ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Oh crap, I just ordered a set of BL20's... . I'll let you all know how they compare to the 2003 BL6000's & BL11 when they're nicely settled in my home. ETA is March 24!
Jeff:The brighter, that's more of a voicing decision, there are different ways and approaches to this and whether you like them or not depends on both hearing and personal preference, there's no "right" or "wrong" way per se. Back in the day, there were notable differences in sounds, referred to by the location of the maker usually. West Coast Sound for things like JBL out of California, New England sound out of companies like AR, British sound, and even German sound from the likes of Braun-a/d/s. The British and New England sounds were more "polite" and somewhat rolled off, the German sound was a bit more clinical and brighter, emphasizing detail. Oddly enough a UK company, B&W, now seems to be one of the major proponents of that kind of detail oriented sound.
Jeff, from reading your posts on BeoWorld for a while now, I've already come to respect your knowledge of speakers / audio, but the idea that the location of the maker affected sound is just fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
I mentioned this thread to my wife (who "tolerates" my hobby ), she said she prefers the BL9; though she couched that statement with, they look cuter too.
Sal,
Yeah, back in the 70s there were distinct schools of thought on speaker voicing, but as time went by that's become less true it seems. B&W is definitely not a traditional British sound compared to the older UK speakers. I think the increase in the use of computer analysis and modeling and such has definitely improved most speakers sold.
As I get older I might change my mind as to what I like as my high frequency hearing degrades with age. I do shoot a lot but wear very good ear protectors and haven't noticed any sharp degradation...I tend to wear foam ear plugs plus over the ear protectors, lately active ones at that. They are great, as they have little microphones that amplify human voices but clamp down when they detect a gun shot. So you can actually have a conversation and protect your ears. The range boss at the range I usually shoot at (the guy who enforces safety rules and calls whether the range is hot or cold) wears the same active noise cancelling headset, and says...you know, when I turn my back and walk away people talk about me a lot, and I feel like saying "Hey guys, you know I can hear every word you say!"
I agree with your wife that I like the looks of the BL9s better. In fact, most of the new speakers I think perform better but look worse, though not by a lot, they still are very stylish. I'm glad to hear you enjoy your BL20s. I was listening to the Rite Of Spring, the Doratti version, digitally mastered, the other day on my 9s when a huge bass drum whack almost blew me off the couch. The 9s may not go as low as the 20s or the 5s but they do pack a punch when called on it seems.
I first really noticed the voicing thing when I worked at a store, usually I listened to more clinical a/d/s speakers or such, one day I was listening to some Tannoys, the dual concentric old ones, and realized I'd been listening to them enjoyably all day, about 9 hours, without feeling the need to change to another speaker. One of my regrets is that, when I could have gotten an accommodation deal on them, I was so poor a college student I couldn't afford to. Those era Tannoys are worth some money still.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
Sal:Finally, do you have your 20 (or any other B&O equipment) connected to a power strip / surge protector / power conditioner? (I'm curious how you are going to have your set up -- and how other folks have their equipment connected to power). The reason I'm asking is because recently my pair when playing music would make an ungodly loud electronic / glitchy crackle and flash yellow (error), forcing me to unplug the entire system. After working closely with my dealer we traced the issue to the surge protector I was using leaking noise into the entire system. I currently have then plugged into the wall outlets.
Sal, I'll tackle the simple question first
The whole house is on an earth leakage circuit breaker.
And some portions of our equipment are on heavy duty power strips with surge protectors; although I am concerned that they were enough when we were cycling through a series of surges/drops outs recently and I heard either the BV8 and/or the BL3s go pop, and I am certain I have lost something on the right hand side of that setup. Some serious testing and swapping of speakers will be needed to confirm.
The BL20 and the Essence are now on the same power strip (not a heavy duty $100 one, just a supermarket $20 one) which does have a reset button, however precisely what level of protection I am getting I am not sure.
Prior to that and even now the BL11+BL6000s are on a separate power strip with its own protection too.
I have never had your experience where the music itself triggered warnings. All my heart stopping moments have been acts of the power grid gods or the sky gods with their thunderbolts.
