As the song develops to a short-lived full stride about halfway through, the jazz infusion of percussions, bass and piano takes hold. The piano and standup bass were well balanced, but one of the percussive instruments caught my ear. Although they should have been rendered on the same layer, the brushing of the left cymbal seemed to be a bit forward than the rest of the set. A trivial detail that I can only chock up to being, well, odd.
Vocally, the Supremo 6 did a fine job. Sara K. imaged fairly focused with a relatively natural presence. I noticed a bit of roughness in her voice toward the song's end as she gets too close to the microphone in the recording. At lower levels playback is well controlled, but moderate to high volume resulted in mild midrange breakup.Score: 8.5/10
Jazz (Instrumental)
Monte Alexander "Sweet Georgia Brown"
With an array of instruments, the soundstage, transient response and system dynamics can be easily compromised in this instrumental version of "Sweet Georgia Brown." But the Supremos strutted their stuff and reigned, err, supreme. They didn't seem to falter anywhere with this recording, even at high-volume levels. I found their transient response spectacular and the projected soundstage to exhibit a decent amount of transparency, layering the instruments nicely across the stage plain.
The details of this track go like this: Two sets of percussionists duel it out in the intro and play intermittently throughout the song. Each set was distinct and very accurate in its reproduction, while every tom, snare and cymbal never transpired from a single origin. This attention to detail was also evident in the brass section, where the typically elusive mechanical noises of the keys of the far left horn were crystal clear. I also was blown away by the distinct "rasp" of the reeds that couldn't have been more tonally correct - a character that often sounds compressed in cheaper sets.
If there is anything negative to say about the Supremo 6 in relation to this track, it would have to be the low-frequency response. It certainly could have used a little more gusto to fill in the fundamental of the drums and the standup bass. That's pretty minor considering the demands of this track.Score: 9/10
Reggae
Ziggy Marley "Keep My Faith"
"Keep My Faith" comes off as a simple song with not a lot of instrumentation. But in fact, that isn't entirely true. While it's no symphony, it's compiled using several instruments that are spread over the entire song, most of them being different styles of drums. It's no secret that the drums are a primary focus for me with this track, yet I still have a keen ear for the less obvious instruments and Ziggy Marley's vocals.
This track starts off with a harmonica to the left and a guitar on the opposite side, followed by a shaker. Each of these instruments had good tone and a stable position, but it was the detail in the shaker that blew me away. I could actually discern the individual beads as they settled before the next shake. Brilliant! Never have I experienced this level of clarity in this song, not even from the last set of Dynaudios I reviewed and praised for their level of detail.
This detail also was evident in the vocals. Marley imaged rock steady and focused. His voice was perfectly rendered with a very lifelike presence. The mixed backup vocals extend widely but never became overbearing.