Herb Reichert: Binaural in the Bunker | Stereophile
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- Опубликовано: 18 окт 2024
- In this video, we revisit Stereophile writer Herb Reichert in his self-described "bunker" in Brooklyn to listen to a selection of music from M•A Recordings. Shot in Brooklyn, NY in March 2018.
Read the written blog post: po.st/gCJbyD
Who is Herb Reichert? • Herb Reichert | Stereo...
Read Herb's writing on Stereophile: bit.ly/2GhNcDn
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Herb, you are the reviewer's reviewer. No one can stand up to you. Bless you! May good health and the joy of life keep you young and enthusiastic! I appreciate all that you share with us.
Yes, it's possible to hear clear differences between systems on youtube. Probably not everything like in real life, but you can still learn few things. When the system is really good, you can hear it. You can feel the sweetness, the impact, the quietness, etc...
Good job Stereophile !
With Herb, What you see is what you get. A genuinely nice person.
This was fantastic. Very engaging, felt like I was there listening. The written reviews are great too but this is something else, you got to do more of this for us viewers. Can't say whether we hear the quality over RUclips but we get a sense of it and more importantly a feel of what you experienced, it is something else and worth continuing with in my opinion. Cheers.
Herb, I hope you do more of this type of video.
The sound was incredible. I would really appreciate more videos like this from yourself as well as your peers. Thanks Herb!
It's an absolute delight to watch you, hear you, listen with you and walk with you.
I think you're bang on: we can hear quantitative differences through youtube, and what a complex supply chain that is audio wise; your capture, compression, upload, youtube compression, coded decompression, DAC, amp, headphone. Man, that's mind boggilng. Qualitative differences, perhaps not. In a similar way that pointing even a high quality DSLR at a monitor to give someone else a viewing experience, we know it won't match seeing the display in person. And such is the issue when we capture the sound waves created by equipment, speakers vibrate air molecules to translate the information to a microphone, it follows that convoluted supply chain, and we hear ... something. We know that we hear when we listen with you on RUclips isn't what you heard when you sat in the bunker.
Still, thank you for taking us along to share the experience! Truly delightful.
That was fantastic Herb, both the binaural recording and the way you talk to the camera, it’s just like being there hanging out with you. I listened with midrange Sennheiser HD-650s cans powered by a midrange DAC/Amp and was surprised at the amount of detail that battled through RUclips’s compression. With the LP track the surface noise was very prominent and the pops and clicks had nowhere to hide.
Herb is world famous now.
Just thought I'd let you know.
I love listening to Herb....more Herb....and his Art is incredible as well.
I love herb...I find him very entertaining and an excellent reviewer. I built my entire hifi rig based on things he has favorably reviewed and it sounds great.
Living on the opposite side of the planet, I just have to imagine Herb likes the music stereo choices I've made in life.
Thank you Herb and Stereophile. I enjoyed this video immensely. It's cool to see a little into someone who you admire's life. The garden and chickens were icing on the cake. Take care
I wish I was there also Herb! I always love reading your reviews. I like how you write about the entire listening process. Keep up the great work!
this is the guy I want to meet every day for coffee at mcdonalds. upbeat probably can can converse on several topics.thanks
hmm I bet Herb is a Starbucks kind of guy.
Fascinating video. I’m sure we don’t get the full experience but I can definitely say this was the best sound I’ve ever heard from RUclips. The CD track seemed the most dynamic and lifelike. The percussion was startling at times.
Herb, love these Binaural projects and look forward to your follow up on the Joseph Audio speakers that always seem to sound so good with carful set up and component matching.
Sounded fabulous Herb. All of it!
I’m 50 and new to the audio journey & Stereophile (i actually subscribe), but i wish Herb and the other great writers there did more of these. It’s a wonderful peek into new & not so new gear & music. Herb is a pleasure & someone i enjoy learning from.
Herb is the coolest! The music sounded great on my cheap earbuds, I’m guessing it sounded transcendental in The Bunker.
Gorgeous music. I particularly liked the percussion on the last song.
What a gem of a person this guy is. I think it shows that he is a true music lover, that sees the gear as a means to an end, something pretty rare among his kind.
I liked it. Definitely the high quality of the recordings and the system comes through RUclips and into my AKG old school studio headphones. Might not be as good as being in the bunker, but the quality comes through.Continue doing this type of videos.
