May 28, 2011 Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, Bethel, NY Sources Review

Thanks again for your patience.  I wanted to get this review up before I left for Ohio.  As such, don't look for a review of night 3 until Monday.  I will do my best to get you guys a review every day next week.  Anyways, by all accounts, and to my ears, the second night of Bethel was much better than the third.  There are 6 sources to review here and I want to thank all the tapers for taking the time to both record the concert and to post the show to etree.  Without their work, I wouldn't get to listen to so much music.

Source 1 (hereafter MK4v source)
Source: Schoeps mk4v> KC5> M222> NT222> Aeta PSP-3> SD 744t (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: Section 100, Row H, Seat 16, DFC, DIN, 7' Stand
Transfer: SD 744t> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 2 (hereafter KM150 source)
Source: Neumann KM150's> Sound Devices Mixpre-D>Sony PCM-M10 (@24/48)
Location: OTS Section 100 Row G Seat 15
Transfer: PCM-M10>Sound Forge Pro 10 (,fades, iZotope 64 BIT Sample Rate Conversion /iZotope MBIT+ Bit depth conversion to 16 Bit/44.1khz)>CDWAV>FLAC

16 bit source
24 bit source

Source 3 (hereafter MK41>Sonosax source)
Source:Schoeps MK41 (Dina)>kcy >Sonosax SX-M2/LS2>R44(OCM) 24/96
Location: Section 100, Row H, Seat 16, DFC, DIN, 7' Stand
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44 >Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 4 (hereafter CCM4 source)
Source: Schoeps CCM4(Din)>Vms5u>R44(OCM) 24/96
Location: Section 100, Row H, Seat 16, DFC, DIN, 7' Stand
Transfer:SDHC>Audacity 16/44 >Amadeus Pro>xACT

16 bit source

Source 5 (hereafter Nak source)
Source: Nakamichi 300 Mics W/CP1 Cardioids(X/Y Position On Mic Stand At 9')>Edirol UA-5>Edirol R-09 HR(24/44.1KHZ)
Location: OTS,Section 100,Row H,Seats 20,21
Transfer: CD Wav Editor>Traders Little Helper>Flac level 8.Sector Boundaries Aligned Using Traders Little Helper

16 bit source

Source 6 (hereafter MK41>Aerco source)
Source: Schoeps MK41's>Schoeps KCY 250/05I>Schoeps VST62iu>Aerco MP-2> Sound Devices 744t (@24/48)
Location: OTS Section 100 Row G Seat 15
Transfer: SD744t>Sound Forge Pro 10 (,fades, iZotope 64 BIT Sample Rate Conversion /iZotope MBIT+ Bit depth conversion to 16 Bit/44.1khz)>CDWAV>FLAC

16 bit source

Just like the first night of Bethel, there are some great sources to choose from.  Choosing the best one was frankly much more difficult than it was for the first night.  Thanks again to the tapers for making such great recordings.

The MK4v source is once again the best, but only by a fraction.  The bass is full and has less rumble than the other bass heavy source, the CCM4's.  The high-end remains crisp.  The bass is just on the edge of being too much.  A bit more and the recording would sound muddy, as it stands, this recording is excellent and kicks my sub hard.

The KM150 source is also excellent.  The clarity of the bass is un-matched.  It sounds so tight, but lacks the punch of the MK4v.  I went back and forth, listening to these two sources.  They are definitely different, but both excellent.  I would say this is the 2nd best source of the 6.

The MK41>Sonosax source has lower levels than either the MK4v or KM150 and doesn't have the rich bass of its sister source, the CCM4's.

The CCM4 source has a nice rich bass, but there is a bit of a low rumble that makes the low end sound a bit muddy, particularly in comparison to the MK4v or KM150 source.  I would say this is the 3rd best source of the night.

The Nak 300 source, much like the previous night, suffers from a noticeable lack of bass and a general tinniness to the entire sound. 

The MK41>Aerco source, like the other MK41 source, just doesn't have the bass response or clarity of the CCM4, MK4v, or KM150 source.  Also, there is a bit of hollowness in the high-mids. 

Both the KM150 and MK4v sources are available in 24 bit resolution, by all means grab those if you play your music from your hard drive. I went with the MK4v source, but the the KM150 source is also excellent.

Happy listening!