BeoNut since '75
jjcox: Oh crap, I just ordered a set of BL20's... . I'll let you all know how they compare to the 2003 BL6000's & BL11 when they're nicely settled in my home. ETA is March 24!
That's next week *gulp*
I better put my music listening skates on !
So far my listening tests have been in two stages:
Day 1, night of their arrival
Key objective, are they a good buy ? was anything damaged during their two years of life as demo models ? or in transit whilst being manhandled in bubble wrap ?
Answer was "All A-OK", however as reported my wife and I did primitive listening tests between the two set-ups using primarily my iPhone to drive the Essence, and then feed through to the BS4 in N.Music mode.
Both my wife and I were saying "yes they are nice, but the 6000s are still very special ... and with the Bl11 perhaps comparable" ...
I did have one specific worry, that my MP3 iTunes rip of my CD of the Hotel California track from the Hell Freezes Over session was not as good as listening to it as a DVD on the BV8 + BL3s (+ back in the last time I played it the BL11) ... the percussion entry was nowhere near the frisson I am used to.
So a niggle that maybe the woofers on the left channel are under performing.
Day 2, but actually their day 4 in the house (sadly my work life keeps getting in the way)
I have the A/B set-up working - all I had to do was remove the recently installed IR-eye for the Essence
Most of the time the sync is perfect ... except when I do some special CD skipping (more later) and then I do have to play A or B but not A+B.
As the speakers are almost co-located (as in the photos) I don't quite get the bathing in sound that Sal does, however it is a lovely special feeling with all 5 speakers going at very closely the same sound level (I don't have a pressure meter other than my ears).
Serious test 1
Trying to catch my wife before she left for the day I was playing from my SD-Card in the BeoSound 4 are standard background playlist for conversations, dinners, etc.
To both our ears the "All Angels" renditions of tracks like "Songbird", "The Flower Duet", "Salve Regina", "Steal Away", "The Windmills of My Mind", and "The Barcarolle" were very similar in pleasure - yes we could sense there were differences - but "blindfolded" (figuratively) my wife could not say definitively which she was listening to.
I put a large part of that experience down to having the BL11 in series with the BL6000s (ancient readers may recall my description of her gaps of joy when she first heard in the Camberwell store the BL11 + BL6000s demo test stand that B&O had ....)
On the other hand, I thought perhaps the SD-Card recordings done for my BeoSound 2 were perhaps not the ideal source materials
Serious test 2
So I switched to CDs from the BeoSound 4 direct to the BL11+BL6000s or via the NL/ML Converter to the Essence to the BL20s.
Note that in the above path I have no idea where there is or is not translations, bit droppings, or whatever ... but I am sure there is some !
So here are the CDs that I listened to ...mainly the ones that the wife wants as she likes the CD loading etc moments ... my CDs are all in two large boxes as they were all ripped back in 2009.
Teddy Tahu Rhodes with David Hobson: "You'll never wake alone" (also the title of the CD), "Amazing Grace", Hallelujah"
Joan Baez's "How sweet the sound": tracks: "Man Smart, Woman Smarter", "The Day They Drove Old Dixie Down", "Diamonds And Rust"
OK ... now at this point I am starting to get worried
So there are differences ... and you could like either sound ... and so I can hear that little voice "how much did these cost ?" and "how much did the 6000s cost ? (she forgets to factor in the BL11 effect and price)" and "where are we going to put the 6000s ? "
So I decide I need some serious testing
Firstly I reset the volume limiter on the Essence (was at Medium, and is now at Loud, but not Maximum) -- I had had it in place to prevent little fingers blowing the 6000s out of the water.
Then I got out Thomas Heywood "Festive Fantasia" at St Florin's in Koblenz with its "Forster & Nicolaus" grand organ.
Hmmm similar ... so crank it UP !
Now there is a difference when at volume ... clearly the inner beast of the BL20s is starting to be unleashed [:D| and I am starting to feel the wooden floor vibrating through the thick carpet and underlay.
Being a chicken I did not try the 6000s at a comparable level.