Herb. I really enjoyed this presentation! Left with a big smile on my face:-)
I will check out the binaural recordings on headphones at some point, but they were pretty good through my stereo down to the traffic noise and rumble my rels reproduced.
I am always fascinated by the rooms reviewers use. I could relax in yours. Interesting asymmetrical layout. No special room treatment.Back to the wall.....hmm.
Steve Guttenbergs and John Atkinson's rooms give me the heebiegeebies!
I will be paying more attention to your stereophille reviews, I enjoy your gentle manner.
Can we come over more often?
I do like Herb and his reviews, however I really miss Sam Tellig. He was the only guy in high end audio that could find these amazing products that were not as costly as a new car.
Thanks for the cool video. I love hearing your dry humour. I have to say, the percussion on the first track sounded very dynamic. Is that a function of the amp, the speakers or a bit of both?
Todd is the man for the best recordings. A very nice guy too.
I hear quite a bit of what you're capturing because I use a tonally neutral planar magnetic headphone (the HifiMan HE400S) and listen at a realistic volume.
I hope you keep up with the binaural project.
If we get to hear different speakers and cartridges, but always playing only the same 3-5 recordings each time,
with you in the same seated position each time, we definitely can use your videos as a reference,
as the variables would be reduced reduced to (almost) only the new gear we are auditioning!
RUclips through phones 📱 on the opposite side of the planet is very great sound.
3am, the volume is at its lowest setting and I can clearly hear its Herb talking to me.
RUclips sounds get better and better.
I just heard the movie Tombstone 🎬 in my home cinema and that was up loud.
That sound track was earth quake BANGS for a long time.
It's unforgettable.
Worth every cent.
I listened to this video with Beyerdynamic dt-880 32 ohm. It's difficult to tell the difference between media because they are different pieces of music, but the sound quality on all of them is wonderful and when I open my eyes and am reminded that I'm listening to your system playing the music through speakers, it's very impressive and delightful. I also really enjoy your commentary.
Id say its a pretty good way of hearing what you hear Herb, keep up the binaural recordings please!
That was a blast. More of this!!
Loving the Venus Square Mars, bought the files but will also pick up a physical copy. THANKS HERB! Such a great video.
Herb, you did Stereophile proud. You are a talented writer and your presentation is only enhanced by doing these videos. I was able to hear the differences between formats and get a sense of scale between each recording and although I love vinyl and have tons of it, about ten times the amount you had on display that could be seen, I have to be honest the CD recording was the best sounding, not that I wanted it to be it just was, followed by the Vinyl and then the DSD. You aren't using the greatest or most expensive system in the world, (and you don't need to) but the components that you used are great and I think you have probably maximized what could have been done in your room, which I think you did admirably and the soundstage was awesome.
I used Sennheiser HD600 and a Simaudio Moon 230hd headphone amp. The percussions and imaging were spectacular. I closed my eyes while listening because I wanted the full experience. Those speakers are spectacular and if you didn't use subs with the Joseph this was simply amazing and has given me a new level of respect for Joseph Audio. I hope to see you and the others at Axpona.
Herb, What happened to your Jon Palmer 2.5 turntable!?
Yes, fantastic. More please.
I think your comments are quite accurate. I honestly don't expect to get the full quality of the experience you are getting by listening to a YT vid through headphones, but I can gleam some qualitative differences between formats and components. I can also extrapolate what it sounds like in person based on my experiences with the components, but realize that my extrapolation is just that: my imagination projecting an expectation which may or may not be correct.
That said, you never got to discussing "quietness" vs "noisiness" in speakers. I'd be interested in hearing your take. My impression is that speakers that are "quiet" are often lower in sensitivity and more significantly damped than speakers with a "noisier" yet more lively sound. Is this what you are referring to?
Keep up the great work Herb!!
Beautiful music, imaging and texture comes through... so does the street noise
This video indeed provides the sonic signatures of Vinyl, DSD and CD tracks in a qualitative way. I personally think this Binaural Recordings in youtube is a revolution to audiophiles. Great job, thanks.
I also have MA records "Nama" in high resolution (bought from Todd) and "TRANSCENDING CONTINENTS & MEMORIES" in CD format. So I am familiar with 2 of the 3 tracks that played in this video.
I most like the Vinyl playing with big sound stage and some flicker noise but most lifelike. The DSD sound of "Nama" is really transparent & smooth along with very quiet background but less weight and sense of punch in mid-bass/bass comparing to my system.
