10-22-10 Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, RI Source Review

There are six sources available from this show, many available in both 16 and 24 bit format.  Thanks to all the tapers for getting these shows out into the public sphere so quickly.  Without their efforts, I wouldn't be able to lay my ears onto these sources.

Source 1 (hereafter MK22 source)
ORTF 60' from stage DFC
Schoeps MK22>KC5>CMC6>Sonosax SX-M2>Apogee Mini-me(aes out 24bit/96khz)>COAX>Edirol R-44
SDHC Card>usb>Macbook Pro>Wave Editor(tracking,fades,resample(izotope)/dither(mbit+)to 16bit/44.1khz)>XAct(FLAC 8,ffp,fix sbe)

Etree Source
24 bit Etree Source

Source 2 (hereafter AKG source)
AKG c214 > Silver Cables > FR-2LE [BA TMod] (24/96)
CF Card > Audacity (fades, tracking) > r8brain (downsampling) > TLH > Flac (level 8)
OTS/LOC/DIN/about 10' high
Files tagged in TagScanner

Etree Source
24 bit Etree Source

Source 3 (hereafter DPA source)
Source: DPA 4023>Sonosax SX-M2>Sound Devices 722 (24/96)
Config/Location: DIN/OTS/DFC 10' stand
Transfer: 722>Firewire>Macbook>
Sound Studio 3.6(fades, normalize peak, track)>Wave Editor (iZotope Resampler/MBIT+ Dither)>
xACT 1.71(align on sector boundaries, encode, tag, fingerprint)>flac16

Etree Source

Source 4 (hereafter MK5 source)
Source: Schoeps mk5> KC5> M222> NT222> Lunatec V3> SD 744t (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: OTS, DFC, 8' Stand, NOS, mk5/cardioid
Transfer: SD 744t> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

Etree Source
24 bit Etree Source

Source 5 (hereafter Beyer source)
Source: beyerdynamic CK930 > Grace Design Lunatec V3 > Marantz PMD-661 (@ 24 bit / 96 kHz)
Transfer: SDHC Card > Samplitude SE v9.1.1 (fades, level adjustments, resample to 44.1 kHz, dither to 16 bit) > FLAC v1.2.1 (Level 8)

Etree Source
24 bit Etree Source

Source 6 (hereafter Busman source)
Source: Busman Bsc1 (Hypers)>kind cables>Fostex FR-2LE(Busman T-mod)
Location: OTS/LOC/Din
Transfer: FR-2LE>Wavelab 6.0(Resample and Dithering>CD Wave(tacking>TLH(flac 16 level 8)

Etree Source

Phish played their third top notch show in a row this night and it is great that there are so many sources to choose from.

The MK22 source is pretty boomy right from the beginning.  The levels are very nice and the high end is crisp.  However, despite the fact that it is a front-of-board recording, it still sounds distant.  The bass sounds quite good, but it is overpowering at times. 

The Busman source is quite good.  The bass is not nearly as boomy as the other sources, however, there is very little tone to the bass at lower frequencies either.  The high-end is noticeably crisper than any of the other sources as well.

The Beyer source is boomier than the Busman source, but not as boomy as the MK22.  Again, there are nice, crisp highs.  I like the tone of the guitar on this source in particular.  Unlike some of the other sources, the kick drum is also boomy.

On the DPA source, the kick is quite clear, however Gordon is a bit boomy.  Overall, this is a very listenable recording and I would say it is the 2nd best of the 6.  There is more audience noise than the Busman source, but the overall effect is quite balanced.

The MK5 source has very crisp highs and great definition throughout the sonic range.  The bass is nice and rounded with good tone all the way down to the lowest notes.  This is the best source to my ears.

The AKG source is not nearly as punchy as any of the other sources.  You can't feel the bass at all, and there is not a lot of tonal distinction down low either.

The MK5 source is available in 24 bit and that is the source I will have on my hard drive.

Happy listening!