So then I tried:
Paul McCartney "Good Evening New York": "Back in the USSR", "Let it Be", "Live and Let Die"
Again similar, but now I am starting to hear that the 6000s' mid range seems a little muffled
And in particular the percussion entry on "Live and Let Die" does jump out at a little between the Essence's medium and loud settings.
Feeling happier I am taking a break as I now have to figure out how to use some other sources so I can get to some of my Linn recordings and to the DVD version of "Hell Freezes Over".
BTW JJ and Duels ... do remember my ears are in their 66th year, and my wife's are ... *cough* ... um er older
Day 2
Serious test 3
So channeling the Sony BlueRay player's HDMI interface into the BV8's PC definition and then through the ML to the BeoSound 4 and its BL11 and daisy chained BL6000s was more of a challenge than I had expected.
Getting AV+PC going on the Beo4 was (with my current definition) was the use of two soft keys instead of say mapping it as one soft key or using a hard key for say DVD (which is set to our Apple TV) ...
That challenge then prevented me from sitting in my Captain Kirk chair and simply muting the 6000s and flipping to the BL20s in mid flight.
So I had to resort to listening to "Hotel California" several times:
So how to describe the difference ?
The opening guitar cords on the BL3s and BL20s were close ... but I felt the BL20s had the edge
The oompf of the BL19 was greater ... but the BL20s oompf was sweeter and more natural
The vocals were similar on all three however after more and more listening the BL6000s are sounding more and more muffled
In the "Hotel California" track on the right hand side there is a percussion device that is used ... that I could not place visually nor am I able to describe it accurately ... its almost like (using the vernacular of "A Young person's Guide To The Orchestra" it might be the block or the whip) ... well its clarity in the BL20s surpasses the BL3s ... I don't know how to describe the one second of each of its interactions on the track however I hear a clear seperation from the start of the device and its second half
So BL20 wins and my concerns from using the iPhone's version of the CD of the DVD are abated.
So time for the next challenge using the Bluray as a source ... which I will write up later ! ( some 4 hours have passed, most of it listening enjoyment, which I need to condense into a brief summary !)
BL20s
Sal: I mentioned this thread to my wife (who "tolerates" my hobby ), she said she prefers the BL9; though she couched that statement with, they look cuter too.
Perhaps you could say to your wife that your "tolerate" her because she looks cuter too!!
Serious test 4
So once I had the BluRay connected I chose these to test the BL20s, basically standalone as I could not do the A/B thing:
I then switched to a DVD Audio disc: "Bach Magnificat" by the Choir of King's College ... very nice, on a par with the enjoyment of the "Amadeus" DVD
Then it was back to some CDs:
A NAXOS opera classic recording of Verdi's Aida ... specifically Act II's processional march ... a bit like the quality of sound as "The Dream Cast" DVD (circa 1996) ... a little disappointing primarily I think because of the quality of the recording (1994)
"Diva" a double CD that we bought in Struer 2012 for our road trip to Skagen and Copenhagen: Hayley Westerna's "Pokarekare Ana" - simply superb treble
Then I used the MacMini to Airplay from our iTunes ripped/purchased collection to the Essence and drive the BL20s
I had great fun using the iPad's Apple Remote App to hop around our library for a very eclectic series of tracks before retiring for the night.
All brilliant !
LESSONS LEARNED ...
We all know these facts: the source makes a difference, its media makes a difference, the original material makes the biggest difference.
Each of the speaker combinations (BL19, BL3) (BL11, BL6000) (BL20) had its own voice; and sometimes music on one sounded better on another, and then a different recording swapped the evaluation around.
While I can not totally remember the various price points I did come to the conclusion that by augmenting smaller speakers with musical sub-woofers I had lifted up the quality of each set-up. I have a sense that if I were to total the costs of the (BL19, BL3) setup and the (BL11, BL6000) setup the price/performance points might be closer to the BL20's than if I was just testing the BL3s or BL6000s standalone.
