10-26-10 Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH Source Review

Sorry for the delay in getting this out folks.  Sometimes life gets in the way of serious music listening.  By the way, I caught Bob Dylan last night at the Murat in Indianapolis.  Just a great show.  I've seen probably 20 Dylan shows in the last 15 years, and last night ranks as one of the best.  The band sounds great, the sound in the room was excellent, and while Bob's voice has seen better days, he's still a great performer.

Anyway, on to the issue at hand.  First of all, I have to thank the tapers for coming through again with some excellent recordings.  If it weren't for their work, I wouldn't be able to have this site.  There are 5 sources available this evening, again, many in 24 bit formats as well as 16 bit.  Just a note, I discovered this morning, that even using ALAC, 24 bit recordings will not play on my iPod Nano.  That's a bummer.

Source 1 (hereafter MK41 source)
Source: Schoeps mk41> KC5> M222> NT222> Aeta PSP-3> SD 744t (@24bit/96kHz)
Location: OTS, DFC, 8' Stand, NOS
Transfer: SD 744t> Samplitude SE 9.1.1(dither/resample)> CDWave> flac(16/44.1)

Etree Source
24 bit Etree Source

Source 2 (hereafter Busman source)
Source: Busman Bsc1 (Hypers)>HYDRA silver Shorty XLR's>Fostex FR-2LE(Busman T-mod) @24/96
Location: OTS/LOC /POS
Transfer: CF Card>Wavelab 6.0(Resample and Dithering>CD Wave(tacking>TLH(flac 16 level 8)

Etree Source

Source 3 (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, track splits) > FLAC v1.2.1 (Level 8)
Location: Recorded from the center of the front row of the taper's section
mics angled 90 degrees, spaced approximately 8 inches

Etree Source
24 bit Etree Source

Source 4 (hereafter CCM4V Source)
Source: Schoeps CCM4V'S(din)>Lunatec V2>Benchmark AD2K>
Sound Devices 722 (24/48)
BOB/DFC/KFC/ZFC/AARP OTS, 8' High
DSP: Sound Devices 722>Sound Forge 9.0>CD Wave>flac(16)

Etree Source

Source 5 (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

The Busman source has a lot of high-end which probably sounds great in headphones.  However, there is a noticeable lack of tone in the lowest frequencies, rendering the bass often a dull thud rather than a contoured note. 

The Beyer source is much muddier than the Busman, the MK41, or CCM4V source.  The mids lack definition and it is fairly boomy as well.

The MK22 source has surprisingly little crowd noise considering it is FOB.  The high-end seems really lost at first.  However, this seems to be better later in the set.  There is never the nice shimmer from Fish's high-hats or ride cymbals.  As with the Beyer, there is a lack of definition in the mids.  The low-end sounds very nice however, with a touch of boominess, but certainly nice.

The CCM4V source sounds great.  There is a little bit of tonal difference between it and the MK41 source, but overall this source has excellent bass as well as nice highs.  Plus, nice differentiation in the middle.  The levels for this source are slightly lower than that of MK41.

The MK41 source is, once again, my pick for the best source.  Not only does it have excellent definition across the sonic spectrum, but it is also has great levels and is available in 24 bit audio.

Happy listening!