Listening Environment and Listening Tests - Two Channel Music

I did all multi-channel home theater listening tests in Reference System 3 and did 2-channel music testing in the RBH Sound CinemaSITE located in Reference System 2 .

I utilized Yamaha's Pure Direct mode for all 2-channel listening in order to hear what the RX-V2600's amplifiers were capable of putting out. Pure Direct puts the unit in 2-channel bypass mode with no sub output. With my main speakers set to 'Large' the Yamaha's amp was working hard, driving full range frequencies to both of my SI-6100 mains.

CD: Porcupine Tree Deadwing
The title track is an exercise in finding detail. If your speakers cannot produce sufficient midrange and treble clarity and/or if your low frequency isn't well integrated into the room, you will get "mush". The RBH Sound SI-6100s, however picked up the detail, especially the guitars in the interlude section which at times came from well outside and produced a super-wide soundstage. Bass was phenomenal towards the end of this song, especially considering I wasn't running a subwoofer, but that was just a sign that the Yamaha wasn't dropping the ball when sending full range signal to the main speakers.

"Lazarus" allowed the Yamaha to show that it could send through soft, sibilant vocals along with gentle guitar strumming and produce excellent finesse in both. Later, as piano, keys and drums came in, the room became nicely filled with a very localizable soundstage. Drums were mixed into a recessed position, while backing vocals hemmed in the soft lead. Piano was just off right of center and a lead guitar rolled in from the left.

A watery guitar effect intro of track 6 "Mellotron Scratch" showed off some gentle and smooth reverb decay. It's easy for reverb to get clipped and crushed out, but the Yamaha was true to the source and gave me an uninhibited performance. As acoustic guitar and percussion samples came in beside a lead vocal that was planted dead center into the mix with doubled effects panned to the sides, I knew I was in for a treat. The song transitioned to an ending with a fantastic piano, played to mimic the gentle guitar intro... and it sounded pristine and transparent.

"Start of Something Beautiful" is a good bass, drums and vocals tune. It begins with soft keys reminiscent of the original Star Trek TV synth intro. That similarity dies quickly once the tightly connected bass-kick pattern enters. While it ends up being a tad busy, I was able to hear excellent discrete positioning of instruments to precise spots between the RBH CinemaSITE main speakers. Vocals were exceptionally clean and came across smoothly and without having any colorization or chestiness added by the Yamaha amplifiers.

CD: Liquid Soul Liquid Soul
What do you get when you take acid jazz, add some funk, toss in a DJ for good measure and stir them into a band? You get some pretty original and enjoyable Liquid Soul music. I was going for pure power and detail here - and I got it when my friend Stephan lent me his Liquid Soul CD to listen to. I wanted something I could crank that had dynamics, detail and a lot of varied material - and this fit the bill perfectly. The first real track opens with some biting horns, a driving drum beat, percussion and even some scratching thrown in for good measure. Needless to say I got what I was after. The mix was deep and well layered.

Track 3 "Schizophrenia" is full of well-mic'ed brass that has a beautiful decay that extends and fades into a very wide listening field well beyond the left and right speakers of Reference System 2. I noticed no intrusive compression, even on the top of the powerful compound trumpet and sax solo occurring midway through the track. It always confuses me why mixing engineers (or producers) feel the need to add back in the pops and noise associated with vinyl, but I suppose they have as much a right to nostalgic creativity as anyone. Track 4 "Equinox" was again laced with nicely reverberant saxophone and trumpet. Guitars were set back and left within the mix and drums were even more subdued, were that possible, though the cymbals (or overheads) were mixed almost hard right/left which was surprising at times when they were brought in.

The final track I wanted to evaluate for this review was "Afro Loop" which incorporated a rap vocal with a 70's funk groove on guitar and backing brass. Artificial vinyl noise was again present, but it really just gave me one more detail element to observe. Drums were punchy and mixed tighter, but and interlude allowed for some punctuated trumpet and a walking bass line which sailed through the system to my ears unadulterated. This album features an almost surreal mix of contemporary and retro that will push any system's limits and show off dynamics, detail and timbre.

CD: Marillion Season's End
This CD features some incredible tracks. Starting right up with Track 1 "The King of Sunset Town" I was able to listen to Steve Hogarth's voice come in, growing in power as the song built up, thinking "There's no real audible compression in his peaks." In addition, guitars and keys showed lots of detail and avoided becoming crushed into the mix. "Finesse" was the term I'd use to describe the gently pervasive decay that manifested itself during the bridge.

"The Uninvited Guest" is a favorite of mine and builds from a simple guitar, drums and vocal intro to a full, encompassing mix during choruses. Drums are panned slightly right and guitars are well separated. Keys take on an almost ethereal sound as they ride nearly on top... overhead of the remaining instrumentation. Strong, clear vocals finish out the song and the Yamaha pushed the RBH Sound SI-6100s to almost uncomfortably loud levels during the final chorus as I cranked the volume looking for the amps to lose control.

"Season's End", the title track, is a song that's really about global warming's effect on the once cold English winters sung as a nostalgic look back through the eyes of a father. The kick is very tight throughout this track and a guitar solo three minutes into it sounded phenomenal throughout the system. Sometimes the low parts and fade outs are the greatest places to hear an amplifier. The finale of this track gets very quiet with cymbal rolls and a subdued passage that serves as a prelude to a "walk-out" section leading to the next track. The RX-V2600 can handle near-silent passages and fades with as much finesse as it does dynamic pieces. There is simply no extraneous noise coming from this receiver.

CD: Trisha Yearwood The Song Remembers When
The title song is quite possibly one of the most beautiful tracks I've heard. It is also mixed so as to fill the room of any system with a sufficiently detailed amplifier and loudspeakers. Trisha's vocals (we're on a first name basis, you know) are anchored dead center along with the snare track. Drums are panned wide with toms extended almost hard left and right. Listen for the final vocal decay and fade out and you'll know you have a receiver that is transparent with respect to noise.

"I Don't Fall In Love So Easy" is another track that allows Trisha's strong vocals to push through without compressing. A steel guitar and bass round out the mix; and drums, which as clean and sterile as to sound almost sequenced (they're not), are crisp and precise.

Track 6 "The Nightingale" is a piano/vocal song with some background instrumentation to fill out the mix. It is pure and open, with the lyrics floating through a sea of thick, but not overbearing reverb. The effect, again, is room-filling and sounded as if she was standing 10 feet in front of me on a stage singing in a reverberant night club.

"If I Ain't Got You" is a fun honky-tonk song that shows off piano, fiddle, guitars, and a healthy dose of Trisha doubling her own vocals in the choruses. The stereo image was precise, wide, and authentic - as in "live". This is a great album to have on hand for evaluating using female vocals.