atomicbob

My enjoyment of particular recreational music systems is inextricably intertwined with my personal preferences. The following lists are representations of my tastes in music, components and listening levels. The section on music is only a sample of my library but should provide sufficient insight into my musical preferences. I am rigorous and exacting with component measurements. That doesn’t automatically make my opinions worth anything without context. Use the following information to decide how well your own preferences converge or diverge with mine when I make comments about equipment in the forum. DO NOT blindly assume a positive comment from me about some component or headphone will automatically translate to auditory happiness on your part. Likewise you may find yourself enjoying something that I don’t. Consider (learning) your own personal preference.

Music
50s, 60s & 70s jazz
Louis Armstrong, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderly, Les McCann & Eddie Harris
Recorded by Columbia (Frank Laico, Fred Plaut), Bluenote (Rudy Van Gelder), Contemporary Records (Roy DuNann)

More recent jazz artists
Wynton Marsalis
Dave Grusin
Dave Brubeck
Bela Fleck
Chick Corea
Christian McBride
Wycliffe Gordon
Ingrid Jensen
Steve Treseler
Terell Stafford
Ronnie Earl
Steve Gadd Band
Charlie Haden
Brad Mehldau

Medeski, Martin & Wood
Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood
Ill Considered
Snarky Puppy
Pat Metheny

Artfully deviant
Steve’n’Seagulls - Thunderstruck
Two Cellos - Thunderstruck

A class by himself
Santana

60s & 70s rock
Emerson Lake & Palmer
Blood Sweat & Tears
Pink Floyd
Jethro Tull
JJ Cale
Little Feat
Dave Matthews Band
Chicago
Queen
Cat Steven – Tea for the Tillerman
Grateful Dead
Lead Zeppelin

Tangerine Dream
Bruce Becvar
Gary Stroutsos

Classical composers
Mozart
Bach
Beethoven
Respighi
Vivaldi

Special
Canadian Brass

Listening Levels dBSPL
60~70 quiet, background listening
70~80 recreational and critical listening
80~90 rocking out, often with libations at hand
90~100 Santana Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen, ELP Tank - drum solo

I tend to listen at quieter levels where electroacoustic transducers exhibit greater linearity. Higher levels are more likely to have greater distortion and require higher power amplification. The result is substantial deviation in opinions by listeners attempting to compare headphones when they are listening at different levels.

DACs
Treasured
Holo Audio KTE Spring2
Schiit Bifrost2
Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro
Lavry DA11

Enjoy
Schiit Yggdrasil A2
Schiit Gungnir MB A2
Soekris 1421

Work (recording, editing, acoustic measurements)
Lavry DA11, AD11
RME ADI-2 Pro

Rather not listen
Auralec Vega
Resonessence Labs Concero
Topping D30
Objective DAC

Universal Turd
Audio-gd S19

Amps
Treasured
Eddie Current Studio B
Eddie Current Zana Deux SE
ECP Audio DSHA-3F
ECP Audio T4
Shortest Way 51+
Cavalli Liquid Crimson

Enjoy
Cavalli Liquid Platinum
Schiit Lyr3 with PSVane 6SN7
EC ZDT Jr after hum reduction modifications
BottleHead Crack (PS modified, no speedball, e80cc driver)
Cavalli MCTH
Schiit Magni3+
Schiit Vali2 with 6CG7
Project Sunrise with 12BH7 and Linear Power Supply

Rather not listen
Objective 2
Topping anything

Headphones

Treasured
Sennheiser HD800-Jmod
Focal Stellia
Sennheiser HD600

Enjoy
Sennheiser HD650
Focal Clear
HiFiMan HE-500

Rather not listen
Most anything planar except for the HE-500

System
I developed a VST chain dubbed Immersion Virtualization System which I employ for my recreational listening. This has a substantial influence on my perception of component performance. See the IVS descriptions in the following links:

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...-synergy-special-sound.54/page-14#post-129407

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...-synergy-special-sound.54/page-29#post-221217