Just reading up on some music and came across a discussion about Telarc classical albums that had warnings about potential speaker damage from some passages if pushed too loud! Wouldn’t be fun to accidentally hit something like that streaming. I listened to Telarc 1812 overture low volume and yes I can imagine the cannons causing problems if you had the volume turned up for the quieter sections.
Scary stuff, any other sneaky potential speaker killers out there?
The John Zorn album - Kristallnacht has the potential to fry your tweeters. It also contained the following warning.
CAUTION: “Never Again” contains high frequency extremes at the limits of human hearing & beyond, which may cause nausea, headache & ringing in the ears. Prolonged or repeated listening is not advisable as it may result in temporary or permanent ear damage. - The Composer
Anything if loud enough
Martin
Yes, the 24 bit release of Telarc’s 1812, is interesting: with many systems it is necessary to play the main orchestral parts unrealistically quietly in order not to risk speaker damage with the canons. When I first bought it, playing through IMF RSPM speakers which were really good full range speakers apart from limited power handling capacity, if I played louder than at an unrealistically quiet average sound level (low 70s dBs) I could hear the bass drivers hitting their end stops on the canons, distorting like mad. But that changed when I change to PMC EB1i speakers, becoming a delightful play bringing the overture into its own allowing the orchestra to play at a realistic level, with the cannons have the impact of cannons firing, undistorted/uncompressed by the speakers.
I’m not aware of any other music with such extreme effect, but of course anything played louder than either the speakers or amp can handle carries a major risk of speaker damage, though unintuitively if due to amp overload rather than speaker overload distortion places the tweeters at risk even when due to bass. In terms of ‘sneaky’, if that means without prior awareness, speakers which don’t go low enough to hear the lowest sounds in the music could be overloaded by high levels of low bass especially where any pure or predominently sine wave tones are involved as could be from synthesisers given the absence of harmonics.
Back in the days Charlie Antolinis Direct cut vinyl „Knock out“ was that kind of stuff you‘re asking for.
I was actually by complete coincidence trying to recall this album recently, thanks for that. Have streamed it before, no speaker blowing shock so it must just be the vinyl had the extreme DR/ frequencies.
The Telarc 1812 LP was perhaps unique in that if you really got it wrong you could simultaneously destroy both the record, your stylus and your speakers all at the same time. My own copy still has the scars from the first (and last) time I played it. When the cannons go off the groove excursions are so huge that for most MCs they will just jump straight out of it, and in my case hop across the rest of the vinyl. One for Shure trackers only perhaps…
I wonder how many forum members will be tempted to try it and see what happens.
Don’t press the button, like kids and a dome tweeter😆
, as I would expect the digital version to have greater capability than the vinyl that Richard describes (not that his capability if it can’t be played!). The dynamic range, by which I mean actual range between quiet and loudest of the cannons, not the DR database algorithm calculated DR racing) is very large indeed on the 24 bit recording I have. I did some years ago have the CD version and even with that I had to play it quietly.to prevent very obvious speaker distressed when cannons came, that was with my IMF RSPNs. What system do you have, particularly speakers? (Your profile doesn’t mention.) And you say you were streaming it, presumably online (?): From what service? I have heard people talk of some online streamed music being different from that which is available to buy.
Just looking …. Roon tells me that I have not played it; but I know I have (reinstalled Roon at fault I suspect). Volume level about eight aclock.
I also like the Dorati version with live canons for the atmosphere.
Whilst their 1812 is the best-known example, Telarc didn’t stop trying to push this particular envelope:
Top left is the 1978 disc we’re discussing (they re-recorded it in 1998 for SACD, including fresh cannon recordings).
Top right is a disc which contains the original cannon recordings as ‘bonus tracks’; just as challenging to replay.
Bottom right is a 1986 disc with overlaid thunder on one track which is a worthy successor to the 1812 disc in reproduction terms.
Bottom left is a 1994 disc with some sound effects tracks paying homage to Jurassic Park - booming footsteps with frequencies down to 5Hz which are obviously infrasound but still a fun challenge for one’s woofers.
Mark
Neat petite classic and a Nait 50 streaming from Tidal. Played very low and not a threat even at my regular volumes I’d hope. Thread more an expression of curiosity that such recordings even exist.
All well and good the physical copies had printed warnings but the streaming variants don’t.
Ok, do when you said this:
you were playing at a low volume anyway, so I’ve no idea how you could assess that there is no extreme energy there on the cannons to make your suggestion that it must only be on vinyl. You might find considerably differently if you were to play with the orchestra at anywhere near normal orchestral level or even quite a bit below – but if you want to try I would suggest starting at that low level then increasing only a little each time. With your speakers you wouldn’t hear the lowest frequencies, but you might see the cones move excessively (unless you speakers as a built-in high pass filter in the crossover to prevent frequencies they can’t reproduce overloading them: that is possible, but AFAIK not a common thing to do).
That was in reference to Charlie Antolinis Knock out“ which I have streamed at regular volume without indication of speaker stress. The Telarc 1812 I played at low volume and as I mentioned I could imagine the cannons being problematic at louder volumes. They gave quite a punch even at that low volume. Anyway I’ve no intention of pushing the boundaries on this, just an interesting snippet in a review I read. I don’t even particularly listen to classical.
Ah, understood
Blew my SBL tweeters with some Marilyn Manson nearly 20 years ago, but probably because I was playing extremely loud due to stresses of a close relative’s illness rather than the music itself. Then again who knows.
I don’t normally have Naim pre-amps beyond 12 let alone 3 o’clock.
Sorry to hear that, not a pleasant time all round.
No, sometimes music seems helpful when you’re feeling morose but actually isn’t.
Rarely has mine been to 10 o’clock
