Albums that sound worse the better the hi-fi equipment

[ReggieB]

Do you have any music that you've found sounded worse as your hi-fi has improved?

For me, the best example is IT Bites' 'Calling all the heros'. In my youth it was one of my favourite tracks. However, as my hi-fi improved I started to hear more details, and for me one thing in particular started to become evident. The awful drumming. It's all over the place. On the cheap equipment I used to use, the drumming disappeared into the general mix, but as my equipment improved, the instruments separated and out of the amorphous mass stepped that drumming.

[magiccarpetride]

Do you have any music that you've found sounded worse as your hi-fi has improved?

For me, the best example is IT Bites' 'Calling all the heros'. In my youth it was one of my favourite tracks. However, as my hi-fi improved I started to hear more details, and for me one thing in particular started to become evident. The awful drumming. It's all over the place. On the cheap equipment I used to use, the drumming disappeared into the general mix, but as my equipment improved, the instruments separated and out of the amorphous mass stepped that drumming.

Procol Harum "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Keeps sounding worse and worse the better my audio system gets. When I listen to it right now, sounds like the singer has some sort of severe speech impediment (isn't noticeable at all when they're playing it on TV or radio).

[The Vinyl Adventure]

I'd hazzard a guess at 75% of everything recorded in the last maybe 15-20 years? Certainly main stream stuff...

[MartinT]

Many new albums sound pretty poor in hi-res reproduction, especially the ones designed to win the loudness wars (i.e. heavily compressed). Some just have a digital nastiness of their own, the best example being Coldplay's X&Y which sounds simply awful on a hi-fi system.

However, in the main I am pleasantly surprised at how many albums sound better the more resolving my system has become.

[DSJR]

I've found the opposite I'm afraid. I can't think of any albums that haven't been improved by a better system, except perhaps a Uriah Heep LP compilation that sounds good with a Shure V15III over the OC9 as this cartridge flattens perspectives and projects everything forwards..

[AIKEF]

Anything by Green Day. Just a total disaster on anything but my car's 4 standard speakers. Have removed all their albums off my Squeezebox as there is just no point in them taking up discspace.

[twelvebears]

Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

Compressed to hell and VERY thin, bright and tinny.

Clearly the sound engineer or producer was having a bad day.....

[goraman]

Most of the late 80's punk bands become horrable with good equptment but there are some exceptions.

[Themis]

Dire Straits - Alchemy...

[Macca]

Agree about Alchemy - would also add Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run