So my surprise is that for our ears the three sets (BL19, BL3) (BL11, BL6000) and (BL20) are closer than I expected, but then when I thought of it as a price/performance curve the comparison seemed to make sense.
Nonetheless the BL20s were I think the overall better performers across a range of sources and ages of recordings and types of music.
So I am happy with my purchase ... and my ability to justify it
Thanks a lot, elephant!
Great review - and thanks for taking the time to write down your 'results'.
MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
elephant:So my surprise is that for our ears the three sets (BL19, BL3) (BL11, BL6000) and (BL20) are closer than I expected, but then when I thought of it as a price/performance curve the comparison seemed to make sense. Nonetheless the BL20s were I think the overall better performers across a range of sources and ages of recordings and types of music.
Hi Elephant,
I have had a BL8000+BL11+Essence set. So everything with Powerlink (analog) and I think something quite close to your BL6000+BL11 set.
It was "adapted/coherent" for mp3s listening and for the CD player of my BS Ouverture.
Later, I tried a pair of BL20 in a B&O shop. My "reference" as a music instrument is... pipe bands. Before this test, I'd never had that thrill I get when I hear a pipe band in the street.
Now my system is full digital (no more BL8000+BL11+Essence). The same MP3s are no more "that" nice to listen to! They're often... flat/borring.
On the other hand, the same songs (but FLAC files 16/48 and 24/96) are so much better! You should give it a try.
This is probably why your listening of DVD/Airplay seems more pleasing.
There is no reason the BL20s superiority isn't obvious to you and your wife!
CB: 1. Now my system is full digital (no more BL8000+BL11+Essence). The same MP3s are no more "that" nice to listen to! They're often... flat/borring. 2. On the other hand, the same songs (but FLAC files 16/48 and 24/96) are so much better! You should give it a try. 3. This is probably why your listening of DVD/Airplay seems more pleasing. 4. There is no reason the BL20s superiority isn't obvious to you and your wife!
1. Now my system is full digital (no more BL8000+BL11+Essence). The same MP3s are no more "that" nice to listen to! They're often... flat/borring.
2. On the other hand, the same songs (but FLAC files 16/48 and 24/96) are so much better! You should give it a try.
3. This is probably why your listening of DVD/Airplay seems more pleasing.
4. There is no reason the BL20s superiority isn't obvious to you and your wife!
In reverse order ....
4. Perhaps age and deafness
3. I was surprised that the BluRay Audio was much better than the DVD Audio but not so surprised that DVD Audio was better than some ripped CDs. One reason I but the publishing dates for two of the DVDs is that I suspect there have been many processing advances over their 20 year period.
2. I have a collection of LINN studio masters in ALAC format and I intend to test them shortly. And for some songs I have them in multiple versions and it will be interesting to hear how the BL20 may support additional levels of detail. Unfortunately the devious route from the MacMini's folder to the BL20s diaphragms may make some differences less apparent.
1. Yes, sadly "boring" is an appropriate description.
Thanks for the reply / feedback / tips !
FYI CB my perfectly polite response to your posting has been sent off for moderation.
Thanks again (in the first post's absence) for your kind feedback and recommendations.
elephant: FYI CB my perfectly polite response to your posting has been sent off for moderation. Thanks again (in the first post's absence) for your kind feedback and recommendations.
Maybe the absent post was cursed because it was my six thousandth post.
Heaven knows what will happen to number 6,666.
But it is ironic that previous posts in this thread were above BeoLab 6000s
Now up to post 6,002 !
Funny.
Elephants post is being moderated - meanwhile tons of 'black magic' postings are slipping through ;-(
elephant: CB:2. On the other hand, the same songs (but FLAC files 16/48 and 24/96) are so much better! You should give it a try. 2. I have a collection of LINN studio masters in ALAC format and I intend to test them shortly. And for some songs I have them in multiple versions and it will be interesting to hear how the BL20 may support additional levels of detail. Unfortunately the devious route from the MacMini's folder to the BL20s diaphragms may make some differences less apparent.
CB:2. On the other hand, the same songs (but FLAC files 16/48 and 24/96) are so much better! You should give it a try.