Agree that the CD album cover is very attractive. The sound of CD track is very dynamic, but the extension of percussion seems incomplete and less depth in sound stage. Sometimes I can hear this kind of limitation due to the insufficient data storage in CD format.
Bravo ... more of this!
Listened through Westone IEMs, via Android phone.
For me, an ideal balance between music and the contextual set up and cool down. Just pleasantly quite enjoyable.
To me Herb in written form is solidly good stuff..., but integrating THAT Herb with this "POV video/binaural Audio Bunker Herb" is a sensational force multiplier. All things Herb are ideal for such consumption.
Enough of the Right, now on to the Left Hemisphere;
Thinking ... I'd find it helpful and interesting to get Herb's brief take on what he hears,...ie., acoustic characteristics of a piece in situ. Perhaps that may help fill in the auditory gaps of what we're experiencing ourselves while listening binaurally to music on his rig in his room.
It's been my experience that often in playback of my own live to two track stereo recordings, it seems as if my memory of the auditory transfer function of being at the recorded event helps me delineate aspects of the speaker room interface during playback.
Thanks
Again, more of this stuff!
Reichert is simpy the most objective, unbiased yet opinionated person among the Stereophile's roster of reviewers/writers, informative in everything relating to the scientific and artistic facets of sound reproduction or, more accurately, HI FI.
These binoural recordings are fun to listen to,even with my stereo setup and not with my headphones (a fairly inexpensive setup compared to what you guys have) i can hear more space/more of the room (what you heard) in these recordings compared to a regular microphone recording.Great fun,i enjoy these videos,thanks! :)
regarding the ability to convey what you hear through binaural recordings. I think you describe it well. I hear very good reproduction and I hear the differences. It is never as good as when I play the same MA recording in my own room. The visceral sound cannot be reproduced. But you still communicate a sense of your space, what you listen, and your approach. I think this is a great video, and I appreciate you sharing your space and your experience.
Amazing, so smooth and natural. Great 🔊🎶😊
Great video. I think you accurately describe what we can discern from the binaural recording. I am using pro headphones on a quality media optimized laptop. I can appreciate differences. I stopped each of your MA recordings on RUclips and played the same file on the laptop. Surprisingly, your RUclips video sounded better. I don't have the last file and I think it perhaps showed off your system the best.
Someone recently posed the question that perhaps binaural recordings pick up too much of the room but does not provide enough information for our brain to perform its audio processing magic to pick out reflections from direct radiation. So I wonder if the best approach is to have a really good mic about 2 feet from each speaker. Hard to say.
In any event, I enjoyed the video. I think the bunker was sounding really good, but we likely can only imagine just how good it is. I know I tried recording my system with my phone and the recording sounded like crap whereas the room is pretty darned engaging.
This is one man I would like to meet. Such a down to earth kind of guy.
Great video Herb - I listened on an iPad Pro - Chord Mojo - Etymotic ER4XR’s and it sounded like I was in the bunker. More of these please!!!
I like Herb. You can tell by how he acts in this video, the person holding the camera was female, cute, young, and he wanted to make her feel comfortable. But he wasn't phony, flirtatious or tried to by funny. I think she captured the real. Capturing the real, is not easy. Whomever you are, good job.
Yeah, man, this was good. Might be a good idea of what RUclips should be. It sounded nice to me, but who knows---maybe you need to do a 'reference' video that we can use as a standard. I do like that it seems sound through RUclips is coming along nicely. I don't think we're going to be comparing components for purchase this way any day soon, but it is nice that it's at least enjoyable. Keep up the good work, Herb. More, please.
Dunno what it is. Dunno how, as a person who never even heard of Stereophile just 2 months ago, has grown so interested in herb and audio... Love this guy though
Herb, I really enjoyed this review! Thank you and I wish to see more videos from you. I am not a headphone guy. I have one pair of headphones and they are a bit vintage: Numark HV115's. I had them plugged right into my laptop phones port. Kind of lame, but I could I hear the the nuances of your system and room. Yes, I think so. I really enjoyed listening. If you keep coming out with binaural recordings, I will be listening...and I promise to buy a better set of h-phones and amp!!!
