No list is perfect. Every f-stop equals a doubling of the contrast. For the sake of comparison, I took the same file and ran it though a dynamic range compression algorithm, set for a 2:1 compression ratio with a threshold of -18 dB. I'm not sure what they use as algorithm, but something like plain recorded speech would score the highest. High dynamic range works very poorly on the radio, on the dance floor, or in a shopping mall. I will address this issue in an upcoming FAQ at some time in the future. A sound level of 136dB is jet engine loud. Looking through both extremes of the list is very intriguing. View (current) Upload Links Paid Software (new algorithm) MAAT DROffline MAAT DROffline MkII ... MP3 or self-improved versions of albums should not be there. Uncompressed dynamic range is a rare and beautiful thing. Recently, I've been wondering about dynamic range, and a few albums, such as A Night at the Opera, Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 and Synchronicity what the differences are between the original releases, the remasters done by their record labels, and what the Hi-Fi remasters have done, such as DCC, MoFi, and others I may or may not have heard of. It was supposed to be so easy. I vote for "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits and my favorite version, the Matsushita pressing. While I question some of the sources they are based off of, this is still a very interesting site which gives a "score" on an albums dynamic range. Alexandre Desplat " Birth " This movie soundtrack was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London (where the Beatles made all their albums). What are some of the best ones with wide dynamic range on CD? Add to that the 96dB dynamic range and the peak output level from your speakers would need to be 136dB to experience the full dynamic range from a CD. Dynamic Range DB. The Caveats. IIRC, there are some songs that (according to EAC) peak at 20% all the way to 100%! (This is the first preset in the Sony Sound Forge audio editing software I used.) There have been other deletions in the past, mostly by people who think that vinyl, MP3 or self-improved versions of albums should not be there. Maybe I will keep it simple by letting every album be created with some kind of password that the user can define when uploading the log. A dynamic range of 10 f-stops equals a contrast of 1000:1. We didn't even set ourselves the task of picking the absolute, definitive best 50 albums for audiophiles – and in reality this is just a selection of records from a collection of hundreds or thousands – but still it felt close to deciding which of your limbs you'd least mind being torn off by a bear. The original’s in blue and the compressed waveform is in green. Music that varies too much in dynamic range might sound great on your expensive living room surround sound, but in a lot of cases with average audio equipment or in noisy places, the quieter bits of the music are just lost. Image Engineering report the dynamic range normally in the common unit “f-stops” or “EV” (Exposure value). The dynamic range is a ratio which can be expressed in different units. The whole album must be watched for sudden volume boosts. This way they can edit or delete their entries but not others. The hit track Get Lucky is the danciest song on the album and a system with tight bass and an expressive midrange will present it at its best. See the album at … Now, assume that your speakers are relatively efficient and can produce a sound level of 96dB with an input power of 1 watt.