Yes, and thanks to your message in this forum I also have some Linn files
NB: I heared more differences between a ripped CD of mine and the same songs bought at 24 bit/96kHz to Qobuz, than between different version of Linn files of the same songs. May be because the masters and the process are not the same?
CB: with respect to your auditioning things with pipe bands...I bet the audio dealers cringe when they see you coming!
I actually enjoy the pipes, but I think you and I are in the minority in that respect.
With respect to the use of Joan Baez singing The Night They Tore Old Dixie Down, that hippie should never be allowed to sing that song, speaking as a true Southerner, only the version sung by The Band! Round here that's a tar and feathering offense!
Jeff:CB: with respect to your auditioning things with pipe bands...I bet the audio dealers cringe when they see you coming!
They are... embarrassed (at least for finding a song to play !)
By "pipe band", I mean something like this http://www.deezer.com/track/37155431
Jeff:With respect to the use of Joan Baez singing The Night They Tore Old Dixie Down, that hippie should never be allowed to sing that song, speaking as a true Southerner, only the version sung by The Band! Round here that's a tar and feathering offense!
Not wishing to be tarred and feather I decide to act immediately and down lown their Greatest Hits from Apple Music.
Perhaps their "The Night ..." is starting to grow on me, however out of their box I still preferred Joan ...
On the other hand some of The Band's other tracks I did enjoy immediately
So many thanks
There's something about the plaintive vocals in The Band's rendition, and they wrote the song as well. They did a pretty good job of capturing the mood and such of Southerners considering none of them were Southern.
I have several CDs by Bobby Horton, who specializes in singing the real songs of the Civil War. He even has a couple of discs of Yankee songs, but listening to his Southern/Confederate songs is an eye opener, nothing captures the true mood and thoughts of the day as much as the music. His rendition of "I'm A Good Old Rebel," written just after the war, truly captures the despair and bitterness the South felt.
Years and years ago when I was in high school I discovered, hidden away in the school library stacks, a book of songs from various wars, starting at least as far back as the Spanish American War. Reading the lyrics to songs from then, WWI and WWII was very enlightening as it gave me a much more emotional view into the wars than you can ever get just from a history text. Music can carry so much emotion and capture the feel of the time so well.
Anyway hope you enjoy The Band. I have that exact CD in my car changer right now as a matter of fact!
Jeff:Bobby Horton's rendition of "I'm A Good Old Rebel," written just after the war, truly captures the despair and bitterness the South felt.
elephant: Jeff:Bobby Horton's rendition of "I'm A Good Old Rebel," written just after the war, truly captures the despair and bitterness the South felt. Add to My Library Download All done
Will be curious as to what you think of it. PM or email me if you like.
Ok, this weekend I cancelled my order. I just needed some more confirmation of the superiority of the BL20's against my current BL6000 & BL11.
Well... my dealer was so nice to build me a test setup: he placed the BL20's next to a set of BL6002's with BL11, with a Beosound 3000 as the sound source for both of them. I took about 14 CD's with me, with all kinds of music: Oasis, Duran Duran, Sophie B Hawkins, Simon & Garfunkel, Vivaldi, Michael Jackson, Heather Nova, Guus Meeuwis, etc.
I listened to all of them on both the BL6002's & BL11 and on the BL20's. We changed the PowerLink cable every time.
For me, the difference was striking in about 90% of the songs. The main difference for me, after this 90 minutes listening-and-changing-connections session, is not even in the higher notes. I thought it would have been there.
No, the main difference seems to be on the middle and lower part of the sprectrum and just 'general control' of the sound being reproduced. On the BL20's I heard lower notes that I hadn't heard before. The music was more 'carried' by the lows, which made them much, much easier to listen to. The music is much 'fuller'. And some voices, e.g. Robbie Williams' voice, just sounded completely different. Completely real, is if Robbie was actually sitting on my lap (not that I'd like that, but you get the point).
In fact, a comparison to cars comes to mind. If I go 100 km/h, the BL6000's with BL11 feel like I'm doing that in a little Fiat 500. The BL20's feel like I'm doing the same speed, but in a Rolls Royce. It's just so easy and effortless.
