June 19, 2011 nTelos Wireless Pavillion, Portsmouth, VA Sources Review

Phish wrapped up the first leg of summer tour in style with a blowout at nTelos Pavillion in the Portsmouth, VA. Opening the show with Harpua is generally a good sign and bringing the Dad's out was just great. There are eight sources available for this evening. I want to extend a hearty thanks, both to the tapers for this evening, and for the entire tour. Your diligence does not go unnoticed and I know I speak for a lot of folks when I express my sincerest gratitude.



Source 1 (hereafter MK4v Davis source)
Source: Schoeps mk4v's(DIN)>kc5>m222>nt222>aeta psp-3>744t
Location: FOB/SLOC
Transfer: 744t>CD Wave>Wavelab 5>Flac

16 bit source




Source 2 (hereafter MK4v Downs source)
Source: schoeps mk4v (ortf)> kc5> m222> nt222> mytek 192> sd 744t
Location: FOB/DFC/7' (2nd row of seats)
Transfer: 744>samitude>cd wave editor>tlh

16 bit source

Source 3 (hereafter MK41 FOB source)
Source:Schoeps MK41 (NOS)>Kcy>VMS5u>R44(ocm) 24/96
Location:FOB/DFC/7' (2nd row of seats)
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44 >Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 4 (hereafter CCM4 FOB source)
Source:SchoepsCCM4(din)>Vms52ub>R44(ocm) 24/96
Location:FOB/DFC/7' (2nd row of seats)
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44 >Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter AKG source)
Source: AKG C460Bs/CK 63-ULS ->Kind Kables->Naiant LittleBox->Segue Dogstar Silver-Clad Interconnect->Edirol R-09HR (24 bit/48 kHz)
Location: DINa, ~10' ROC/FOH, on stand ~8'
Transfer: SDHC -> PC > Fade in, fade out, dithered to 16 bit, resampled to 44.1 kHz & tracking using SoundForge 9.0. > FLAC frontend 1.7.1 used to align on sector boundaries and for Flac16 Conversion @ level 8

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 6 (hereafter DPA source)
Source: DPA 4022> sonosax sx-m2> SD 744t
Location: FOB/DFC/7' (2nd row of seats)
Transfer: 744>samplitude>cd wave editor>tlh

16 bit source

Source 7 (hereafter Neumann source)
Source: Neumann ak40(nos)>lc3ka>km100>V3(aes/spdif)>(oade) R-44 (24/48)
Location: fob, dfc
Transfer: sdhc>audacity>cdwave>tlh

16 bit source

Source 8 (hereafter MK4 FOB source)
Source: Schoeps MK4 (ORTF) > KCY > Schoeps VMS-5U > Mytek 192 > Marantz PMD-661 @ 96 kHz, 24 bit
Location: FOB, 4 rows in front of Soundboard, DFC:
Transfer: HDSC 8 GB card > Dell XPS m1730 internal card reader; edited & resampled in Vegas 9.0e

16 bit source
24 bit source

Phish - 6/19/2011 "Walls Of The Cave > Slave To The Traffic Light" from Phish on Vimeo.

The MK4v Davis source gets my pick for best of the evening. Mike sounds huge in it, but doesn't overwhelm any of Page or Trey's work down in the lower registers. The highs are nice and crisp as well. And, best of all, it seriously kicks my sub.

The MK4v Downs source has nice balance and good bass response down low, but it could be a bit crisper up high. It kind of sounds like the bass knob is turned up on a basic eq. Just not quite as good as the other MK4v sources.

The MK41 FOB (and actually I think all these sources are FOB in one form or another) has great bass definition as well and has better high-ends than its sister source (CCM4's), but just doesn't have the punch of the Davis source.

The CCM4 FOB source has a very clear low-end, but it could use a bit more umph. The high-end is also a bit muffled compared to the better sources.

The AKG source really sizzles up high, but the low end leaves a lot to be desired. You can hear the attack on all of the notes, but it is so quiet relative to the rest of the mix that it doesn't kick the sub or really give you the feel of what is going on.

The DPA source sounds a bit distant which is surprising for an FOB source. It is a bit boomy sounding as well and the high-end isn't as crisp as the MK4, the Davis, or the AKG sources.

The Neumann source is nicely balanced, but it just doesn't kick the sub hard enough. The levels are also a bit low on this one.

The MK4 source is, once again, extremely loud. It sounds really, really good. The bass is nice and clear, however, it is slightly overpowering in comparison to the Davis source. I think this one comes in as the 2nd best source of the evening.

Happy listening!