# I'm hearing things!



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

So I'm watching this with headphones, and Plácido is sounding pretty damn good, and I CAN HEAR EVERY WORD THE PROMPTER SAYS, and it's driving me nuts







.

Same thing happened throughout the whole of act 2 of this.










Anyone else have the same problem?


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

I've heard it on some Callas recordings but don't recall hearing it in a dvd, seems pretty sloppy.
It's very impressive how many roles Placido has in his rep, but if this is the downside than it might not be worth it? I seem to remember reading a review of Die Walkure featuring him as Siegmund that had similar problems with continual and audible help from the prompter.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Well, the prompter is helping everyone, not just him. And it's before every phrase, in the middle of arias.

I think it's more to do with the age of the recordings.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

Ah that's a good point. With newer directional mics they can probably isolate the singers better.
I guess I don't really know how prompters work. Do they generally give all performers all the dialogue all the time? Or is it more of a case-by-case basis where a singer might be weak in Act 2 of Nozze (or whatever) and will tell the prompter ahead of time that they'll be relying on him or her quite a bit?


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## Rangstrom (Sep 24, 2010)

Good headphones can uncover a multitude of sins. I had the same problem with the '82 Levine Tannhauser DVD. It makes the performance hard to listen to (although I saw a release that claims to be remastered so maybe they fixed the problem). The Davis LSO Live recording of Beatrice picks up the soloists page turns, ugh.

Thank you for the warning. I will certainly avoid these.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Rangstrom said:


> *Good headphones can uncover a multitude of sins. *I had the same problem with the '82 Levine Tannhauser DVD. It makes the performance hard to listen to (although I saw a release that claims to be remastered so maybe they fixed the problem). The Davis LSO Live recording of Beatrice picks up the soloists page turns, ugh.
> 
> Thank you for the warning. I will certainly avoid these.


Yes, I got a new headphone amp and now I can hear everything, which is not always an advantage. "La Gioconda" particularly has a lot of incidental noise. It's a pity because Marton gives an electrifying performance.


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## karenpat (Jan 16, 2009)

I have never encountered that problem, even though I frequently watch opera DVDs on my mac with earphones...I agree that it must have something to do with when the recordings were made.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

Probably depends on the quality of the 'phones as well. The ones that come with iPods are notoriously poor quality, while quality Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic headphones sound much better. If you like the smaller earbud / earphone style, the Shure SE210 is a great midrange set that has fantastic sound quality.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

rgz said:


> Probably depends on the quality of the 'phones as well. The ones that come with iPods are notoriously poor quality, while quality Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic headphones sound much better. If you like the smaller earbud / earphone style, the Shure SE210 is a great midrange set that has fantastic sound quality.


I've had a modestly priced, entry model Sennheiser HD202 for years and I'm very content with it, but I have never encountered this problem.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> I've had a modestly priced, entry model Sennheiser HD202 for years and I'm very content with it, but I have never encountered this problem.


That's what I have. But when you listen with a headphone amplifier (my new one is called a Project headbox, much better than my previous Little Dot) the sound quality becomes much more precise, if that's the word, and that's when you pick the extraneous noise up.


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## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

I thought hearing the prompter was a thing of the past, something almost inevitable on the live (pirate?) recordings of Callas. You don't need to wear earphones to hear that.

Nowadays, I often listen DVDs with earphones to get an effective volume and spare my neighbours, but I seldom hear the prompter.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

This? I didn't even know that these things existed. Is it worth ordering one? Expensive, though - $159


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> This? I didn't even know that these things existed. *Is it worth ordering one?* Expensive, though - $159


OMG yes, what a difference it makes, even to my resolutely non-audiophile ears.

This Project is very good for the price - they go up to US1000 according to my Hi-fi shop.


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## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

The standard headphone jack in even quite expensive hi-fi separates have a very basic amplifier, good enough for most headphones but if you want to hear music at it's best, just getting a good pair of cans often isn't enough, because of the very basic amplifier. So a dedicated headphone amp allows you to make the most of them. I have a Heed CanAmp - very good. 

Of course if this means you start hearing the prompts and this annoys you you may prefer to stick with a very basic pair of cans and no dedicated amp!


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Hhmm...an amp like that would be nice. But unfortunately I should refrain from spending any money on music related purchases this year. Definitely something to keep in mind for the future though..


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

OK, so now I'm watching an open air La Traviata










and I can hear the swifts wheeling around overhead. Quite cute really, makes me homesick for Europe.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> OK, so now I'm watching an open air La Traviata
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is she hot? Boobs?


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

No but the tenor is wonderful if a little hairy and tubby.


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