenes DVD-A ($15). In the instrumental jazz vein, I love Fourplay's Between The Sheets CD. It's very well recorded, and one of the best sounding CDs I own.

I'm sure others will offer some excellent suggestions as well.

Hi!
Thank you for your detailed and competent reply.I agree with you, all are excellent, but my dilema was what shoud I play first from my personal collection (over 600)...a CD in stereo, a DVD Audio in 5.1 or a movie?
Thanks again!
Regards,
Octavian

OOOOOOO! That's an even tougher question! They're all gonna sound good on the Axioms. I would think it would depend upon which of those 3 genres is your favorite.

Pretending that it's me, because I'm an absolute movie freak, I'd watch a movie first. Then I'd check out a DVD-A to see what the Axioms could do with surround music. Then, I'd play a redbook (standard stereo) CD.

On the other hand, if I wanted to make a comparison to the speakers the Axioms replaced, I'd probably first choose a DVD-A that I really love, that is well recorded, and with which I'm very familiar. That would really tell me if there's been an improvement.

At some point you're going to definitely want to listen to a favorite stereo CD through only the M60s, without even a sub, just to see what they can do.

I'm not being much help, am I Octavian. The truth is, only you can really answer your question. But, I hope I've provided some food for thought. Be sure to let us know what you decide, and what your impressions are when you finally get the chance to listen for the first time. It's an exciting moment, and most all of us here love reliving that moment, vicariously, through others like you. Enjoy!

I would start with a favorite jazz CD in stereo, no sub, and work my way up from there...

Octavian, I see that you're more interested in what mode of play to try first rather than a specific CD, but I'll also suggest that for a CD I suspect that you have one or more versions of Enescu's Romanian Rhapsodies and that would certainly be appropriate to baptize your new speakers. Then since it'll be the Christmas season, as I suggested in the Christmas CD thread, playing the Nutcracker is a must.

As to the mode of play, none of those that you list. You need to give those QS8s some surround sound to work with, but use Logic 7 Music mode to steer the ambience contained in the CDs to them.

Hi!
I hope you had a nice weekend...Thank you for your advise...very helpful!I think I will try Vivaldi, The 4 Seasons,DVD Audio(enhanced), then Eagles(Hell...), some Fleetwood, etc.
Regards,
Octavian

Hi!
Of course I will try some jazz,thanks!
Regards,
Octavian

Hi JohnK!
You are surprising me!...Are you familiar with Romanian culture?Of course I will try Enescu,Lipatti,Maria Tanase, even some light music...
Thanks !
Regards,
Octavian

Hi JohnK,

Interesting that you advocate using surround modes for music. I have tried all of the various DSP modes in my Denon 3803 and always come back to good old Pure Direct Stereo. Two main reasons for this that could be specific to my setup?
1. As my VP150 sits below my TV in my stand , when I go to a multi-channel mode it seems to drag down the front soundstage making it seem like I am 'looking down' at the music.
2. The VP150 and QS8 speakers have a -3dB point at around 90 to 95Hz, so to avoid missing audio content altogether I would have to set cross over at 120Hz which would ruin the performance of the M60's.

For me these modes only make sense if you have 5 main speakers, or at least 3 mains across the front, and a receiver/processor that allows different crossover frequencies for different speaker groups (or an Outlaw ICBM).