Audio Blog: Steal This Album! or, Two Steps Back
thetawave2
Posts: 268
Just updated my blog. I've got my first tubes for rolling coming in the mail and a couple other posts planned out, so stay tuned!
http://paugustinos.blogspot.com/2012/02/xii-steal-this-album-or-two-steps-back.html
With my increasingly serious listening habits and equipment, MP3s just haven?t been cutting it for me. Even the new, higher bitrate iTunes releases sound rather lossy to me. Not only have I gained a new appreciation for my CD collection, but I?ve been expanding it with both new music and by replacing some music I?ve purchased from iTunes with CDs.
Just the other day, Steal This Album! by System of a Down arrived at my school?s package center. This was an album I had (purely because of the imperative of the album title, of course!) partially stolen back in my Limewire days, but had never owned in its entirety. Last year, while I was still fairly satisfied by MP3s, I bought the album on iTunes. But soon after, I began the transition back towards CDs and almost immediately regretted my purchase. Recently, I found the CD for a good bargain on eBay.
When I opened the package, I feared I?d been ripped off. There was no accompanying booklet in the case, and the CD looked as if it was a CD-R scribbled on with Sharpie. I was relieved to notice the original plastic wrapping and remembered that this aesthetic was completely intentional and fit with the album title. Well played, System of a Down; well played.
I loaded the CD into my Playstation and pressed play. I listened fairly casually to most of the disc, but as the final track approached, my ears perked up. ?Streamline? had been one of my favorite System of a Down songs even before I had purchased the album digitally. I was excited to finally hear it through a decent stereo. I put my homework on hold and took a few minutes to just listen.
?Streamline? was everything I had hoped it would be. Although I felt the mix may have been a touch overcompressed, the dynamics were fairly involving. I felt as though the pace and flow of the music, with its quirky time signature changes, were spot-on. Tonally, it was all there. Guitars, both acoustic and electric, had texture and body. Dark, warm notes from bass guitar supported the song without any hint of bloat. Serj?s characteristic vocals came through clearly without sounding harsh, and even imaged solidly and coherently. Still, the sound was a little on the small side. As I have in the past, I wondered how it would sound through a pair of larger speakers, or even with my Tannoy D100s placed a few feet out from the wall. Though I hungered a bit for a larger scale, the album, ?Streamline? in particular, was transformed into a whole new experience for me.
http://paugustinos.blogspot.com/2012/02/xii-steal-this-album-or-two-steps-back.html
With my increasingly serious listening habits and equipment, MP3s just haven?t been cutting it for me. Even the new, higher bitrate iTunes releases sound rather lossy to me. Not only have I gained a new appreciation for my CD collection, but I?ve been expanding it with both new music and by replacing some music I?ve purchased from iTunes with CDs.
Just the other day, Steal This Album! by System of a Down arrived at my school?s package center. This was an album I had (purely because of the imperative of the album title, of course!) partially stolen back in my Limewire days, but had never owned in its entirety. Last year, while I was still fairly satisfied by MP3s, I bought the album on iTunes. But soon after, I began the transition back towards CDs and almost immediately regretted my purchase. Recently, I found the CD for a good bargain on eBay.
When I opened the package, I feared I?d been ripped off. There was no accompanying booklet in the case, and the CD looked as if it was a CD-R scribbled on with Sharpie. I was relieved to notice the original plastic wrapping and remembered that this aesthetic was completely intentional and fit with the album title. Well played, System of a Down; well played.
I loaded the CD into my Playstation and pressed play. I listened fairly casually to most of the disc, but as the final track approached, my ears perked up. ?Streamline? had been one of my favorite System of a Down songs even before I had purchased the album digitally. I was excited to finally hear it through a decent stereo. I put my homework on hold and took a few minutes to just listen.
?Streamline? was everything I had hoped it would be. Although I felt the mix may have been a touch overcompressed, the dynamics were fairly involving. I felt as though the pace and flow of the music, with its quirky time signature changes, were spot-on. Tonally, it was all there. Guitars, both acoustic and electric, had texture and body. Dark, warm notes from bass guitar supported the song without any hint of bloat. Serj?s characteristic vocals came through clearly without sounding harsh, and even imaged solidly and coherently. Still, the sound was a little on the small side. As I have in the past, I wondered how it would sound through a pair of larger speakers, or even with my Tannoy D100s placed a few feet out from the wall. Though I hungered a bit for a larger scale, the album, ?Streamline? in particular, was transformed into a whole new experience for me.
My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers
Post edited by thetawave2 on
Comments
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Hope you have that gear that's in your dorm room Super-Glued to the desk ! (and the desk bolted to the floor)
Sal Palooza -
Hahaha don't worry; my suitemates are all quite trustworthy, especially my direct roommate. Our rooms here are fairly safe, with pretty solid doors and keypad entry. Thanks for checking out my blog!My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers
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I hope SOAD comes out with more material soon!"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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I haven't really checked in on them lately. As you may know, they kinda split up to do their own things. Serj did some work solo and two of the other guys are/were in Scars on Broadway, if I remember correctly. Not sure if there's talk of more music to come....My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers
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FYI, they are back together. I'm glad too, I wasn't a fan of their side projects. They're only touring right now, no new album yet..."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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Awesome! Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to stay tuned.
Serj's CD was pretty interesting but not my favorite. Fingers crossed for a new SOAD album soon!My Stereo: Tannoy D100s, Yaqin MC-100B, VPI Traveler, Dynavector 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge, heavily modified Yaqin MS-22B phono preamp, TEAC EQA-20 equalizer, Belkin PureAV PF30 Power Conditioner, Canare 4s11 speaker cables, Custom dust cover from DigitalDeckCovers