And no, I've never been in a Rolls. But I did order the BL20's again and this time I will definitely not cancel my order!
jjcox:But I did order the BL20's again
I am glad ! and relieved !
clearly in listening to Robbie you demonstrate we have different tastes
and your testing approach was exactly what true buyers should do
congratulations on having a wonderful dealer
a dealer like that is gold and deserves to be rewarded with your business and others
I believe "he" is worth a separate post once you have received your installation
jjcox:On the BL20's I heard lower notes that I hadn't heard before
I agree, and also sometimes in the highs of a singer's voice its sibilance http://stereos.about.com/od/glossaryoftermss/g/sibilance.htm
in my tests it was with Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You soundtrack
jjcox:If I go 100 km/h, the BL6000's with BL11 feel like I'm doing that in a little Fiat 500. The BL20's feel like I'm doing the same speed, but in a Rolls Royce. It's just so easy and effortless.
a great analogy and I agree
and perhaps I will get out my one CD by Robbie
and perhaps I should of used some of the tracks recommended in some of the other threads
could you publish your discography ?
elephant: could you publish your discography ?
Thanks for your reply! I agree about the dealer being a top job.
Do you mean my complete discography, or just the CD's I used to test the BL20's in the store?
Congratulations!
Congratulations! I'm sure you'll have countless hours of enjoyment from them. I never cease to be amazed by my BL9s and enjoy them greatly. There's a seamless quality to the sound, bass to treble and all inbetween, with them that I would expect from the BL20 as well. The crossover region between a sub and satellites can be difficult to get to integrate as well as a larger full range speaker, especially if where you can locate the sub is limited, usually where it needs to be and where you can manage to fit it in are not the same thing.
jjcox: just the CD's I used to test the BL20's in the store?
Just the test set I presume the library runs into hundreds of jewel cases !
When I was playing the 6000s off against 4000s over 10 years ago I used only Albinoni's Adaigio but I had tuned my ear with endless playing on my S55s and RL60s and written up a visual score that allowed me to track and listen for distinct notes and specific transitions ... I suspect the dealer has nightmares these days whenever he hears that passage
Ah, ok! Those are the songs that made me buy the BL20. The ones in bold are the songs that put the biggest smile on my face when I heard them on the 20's:
- Duran Duran - The seventh stranger
- Duran Duran - The universe alone
- Michael Jackson - You are not alone
- Simon & Garfunkel - The boxer
- Sophie B. Hawkins - I walk alone
- Sophie B. Hawkins - Lose your way
- Oasis - (What's the story) Morning glory
- Robbie Williams - Hot fudge
- Robbie Williams - Mr. Bojangles
- Robbie Williams - I will talk and Hollywood will listen
- Vivaldi - (several compositions)
- Guus Meeuwis - Brabant
- Heather Nova - London rain
I'll post pics in this thread when they're nicely settled next to the Beovision!
BeoLab6000 - To me, the most elegant speakers ever produced by B&O. For with design, great design does not grow on me, I know within a milli-second if I love it - it just feels right!
jjcox: the songs that made me buy the BL20. The ones in bold are the songs that put the biggest smile on my face when I heard them on the 20's: - Duran Duran - The seventh stranger - Duran Duran - The universe alone - Michael Jackson - You are not alone - Simon & Garfunkel - The boxer - Sophie B. Hawkins - I walk alone - Sophie B. Hawkins - Lose your way - Oasis - (What's the story) Morning glory - Robbie Williams - Hot fudge - Robbie Williams - Mr. Bojangles - Robbie Williams - I will talk and Hollywood will listen - Vivaldi - (several compositions) - Guus Meeuwis - Brabant - Heather Nova - London rain
the songs that made me buy the BL20. The ones in bold are the songs that put the biggest smile on my face when I heard them on the 20's:
A good list - I played them and listened carefully - I think all these tracks played well on the BeoLab 20s; which raises a question of whether speakers are design for the tastes of ceratin demographics, or is this a reflection of modern recordings ?