First off, I really enjoyed this video. It's great work! On, to the comment now: On the DSD file, not the best stereo imaging one can get. Some things get spatially constrained and diffuse. It may be the recording (not the first time with ma recordings where, some instruments seem to "employ" more than the due mikes) but, uneven placement (left speaker close to wall) and rear wall proximity are, usually, stereo imaging/layering killers. Yet, despite the less than optimal placement, the speakers seem to deliver more than expected. With the LP, things seem to improve a little in this area but I've heard better transparency and vividness with such instruments, from speakers with lighter diaphragms/strong magnets combinations. On the CD, things get really impressive on the lows (and highs). Some good, real depth appears to the stage for the drums but the flute is still reluctant to follow and the width rather suffers a bit. Anyway, the speakers do a lot of things really well. They are quite neutral and musical with a clean, uncoloured, even sound, they have good impact and transparency and, I'm sure they can image and layer sharply too, once placed optimally. Although, in this case, they'll most possibly need a subwoofer or two. THANKS FOR THE EXPERIENCE!! THUMBS UP!! Definately a great high end sound, even with a few imaging compromises.
If Herb says sound demos through RUclips can give a indication to the sound qaulity of systems, then that's good enough for me!
Hi Herb,love to see your video and great music too!
Seeing the back of Herb's head while listening to music is kind of the audiophile Mystery Science Theater 2000 :-)
There is no way anyone listening on RUclips could comprehend what it sounds like. However like you said, the differences can be heard to a point. Think about it tho, someone is listening on headphones and on RUclips and that compresses the audio like crazy and i don’t believe the microphones have the ability to capture it ether
Herb, Yes I can hear the quality. The crossovers sound clean and the drivers are expensive and High quality. The compete well with dynaudio for imaging as well. I'm not a big fan of metal drivers...I like natural composite paper and cellulose myself.
I have one of George Merrill's last turntables (so he told me when I gave him the serial number) from the Heirloom days. He very recently put up a video about them.
I heard these speakers at the one and only Axpona Atlanta (before they moved to Chicago) several years back and they got my non golden ears best of show just behind the much more expensive Voxativ. Today I will say the sound was excellent, the music was excellent, and I felt I could hear through all the wires with minimal compression. Best I've heard on you tube, and Art's Orangutans sounded very spatial with David Grier, but this was a notch better.
I met Art and Herb at Capital Audio Fest, but they were far too busy to remember me.
The CD: Venus Square Mars.. Came across very well.
Awesome video. Great work!
Sir you have an interesting mix of a front end but it seems well thought out. The pulsars sound great no doubt due to the incantation of the electronics
Please, anonymous camera person, when Herb is talking about his equipment, show the equipment that he is talking about. Thank you.
Herb you have great taste in music.
Are those cabinets really worth over $5000 bucks!?!
Seas Excel T25CF002 tweeter $300
Seas Excel E0049-08S midwoofer $250
Xover components say $600 with some audiophoolery in there (Cardas).
A typical retail price:bill of materials ratio for a loudspeaker is 5:1. You have to included manufacturing cost, share of fixed overhead, costs of marketing, packaging, and shipping, retailer margin, and even the cost of capital. To say that a product is overpriced without accounting for those factors is just plain wrongheaded. - John Atkinson
Fair point but still, $7000!?! There are numerous kits around using the exact same drivers that cost under $1500 and you could put them in PE cabs for under $500 bucks.
I'm curious about this "infinite slope" xover patent of Joseph Audio. Is it a type of active ala elliptic "cauer filter" using a transformer?
The prices I quoted on the drivers and xover components are retail DIY not the prices Joseph Audio would be paying which would be half that. That makes the BOM 10x
We want more material please!!!
Big fan. Keep up the good work Herb
You're a fascinating man to listen to.
I'm the umpteenth watcher of this video and I win a complete duplicate of every piece of audio gear Herb has in his bunker. YAAAAAAAY!!!
But will I finally be able to hear the viola's in Mahler's 9th? ?? ???
the cd sounds very natural through my inexpensive insignia receiver and speakers; the big drum slammed very good. i will now listen through fostex, sennheiser and Philips 'phones and then through my superzero speakers.
Greetings. This is my first comment.
It's okay on smartphone. Do you recommend me to use audioquest dragonfly between my sp and phone
Ah, the Linn LP12 ... I first owned one back in the mid 80's. Sold it a few years later, and bought a newer LP12 with Ittok arm in 93, and only sold that a year or so ago. I had a good run for my money.
So, it was nice seeing you use this old but renowned Turntable.
