Testing Speakers with Tusk

[michelej1]

This is actually a review of a Home Theater stereo system by Dynaudio, but the writer tested it with Tusk. Here's the excerpt:

http://www.hometheatermag.com/compactspeakers/1008dyn/

Tusk, again on vinyl, is my favorite Fleetwood Mac album. With its emphasis on uncluttered mixes, slow tempos, and under-stated guitar and keyboard parts, it’s the rock equivalent of a Zen-inspired watercolor of some misty mountain landscape. I divided the percussive labor at 80 Hz. Despite their size, the monitors and sub conjured the rhythm-section colossus of Fleetwood and Mac (Mick Fleetwood and John McVie). The drums had a tight, clean impact, and the sub’s tunefulness emphasized the melodic fluidity of the bass.

The voices of Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks emerged as astonishingly distinctive instruments. I’ve always thought McVie’s voice and songwriting were underrated, but this particular audition of Tusk finally turned me into a Stevie Nicks fan. It only took 29 years for the penny to drop. Maybe I just needed the right speakers to bring out her honey-drenched vocals on the incredible “Sara.” Despite the center’s nonmatching woofer size, the X22 blended well with the X12 monitors as I repeatedly switched from stereo to Dolby Pro Logic II.