(remember some of my recordings went back to the 80s and early 90s)
I will say I did enjoy the treble they brought out and finding some new artists to listen to !
I do have a favour to ask - a comparison between my ears and yours (or anyone else reading this) specifically at these tracks and points in time:
Simon & Garfunkel - The boxer ... at 27 seconds and at 2 minutes and 57 seconds ... did/do you hear any distortion on the left channel ?
elephant: I do have a favour to ask - a comparison between my ears and yours (or anyone else reading this) specifically at these tracks and points in time: Simon & Garfunkel - The boxer ... at 27 seconds and at 2 minutes and 57 seconds ... did/do you hear any distortion on the left channel ?
I will find that out for you - once I installed my BL20's . I don't know when they will arrive yet, I expect sometime in the next two weeks.
I've found that the best way to tell if it's the recording or your speakers distorting is to listen to the offending track on headphones. Nothing will let you listen inside a recorded track for things like that as much as the immediacy of headphones.
Jeff: I've found that the best way to tell if it's the recording or your speakers distorting is to listen to the offending track on headphones. Nothing will let you listen inside a recorded track for things like that as much as the immediacy of headphones.
Thanks Jeff, and that's the one flaw I think in the Essence .... no jack for a headphone !
(probably Steve has a cable I should buy seeing as I have a spare PL socket but it would still lack the classic speaker mute function)
And I trust you saw my feedback on the Civil War song recommendations in the Playing thread.
Or... Reverse the L/R switches on the BL20 (or the wires).
If what you describe as a distorsion is still on the left channel... You'll have to investigate a little bit deeper.
NB: if you're listening to a CD, did you verified it's not dirty/defective?
I tried with the numerous versions of this song available on Deezer and no distorsion here.
CB:Or... Reverse the L/R switches on the BL20 (or the wires).
I had not though of using the switch !
good idea
it also shows up on the other speaker in an orchestral pieces - almost as if there is a reed instrument that momentarily blows a raspberry
and regardless of the bit / sampling rate and format of that recording (I have three versions of the same session)
on The Boxer is appears in two (perhaps separate) recordings - my wife thinks its someone blowing/whistling through a leaf !
or perhaps a ... kazoo ?
either way is disturbing because its as if the BL20 cant handle it ? or its handling it too perfectly and thus disturbs the ambiance
No headphone jack! Outrageous!
I looked up The Boxer, and two things stood out about the recording. One, there's a bass harmonica in there, and they used a mic to capture Simon's breathing when he was recording the guitar part. I haven't had time to sit down and dig out my cans and take a listen but hope to tomorrow to see if I can hear what you mean, you've got me curious now.
Jeff:I haven't had time to sit down and dig out my cans and take a listen but hope to tomorrow to see if I can hear what you mean, you've got me curious now.
Great ! I would love to hear your feedback (pun intended !)
And as this thread is about "visual" appearance a close up of the Mark I BL20 ...
It glows green as it activates, as opposed to red when it deactivates; however long term switched on or off is simply ... a blank look !
Well, I haven't gotten to listen on my BL9s yet but last night I listened to it on my Form 2s. I don't hear distortion but at the 27 sec mark there is a kind of vocal layering, several voices going kind of "Mmmmmmmmmmm" followed by a bit of the bass harmonica. The mmmmmm sounds kind of odd, there's some distortion or wheeziness there but not stick in your ear kind. At 2:57 the bass harmonica really gets going again. The bass harmonica has a distinctive sound, kind of somewhere between a blaaat sound and a kazoo, it's really an odd sounding instrument.
But outright distortion, no, though listening carefully on headphones reveals that this whole piece is flirting with tape distortion in a lot of places, it has that kind of up against the stops compresses sound of either tape or mic overload. Let's just say it's not as well recorded as something from Steely Dan.
If you're concerned about distortion you might find it worthwhile to find a disc with a frequency sweep for testing, and listen to the sweep at a reasonable volume level to see if something is loose or such. I'll try and get to listening to it on the BL9s tonight.
BTW, do you hear it at all volumes or just higher volume?