Though I could hear a lot of room acoustics (that's okay) I could also hear a very good high resolution playback system. Good to see you using CD as well. The "superb" can be found in both formats, and I enjoy GOOD recordings of music that I like.
I enjoyed your musical choices too, Herb. As a side note, the quality of this video was very good too! I come from an audio engineering background, and like most, moved into film, in my case some 12 years ago now. I do own a small project recording studio though and enjoy greatly creating audiophile quality recordings of acoustic instruments and small Ensembles. I love classic analogue sound, but chose to record using high end digital, and for good reason. I won't go into though as the word "digital" often causes negative debate. Many thanks for creating this video, Herb.
Are you by any chance Christopher Bishop the EMI Classical producer?
Stunning
The amp is phenomenal at 25 Watts.
Gorgeous.
99% of what 99% of us do is just for the sake of doing something. Some of our obsessions really just baffle my mind. I have a few beers and I can't stop watching vids of hi fi gear, yet I have no idea what I'd want to listen to. Every piece of music that I love I've listened to to death, and it's too exhausting and time consuming to find worthy recent releases. If I happen to find something new that I fall in love with, it goes on repeat in my head until in a week I've worn it out :(
Herb do you have any recordings of actual music?
Amazing
I can't hear the same 3 dimensional/depth with headphones as that I do when listening to LP/AAA analog music through speakers. Maybe it's my crappy headphones, I don't know.
Nonetheless, I really love your videos.
Thanks,
Dave
I didn’t hear Herb describe his digital setup. Disc player, DAC, file player.
Herb great story love the chickens.
The LP12 still takes some beating, its still the benchmark IMO.
Herb, What happened to your Palmer 2.5 turntable??
Herb, Have you ditched the Palmer 2.5 turntable?
The LP is notable for its clicks and pops.
I am listening on my PC with a set of Creative Labs speakers and a subwoofer. Herb, your record cleaning brush probably cost more than my speakers... Having said that ,it sounds good, but I don't think I can detect a difference between CD and LP.
Brilliant
Where can you buy Venus Square Mars: Music for the Deep Night currently ???
Anyone know which Linn turntable this is? Klimax? Akurate? Majik?
I wish yall would make more videos like this...least have more Herb around talkin' again
You didnt show us the speakers Herb!!! love this type of videos,exciting to have the possibility of a truish reflection of what youre hearing.
What's so good about DSD?
7:00 Neither turntable has a record on it being played, so where's the sound coming from?
He's playing files
I would say the first was you. The second was 45 rpmish. The last was typical.
Did i just recognize seas drivers?
For you try Casta C horn speaker.
Herb, Thanks for sharing. Though, Not my kind of music.
Herb, can you please have a listen to this video yourself and give us a % rating compared to what you heard in the "bunker"?
Herb's a great writer, but I don't think he can honestly review any speakers larger than bookshelfers in that tiny, cluttered room unless he qualifies his review as a nearfield setup.
Ah, Herb! I love this man, I could listen to him talk about anything all day. Now John Atkinson LOL can’t stand that tool.
JA is a cool guy. Very open and honest. He is also incredibly knowledgeable. You might not like his presentation style but he is very far from being a "tool".
LP sounded best. But I am biased.
Have you ever read "The Ten Biggest Lies in Audio"?
Herb, I like your stuff but can’t imagine living there. I’m a small town Ohio guy and your neighborhood doesn’t look like Berlin in 1945, but somewhat like Berlin in 1945.
Nauseating. Just goes to show that talent is not required at Stereophile. Endless circular yammering is good enough. Add some retouched photos and the developmentally disabled punters will lap it up. Then the ad revenue rolls in. Same model as Facebook.
The problem about the Linn is it sounds flat 1 dimensional compared to turntables at the same price..Get rid of it..Or use it as a decorative door stop it really holds doors open perfectly :-)
Haters gotta hate.
Or better yet stop messing around with LPs like an audiophool and get a decent DAC.
All the (good) formats are good.... It's whatever the listener wants to experience. I like 'em all. LP's hold a special place for me..... can you say 'liner notes' ?
Depends on the individual listening to them. We don't all think alike, nor should we.
Parsing Elf: That LP12 is a classic; it still exceeds the manufacturing capability of the majority of modern turntables, it might look basic, but to say it sound flat?, probably because you shelled out for a different turntable. I know many reviewers would completely disagree with you.